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The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival creates a new platform for China's interaction with other countries.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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, January 13 (Xinhua) — With the arrival of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, foreign tourists have also begun flocking to the city in droves. Years of dedicated work to develop ice and snow tourism and the ice and snow economy have long made this "ice city" famous both in China and abroad. And a continually optimized visa policy, including 144-hour visa-free transit and a trial 30-day visa-free regime for Russians, has opened the door to "snow and ice diplomacy."

According to the Huanqiu Shibao newspaper, since December 2024, the number of foreigners entering China visa-free through Harbin Airport has increased sharply by 285.3 percent year-on-year. Ice and snow are becoming a unique economic resource and diplomatic tool.

The 42nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival officially opened at the Great World of Ice and Snow Park in Heilongjiang, capital of Northeast China, on Monday, January 5.

The festival, held under the motto "Icy Sky and Snowy Land – Creating the Future Together," features ten premium themed winter tourism routes and more than 200 events covering topics such as ice and snow culture, sports and physical education, and business cooperation.

Ice and snow, as a universal language transcending national borders, provide a creative platform for international exchanges. For example, the current Harbin Ice and Snow Festival introduced the "Honorary Guest Country" system, with Belgium being the first such country. 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium, and Belgium's iconic ice sculpture, Manneken Pis, will be installed in the Great World of Ice and Snow Park. This is a living illustration of the fusion of Chinese and foreign cultures, and a skillful combination of a local festival and a significant anniversary in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Of greater strategic value are global governance dialogues initiated by ice and snow topics. International forums, such as the "World Mayors' Dialogue," centered around the ice and snow economy, have already expanded their discussions from ice and snow tourism to addressing common challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, sustainable urban development, and countering extreme weather events. Leaders of cold-climate cities across continents and countries shared approaches to climate governance, urban planning concepts, and how the ice and snow economy can stimulate regional economies.

The depth of the ice and snow economy determines the breadth and depth of its diplomacy. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Expo, which opened simultaneously, provides a window into this. The exhibition showcases the entire ecosystem—from equipment production and technological development to competition operations and tourism services—demonstrating that the ice and snow economy represents a robust market with enormous potential, spanning three economic sectors. It attracts the participation of leading global equipment manufacturers and technology service providers. The active participation of international giants, such as TechnoAlpin, the global market leader in artificial snow production, and Bombardier, the inventor of the snowmobile, reflects their interest in the potential of the entire Chinese ice and snow market chain, from consumption to production.

Scientific and technological innovations related to the ice and snow economy are the most notable focus in the industrial sector. For example, domestically produced industrial drones capable of operating in extremely cold conditions and intelligent and automated ice and snow construction technologies demonstrate the potential of the "Made in China" brand and are also attracting the attention of the international community seeking opportunities for collaboration.

The synergy between the snow and ice economy and snow and ice diplomacy is reflected in concrete achievements in cooperation. At the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Expo, a series of Sino-Russian economic cooperation projects in the ice and snow economy were signed, covering many areas, including cooperation between chambers of commerce and industry, technology development, inter-university research, and cross-border tourism. This convincingly demonstrates that cooperation focused on ice and snow resources can effectively stimulate broader trade, economic, and people-to-people exchanges, bring development prospects to the region, and better serve the strategy of higher-level opening-up.

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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Polytechnic University students are winners of the All-Russian project "Your Move"

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The closing ceremony of the All-Russian Student Forum "Your Move – 2025" was held in Moscow. It is being implemented by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The "Your Move" project is an event of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity" as part of the National Project "Youth and Children."

In the fifth season of the "Your Move" project, Polytechnic students became winners in the tracks "I Do," "I Determine," and "I Inspire."

In the "I Do" track, 100 winners from across Russia were selected from 12,000 applications, 17 of whom are studying at universities in St. Petersburg.

Three polytechnic students became the winners of the track and received cash prizes of 1,000,000 rubles each.

