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Friday, September 23, 2016
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TRQ closed +1.08% Thursday to US$3.08
Turquoise Hill Announces Disposal of 375,000 Shares of SouthGobi Resources, 25,562,868 Remain
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - September 22, 2016) - Turquoise Hill Resources (Turquoise Hill or the Company) today announced that it has disposed of 375,000 common shares (the Shares) of SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (SouthGobi) on September 22, 2016 at an average price of CDN$0.2780 per Share (the Transaction). Immediately following the Transaction, Turquoise Hill beneficially owns or controls 25,562,868 Shares, representing approximately 9.9198% of SouthGobi's issued and outstanding common shares.
The common shares of SouthGobi are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the trading symbol SGQ and on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and trade under the trading symbol 1878. The Transaction was carried out in the market. The Shares were disposed of in the ordinary course of business. Turquoise Hill may in the future further decrease its investment in SouthGobi.
An early warning report respecting this disposition has been filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Review (SEDAR) under SouthGobi's profile and can be viewed at www.sedar.com.
TPO last traded A$0.165 on July 13
Tian Poh Places 1.1 Million Shares at 7.5 Cents in Lieu of Interest Payments
September 22 – On 16 September 2016, Tian Poh Resources Limited (the 'Company') placed 1,111,549 ordinary shares at 7.5 cents per share to sophisticated and professional investors in lieu of interest due convertible notes which the noteholders had previously elected to convert into shares. Accordingly, the liability to the former noteholders was extinguished and no additional proceeds were raised.
Notice under Section 708A(6) of the Corporations Act 2001 (the 'Act')
…
XAM closed +2.6% Thursday to A$0.195
Xanadu Mines Director Darryl Clark Buys 25,000 Shares On-Market
TER trading +11.1% today at A$0.04
TerraCom and Blair Athol Coal Joint Venture Partners Execute Sale and Purchase Agreement
September 23 -- TerraCom Limited (TerraCom or the Company) (ASX: TER) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Orion Mining Pty Ltd, has executed a binding Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire the Blair Athol Coal Mine (mine) in Queensland, Australia from the Blair Athol Coal Joint Venture (BACJV) under the terms as previously disclosed and subject to Queensland Government approval and certain other conditions precedent.
At completion of the acquisition TerraCom will receive AUD$80m from the BACJV to meet Blair Athol Coal Mine's rehabilitation liability as determined by Queensland's Department of Environment Heritage Protection in November 2015. The Financial Assurance will be provided as cash to be held in a bank account approved and controlled by the Queensland Government.
The acquisition includes the mining lease, licences, land, contracts and all mining plant & equipment, including a dragline, to support the delivery of TerraCom's forecast production schedule and progressive rehabilitation at the mine. All site infrastructure including offices, workshops and stores associated with the mine are also included in the transaction.
TerraCom plans to initially commence over 50 hectares of the site rehabilitation it has assumed, while bringing the mine back into production. Production is being scheduled around a rate of 2Mtpa of coal with a target of operations recommencing in the 4th Quarter 2016.
This acquisition of Blair Athol Mine is a significant milestone for TerraCom, bringing the following benefits:-
• Progressive rehabilitation of one of Queensland's oldest coal mines.
• The resumption of coal mining and export sales from the Blair Athol Coal mine providing the local, state and federal economies with increased economic activity, employment, royalties and taxation.
• Forecast positive cash flow through a low overhead structure and operational efficiencies.
This acquisition is another positive step forward for TerraCom. Combined with the Company's recent debt restructuring and equity raisings, and the commissioning of its hard coking coal mine in Mongolia, this transaction will transform the TerraCom balance sheet with a materially positive impact on net assets.
The Blair Athol assets provide TerraCom with comprehensive mine facilities and an established mining operation which can act as a regional hub in Queensland to support expansion plans.
TerraCom has begun working positively in the Isaac Regional Council region with the establishment of a Community Consultative Committee which held its inaugural meeting in Clermont recently.
