Death toll in Afghanistan road accident rises to 79

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

KABUL, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — The death toll in a fatal road accident in Afghanistan's western Herat province on Tuesday night has risen to 79, including women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Kani said on Wednesday.

Among the victims were 19 children, he added.

Initially, local authorities reported 64 deaths and three injuries.

Recall that on Tuesday night, a passenger bus carrying Afghan repatriates from Iran collided with a motorcycle and a small truck on the road connecting Iran with the city of Herat in Afghanistan.

Most of the bodies of the victims could not be identified because the bus caught fire in the crash, local authorities said, blaming careless driving as the cause of the accident. –0–

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Indonesia arrests Philippine-flagged vessel for illegal fishing

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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

JAKARTA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — Indonesia has detained a large Philippine-flagged fishing vessel on suspicion of illegal fishing in waters north of Papua province, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said on Tuesday.

As the Director General of the Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervision, Pung Nugroho Saxono, noted, the largest vessel detained in the last 10 years in terms of both tonnage and net size.

The FV Princess Janice-168 was arrested on Monday with 32 Filipino crew members on board. An inspection revealed that the vessel did not have permits from the Indonesian government and was using a modern 1.3 km long purse seine.

The vessel is capable of carrying up to 400 tonnes of fish at a time, mostly young tuna, Punga Nugroho Saxono said. Potential losses to Indonesia are estimated at Rp 189.5 billion (about US$11.66 million). –0–

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The September 3 parade in China is meant to show the country's commitment to peace and international justice and fairness.

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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, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — The Victory Day military parade scheduled for Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is intended to show China's firm commitment to peace and international justice and fairness, said Major General Wu Zeke, deputy head of the Office of the Military Parade Leading Group and deputy head of the Military Operations Development Department of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission.

At a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Wu Zeke spoke about the preparations for the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The parade will show that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the country is becoming increasingly prosperous, its armed forces are constantly developing and strengthening, and the great spirit of the War of Resistance is passed down from generation to generation, he said.

According to him, the parade will demonstrate to the whole world that the victory achieved 80 years ago was a great victory of justice over evil, light over darkness and progress over reaction.

China was the first to fight against fascist aggression and put up strong resistance for a long period of time, Wu Zeke said, adding that China's sons and daughters marched forward, united and, at the cost of enormous sacrifices, provided support on the main battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War in the East.

China contained and fought the main military forces of Japanese imperialism, destroying more than 1.5 million soldiers and officers of militaristic Japan in the battles, thereby writing a great chapter of victory in the war against Japan and making a significant contribution to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, he recalled.

China is willing to work with peace-loving countries and peoples around the world to uphold the correct view of the history of World War II, resolutely safeguard the post-war international order, uphold international justice and impartiality, oppose hegemonism and power politics in all forms, and jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Wu Zeke stressed. -0-

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Comment: Who is really driving countries into the “debt trap”?

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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, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — For years, some Western politicians and media have claimed that China is driving developing countries into a "debt trap." But a new report by London-based charity Debt Justice suggests the reality is very different.

The study, covering 88 countries, found that in 2020-25, low-income countries sent 39 percent of their external debt payments to commercial creditors, 34 percent to multilateral institutions, and just 13 percent to Chinese state-owned and private creditors.

The report cites glaring examples. Mining giant Glencore has refused to write off any of Chad’s debt. After four and a half years of negotiations, Zambia has yet to reach an agreement with some private creditors, including Britain’s Standard Chartered. In Sri Lanka, Hamilton Reserve Bank has refused to restructure its debt and is continuing a legal battle in New York state.

These creditors, mostly Western, have adopted a hard-line, profit-oriented stance. As Debt Justice policy director Tim Jones puts it, “Western leaders blame China for Africa’s debt crises, but this is a red herring. In fact, their own banks, asset managers and oil traders bear far more responsibility.”

The real problem is not just the size of the debt, but the terms on which it is provided. Unlike China’s “patient capital,” which is focused on long-term development, Western commercial lenders and multilateral institutions often prioritize short-term gains. Their loans come with high interest rates, tough repayment terms, and sometimes political strings attached. This combination creates a vicious cycle of dependency and financial vulnerability—a trap from which many developing countries find it difficult to escape.