Ekaterina Makarova, Institute of Biological Sciences and Biology. Project: "EuroFoods Awards Culinary Championship." Tatyana Sedegova, Institute of Mathematics and Information Technology. Project: "Formation of Halide Perovskite Crystals in Radiation-Resistant Glass." Danil Dyuryagin, Institute of Geology. Project: "Laboratory for Creating Effective Methods for Parental Support of Graduates 'USE Family'" (*Tatar: "Family").

Over the course of eight months, participants in the "I Do" track launched and implemented socially significant projects on various topics. The leaders completed a series of challenges—from developing a project specification to solving case studies and filming video presentations—and then presented their findings to experts during an online and in-person defense, which was held for students from the Northwestern Federal District in Roshchino, Leningrad Oblast.

Ekaterina Makarova shared her impressions of participating: "This was my third time participating in the 'I Do' track. Every year, I refine and scale my project. The path to victory was challenging: completing eight months of competition tasks, meeting strict deadlines, and investing maximum effort and time into my own project—"EuroFoods Awards Culinary ChampionshipThis year, I believed in myself and felt I would achieve my long-awaited victory in the fifth season. And so it happened! I want to thank everyone who cheered for me and supported me: my family, my team, my mentors, and my friends. Your support was incredibly important to me!

Polytechnic University students also made it into the top 200 winners of the "I Determine" track—a project in which participants complete surveys on the platform and influence real changes in the educational environment.

The winners of the “I define” track were: Ekaterina Makarova (IBBSiB), Ekaterina Kushner (IBBSiB), Mikhail Alekseev (IKNK), Diana Zaydullina (IPMET).

The "Inspire" track focused on developing regional teams, assessing their performance, rewarding achievements, and encouraging active participation in the project. Third place in the track went to a regional team from St. Petersburg, coordinated by Polytechnic University student Ivan Barsukov (IMMiT). The team received 150,000 rubles for development in 2026.

Participating in competitions like these helps develop the skills needed for life in the modern world. I've been involved in this project for several years now, and every year I improve both myself and my projects. Here, I learned how to assemble a team, effectively use resources, collaborate with partners, and share responsibility. I'd like to express my gratitude to all the organizers of the presidential platform's "Russia – Land of Opportunity" project for the knowledge that helps me now and will definitely be useful in the future! — shared Danil Dyuryagin.

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St. Petersburg scientists have become the first in the world to localize Alfvén oscillations in the plasma of a spherical tokamak.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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Russian scientists have achieved the first-ever precise determination of the origin of special waves in plasma—Alfvén oscillations. This discovery provides the key to solving one of the key problems in the safety and efficiency of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which is particularly relevant in the development of future energy sources. The measurement technique was developed at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The experiment was conducted on the unique Globus-M2 spherical tokamak at the A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute.

Alfvén oscillations are a special type of wave that occurs in plasma (an ionized gas) in the presence of a magnetic field. With a slight perturbation, the particles and the magnetic field itself begin to oscillate together, like a string carrying a wave. These oscillations propagate along magnetic fields and are observed both in laboratory setups and in space. For his theoretical description of these oscillations, Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970.

In laboratory settings, Alfvén oscillations are studied using toroidal (doughnut-shaped) magnetic plasma confinement devices, such as tokamaks. This design allows hot plasma, with temperatures up to 100 million degrees Celsius, to be confined using magnetic fields, preventing it from coming into contact with the walls. Tokamaks create conditions similar to those found inside the Sun, allowing energy to be generated through thermonuclear fusion. Alfvén oscillations inside tokamaks have a dual effect. While they facilitate energy and particle transfer, they can also lead to heat loss or instabilities, which can lead to plasma escaping the magnetic field and subsequent melting of the structure's walls. Therefore, studying the physical processes inside such devices is particularly important. Existing theoretical models and computer calculations have described how these oscillations should behave, but experimentally testing the theory under the challenging conditions of a real toroidal device has previously been elusive.

St. Petersburg scientists have achieved two important results for the first time in the world while studying Alfvén oscillations in the plasma of the Globus-M2 spherical tokamak at the Ioffe Institute.

