Last year in Ulaanbaatar, for the first time, revenue from copper concentrate exports exceeded that from coal exports. This turning point has been fuelled by the rush towards artificial intelligence and the rise in electric vehicle production. And the government is now searching for new deposits.
Russian energy giant Gazprom accepts to pay US$ 100 for 1,000 cubic metres of gas, up from 65. Moscow is vying for monopoly control over energy, looking eastward.
Putting thanks Patriarch Aleksij II for the Russian Orthodox Church's role in the tragedy. Memorial services are celebrated in Beslan school.
On the second anniversary of the tragedy at School No. 1, the Bishop of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz led a prayer over the tombs of the victims and praised the "courage" of the people, who did not react with violence in their sorrow. In the region, commemoration events are planned over the weekend. In Moscow, rallies and pickets are banned. Relatives say their grief has been "worsened" by the silence of the authorities.
A mandatory course in the basics of Orthodox culture is set to start in four provinces of the Russian Federation. For Patriarch Aleksij II, "pupils should know the history of their culture". Last year, a similar proposal by the Moscow Patriarchate had led to tensions with the Catholic Church in Russia.
Moscow and Beijing establish a timetable for the joint mission of a spaceship to the Red Planet. China hopes to send its men on the moon by 2020.
China has hit out at its neighbour for hosting the Tibetan leader, a "separatist".
Violent reaction is feared from China as the Mongolian people celebrate their regained religious freedom after years of Communism.
The Russian Orthodox Synod has decided to accept the request submitted by the chairman of the Orthodox Committee of North Korea, Giorgio Ho Ir Zin, and has welcomed the North Korean Orthodox community among its members.
US-South Korean proposal for five-way talks on North Korea's nuclear programme depends on what the Chinese decide.
The acquisition of US$ 500 million in stocks shows Beijing's desire to be a major player in Russia's energy market. Siberian-Pacific pipeline is back in the limelight.
Participants single out human rights, life, family and bioethics as key issues to discuss; they also express satisfaction for talks between Kirill and Benedict XVI.
Bush and Putin issue joint statement calling on North Korea to accept UN Security Council resolution and go back to six-nation talks without prior conditions. South Korea also threatens to stop aid shipments.
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