The Global South has long suffered from the consequences of Western financial orthodoxy. In Latin America, the 1989 Washington Consensus forced governments to privatize state assets, deregulate the economy, and liberalize trade and finance in exchange for credit.

Far from promoting prosperity, these policies undermined economic sovereignty and fueled social instability. “For decades, Western countries imposed their financial criteria through loans that never led to genuine development,” said Honduras’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres.

Breaking this vicious cycle requires more than debt relief: diversified and sustainable growth. That is where China is focusing its efforts.

In Africa, often described as a victim of the “debt trap,” Chinese financing has helped build and upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, and nearly 100 ports. These investments lay the foundation for transportation, industrialization, and long-term growth. African leaders have made it clear: China is not a predator, but a partner.

The “debt trap” debate is not just a financial issue. For decades, the Western-controlled debt system has held developing economies back and limited their freedom to choose their own path. China’s collaborative model, by contrast, aims to break these chains and open up new avenues for growth.

Ultimately, the question is not just about debt, but also about who will set the rules of development in the 21st century and whose voices will be heard in shaping those rules.

If there is a real trap, it is the persistence of old narratives that obscure the structural inequalities of the global financial system. Only by changing these narratives can we create space for fairer and more sustainable alternatives. –0–

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People's Bank of China adds 100 billion yuan to disaster relief refinancing quota

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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, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has increased its refinancing quota for agriculture and small businesses by 100 billion yuan (about 14.01 billion U.S. dollars) to support flood control and disaster recovery, the PBOC said Tuesday.

The measure is aimed at encouraging financial institutions to strengthen credit support for businesses, especially micro and small enterprises and individual entrepreneurs, as well as agricultural and livestock enterprises and farmers in disaster-hit areas including Beijing and the provinces of Hebei, Jilin, Shandong and Gansu, the country's top financial regulator said.

The central bank has urged its local branches to make full use of the new re-lending quota, it said. It will also guide financial institutions to meet the financing needs of flood control and disaster relief, and support businesses in accelerating the resumption of operations and production. -0-

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Columns of military equipment at the parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory will be formed according to the principle of combat combined formations /detailed version-1/

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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, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — Military vehicle columns in the upcoming military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory Day will be formed into groups based on their actual combat functions, a military official said Wednesday.

According to a press conference dedicated to preparations for the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory, the parade formations of weapons will consist of ground forces, naval forces, air defense and anti-missile forces, information warfare forces, unmanned forces, logistics and strategic strike forces. -0-

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Rosneft Conducted Research on Wild Reindeer in Western Taimyr

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Source: Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

With the support of Rosneft, a scientific expedition to study wild reindeer in Western Taimyr, which was conducted as part of the corporate environmental program "Tamura", has been completed. Scientists from the Siberian Federal University (SFU) traveled about 2.5 thousand km by boat along the Pyasina River, just over 1.5 thousand km as part of a radial route along the Dudypta, Tareya and Pura rivers, and over 700 km along the Khatanga and Kheta rivers.

The main goal of this year's wild reindeer research is to count the numbers and assess the distribution of animals in Western Taimyr using instrumental and ground-based observation methods. Annual monitoring of bioindicator animals allows us to obtain a comprehensive picture of the impact of climate change on the state of Arctic ecosystems.

During boat and stationary observations, photo and video recordings of deer were made. The data obtained will be processed at the stage of office work using special computer programs. To determine migration routes, specialists installed GPS transmitters on several deer. Also, following the expedition, scientists noted the appearance of large, predominantly male herds on the right bank of the Pyasina.

Rosneft has been studying wild reindeer since 2014. During this time, large-scale ground and aerial surveys of animals have been conducted in Evenkia and Taimyr. Using satellite tags installed on the reindeer, scientists have tracked the entire annual cycle of their migration and identified seasonal behavior patterns.