"First, we experimentally determined where exactly Alfvén oscillations originate and exist within the toroidal setup. Measurements were conducted using microwave Doppler backscatter (DBS) diagnostics, developed by scientists at the Polytechnic University. This diagnostics allowed us to measure the electric field amplitude of Alfvén oscillations directly in the region of their development. Second, we discovered that different types of Alfvén oscillations and their harmonics can have different localizations," explained Alexander Yashin, PhD in Physics and Mathematics and head of the "High-Temperature Plasma Diagnostics" research laboratory at the Institute of Physics and Mechanics at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Since the plasma temperature inside the tokamak is too high, the use of standard contact sensors for measurements is limited.

The Doppler backscatter method uses microwave radiation scattered by inhomogeneities in the plasma. This allows for remote and local measurement of key parameters. To ensure reliability, the Doppler backscatter data were compared with data from magnetic probes, which are traditionally used to study the dynamics of Alfvén oscillations but cannot provide information on their location or the local value of their amplitude. The comparison showed that the different methods yield consistent results, noted Arseny Tokarev, a research assistant at the Scientific Laboratory of Advanced Methods for Studying Spherical Tokamak Plasma at the Institute of Physics and Mechanics of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Alfvén oscillations lead to significant losses of fast particles in the plasma. Their role in thermonuclear fusion is difficult to overestimate. Firstly, only they have sufficient energy to approach and interact, resulting in a thermonuclear fusion reaction. Secondly, they transfer part of their energy to slower particles, thereby increasing the plasma temperature. To achieve efficient and safe thermonuclear fusion, it is important to minimize the loss of high-energy particles. For example, according to calculations, the ITER experimental thermonuclear reactor, being built by an international research team in France, will withstand no more than a two percent loss of fast particles. Alfvén oscillations can cause much more significant losses. Therefore, the experimental data on the localization of Alfvén oscillations in plasma obtained by St. Petersburg scientists is a valuable contribution to the development of global thermonuclear energy.

The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under the state assignment in the field of science, project No. FSEG 2024 0005, using the Federal Center for Shared Use "Materials Science and Diagnostics in Advanced Technologies" of the A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, which includes the unique scientific facility "Spherical Tokamak Globus-M."

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Robotics and Chemistry: Polytechnics Win Rosmolodezh Grant Competition

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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A project by students from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Transport at SPbPU won a grant competition from the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). The initiative, "Creating an Advanced Educational Course: Robotics and Chemistry—At the Crossroads of Two Sciences," received support in the second season of the Rosmolodezh.Grants competition. 978,000 rubles were allocated for the project.

The project will be developed and implemented at the IMMiT, in the Department of Applied Chemistry, and at the Scientific and Educational Center "Nanotechnology and Coatings."

The project was led by Mikhail Udovichenko, a first-year master's student at the Higher School of Physics and Technology. The project team included Tatyana Sedegova (first-year master's student at the Higher School of Physics and Technology), Nikita Dybin (fourth-year at the Higher School of Physics and Technology), Artem Tereshkov (third-year at the Higher School of Architecture and Radioelectronics), and Polina Sorokina (third-year at the Institute of Biological, Social, and Biological Sciences). The entire team is a member of the ChemTeam student chemistry association. The project mentors were Alexander Semencha, Head of the Department of Applied Chemistry and Director of the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research Center, and Viktor Klinkov, a research fellow at the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research Center.

The project's main goal is to develop professional competencies in the development of robotic systems for the chemical industry among students from SPbPU and other relevant universities, as well as schoolchildren from St. Petersburg. The training program includes mastering new technologies, from the use of artificial intelligence and programming in the chemical industry to practical work in the REC laboratory.

The project will result in the creation of a unique curriculum and teaching materials, as well as a course pilot, during which participants, together with experienced mentors, will present innovative solutions for the chemical industry.

The implementation of this initiative will engage talented young people in the research activities of the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research and Education Center and train specialists in priority areas of scientific and technological development.

