Over 1 million people visited Harbin International Beer Festival

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

HARBIN, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — The number of visitors to the 23rd Harbin International Beer Festival, which kicked off on July 5, 2025, was 1.014 million, organizers of the event said, citing data as of the evening of Aug. 3.

The beer festival has become one of the most exciting cultural events of this summer in Harbin. At the festival, in an area of 400 thousand square meters, up to a thousand varieties of beer from more than 10 countries are presented, giving everyone the opportunity to find something to their taste. In addition, visitors are offered an extensive cultural program: concerts, a parade of flower platforms, fireworks, a drone show, sports competitions, exhibitions of retro cars, Russian painting and much more. Also within the framework of the festival, an open-air camp is organized, where you can relax with the whole family and drink beer.

As city authorities had previously promised, the current festival should become the largest, most international and multifaceted of all previous ones. And, apparently, the organizers are succeeding in this. -0-

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Chengdu World Games Main Media Center Officially Opens

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The World Games' main media center was officially opened Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It will serve as a "base camp" for accredited media workers during the sporting event, providing facilities and services related to work, language support, transportation, food, technology and trade to cover the competition.

CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The World Games' main media center was officially opened Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It will serve as a "base camp" for accredited media workers during the sporting event, providing facilities and services related to work, language support, transportation, food, technology and trade to cover the competition.

CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The World Games' main media center was officially opened Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It will serve as a "base camp" for accredited media workers during the sporting event, providing facilities and services related to work, language support, transportation, food, technology and trade to cover the competition.

CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The World Games' main media center was officially opened Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It will serve as a "base camp" for accredited media workers during the sporting event, providing facilities and services related to work, language support, transportation, food, technology and trade to cover the competition.

CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — The World Games' main media center was officially opened Monday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. It will serve as a "base camp" for accredited media workers during the sporting event, providing facilities and services related to work, language support, transportation, food, technology and trade to cover the competition.

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.

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China announces phased introduction of free preschool education

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — China plans to abolish fees for care and tuition of children in public kindergartens for the last year before entering primary school starting from the fall semester of 2025, according to guidelines released by the State Council on Tuesday.

According to the document, this step is aimed at effectively reducing education costs and improving the quality of educational services in the country.

Children who attend private kindergartens will also have their fees for care and education reduced in line with the reduction in fees in local public preschools.

Financial authorities will provide subsidies to kindergartens to compensate for the reduction in their income due to the new policy.

The document also calls on local authorities to further strengthen support measures for categories such as children from low-income families, orphans and children with disabilities.

Financial and educational departments at all levels should improve fund management and allocate funds in a timely manner and in full to ensure the normal operation of preschool institutions.

The recommendations also noted that China will improve its policy of providing free pre-school education in due course, taking into account factors such as changes in the number of school-age children. -0-

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By the end of June 2025, China had 16.1 million charging infrastructure facilities

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

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) — There were 16.1 million electric vehicle charging infrastructure facilities in China as of the end of June 2025, the Jingji Cancaobao newspaper reported, citing data from the National Administration of Energy (SAE).

The above figure includes 12 million private and 4.1 million public charging stations. By the end of June this year, the coverage rate of charging stations in China's counties had reached 97.08 percent, while the coverage rate in the country's townships and urban towns was 80.02 percent.

In the first half of 2025, a total of 54.923 billion kWh of electricity was used for charging electric vehicles in China.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in the first half of 2025, China's automobile production and sales volumes were 15.621 million and 15.653 million units, respectively. As for new energy vehicles, their production and sales in the first six months of this year increased by 41.4 percent and 40.3 percent, reaching 6.968 million and 6.937 million units, respectively.

From January to June this year, China exported 3.083 million vehicles, up 10.4 percent year-on-year, while new energy vehicle exports increased 75.2 percent to 1.06 million units. -0-

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Former Romanian President I. Iliescu Dies at 95

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

BUCHAREST, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu died on Tuesday at the age of 95, the Romanian government said.

According to health authorities, since early June 2025, I. Iliescu had been undergoing treatment in a hospital in Bucharest, where he was later diagnosed with lung cancer. In the last days of his life, his condition deteriorated sharply.

I. Iliescu served as President of Romania from 1990 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2004.

The Romanian government expressed deep sorrow over the death of I. Iliescu and conveyed its condolences to his family and loved ones. –0–

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Date of local government elections set in Georgia

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

Tbilisi, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili has signed a decree scheduling local government elections in the country for October 4, 2025, the presidential administration reported on Tuesday.