Rosneft pays special attention to environmental issues and biodiversity conservation and is implementing the largest comprehensive Arctic region study program since Soviet times. As part of the Tamura program, which began in 2024, scientists plan to update information on the state of key animal species in the northern region.

"Tamura" involves studying the Kara subpopulation of polar bears, wild reindeer populations in western Taimyr, and valuable bird and fish species in the Yenisei estuary. The data obtained will allow scientists to draw conclusions about the state of ecosystems and develop measures to preserve the region's biodiversity. The program will last until 2027. In 2025, scientists have already conducted three expeditions to study the Kara subpopulation of polar bears, and ten expeditions will be conducted in just four years.

Department of Information and AdvertisingPJSC NK RosneftAugust 20, 2025

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Marat Khusnullin: Over 720 facilities and events completed thanks to budget loans

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

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The mechanisms of infrastructure budget and special treasury loans are designed to improve the quality of life of citizens and change the appearance of settlements for the better. During their operation, more than 720 objects and events have been completed in 71 regions of Russia using budget loans. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

"The budget loan program, which has been used in Russia since 2022, allows regions to update transport, utilities and social infrastructure. Thanks to favorable conditions – a low rate of 3% and a long loan term (15 years) – the subjects get the opportunity to implement projects that are important for citizens without a heavy debt burden. IBC and SKK help not only to create modern roads, housing and communal services facilities, hospitals and kindergartens, but also to develop regions as a whole. In total, 723 facilities and events important for residents in 71 regions have been completed with the involvement of IBC and SKK funds. In addition, 8,152 units of public transport have been updated. This year, work on infrastructure development will continue both on previously planned facilities within the framework of IBC and SKK, and with the involvement of treasury infrastructure loans," said Marat Khusnullin.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that, thanks to the work performed, budget loans since 2022 have contributed to attracting over 3.7 trillion rubles of extra-budgetary investments to the regions, creating 44 thousand jobs, and commissioning 32.9 million square meters of housing. Among the leading regions are the Republic of Tatarstan (3.88 million square meters), St. Petersburg (3.43 million square meters), and Sverdlovsk Oblast (2.54 million square meters).

"Much attention is paid to the modernization of housing and communal infrastructure facilities. Since 2022, thanks to the budget loan program, 398 housing and communal facilities have been commissioned, as well as more than 1,440 km of utility networks. The country's road infrastructure is also being updated. 514 km of roads have already been built and repaired – these are both major highways and street and road networks in residential areas," emphasized First Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services Alexander Lomakin.

Among the completed projects, for example, is the Western Chord road from A-280 Rostov-on-Don – Taganrog to the bridge over the Don River on the Western Bypass with a total length of 10.6 km, a school complex for 1.2 thousand students with an additional education block in Yekaterinburg, and many others.

"Within the framework of the IBC program, work continues on 476 objects and events in 76 regions, and within the SKK program, on 239 objects and events in 40 regions. Among them are the design and construction of the Chirkey-Makhachkala-Kaspiysk main water pipeline in the Republic of Dagestan, the reconstruction of the Apatity-Kirovsk highway in the Murmansk region, and the reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities in the Moscow region. In addition, another 174 new buses, trolleybuses, trams, and MCD trains are planned for delivery to Moscow, the Vologda, Tambov, and Chelyabinsk regions," said Vasily Kupyzin, General Director of the Territorial Development Fund.

The Ministry of Construction is the curator of the budget loan program, and the operator is the Territorial Development Fund.

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Dmitry Chernyshenko: Over three years, representatives from 89 regions of Russia and 52 countries have become participants in the Mashuk Center programs

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

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The Mashuk Knowledge Center, located in Pyatigorsk, celebrates its third anniversary on August 20. During this time, it has become a key federal platform for training teachers, mentors, lecturers, managers, parents and representatives of youth communities. The center's original programs are especially popular with the audience, breaking records for the number of applications from participants. The flagships in this area are the educational intensives "Pedagogical Council", "Parents' Academy" and "Curatorship Academy".

