Infantino inaugurates new Forward project in Mongolia www.fifa.com

On the second day of his tour of several East Asian countries, FIFA President Gianni Infantino today reached Mongolia, where he had a very busy schedule. His visit coincided with the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF) and included meetings with the highest authorities as well as the inauguration of a brand new football project.

Koreas in silent, surreal stalemate as China drop points www.dawn.com

DOHA: North and South Korea played out a surreal 0-0 draw in front of an empty stadium and with no TV coverage while Marcello Lippi’s China dropped their first points as they were held to a surprise goalless draw in the Philippines and Australia smashed seven past Taiwan in Asian World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min captained South Korea for their first competitive men’s match in Pyongyang, but it was an odd affair with no fans or media at Kim Il Sung Stadium.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was one of the few people in attendance for the rare game between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war because their 1950-53 civil conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

He was one of the lucky ones — South Korean fans will be unable to see the game until the delegation returns from Pyongyang with a recording of the game on DVD.

It was the third time in the countries’ last five meetings in World Cup qualifying that neither side has been able to find the back of the net, and it means both nations remain unbeaten in the second round of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

South Korea lead the North Koreans on goal difference at the top of Group ‘H’ with both countries on seven points, one point more than Lebanon who defeated Sri Lanka 3-0.

On a busy night of qualifiers for Qatar 2022, China’s 0-0 draw with the Philippines meant the 2002 World Cup qualifiers dropped down to second in Group ‘A’ on seven points, two behind Syria, who beat Guam 4-0 to maintain their perfect start, with Omar Al Somah scoring a hat-trick.

Japan were made to work for their 3-0 win over Tajikistan on an artificial pitch in Dushanbe, with Takumi Minamino scoring twice early in the second half to steer Hajime Moriyasu’s side to their third straight victory.

The Japanese now lead Group ‘F’ by three points from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, who beat Mongolia 2-1 in Ulaanbaatar earlier in the day.

Iraq secured a second straight win in Group ‘C’ with a 4-0 thrashing of Cambodia — highlighted by Amjad Attwan’s belter which flew 25 yards and into the top corner past goalkeeper Keo Soksela — and are joint top of the standings with Bahrain, who claimed a surprise 1-0 win over Iran thanks to Mohammed Al Hardan’s second-half penalty.

AUSSIES PLUNDER SEVEN

Adam Taggart, Jackson Irvine and Harry Souttar scored two apiece as Australia thrashed Taiwan 7-1 in Kaoshiung to maintain their 100 percent record in Group ‘B’ and next month will face Jordan, who secured a 3-0 win over Nepal to remain in second place.

Taggart scored twice in seven first-half minutes — his first goals for Australia in six years, after injury threatened to derail his career.

The Suwon Samsung Bluewings forward nodded the opener from Rhyan Grant’s diagonal cross, and then had a simple finish after Brad Smith and Awer Mabil’s neat interchange on the left.

Chen Yi-wei pulled one back for the hosts before Irvine grabbed two goals of his own, the first from a cool half-volley and the second with a close-range header.

Souttar got the third Australian brace of the night, either side of Jamie Maclaren’s strike, to complete the demolition job.

Eldor Shomurodov scored twice in Uzbekistan’s 3-1 victory over Singapore, which moved the White Wolves into pole position in Group ‘D’, one point ahead of second-placed Saudi Arabia after the five-time World Cup qualifiers were held to a 0-0 draw in Palestine.

Indonesia’s woes continued with a 3-1 loss in Jakarta — their fourth defeat in a row — against Vietnam while Bert van Marwijk was handed his first competitive loss as head coach of the United Arab Emirates, with goals from Teerasil Dangda and Ekanit Panya earning Thailand a 2-1 win in Pathum Thani.

Thailand are now joint top of Group ‘G’ alongside the Vietna­mese, with both teams on seven points, one more than the UAE.

India salvaged a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh thanks to Adil Khan’s header two minutes from fulltime in the countries’ Group ‘E’ meeting in Kolkata while Qatar opened up a four-point gap at the top following their 2-1 win over Oman thanks to goals from Akram Afif and Almoez Ali either side of the break.