The election campaign officially began in the country from the moment the decree was published. According to the electoral legislation, it will last for 60 days.

Elections of local government representatives, including mayors and sakrebulo (municipal legislative bodies) deputies, will be held simultaneously in 64 cities and districts of the country.

According to available information, six political parties have announced their intention to participate in the elections to date: Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, New Political Center – Girchi, Lelo – Strong Georgia, For Georgia, Conservatives for Georgia, and Fatherland, Language, Faith.

Local elections in Georgia are held every four years and are an important part of the political process at the regional level. –0–

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4 killed, 18 injured in minibus crash in central Turkey

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

ANKARA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — A minibus carrying seasonal farm workers skidded off the road and fell into a ravine in central Turkey's Sivas province on Tuesday, killing four people and injuring 18 others, including four in critical condition.

According to local television channel NTV, the accident occurred at around 05:00 local time /02:00 GMT/ near the village of Sharkey on the Geminbeli Pass in the Sushehri region.

The driver reportedly lost control of the minibus on a mountain road while transporting farm workers from Sanliurfa province to Ordu province, where they were heading to harvest the annual hazelnut crop.

After receiving a signal about the accident, ambulance crews, firefighters, emergency response services and Turkish gendarmerie forces were promptly dispatched to the scene.

An investigation into the cause of the tragedy is underway. –0–

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Dmitry Patrushev: Russia is committed to constructive cooperation on issues of preserving the Caspian Sea

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev took part in a meeting of deputy heads of government of the Caspian states. The meeting discussed the main vectors of joint work to minimize the adverse effects of the shallowing of the Caspian Sea.

"The Caspian Sea has important ecological and socio-economic significance for our countries. And of course, the Russian Federation is concerned about its condition. We are currently facing an unprecedentedly active decrease in sea levels. Because of this, various sectors of the economy suffer, in particular agriculture, transport, mining, and tourism. And the intensive release of land leads to soil degradation and desertification," said Dmitry Patrushev.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that Russia has been conducting research in the Caspian Sea for many years. Its shallowing is a major challenge for all five coastal states: Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia, so studying the causes of shallowing requires a comprehensive approach. Dmitry Patrushev emphasized the importance of predicting options for further developments and developing measures to protect the ecology of the Caspian Sea and adapt the economy to natural and climatic processes.

The Deputy Prime Minister proposed launching a multilateral interaction mechanism that would allow developing common standards and approaches to studying Caspian Sea level fluctuations. The Deputy Prime Minister reported that the Coordination Committee for Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea, within which data exchange is already underway, could become a platform for joint activities.

"The Russian Federation is committed to constructive interaction with all Caspian states. Our joint work must be carried out without any politicization: we are responsible to current and future generations for the preservation of the Caspian Sea and the sustainable development of this region," the Deputy Prime Minister stated.

Dmitry Patrushev particularly emphasized that Russia also hopes for the intensification of regional dialogue on the issues of the shallowing of the Caspian Sea within the framework of the Tehran Convention.

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Marat Khusnullin: Applications from 10 regions for housing and communal services modernization using treasury infrastructure loans have been approved

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin held a meeting of the Presidium of the Government Commission on Regional Development, where applications for the implementation of projects financed with funds from treasury infrastructure loans were reviewed and approved.

"We continue to work on distributing funds from treasury infrastructure loans. Most of the application campaign has been completed. All 89 regions of the country took an active part, we see the involvement. I ask all governors to take this work seriously, to monitor the implementation of planned projects. Many of them allow not only to put the existing infrastructure in order, but also to create a reserve for growth and prospects for the future. Today, applications for a total of 46.8 billion rubles were approved. These are 64 objects in 20 projects in 10 regions of the country. The funds will be used to modernize housing and communal services systems. I am confident that all approved projects will contribute to improving the quality of life of people and will generally have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of the regions," said Marat Khusnullin.

The Deputy Prime Minister reported that, in particular, the headquarters approved applications for the construction of a second line of the main sewer collector in St. Petersburg with a CIC volume of 11.9 billion rubles, the reconstruction of the water supply system in the Republic of Dagestan with a CIC volume of 6.86 billion rubles, the reconstruction of a pumping station and a settling tank block of a water treatment plant in the Chuvash Republic with a CIC volume of 2.44 billion rubles, the reconstruction of treatment facilities in Sredneuralsk and the construction of treatment facilities in Sysert in the Sverdlovsk region with a CIC volume of 5.81 billion rubles, and the modernization of water supply networks in Chelyabinsk and Kopeysk in the Chelyabinsk region with a CIC volume of 2.92 billion rubles.