TerraCom Investor Roadshow Presentation: Focus on Growth
September 23, --
OVERVIEW
ü Independent hard coking coal producer
· Production recommencing in Q4 2016 on back of strong HCC prices with efficiencies of newly commissioned supply chain
ü Geographically diversified
· Large portfolio of coal assets in Mongolia and Australia and expanding into Indonesia
ü Pursuing coal producing opportunities during down-cycle
· A$1 acquisition of Blair Athol (BA) thermal coal mine in Bowen Basin, Australia completed and production to commence late in Q4 2016
· Also in discussion to acquire a hard coking coal mine in Kalimantan, Indonesia (Indomet)
ü Large JORC resource base (exclBA and Indomet)
· 304 Mt of coking and thermal coal in Mongolia
· 2.1 Bt of thermal and PCI coal in Australia
ü Strong development pipeline
· Expanding from 3 regional hubs through development of large resources
ü Resilient balance sheet
· After restructuring through the issuance of a 5-year interest-only EuroClear-traded bonds
ü Strong Board and management team
· Proven track record in building and operating coal mines
…
EUM last traded A$0.031 on September 12
Eumeralla Resources Annual Report 2016
September 22, Eumeralla Resources Ltd. (ASX:EUM) --
DRG last traded A$0.04 on Wednesday
Draig Resources Annual Report 2016
September 22, Draig Resoures Ltd. (ASX:DRG) --
MSE Trading Report: Top 20 -0.33%, ALL -0.22%, Turnover ₮30.1 Million Shares, ₮50.4 Million T-Bills
September 22 (MSE) --
USD/MNT historic high ₮2,265.28, set Aug 18. Reds are rates that set a new record at the time
BoM MNT Rates: Thursday, September 22 Close
9/22 | 9/21 | 9/20 | 9/19 | 9/16 | 9/15 | 9/14 | 9/13 | 9/12 | 9/9 | 9/8 | 9/7 | 9/6 | 9/5 | 9/2 | ||
| USD | 2,253.61 | 2,249.42 | 2,247.52 | 2,247.86 | 2,246.43 | 2,244.97 | 2,240.74 | 2,238.52 | 2,232.65 | 2,232.86 | 2,223.62 | 2,220.22 | 2,212.61 | 2,213.18 | 2,211.58 |
| EUR | 2,530.13 | 2,506.30 | 2,517.22 | 2,508.72 | 2,523.64 | 2,522.22 | 2,517.25 | 2,515.09 | 2,511.62 | 2,516.88 | 2,503.57 | 2,497.64 | 2,467.72 | 2,473.67 | 2,474.32 |
| JPY | 22.44 | 22.00 | 22.13 | 22.01 | 22.04 | 21.94 | 21.70 | 21.97 | 21.79 | 21.84 | 21.87 | 21.89 | 21.39 | 21.39 | 21.33 |
| GBP | 2,943.55 | 2,918.17 | 2,935.37 | 2,933.91 | 2,971.13 | 2,967.06 | 2,963.49 | 2,981.26 | 2,962.39 | 2,972.83 | 2,966.09 | 2,978.43 | 2,953.61 | 2,945.52 | 2,934.10 |
| RUB | 35.37 | 34.89 | 34.75 | 34.68 | 34.62 | 34.34 | 34.46 | 34.55 | 34.40 | 34.76 | 34.76 | 34.46 | 34.15 | 34.06 | 33.60 |
| CNY | 337.89 | 337.16 | 336.93 | 337.06 | 336.63 | 336.41 | 335.91 | 335.11 | 334.27 | 334.31 | 333.52 | 333.18 | 331.26 | 331.49 | 331.09 |
| KRW | 2.04 | 2.01 | 2.01 | 2.01 | 2.00 | 1.99 | 1.99 | 2.00 | 2.01 | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.04 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 1.98 |
| SGD | 1,666.44 | 1,651.25 | 1,650.40 | 1,647.21 | 1,647.97 | 1,641.24 | 1,640.55 | 1,645.12 | 1,640.57 | 1,649.51 | 1,650.98 | 1,648.45 | 1,630.10 | 1,630.88 | 1,627.12 |
| CAD | 1,727.70 | 1,708.12 | 1,703.76 | 1,707.97 | 1,706.62 | 1,697.26 | 1,705.93 | 1,711.41 | 1,708.75 | 1,725.02 | 1,727.75 | 1,728.74 | 1,715.27 | 1,707.83 | 1,687.65 |
| AUD | 1,726.15 | 1,701.80 | 1,698.79 | 1,693.43 | 1,688.08 | 1,674.19 | 1,678.31 | 1,685.61 | 1,680.63 | 1,704.68 | 1,714.19 | 1,703.46 | 1,689.66 | 1,681.57 | 1,667.42 |
| HKD | 290.58 | 290.05 | 289.74 | 289.73 | 289.54 | 289.36 | 288.84 | 288.55 | 287.82 | 287.84 | 286.70 | 286.29 | 285.30 | 285.37 | 285.11 |
| CHF | 2,320.80 | 2,295.44 | 2,296.79 | 2,293.50 | 2,309.36 | 2,301.94 | 2,295.37 | 2,302.77 | 2,292.37 | 2,296.71 | 2,293.22 | 2,289.48 | 2,258.80 | 2,262.62 | 2,255.10 |
Bank USD rates at time of sending: Khan (Buy ₮2,250 Sell ₮2,262), TDB (Buy ₮2,250 Sell ₮2,262), Golomt (Buy ₮2,252 Sell ₮2,262), XacBank (Buy ₮2,250 Sell ₮2,264), State Bank (Buy ₮2,250 Sell ₮2,262)
MNT vs USD (blue), CNY (red) in last 1 year:
BoM sells US$8m at ₮2,256.3, CNY12m at ₮337.71, accepts $8.6m MNT, $10m USD swap offers
September 22 (Bank of Mongolia) Spot trade: Commercial banks bid MNT 2249.42-2257.30 for USD39.9 million and MNT 336.96-337.90 for CNY77.0 million respectively. The BoM sold USD 8.0 million in a single rate of MNT 2256.30 and CNY12.0 million in a closing rate of MNT337.71 respectively.