"The day before, in his greeting to the participants of the All-Russian Pedagogical Congress, our President Vladimir Putin noted that it is important to surround teachers and lecturers with the attention they deserve. A number of measures of the national project "Youth and Children" are aimed at supporting them and developing the education system. One of the significant areas is the work of the Mashuk Knowledge Center. Over three years, its team has organized more than 370 educational programs in popular areas of training. They were attended by more than 45 thousand students from 89 regions of Russia and 52 countries. I wish the Mashuk center to continue its dynamic development, attract more and more participants and implement projects for the benefit of domestic education," emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

The work of the Mashuk Knowledge Center began within the framework of the national project “Education”, and is now being developed within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”.

The Mashuk team is actively implementing the task set by Russian President Vladimir Putin to prepare a new personnel reserve for the education system. In 2024, the Knowledge Center launched the first stream of the higher personnel reserve program for the education system together with the Higher School of Public Administration of the Presidential Academy with the support of the Ministry of Education. Its graduates included 70 participants, including winners of all-Russian professional competitions, honored teachers, and school principals. They developed eight unique projects that passed the expert evaluation of the Ministry of Education. The flagship program made it possible to comprehensively prepare current managers for the existing changes in the education system and create new social elevators. As a result, three participants received promising career offers from federal and regional authorities.

Today, the Knowledge Center combines work in two main areas – training senior officials of the education and enlightenment system and training school principals. The author's program "Director at Height" united 100 heads of educational institutions from 74 regions of the country. The participants have already passed the equator and achieved specific results, which will form the basis for a large-scale study to create a competency profile of a modern school principal. Its team "Mashuka" is implementing in partnership with the Russian Academy of Education.

"In three years, the Knowledge Center has become a unique educational space for the pedagogical community of Russia and other countries. Together with our colleagues from Mashuk, we are implementing a program for the highest personnel reserve, the second stream of which will start in October 2025. Next year, we have planned to launch another important international project – a program for directors of foreign schools. I am confident that the center's initiatives make a real contribution to the development of the education and enlightenment system of our country," said Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.

Since September 2024, the Knowledge Center, by order of the President of Russia, has become a federal methodological center for the development of the mentoring institute. The Mashuk team pays special attention to this area, forming a base of best practices for their further analysis and dissemination. Over three years, the center has conducted more than 150 original and partner mentoring programs. Participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with advanced approaches in this area and methodological developments, including the original mentoring model "Beshtau", "Map of the Mentor's Activity", materials "Seven Styles of Mentoring" and "Mentoring as a Management Style". Today, the Mashuk team is developing recommendations for organizers of the mentoring system in secondary and higher educational institutions and a workbook for mentees.

"The Knowledge Center makes a great contribution to the education of the younger generation who love their country and share our traditional values. Over three years of work, the Mashuk team has united more than a thousand leading experts, and the most relevant mentoring practices have been developed here. As an interdepartmental corporate university, the Knowledge Center creates conditions for the exchange of experience and effective interaction between federal and regional authorities. One of our outstanding joint projects is the "Conductors of Meanings" program for training a new generation of leaders and forming unified approaches to the implementation of youth policy. I am sure that together with our friends and partners we will implement many more initiatives that will find a response among young people," said Grigory Gurov, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.

The Knowledge Center continues to expand its range of educational products and geographic presence. Over three years, the center has held more than 35 events in the format of "Visiting Mashuk", organizing programs dedicated to a specific thematic area at the request of the regions. Similar events will be held in Kamchatka and Vladivostok in late summer and autumn 2025.

"The Mashuk Knowledge Center has become a place where new meanings and ideas are born that can change people's lives. It will not be an exaggeration if I say that a community of like-minded people is being formed here, ready to take responsibility for the development and education of the younger generations, and therefore for the future of the country. Since 2022, tens of thousands of people have completed the educational programs of the Knowledge Center. We will continue to work on scaling its activities so that as many people as possible can take advantage of the opportunities of the educational platform. I am sure that Mashuk has many bright projects and significant achievements ahead for the benefit of society and the state," emphasized Maxim Dreval, General Director of the Russian Society "Knowledge".

