Overview
- Ulaanbaatar will extend its school milk program to 189,600 pupils in grades 1–5 three times weekly, funded by MNT 8.9 billion in the 2026 city budget, with a public launch planned for January 26 and supply partnerships with domestic dairies.
- National telemedicine logged 4,352 imaging consultations across 18 provinces in 2025 and 594 specialist remote calls, as the Health Ministry ordered hospital working groups to fix equipment, software and security gaps and expand urgent-care use.
- Prime Minister G. Zandanshatar ordered a joint Anti‑Corruption Agency, Police and Intelligence inspection into land allocation in Zamyn‑Üüd and set a June 1 deadline to prepare for city status, citing the border hub’s critical freight role and staffing shortfalls at screening posts.
- Authorities advanced plans to start domestic semi‑coke briquette production in 2026, weighing a Dornogovi industrial park pre‑purchase option versus a Baganuur plant with Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi; officials say local output would cost roughly half of imports and support pollution cuts.
- Regionally, North Korea accused South Korea of two drone incursions that Seoul denies and has asked to jointly investigate, as Kim Yo Jong demanded an explanation, and the rights group HRANA reported over 500 deaths and more than 10,600 arrests during protests in Iran.