Swap and forward trade: The BoM accepted the buying bid offers of USD 8.6 million of MNT swap agreements and selling bid offers of USD 10.0 million of USD swap agreements.
Mongolia Jan.-Aug. Central Bank FX Auctions Decline 8% to $802m
By Michael Kohn
September 22 (Bloomberg) -- Mongolia's central bank injected net of $629.6m and 1.136b yuan for a total injection of $802m in the first eight months of 2016 via FX auctions, Suvdaa Jadamba, an economist at the Bank of Mongolia, writes in e-mail.
* NOTE: Through first seven months central bank had sold $710.8m of FX
* Auction amount represents an 8% decrease compared to the same period a year ago
* Past net injections through FX auctions include $1b (2012), $1.9b (2013), $1.8b (2014) and $1.2b (2015)
* Auction proceeds are sourced from central bank international reserves
* FX auctions are used to "improve the transparency and efficiency of the foreign-exchange market and to stabilize" the tugrik, according to central bank website; eligible bidders are domestic commercial banks only
* Tugrik closed at 2249.42 on Sept 21; a decline of 11.3% ytd, according to Bank of Mongolia website
* NOTE: Central bank had international reserves of $1.28b as of the end of July, a 3.62% ytd decline
* MORE: Mongolia Central Bank Raises FX Auctions by 3% in First 7 Months NSN OBDFBQ6K50Y0 <GO>
(BFW)
Mongolian exports continue to fall, imports even further
September 22 (news.mn) The foreign trade performance of the Mongolian economy is a matter for concern. As of September 2016 the total cumulative trade turnover has decreased by 10.9% (USD 631.6 million) from the previous year and now stands at USD 5166.8 million. The decrease in the trade turnover is due to a 7.9% (USD 258.2 million) fall in exports as well as imports, which have plummeted by 14.7% ($373.3 million).
The structure of the trade flows with the two main neighboring trade partners is as follows: trade with China currently stands at 60.5 % or USD 3123.7 million while trade with Russia stands at 11.9 % or USD 612.6 million. The trade volume between Mongolia and China has decreased by 15.0 % while with Russia it fell by 16.5%.
Regarding the trade index: in September 2016, this decreased by 11.0 % on the previous year and reached 1.149. The decrease in terms of trade is mainly attributed to the fall in the export price of copper concentrate and iron ore.
As of September 2016, the balance of trade of paid trade flows reached USD 801.5 million, a decrease of USD 53.9 million on the previous year.
UNDP: New country programme for Mongolia to boost sustainable development
September 22 (UNDP) The Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme approved the Country Programme for Mongolia for the period 2017-2021 in New York.
The new programme will promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Mongolia and support the country in making the transformation towards more inclusive and sustainable development pathways leveraging the potential of its vast mineral wealth. It will focus on two interlinked objectives: i) reducing poverty and inequality and ii) decreasing vulnerability and marginalisation. In order to achieve this, UNDP will work with local communities to protect their livelihoods by strengthening natural resource management and make them more resilient to climate change.
Reducing Mongolia's carbon foot print will be one of the measures to create a healthier living environment for people especially those living in Ulaanbaatar and urban areas while moving towards a more climate sustainable future. In the SDG spirit of leaving no one behind, UNDP will support Mongolia in making institutions more responsive and enable people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
"We commend Mongolia as an early adopter of the global SDGs and stand ready to assist the Mongolian Government over the next five years in realizing this vital agenda," said UNDP's Resident Representative, Beate Trankmann.