Also, 5.12 billion rubles will be allocated to the Volgograd region for the construction of a water supply system in the Kirovsky, Sovetsky and Krasnoarmeysky districts of Volgograd, the construction of water supply networks and structures for prospective residential buildings in the central-western part of the city.

In the Kirov region, it is planned to build 5 boiler houses with conversion to gas, as well as a complex facility for handling municipal solid waste, using KIK funds totaling 2.28 billion rubles.

Thanks to the KIK, water treatment and sewage treatment facilities will be reconstructed in the village of Staraya Ladoga in the Leningrad Region, and water supply and sanitation networks will be built. The volume of the KIK is 1.87 billion rubles.

Samara Region has approved applications with a CIC volume of 4.13 billion rubles for the implementation of 6 projects and 26 objects. Among them are the reconstruction of 15 sections of heating mains, modernization of heat supply systems in Novosemeykino, major repairs of a water main in Syzran, construction of two water disposal facilities and reconstruction of a wastewater treatment facility in Tolyatti, reconstruction of two water disposal facilities in Samara, construction of three boiler houses in the Kinel-Cherkassky municipal district. The projects will improve the quality of heat supply, water supply and sanitation for more than 800 thousand residents of the region.

In the Republic of Tatarstan, an application for 3.47 billion rubles from the KIK for the development of a promising territory in the Kirovsky district of Kazan with a total area of 759 hectares has been approved. It is planned to develop it in stages according to the principle of a "15-minute city". Thanks to the KIK, it is planned to build main networks of domestic and household sewerage systems with a length of more than 19 km. The project will improve the quality of the water disposal system for more than 142 thousand residents of the territory.

Previously, applications with a total CIC volume of 19.73 billion rubles were approved for the implementation of the projects of the Bolshoy Smolensky Bridge in St. Petersburg, the purchase of buses in the Kirov region, the reconstruction of the Smolensk-Severny airfield and the renewal of the housing and utilities infrastructure in the Smolensk region.

In his report, the Minister of Construction, Irek Faizullin, spoke about the current review of applications from regions for the implementation of infrastructure projects using funds from treasury infrastructure loans (TIL).

"Currently, we see high interest from regions in using the CIC tool. The application campaign for basic housing and communal services limits and the competitive selection for investment projects has already been completed. Applications continue to be received within the framework of long-term comprehensive plans for the Far Eastern Federal District and the Arctic zone. 7 regions with an approved limit for this year have already submitted applications, and applications from other regions are still being accepted until the end of September," said Irek Faizullin.

As part of the redistribution of limits, it was also proposed to allocate 3.3 billion rubles to restore infrastructure in the Kursk and Belgorod regions; applications from the regions will be submitted for approval in the near future.

Vasily Kupyzin, General Director of the Territorial Development Fund, reported that the KIKs have become a continuation of the mechanism of infrastructure budget loans, which has proven itself to be effective in comprehensive regional development.

"As a CIC operator, the fund carefully works with each application. 82 regions submitted applications for updating housing and communal services systems for a total of 187 billion rubles. The sphere is very complex and requires special attention, so the planned work is important for improving the quality of provided utilities. In general, we have extensive successful experience in implementing IBC projects. We will make every effort to ensure high-quality implementation of new projects for the benefit of Russians," commented Vasily Kupyzin.

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Financial news: Credit growth to the economy continued to slow in June.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Central Bank of Russia –

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Monthly growth of credit to the economy slowed to 0.3% in June from 1.1% in May. Tight monetary conditions continued to constrain lending.

In June, the entire growth of credit to the economy was fully provided by corporate lending: banks' claims on organizations increased by 0.4% over the month. Claims on the population remained almost unchanged over the month.

Broad money supply increased by 0.6% in June, which is comparable to the May growth rate. The bulk of the growth was accounted for by cash rubles and current accounts of the population. This may be due to the fact that during the summer holidays the need for funds for settlements increased. In the segment of term deposits, long-term deposits grew at an accelerated rate, which may be explained by the desire of depositors to fix current rates.

Read more in the information and analytical material "Credit to the Economy and the Money Supply".

Preview photo: Donat Sorokin / TASS

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