The Mashuk team helps partner regions implement similar personnel programs "Time of Heroes" for demobilized participants of the SVO. In September 2025, more than 200 representatives of the Arkhangelsk Region, the Lugansk People's Republic, and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug will visit the visiting educational modules in Pyatigorsk for the first time.

"Since its opening, the Knowledge Center has been the flagship for training educational and management personnel who are capable of effectively responding to modern challenges, integrating advanced technologies into the educational process, and raising a new generation of leaders. A professional community of graduates has been created on the basis of the center, which unites more than 45 thousand people. "Mashuk devotees" actively apply the practices and methods they received from us in their home regions to create a developing educational environment. In honor of the third anniversary, we are taking a new big step by launching the "Digital Mashuk" platform. This is our gift to those who cannot attend face-to-face educational programs in Pyatigorsk. By the end of 2025, about 30 thousand students will be able to undergo retraining online. I am sure that thanks to the efforts of the team and the support of partners, we will be able to expand the audience and implement many more exciting projects," said Anton Serikov, General Director of the Mashuk Knowledge Center, Deputy General Director of the Russian Knowledge Society.

The Knowledge Center is actively working on the tasks of the Caucasian macroregion. The Center trains teachers, mentors, and managers for the North Caucasian Federal District, and develops a community of Caucasian scholars to collect comprehensive analytics. The Mashuk team is working to promote information that popularizes the district from the point of view of tourism, recreation, agriculture, development of traditional crafts, as an example of ethnocultural diversity and cohabitation of representatives of different nationalities. All this information is “packed,” including in a game form. In the spring of 2025, the Mashuk team released the board game “Heart of the Caucasus,” which was developed jointly with experts and program participants.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Financial news: Changes in the publication of index results.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Instructions for using Index totals

At the moment, the index results for the previous trading day (for the main trading session) are available to users at ~20:00 via the following channels:

IN Information and statistical server (ISS) of the Moscow Exchange. On the Moscow Exchange website in the section Results of the auction. On the Moscow Exchange website in the section Index bulletins. On the Moscow Exchange website in archive of values the corresponding index.

In the nearest future (we will inform about the exact date additionally) users of index information will have access to the choice of sessionality of index results. Thus, in terms of information receiving channels the following changes will be introduced:

In the Information and Statistical Server (ISS) of the Moscow Exchange, the results of trades for each trading session and for the entire trading day will be published at unique addresses in the periods after the end of the corresponding session: Morning trading session (sessions=0) – results are available at ~10:00 on the day of the corresponding session at the address:Iss.moex.com/ISS/Histori/Engines/Stotsk/Markets/Index/Session/0/Securitis/Imoex2
Main trading session (sessions=1) – results are available at ~20:00 on the day of the corresponding session at:Iss.moex.com/ISS/Histori/Engines/Stotsk/Markets/Index/Session/1/Secondary/Imoex2
Evening trading session (sessions=2) – results are available at ~23:59 on the day of the corresponding session at:Iss.moex.com/ISS/Histori/Engines/Stotsk/Markets/Index/Session/2/Secondary/Imoex2
Trading day (sessions=3), including all additional trading sessions – results available at ~23:59 at the end of the trading day at:Iss.moex.com/ISS/Histori/Engines/Stotsk/Markets/Index/Session/3/Sokuritis/Imoex2
Additional weekend session (sessions=5) – results available at ~19:10 on the day of the corresponding session at:Iss.moex.com/ISS/Histori/Engines/Stotsk/Markets/Index/Session/5/Secondary/Imoex2

On the Moscow Exchange website in the section Results of the auction index data for the entire trading day will be available at ~23:59 after the end of the trading day. At the same time, in the specified section of the site, a selection of Trading Results will be available separately for each session. On the Moscow Exchange website in the section Index bulletins Index results will be available at ~20:00 for the main trading session of the corresponding trading day. archive of values the corresponding index on the Moscow Exchange website, the data will be available at ~23:59 of the corresponding trading day, both in terms of trading days and in terms of each session (the results for the additional weekend session will be available to users on the next working trading day at ~23:59).

Table of changes in the methods and time of publication of results for the Indexes:

Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232Pr@moex.kom

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