"With the current economic slowdown amid slumping commodities prices, and with roughly one in five Mongolians still living in poverty, realizing sustainable, equitable development in Mongolia is more important than ever," she added.
UNDP will provide technical expertise and policy advice to identify development options and map sustainable pathways. It will also promote development cooperation with other countries, including bringing global best practices to Mongolia, as well as act as a connector domestically, giving communities and non-government actors a greater voice in their nation's development.
Mongolian Members of Oyu Tolgoi Board Appointed
September 22 (Mongolian Mining Journal) Three members of Mongolia at the Board of Oyu Tolgoi LLC were designated. B. Munkhbaatar, CEO of Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi, N. Bagabandi, former President of Mongolia and pioneer member of Oyu Tolgoi board, and Ch. Altannar are appointed newly as a member of the Oyu Tolgoi board.
Ch. Altannar is former director of German – Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology, which is the university established in Mongolia based on bilateral governmental cooperation, and obtained a degree in practical mathematics. He had been working for Oyu Tolgoi.
The former three members, representing Mongolia at the board of Oyu Tolgoi - B. Byambasaikhan, D. Ganbold, and Ch. Otgochuluu were disharged on last Friday.
Link to Erdenes Mongol release
Cabinet finalizes appointment of State Secretaries
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) At the regular meeting on September 21, the cabinet finalized the appointments to the offices of State Secretaries of Ministries and heads of some agencies.
D.Davaasuren was appointed the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. G.Bayasgalan was appointed the State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Domestic Affairs, G.Unurbayar – of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, L.Bayartulga – of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry and G.Nandinjargal – the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry.
Director of the General Executive Agency of Court Decisions B.Bilegt has been dismissed and was replaced by Ts.Amgalanbaatar.
Some non-vacant members were appointed to the Authority for Fair Competition and Consumer Protection.
Mogi: MPP couldn't help themselves but show their true love of welfare
People older than 70 to receive lifetime benefits
September 22 (gogo.mn) At the regular session of the Government, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat has approved draft law on elderly rights and assigned affiliated Ministries to approve the draft law at the Government session.
The draft law includes following provisions:
- operate elder houses in every soum, village and khoroo. The cost for the houses will fund from local budgets.
- implement public housing program and mongol ger program
- grant lifetime benefit to people older than 70 years every half-year and will grant it quarterly in the future when the economic recovers.
Amount of lifetime benefit for an elder is set at MNT 300-500 thousand.
Cabinet reviews economic recovery plan
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) --
• On September 21, the Cabinet considered the draft of Program on Overcoming Economic Difficulties and Stabilization, and recommended some changes. Ministers were assigned to prepare the draft for presentations to the National Security Council and to the next cabinet meeting.
• The ministers also discussed the draft of Government Budget for 2017, and decided to present the revised version on the next meeting.
• The cabinet approved the Program on the Structural Change at the Ministries of Finance, Justice and Domestic Affairs and of Education, Culture, Sciences and Sports.
• "Spirt Bal Buram" LLC's special permit for production of alcoholic beverages in Ulaanbaatar has been cancelled. The cabinet issued a permit for the company to run their production in Mandal soum of Selenge province.
• Moreover, the cabinet approved the concept of the bill on Civil Aviation, and assigned Ministers D.Ganbat and S.Byambatsogt to prepare the draft law for submission to the next meeting.
Erdenet Mining Corp. named after Yu.Tsedenbal
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) The Erdenet Mining Corporation has been named after Marshal Tsedenbal Yumjaa, former leader of Mongolia, in honor of his 100th birthday. The decision was made at the regular meeting of the cabinet on September 21.
Also, the Sainshand Locomotive Station was decided to be named after N.Natsagdorj, who had worked for 37 years for Mongolia's railway, starting his career as an assistant machinist until he had been promoted to the director of the Sukhbaatar Station Depot, deputy chairman of Ulaanbaatar depot and deputy dean of the Railway Vocational Training Center.
Tsedenbal's son's citizenship restored
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) Zorig Tsedenbal was handed over the certification of Mongolian citizenship and the renewed passport on September 20 by the Prime Minister of Mongolia J.Erdenebat. Ts.Zorigt is a son of Mongolia's leader for 44 years Tsedenbal Yumjaa and his spouse Anastasiya Filatova.
Ts.Zorig is originally a Mongolian citizen who lives in Moscow, Russia, but held an old passport and were not listed so far in the renewed registration as a Mongolian citizen.
This coincided with the celebration of the 100th birth anniversary of his father Yu.Tsedenbal. Ts.Zorig attended the ceremonial events in respect of his father.