In a fast-paced match, Akram struck in the second minute from close range but Rabia al-Alawi restored parity in the 65th minute with a dazzling solo run. Ali then struck from just inside the box in the 71st minute to give Qatar the winning goal.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2019

CO measurement devices to be provided to health centers in UB www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On October 16, the Cabinet resolved funding of MNT 330 million for purchasing and installing Carbon Monoxide Detection and Measurement Devices at the Newborn and Maternity Health Center, National Center for Public Health, health centers and clinics of districts. The funding will be drawn from the government’s reserve fund.

Mongolian currency weakens against USD and CHY www.news.mn

The rate of the Mongolian Tugrik against the US dollar weakened by 6.6 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2019. The US dollar traded at 2,667.21 against the Tugrik at the end of the third quarter, according to the data from Mongolia’s National Statistics Office (NSO). The depreciation was mainly attributed to higher imports that led to the outflow of dollars, experts said.

The rate of Tugrik against the Chinese yuan is dropped by 2.8 percent in the first three quarters of this year from the same period last year. One yuan bought 374.10 Mongolian Tugriks at the end of September.

Mongolia’s total imports stood at 4.6 billion dollars in the January-September period, up 5.7 percent from a year ago.

“Let’s Rock !!” The Who joins The HU ww.news.mn

The HU’s on first, then The Who’s next on a weekend of music that brought the legendary rock band and the groundbreaking Mongolian ensemble to Los Angeles for a pair of weekend shows. For those who think rock ‘n’ roll is going the way of endangered species like the dodo bird, these two shows offered bracing reminders of the form’s universality and global appeal in two very different, but no less compelling reminders of the genre’s enduring relevance.

The HU are a four-person rock band from the land of Mongolia who perform a pulsating rock using traditional instruments like the two-stringed bow Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), the Tsuur (an end-blown flute of various sizes), the Tovshuur (a banjo-shaped electric guitar) and the Tumuur Khuur (a jaw harp), accompanied by the buzzing lower-key vibrations of throat-singing.

The sound is a rumbling, raga-like trance music supplemented by booming tribal beats that veers from a country hoe-down to snippets of Led Zeppelin, Metallica and even the buzzing drone of the Velvet Underground, all delivered in native Mongolian lyrics to a crowd of crazy, not-so-rich Asians rocking out like headbangers. The HU just embarked on their first headlining U.S. tour, with more than 15 sold-out shows, including an appearance at L.A.’s Teragram Ballroom, where they performed their viral YouTube hits from their debut Gereg album, “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem,” the latter going to No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Rock Digital Songs chart.

Greeting the crowd in English with such bromides as “Hello, Los Angeles… Are you having fun? Let’s rock,” The HU pay tribute to their warrior roots on “The Great Chinggis Khaan,” but also demonstrate a more politically correct side with the “Song of Women,” from Gereg, which was a diplomatic passport used by Mongolian nobles and officials during the 13th century. The tribal stomp cuts through all language and cultural barriers, joining this far-off exotic location and downtown L.A. in a bond of shared humanity, which makes sense because The HU call their music “hunnu rock,” the Mongolian root word for “human,” and a derivation on the ancient Huns.

Back in the days when they sported the world’s most dangerous rhythm section of bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, The Who could resemble a pack of marauding invaders themselves, but their current “North American Moving On Tour” finds them performing with full-scale orchestras, featuring arrangement by Beck’s composer dad David Campbell. The only two surviving members are Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, joined by Pete’s brother Simon on guitar and backing vocals, Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums – a linchpin to the band’s sound since joining in 1996 – along with relative newcomers Loren Gold on keyboards (since 2012), bassist Jon Button (since 2017) and backup vocalist Billy Nichols (rejoined this year), hitting such fabled venues as Fenway Park, Madison Square Garden and two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. (source: Pollstar)

Regular population and housing census to be held in January next year www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. In compliance with 7.1 of the Law on Statistics, which states “Population and housing census shall be carried out every decade whereas a midterm census shall be held every 5 years”, a regular census of population and housing will be carried out nationwide for a week starting on January 9, 2020.