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11 people died in a highway accident in Bolivia.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

LA PAZ, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — At least 11 family members were killed and three others injured on Monday in a crash involving a minibus on a highway in eastern Bolivia, police said.

Local media reported that the accident occurred on the Bioceanic Highway, between the cities of Puerto Suarez and Puerto Quijarro in the department of Santa Cruz.

According to Santa Cruz Traffic Director Martin Arequipa, a preliminary investigation revealed that a minor was driving a vehicle returning from a family party and was speeding. The minibus lost control and crashed into the shoulder of the road.

Puerto Quijarro Police Chief Rolando Rodriguez said all the victims were members of the same family, and three others were taken to the hospital.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and are expected to release an official report soon. –0–

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Kazakhstan is among the top three countries with tennis players in the ATP and WTA top 10.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

Almaty, January 13 (Xinhua) — Kazakhstan is among the countries represented in the top 10 of the world rankings for both men and women, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation said on Monday.

It is reported that today only the United States and Italy have similar figures.

Kazakhstan's number one tennis player, Elena Rybakina, consistently holds a position in the top 10 of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings and is ranked fifth at the beginning of 2026.

Men's national team leader Alexander Bublik won the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament in Hong Kong on Sunday, claiming his ninth career title. Following the tournament, he climbed to 10th place in the ATP world rankings, thus securing his country's representation in the world's top 10. –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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Mexico offers to mediate dialogue between the US and Cuba

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

Mexico City, January 12 (Xinhua) — Mexico is ready to act as a mediator if the United States and Cuba agree to dialogue, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.

"If Mexico becomes a mediator to establish communication between the United States and Cuba, both sides will agree," she said at a regular morning press conference after a phone call with US President Donald Trump earlier in the day.

“Mexico is in the best position to do this,” the president added, referring to the role of mediator.

On his social media page on Sunday, Donald Trump wrote: "No more oil and money will flow to Cuba." He recommended that the Cuban government reach a deal with Washington "before it's too late."

K. Sheinbaum noted that Mexican oil supplies to Cuba are legal within the framework of national sovereignty and for humanitarian purposes.

According to her, providing humanitarian aid is "nothing new." This policy has been supported by all Mexican governments, regardless of their political affiliation, the president added.

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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January 22 has been declared a day of national mourning for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack, the Australian Prime Minister said.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

Canberra, January 13 (Xinhua) – January 22 has been declared a day of national mourning for the victims of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.

On January 22, national flags will be flown at half-mast on all Australian government buildings in memory of the victims of the December 14 attack on Bondi Beach during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, said E. Albanese.

According to him, the theme of the memorial event is "Light Will Prevail." It will be dedicated to unity and remembrance.

The prime minister announced Monday that federal parliament would return from summer recess on January 19, two weeks early, to pass laws toughening penalties for hate speech and gun ownership in response.

Fifteen people were killed in the attack by suspected shooters Naveed Akram and his father Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by police.

Authorities said the attack was inspired by Islamic State ideology and charged N. Akram with 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. –0–

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Alibaba's Qwen models lead the world's open-source AI systems with 700 million downloads.

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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

HANGZHOU, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Alibaba's Qwen family of artificial intelligence (AI) models has recorded 700 million downloads on the Hugging Face AI collaboration platform as of January 2026, making it the most popular open-source AI system in the world, according to the Qwen development team.

Hugging Face data shows that by October 2025, the Qwen family had overtaken Meta's Llama in terms of downloads. In December of that year, its monthly downloads exceeded the combined total of the following eight popular models: Meta, DeepSeek, OpenAI, Mistral, Nvidia, Zhipu.AI, Moonshot, and MiniMax.

Alibaba made Qwen models open-source in 2023, becoming the first major Chinese tech company to open-source its own large language model (LLM) to the public.

The Qwen family covers both text and multimodal tasks and supports 119 languages and regional dialects.

According to the Qwen team, Alibaba currently has nearly 400 open-source models in the Qwen family, with over 180,000 derivative versions. These figures cement the family's position as the most prolific open-source LLM in the world.