Prime Minister leaves for eastern provinces
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) Prime Minister J.Erdenebat left Ulaanbaatar today to begin his working tour through Khentii and Dornod provinces. He is to have a meeting with the citizens of Khentii and introduce the Government Action Plan for 2016-2020.
On the same day, the Premier is to reach Dornod, leg "Eastern Region's Energy System" stat-owned company and get familiar with the progress of piping and engineering works of the 1,000-Families Apartment project.
Mr Erdenebat will pay a site visit to 21st field of Petro China Dachin Tamsag LLC. Afterwards, he will attend the opening ceremony of a fodder factory of Altai Group and hold a meeting with the citizens of Khalkhgol soum.
Hydro-electric power plant be built in western Mongolia
September 22 (gogo.mn) Hydro-electric power plant to be built in western Mongolia. The new hydro power station will supply electricity to the western region of the country. The three westernmost provinces are often plagued by blackouts and are largely dependent on electricity export from Russia. The plant, which has the capacity to generate 92.8 megawatt electricity, is being financed by USD 248 million from Turkey's "ZTM Engineering and Consulting Co. Inc." The hydro-electric power plant would be constructed under "build-operate-transfer" terms as set out in the Concession Law.
Source: www.vom.mn
Green Days of Autumn Fair Makes ₮800 Million
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) The Green Days of Autumn trade fair, which lasted for 5 days at the Misheel Expo center, was officially closed on Wednesday. Attracting more than a hundred companies and collectives from 17 provinces, the event enabled 306 greengrocers to make profit of over MNT 800 million.
The greengrocers offered 933 range of products. On the last day of the trade fair, "Yak Cheddar" cheese of "Ov Suu Khorshoo" Company was given the award of the BEST IMPORT-SUBSTITUTING PRODUCT, and the BEST PRODUCT award went to Magic Brand of Ogooj Chikher Boov LLC.
Meat products of Makh Impex LLC was awarded the ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT. Also, the BEST LOCAL PRODUCTION award went to "Brand of Altai" flour of Electron Altai LLC of Gobi-Altai province.
The last but not least of the awards – the CONSUMER'S CHOICE award went to Jur Ur Bakery.
'Harvest Day-2016' fair held on Sukhbaatar Square
September 22 (news.mn) A 'Harvest Day-2016' fair is being held on Ulaanbaatar's Sukhbaatar Square on Friday (23rd of September) to celebrate this year's harvest. The fair is being organised by the Administration of UB's Sukhbaatar district. On sale will be ecologically fresh potatoes, vegetables and fruits produced in Mongolia. Farmers from Darkhan, Selenge, Tuv, Bulgan, Khovd, Uvs and Umnugobi provinces will be participate with their fresh fruit and vegetables. The fair will last until 5th of October.
27 buildings ordered to be demolished in UB for breach of law
September 22 (news.mn) Buildings and structures that have been constructed in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, without the appropriate planning permission are to be demolished. The Ulaanbaatar Specialized Inspection Authority has issued an order to pull down 27 buildings and structures that breached the construction law and have not already been demolished to date despite repeated warnings. One example applies to the buildings which were constructed where the regulation on the minimum distance between buildings has been ignored resulting in sunlight being blocked out from adjacent apartments and dwellings.
The demolition date has not been set and is pending authorisation from the mayor.
JCDecaux to invest in UB public transport
September 22 (news.mn) S.Batbold, Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, has had a meeting with Jean-Marie, executive of the JCDecaux multinational advertising corporation. JCDecaux, the world's biggest outdoor-advertising company signed a 30-year contract with Ulaanbaatar city in 2014. The contract covers the installation, upkeep and maintenance of over 200 bus-stop advertising systems, providing advertising, 150 free-standing city information panels, billboards and other so-called items of "street furniture".
To date, 143 bus-stops and 137 information boards costing MNT 6 billion, have been installed by the French giant. Mr. Jean-Marie noted that the company will continue with investment in public transport and cooperate in UB's BRT (bus rapid transit) system.
Chinese, Mongolian FMs seek to expand cooperation
September 22 (Xinhua) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Mongolian counterpart Tsend Munkh-Orgil here Wednesday, saying the two countries should further expand bilateral cooperation.
China appreciates that Mongolia puts developing ties with China top on its foreign policy agenda, Wang said during their meeting on the sidelines of a series of UN conferences.
The two countries should implement the consensus reached by their leaders and bring China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative together with Mongolia's Prairie Road program so as to further tap potentials for cooperation, Wang said.