National football team of Kyrgyzstan defeats team of Mongolia www.24.kg

The national football team of Kyrgyzstan defeated the team of Mongolia today.

Petro Matad begins Heron-1 testing in Mongolia www.worldoil.com

ISLE OF MAN - Mongolian oil explorer Petro Matad Limited has commenced testing operations at the Heron-1 well in the north of Block XX, eastern Mongolia.

EBRD supports gold mining in Mongolia www.ebrd.com

EBRD support for a mining investment in southwestern Mongolia will create jobs and ensure the highest possible environmental standards at the Khundii Gold project in the Bayankhongor region of the country

China, Mongolia share development goals after 70 years of diplomatic relations www.globaltimes.cn

Wednesday marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Mongolia.

China has promoted the building of a community of shared future for mankind, which is of great significance for the good neighborly cooperation between the two Asian neighbors.

First, the concept of a community of shared future for mankind, which is aimed at forging partnerships in which countries treat each other as equals, engage in mutual consultation and show mutual understanding, can help increase political trust between China and Mongolia. The concept underscores that large countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns and treat small countries as equals.

In keeping with the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between China and Mongolia, both sides have agreed to develop good neighborly relations on the basis of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and cooperation for mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. The basic principles of China-Mongolia relations are in line with the concept of a community of shared future for mankind.

Second, the concept of a community of shared future for mankind can bring the two countries closer in terms of security. The concept is committed to promoting common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in the world and safeguarding the international order centered on the UN Charter.

This is in line with Mongolia's security interests and peaceful foreign policy. The country proposed the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Initiative to provide a mechanism for Northeast Asian countries to promote peaceful dialogue, avoid armed conflicts, enhance mutual trust among Northeast Asian countries and resolve security problems.

Besides, China and Mongolia will cooperate on combating transnational crimes such as smuggling, drug trafficking and terrorism.

Third, a community of shared future for mankind helps expand China-Mongolia trade. China is the largest energy consumer in the world and has a huge market, while Mongolia is rich in natural resources, and its domestic market is relatively small. China has huge capital and technology for infrastructure development that Mongolia lacks. As a result, China-Mongolia trade volume and cooperation projects have seen a rise.

Major projects implemented by China in Mongolia are in accord with the latter's national development strategy and are beneficial to its socioeconomic development. For example, China has built Mongolia's first highway. China has also been passing on experience and technology to Mongolia during projects and helping Mongolia train professionals and skilled workers, which improves Mongolia's ability to develop independently.

Fourth, it can foster people-to-people contacts between the two countries. China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind recognizes and respects the diversity and equality of world civilizations, sees mutual learning among civilizations as an impetus for social development, and promotes inclusiveness and cooperation. It not only grasps the essential feature of social progress, but also shows the power and value of civilizations. It will directly advance people-to-people contacts and cultural communication in the international community. Exchanges between China and Mongolia are of course no exception.

In recent years, there have been frequent cultural exchanges between China and Mongolia. Several cultural events have been organized by the two sides. A growing number of Mongolian students are studying in China, and many Confucius Institutes and Chinese language teaching centers have been set up in Mongolia.

Fifth, it will boost China-Mongolia ecological cooperation. The community with a shared future for mankind not only is an inter-country model of development and communication, but also represents Chinese people's basic judgment of the relationship between human destiny and ecological civilization.

Linked by mountains and rivers, China and its neighbors face similar environmental problems. So China must join hands with its neighbors to build a global ecosystem and seek a path to sustainable development. This also brings a significant opportunity for Mongolia to promote sustainable development. Roughly three-quarters of Mongolia's land is degraded or suffers from desertification. Guided by the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, the two neighbors can jointly build a green silk road, develop green economy, address climate change, and fight against natural disasters. Specific cooperation projects can be carried out in terms of desertification control, environmental restoration in mining areas, and managing haze.

To summarize, China's proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind will guarantee comprehensive cooperation between China and Mongolia. In the future, the two countries should broaden consensus, continue to establish and strengthen partnerships in terms of development initiatives, and further push good neighborly relations to new heights.

The author is an assistant research fellow at the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn