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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

XINING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — A 916-year-old Przewalski's juniper (Juniperus przewalskii), also known as Qilian juniper, has been identified during scientific research in northwest China's Qinghai Province, local forestry authorities said Friday.

The tree, located in the Baishushan Mountains in the Tsaidam Basin, is the oldest representative of its species.

The study, conducted by the Forestry and Grassland Administration of Delingha City, Haixi Mongol-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, focused on two key aspects: field inspections and laboratory sample analysis. By examining 87 wood core and cross-section samples, the researchers determined the age structure of the Qilian juniper population in the Baishushan Mountains.

The results showed that approximately 2.3 percent of the surveyed junipers were at least 500 years old, 13.8 percent were between 300 and 499 years old, and 83.9 percent were between 100 and 299 years old. Prior to this discovery, the oldest recorded Qilian juniper in the study area was a tree aged 769 years.

Sun Dengfu, head of the department, said the study developed a multivariate model for predicting the growth of native trees, providing data to support research on indigenous plants, climate and geological changes, and eco-cultural tourism in the Qaidam Basin.

Endemic to China, Juniperus przewalskii grows on sunny slopes at altitudes of 2,600 to 4,000 meters in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has high drought tolerance. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Tashkent, October 25 (Xinhua) — Uzbekistan's real GDP growth is projected to be 5.5-6.5 percent in 2026, the country's Central Bank press service reported on Friday.

“According to the main scenario, real GDP growth is projected to be 5.5-6.5 percent in 2026, and 6-7 percent in 2027-2028,” the regulator stated.

The Central Bank believes that by the end of 2026, the overall inflation rate will be 7 percent, and in 2027, as a result of weakening external inflationary pressure and stabilization of inflationary expectations, it will decrease to the target level of 5 percent, around which it will remain in 2028.

Also on Friday, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan decided to keep the key rate at 14 percent per annum. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

London, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — European leaders and the head of NATO pledged to tighten sanctions against Russia and speed up supplies of long-range weapons and air defense systems to Ukraine on Friday after a meeting of the "coalition of the willing."

Following the meeting, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders held a joint press conference. They stated that the coalition intends to gradually remove Russian oil and gas from the global market and use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's reconstruction.

According to Starmer, the UK took the lead in imposing sanctions on Russian oil and gas, followed by the US and EU. He announced that the UK plans to supply Ukraine with over 5,000 light multi-purpose missiles, 140 of which will be delivered ahead of schedule.

On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that EU countries had approved the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. For the first time, they target the country's gas sector, the backbone of the Russian economy.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Jerusalem/Beirut, October 25 (Xinhua) — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing a senior Hezbollah commander.

The statement said Abbas Hassan Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front's logistics forces, was killed in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon.

The assassinated commander had led efforts to restore Hezbollah's combat capability in recent months. "He was also responsible for rebuilding the organization's security structure and managing the transfer and storage of weapons in southern Lebanon," the statement noted.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that A.H. Karki was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car on a road in southern Lebanon on Friday.

A Lebanese security source confirmed to Xinhua that A.H. Karki was a member of Hezbollah, without providing further details.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Rio de Janeiro, October 25 (Xinhua) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday that the country is working to become a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), his administration announced.

Speaking in Jakarta during an official visit to Indonesia, L.I. Lula da Silva expressed hope for stronger ties with ASEAN. "I hope that we can continue to strengthen our relations and move forward with a positive attitude. Today's world demands greater negotiating ability and willingness from political leaders," the president said after meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Horn.

L.I. Lula da Silva particularly emphasized Brazil's growing cooperation with ASEAN, particularly in the context of development projects linking Southeast Asia and South America. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on the Security Council to redirect resources often wasted on war toward development and peace.

A. Guterres made this statement at the open debate of the UN Security Council on the future of the world organization, timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of its founding.

Connecting via video link from Hanoi, the Secretary-General began his speech with a funny incident that occurred in the Security Council.

In the spring of 1946, the Security Council's first ballot box was opened for inspection before the vote, and to everyone's surprise, it already contained a piece of paper. According to the UN chief, it was a message from the box's creator, a local New York mechanic named Paul Antonio, wishing for lasting peace throughout the world.

“This humble note reminds us of what the Security Council is for: for people – sincere, hopeful people who have trusted this organization for the past eight decades to save them from the scourge of war,” he said.

"The privilege of sitting at this table means, first and foremost, a duty to respect the faith of these people. And to channel resources so often wasted on war toward development and peace," the UN chief said.

According to him, the UN Security Council has fulfilled this task on many important occasions and prevented the chaos of war between great powers over the past 80 years.

"The Security Council is a vital necessity and a powerful force for good. But at the same time, its legitimacy is fragile. Too often, we have witnessed members of this body act outside the principles of the UN Charter—principles to which we all voluntarily agreed as sovereign states," emphasized A. Guterres.

"When this happens, it not only slows down action now, but also undermines the credibility of the entire UN project. It also puts us all at grave risk. When one country breaks the rules, others believe they have the right to do the same. And history shows us with brutal clarity where this path leads," the UN chief said.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — Local governments across China issued new bonds worth approximately 4.36 trillion yuan (about 614.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first nine months of 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

The volume of ordinary bonds issued amounted to 675.8 billion yuan, while that of targeted bonds amounted to about 3.69 trillion yuan.

As of the end of September, the outstanding debt obligations of local governments nationwide amounted to approximately 53.7 trillion yuan, according to data from the aforementioned department.

This year, China plans to implement more proactive financial policy measures to support sustainable socioeconomic development. According to this year's government work report, the country plans to issue 4.4 trillion yuan of local government bonds this year, an increase of 500 billion yuan from the previous year.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

TRIPOLI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — The Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls eastern Libya, announced on Friday that it had freed several Nigerian citizens kidnapped by a Nigerian armed group 16 months ago.

In a statement on Facebook, the LNA's military information department said a special operation was carried out to rescue Nigerians kidnapped by an illegal armed group in the Al-Qatrun region of southwestern Libya, approximately 180 km from the Libyan-Nigerian border.

The statement did not specify the exact number of those freed, but an accompanying video shows five people disembarking from an LNA military plane. One of the freed captives said they were kidnapped on June 21 of last year by the Patriotic Justice Front (PJF), an armed group operating in Niger.

The PFS rebel group opposes the ruling military council, which seized power after the 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday that air traffic controllers are frustrated and worried about the prolonged federal government shutdown, and the level of stress they are experiencing is "unacceptable."

At a press conference at Philadelphia International Airport, Shawn Duffy said that air traffic controllers received about 90 percent of their pay about 10 days ago, but will not receive their pay next Tuesday.

"If we don't have enough dispatchers, if dispatchers are overloaded and underperforming, we pay close attention to this and reduce the number of aircraft taking off and landing or cancel flights," the Minister of Transport explained.

Sh. Duffy also noted that the system faces a shortage of approximately 2,000-3,000 air traffic controllers, and efforts to address this deficit will take a couple of years.

Starting this month, about 13,000 American air traffic controllers will continue to work without pay. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.