Besides maintaining cooperation in traditional areas such as energy and minerals, Wang said, China and Mongolia should expand their cooperation into other areas, such as housing construction, agriculture and animal husbandry.
Meanwhile, the two should expand party-to-party communication and strengthen exchange on governance as well as maintain coordination in international affairs, Wang said.
For his part, Munkh-Orgil said Mongolia has always given priority to developing the relationship with China and will continue to maintain that policy.
Meanwhile, Mongolia will incorporate China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative into its own national development and enhance practical cooperation with China in infrastructure and other areas, he added.
Women MPs meet South Korean counterparts
September 22 (news.mn) Women members of the Mongolian parliament have visited Seoul, at the invitation of Kim Young Joo, a member of the National Assembly (parliament) of the Republic of Korea and chairwoman of the Labour Party Congress (LPC).
During the visit to Seoul, which lasted from 18th to 22nd of September, Ts.Tsogzolmaa, B.Undarmaa, M.Bilegt, N.Oyundari, G.Munkhtsetseg and M.Oyunchimeg, all members of the State Great Khural (Mongolian parliament) met the head of Mongolia-South Korean parliamentary fraction and members of the South Korean National Assembly. At the meeting, the women MP's discussed boosting cooperation in political, social and economic relations between two the countries. The Mongolian MP's also requested steps being taken to improve the situation of Mongolians living in South Korea as well as increasing cooperation between Ulaanbaatar and Seoul city.
Penn Welcomes Mongolian President Elbegdorj for Talk on "Mongolia, Oasis of Democracy"
September 22 (Penn News) --
WHO & WHAT: | The University of Pennsylvania welcomes His Excellency President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of Mongolia who will discuss "Mongolia, Oasis of Democracy: The Path From Closed to Open Society." The visit and presentation is hosted by Penn's Perry World House, Penn Global and the School of Arts & Sciences, in partnership with the Fossand the Penn Center for East Asian Studies. The lecture is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required: http://global.upenn.edu/perryworldhouse (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the red "register now to attend" button). |
WHEN: | Friday, Sept. 23 |
WHERE: | Huntsman Hall |
NEMA officers awarded for peacekeeping roles in Sudan
September 22 (news.mn) Officers of the Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have been part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan since 2012. On 21st of September, officials of NEMA met with officers, who have been cooperating with the 'V' rotation of Mongolian peacekeeping troops. A total of 26 officers of the NEMA have been awarded for their peacekeeping role in South and North Sudan.
More than 120 NEMA officers have participated in peacekeeping activities since 2012.
Gilead reduces hepatitis drug prices for Mongolia
September 22 (news.mn) As a part of the national "Healthy Liver" program, A.Tsogtsetseg, Minister of Health, met the Head of "Gilead Sciences" Asia-Pacific on Thursday (22nd of September). At the meeting, "Gilead Sciences" agreed to lower the price of the 'Harvoni-a' Hepatitis C Drug to USD300 (MNT 700 thousand). The medicine, which is being imported from the United States, was previously sold at USD400. The medicine, which has a price of USD 94,000 per course of treatment, has been discounted by 99% for Mongolia.
Mongolia has the highest rate of liver cancer in the world: the prevalence in Mongolian men is eight times higher and in women 16 times higher than the global average. Hepatitis B and C are the number two killers of Mongolian people, after heart and coronary diseases," according to liver specialists.
Scranton University students reflects on experience in Mongolia
September 22 (The Aquinas) "You're going to Mongolia." I remember my first thoughts being: Where is that? What am I going to do there? Little did I know the experience that awaited me.
Being selected for a CULP (Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency) mission was truly an honor and one of the best experiences of my life thus far. The goal of the mission was to work with the Mongolian military on improving their English conversational skills while also learning part of their culture. I would personally say the mission was a success.
The first week I found myself forming friendships with soldiers from the National Defense University. The most rewarding part of week one for me occurred on the last day. Munkhbat, one soldier with whom I worked closely, came up to me, smiled, shook my hand and thanked me for being patient with him while helping him. He then pleaded with me to follow him to his car.
Hesitant at first, I followed him. He pulled a black suitcase from his backseat and began to dig through it. He pulled out a snuff bottle at first, a delicacy to Mongolian culture, and offered it to me to keep. Although he invested a good amount of money into it, there was no hesitation in offering it to me. He then pulled patches out that were cut from his uniform. He told me that I should have something nice to take home with me for the help I had given him over five days. The part that may have amazed me the most was that he expected nothing in return. He simply smiled and walked away after. He even tried to refuse the gift I had for him, which was patches from my own uniform.