The team stated that since the second half of last year, the Qwen family has taken first place among the five largest open-source model providers in terms of growth in global downloads.

“Our core goal remains to push the boundaries of LLM capabilities while maintaining a commitment to open source so that AI can truly help more people around the world,” the team noted.

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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How robot sharing is rewriting the story of emerging and future industries in China

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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

Beijing, January 13 (Xinhua) — While you sleep, a robot vacuum cleaner quietly cleans your entire apartment, and another robot prepares you a warm breakfast and a cup of coffee. As soon as you step into a hotel, a robot doorman hands you your room card without asking any questions or showing any documents. While you're waiting in line for a hospital appointment, a delivery robot has already handed over your medical records to the doctor. And if you're in danger, a rescue robot transforms into a fearless warrior, ready to help you in times of need…

Today, robots are not just a feature of science fiction films; they are deeply integrated into various life scenarios and accompany the daily lives of ordinary Chinese people.

China recently made exciting news: robotics startup Agibot launched the country's first open robot rental platform, BotShare, in Shanghai, offering rentals of over 1,000 humanoid and quadrupedal robots.

The launch of BotShare could be a turning point in popularizing robots among Chinese consumers. Users will be able to rent robots of various brands and models to handle specific and everyday tasks in 50 key Chinese cities.

Rental prices range from 200 yuan (approximately $29) to over 10,000 yuan. Users can rent Agibot's flagship humanoid A2 Ultra for 4,899 yuan per day, while the quadruped robotic dog D1 Edu is available at a 200 yuan discount.

As for package deals, renting a pair of anthropomorphic robots to serve as chauffeurs or ring bearers at weddings starts at 15,200 yuan per day. Companies looking to boost their visibility at industry events can rent a booth equipped with six humanoid and quadrupedal robots for 24,200 yuan.

According to insiders, leasing lowers the barrier to entry into the industry—there's no need to purchase an expensive robot for a one-time task. This business model is similar to car-sharing or electric scooter rentals, which have already taken hold in Chinese cities.

According to AgiBot, by 2026, the company plans to attract at least 10 other robot developers to the platform, aiming to reach 400,000 users. The service is expected to expand to 200 cities across China. The company's management believes that BotShare will make robot rentals as convenient as power banks.

In China, robots are gradually becoming a part of not only the lives of ordinary people, but are also beginning to compete with athletes.

In April 2025, the world's first humanoid robot half marathon took place in Beijing, where 20 bipedal robots joined human athletes in a 21 km race. The fastest robot completed the distance in two hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.

In August, the first World Humanoid Robot Games were held in Beijing, with 280 teams from 16 countries participating, demonstrating the decision-making and collaborative mobility capabilities of anthropomorphic robots.

The year 2025 marked the launch of commercial mass production of humanoid robots. In December, leading Chinese robotics company AgiBot unveiled its 5,000th mass-produced humanoid robot, marking a major milestone in the development of mass production capabilities and practical applications of robotics, demonstrating the industry's readiness for large-scale commercial adoption.

In recent years, China has made giant strides in robotics.

In November 2025, a humanoid robot developed by AgiBot set a world record by walking more than 100 km nonstop between the cities of Suzhou (Jiangsu Province, eastern China) and Shanghai in three days. This achievement was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "longest journey on foot by a humanoid robot."

It's worth noting that this is the third Guinness World Record set by a Chinese humanoid robot in 2025. The first two were the record for the most robots dancing simultaneously, set at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala "Chunwan" (an annual television program celebrating the Spring Festival), and a robot developed by Zhejiang University, which ran a 100-meter dash in 13 seconds, setting a record for the fastest quadruped robot.

Whether it's distance, scale, or speed, Chinese robots are constantly breaking world records.

China's significant achievements in industrial scientific and technological innovation in 2025 are demonstrated by data from key artificial intelligence (AI) industries, the volume of which exceeded 1 trillion yuan.

The country promises to place special emphasis on the development of emerging and future industries in the near future, as well as support for AI R&D, in order to work with market participants to transform new productive forces from “science fiction” into “social reality.”

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.