The nomadic Mongolian lifestyle is truly something special. It is something we, as Americans, can take strong lessons from. After speaking with many individuals and visiting a few families, I began to notice trends. First, Mongolians are proud of who they are and where they come from. I did not go a day the first week without someone being eager to tell me about Mongolian history, in particular Chinggis Khan who was a great Mongolian ruler. The simplicity of the nomadic lifestyle stood out the most for me.
Nobody was worried about the new iPhone or what type of car they drove. They did not spend hours in front of a television eating junk food and their attention was never focused on Facebook or Twitter feeds. Family relationships are strong. Families all work together to maintain their land and animals. They live off the land, consuming no processed foods from what I could see.
This allowed for minimal waste, which seems to be an ever-growing problem in the U.S.
As we walked into one family's Ger, which is a traditional Mongolian home, we were all immediately given milk tea that was freshly prepared. There was also a table in the center filled with bread, assorted cheeses and butter, all of which was prepared by the family just for us. I learned that this was standard for when Mongolians had visitors. We began to finish the milktea only for our cups to be immediately refilled. This hospitality is hard to come by in the U.S. I heard stories of individuals hitchhiking rides.
Many individuals would not think twice to divert their daily plans and completely go out of their way to get someone where they needed to go.
City streets were often flooded with cars, three to four lanes full. Many cars cut in front of each other and traffic signals were not always closely followed. I noticed there was no road rage though. Individuals did not get angry or anxious. They did not throw out hand signals and did not chase each other down, which is unfortunately too common in the U.S.
It is crazy to think of the impact you can have on another's life in such a short time. It only took me a few minutes to start improving Munkhbat's English, which meant a great deal more to him than I had originally thought. My trip to Mongolia brought me experiences and lessons I will cherish for the rest of my life. Who knows when I will be able to ride a camel, drink fresh horse milk or shoot a traditional Mongolian bow and arrow again? I plan to implement the aspects of their culture into my life.
I want to focus more on putting others first and distancing myself from my phone and social media. I found there is much more enjoyment and satisfaction in life when you lift your head up from that screen. Happiness can be found within the simple things in life.
Daylight saving time to end on night of Sep 23-24
September 22 (gogo.mn) On the night shifting from Sep 23rd to Sep 24th, summer daylight saving time shift will end.
In other words, on Sep 24th at 03AM you must turn clocks backward 1 hour to 02AM.
Cabinet resolution dated March 9th, 2015 stated that Mongolia to shift to daylight saving time starting March 28th, 2015.
Leaders of all religions in Mongolia pray together for World Peace Day
September 22 (MONTSAME) Representatives of Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Hindu religions in Mongolia have prayed together for the common value.
This happened on the World Day of Peace at the Dashchoilin monastery. Mongolia marks the World Day of Peace for the 17th years every second day of the third week of September.
During the event, a message of UNESCO Director General Ms Irina Bokova was read to the gathered, candles were lit up and a Bell of Peace was sounded three times.
The event for peace was attended by representatives of the Buddhist monasteries, Catholic Church in Mongolia, the Confederation of Mongolian Muslims, Hindu Club India, UN Reps and Council for Religious matters under the President of Mongolia.
The Dalai Lama Meets Tibetans and Mongolians Living in Poland
Wroclaw, Poland, September 2 (The Tibet Post) — Explaining Tibetan language is the best medium for accurately explaining Buddhist teachings, the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said Tibet is known as the Roof of the World, but also as the Land of Avalokiteshvara.
In Wroclaw, European Capital of Culture 2016, the Tibetan spiritual leader, spoke to Tibetans and Mongolians living or studying in Poland, on September 20, 2016.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke to them briefly, saying, "Tibet is known as the Roof of the World, but also as the Land of Avalokiteshvara. We Tibetans have our own language, with its own writing, which is the best medium for accurately explaining Buddhist teachings," .
"In the past some Tibetans were shy of saying they were from Tibet—not any more. We have every reason to be confident," he saod, adding: "We have the seed of compassion and we need to strengthen it through reason and training."
"Our Kangyur and Tengyur collections contain a wealth of knowledge about Buddhist science, philosophy and religion. We have published a Compendium of Science in a two volume set and one abridged volume," he said.
"These books are being translated into other languages like English, Chinese and German. When you have time, try to read them and discuss among yourselves what you learn," The Nobel Peace Prize laureate further added.
Turning to the Mongolians he recalled how Buddhism had first come to Mongolia on the Silk Road. Later, in a second phase of transmission, Drogön Chögyal Phagpa brought Buddhism from Tibet. This was consolidated when the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, went to Mongolia.
His Holiness said that he first visited Mongolia in 1979. And on that occasion the monks at Ganden Thekchenling offered him a Long-Life Prayer so fervently it brought tears to the eyes of all concerned. He observed that the 13th Dalai Lama not only spent time in Mongolia, but was also able to speak Mongolian.
Relations between Tibet and Mongolia have a history of being close. His Holiness mentioned that his interest in emptiness, which he has reflected on seriously for the last 60 years, owed not a little to his Mongolian debating assistant, Ngodup Choknyi.
Driving about an hour and a half out of Wroclaw through rich farmland brought His Holiness and his party to the town of Swidnica and the historic Church of Peace, named after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648.
Since His Holiness the Dalai Lama fled, more than 120,000 Tibetans have followed him into exile in India. Thousands more live in Europe and North America.
In Tibet today, Tibetans are being arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned and tortured for merely expressing their suffering under Chinese rule. However, authorities in Beijing still claim that "China 'peacefully liberated' Tibet, and that the Tibetans are living in a "Maoist socialist paradise."
Tibet was invaded by Communist China, starting in 1949, Beijing calls a "peaceful liberation". Since that time, over 1.2 million out of 6 Tibetans have been killed, over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed— the acts of murder, rape and arbitrary imprisonment, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment were inflicted on the Tibetans inside Tibet.
President Elbegdorj delivers Mongolia's official ratification of Paris Agreement to UN Secretary-General
September 22 (news.mn) Ts.Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, officially delivered the country's ratification of the Paris Agreement to Mr Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. As of Wednesday (21st of September), thirty-one countries had formally joined the Paris climate change pact bringing the total number of countries to ratify the treaty to 60.
"I am convinced that the Paris Agreement will enter into force before the end of 2016," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at an event on the sidelines of the high-level U.N. General Assembly gathering.
The world's two biggest emitters, the United States and China, have already ratified the deal. Brazil, Mexico and Argentina were the largest emitters to join the treaty on Wednesday.
The international deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C was agreed at the climate change summit in Paris in November.
Related:
Mongolia confirms ratification of Paris Agreement – Montsame, September 22
"Noise Metal Fest 2016" international live music festival to be held September 23-24
September 22 (gogo.mn) Mongolia to host the third annual "NOISE METAL FEST 2016" international live music festival which aims to introduce both foreign and domestic best live music bands and singers as well as to open new page in live music history, on Sep 23- 24th at SS Club.
Sete Star Sept and DESECRAVITY from Japan, Inner Missing from Russia, Hitobashira from USA and more than 10 Mongolian bands including Hurd, Nisvanis and Bulsara will perform at the "NOISE METAL FEST 2016".
Ticket is available on sale at Hi-Fi and Orange Records. Prices for the ticket is MNT 30,000 until Spe 19th, MNT 35,000 during Sep 20-22 and MNT 40,000 on Sep 23-24th.
For more information, please click HERE.
Related:
Noise Metal Fest international metal rock event approaching – Montsame, September 22
Month of Historic Plays to launch with "The Son of Heaven" at Drama Theatre
Ulaanbaatar, September 22 (MONTSAME) The Son of Heaven drama by B.Tsognemekh will kick off the month of historic plays on October 1 at the State Academic Theatre of Drama. Ticket prices will range from MNT 15,000 to MNT 25,000.
Package of tickets for five plays costs MNT 60,000 and of three plays costs MNT 45,000. Collective of people can enjoy 30-50% discount for co-workers and classmates.
The schedules are:
Oct 1, 2 at 17.00 – "The Son of Heaven" by B.Tsognemekh, directed by N.Naranbaatar;
Oct 8, 9 at 12.00 – "Temuujin" by S.Jargalsaikhan, directed by B.Baatar;
Oct 8, 9 at 17.00 – "Queen Anu" by B.Shuudertsetseg, directed by B.Baatar;
Oct 13, 14 at 19.00 – "Mother Orolmaa" by D.Namdag, directed by Ch.Naidandorj;
Oct 15 at 17.00 – "The Peasant Queen" musical, composed by G.Birvaa and directed by B.Munkhdorj;
Oct 21 at 19.00 and Oct 22 at 17.00 – "Saran Khokhoo" by D.Ravjaa, directed by B.Munkhdorj;
Oct 27, 28 at 19.00 – "A state without seal" by B.Lkhagvasuren, directed by Ch.Naidandorj.
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