In the world of books and artifacts: participants of the SPbPU library forum visited a rare excursion

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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A library forum was recently held at the Polytechnic University "KorFor-2025"A special gift for the forum guests was a tour of rare and often closed to the general public libraries of St. Petersburg.

For example, the tour participants got acquainted with the oldest military library in Russia, which is located in the historical building of the General Staff on Palace Square. Over 210 years, the Military Historical Library of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has collected a unique collection on military history and military art from ancient times to the present day. A special pride is the richest collection of maps of military operations for more than 200 years of history. The employees talked about their work, about new technologies used in the library, which carefully stores not only documents, but also the memory of great events in the history of our Motherland.

The history of the Scientific Library of the Russian Academy of Arts begins at the time of the founding of the Academy of Arts in 1757. The basis of the library's collection was a gift from the founder of the Academy of Arts, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov. Currently, the library collection contains more than half a million printed publications, engravings, photographs, reproductions, illustrations, revealing the entire diversity of world artistic culture.

The excursionists walked through the unique halls of the library, learned about the history of its creation and development. And what awe and admiration were caused by the rare editions of the 15th-18th centuries, offsets, engravings, lithographs! The time spent in a warm, welcoming atmosphere flew by in an instant and left unforgettable impressions on all the excursion participants.

During the visit to the Scientific Library of the Russian Geographical Society, the specialists got acquainted with a rare collection of books, maps and documents. These materials reflect almost all expeditions in Russia and other countries that took place under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society. The reports on Arctic expeditions and the history of the discovery of the Northern Sea Route deserve special attention. The guests had the opportunity to get acquainted with rare editions of the 17th-19th centuries, representing historical and cultural significance.

Head of the library Maria Bystrova told the guests in detail about the unique collections and modern methods of cataloguing and storing valuable materials.

The librarians also got a glimpse into the inner life of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church: they walked along the rector's corridor, visited the museum and classrooms, looked into the cozy reading room and, of course, into the library, the largest in the Orthodox world. Currently, its collection contains about 315,000 books, periodicals and musical editions. The library collection contains books mainly of theological and church-historical content. The excursionists were especially impressed by the academic temple in the name of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, which houses the revered icon of the Mother of God "The Sign" of Tsarskoye Selo and other holy relics.

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HSE Online Campus Graduates First Bachelors

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

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July 16

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Bisyarina Nina Pavlovna

Bondarenko Ivan Valerievich

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In May 2025, China's total electricity consumption increased by 4.4 percent.

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, July 16 (Xinhua) — China's total electricity consumption stood at 809.6 billion kWh in May 2025, up 4.4 percent year on year, data from the National Energy Administration showed.

According to the agency, electricity consumption in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the country's economy amounted to 11.9 billion kWh, 541.4 billion kWh, 155 billion kWh, increasing by 8.4 percent, 2.1 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively, while the volume of electricity consumption by the urban and rural population increased by 9.6 percent year-on-year to 101.3 billion kWh.

In January-May 2025, the total volume of electricity consumption in the country reached 3.97 trillion kWh, increasing by 3.4 percent year-on-year. -0-

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I. Repin's canvases will soon meet the Chinese public

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, July 16 (Xinhua) — Crates designed to store and transport exhibits that will be displayed at the upcoming exhibition of works by Russian artist Ilya Repin at the National Museum of China (NMC) in Beijing were unveiled on Wednesday after being transported long-distance to the Chinese capital.

In front of the press present, two canvases by I. Repin were carefully unpacked and checked – the sketch “Barge Haulers on the Volga” and “Rest. Portrait of Vera Repina, the Artist’s Wife”. Representatives from the two organizations shared with the media the history of these paintings and their features.

“Before Repin, there were Russian artists who tried to paint a picture on the theme of barge haulers’ labor, but none of them managed to reveal it on such a full scale as Repin did. He was the first Russian artist who touched upon a very important, interesting and curious topic. We are very glad that it was in China that this topic found such a response,” said Svetlana Kapyrina, head of the painting department of the second half of the 19th – early 20th century at the State Tretyakov Gallery.

At the exhibition, the creative team dedicated to the creation of “Barge Haulers on the Volga” will demonstrate portrait sketches of barge haulers, script sketches, oil sketches and other materials related to this most recognizable famous painting in China. This will provide viewers with a unique opportunity to deeply immerse themselves in the history of the birth of this masterpiece and feel how I. Repin step by step transformed the initial idea into a work that conquered the whole world, the NMC statement notes.

Moving on to the portrait of the artist's wife, Svetlana Kapyrina said: "My colleagues and I thought many years ago whether there were other examples in world art where a sleeping wife poses for her husband. However, when we x-rayed this painting, we saw that she had one /open/ eye – she was not sleeping."

“She got tired while posing and fell asleep, and the artist, with tenderness and love, did not wake her up,” added S. Kapyrina.

As one of the main events within the framework of the China-Russia Cross Years of Culture, this exhibition, jointly organized by the NMC and the State Tretyakov Gallery with the support of the State Russian Museum, will open on July 23 and run until January 11, 2026.

With 92 works to be displayed, the exhibition will be the largest and most representative exhibition of its kind ever held in China. It is worth noting that such famous masterpieces by Repin as “Tsarevna Sophia”, “Religious Procession in Kursk Province”, “They Didn’t Expect Him” and “Sadko” will be brought to China and presented to the Chinese public for the first time.

During the exhibition, NMK will also hold a number of thematic events, including lectures, educational excursions for teenagers and young people, and a visit to the exhibition via live broadcast. -0-

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New flight connects China's Xi'an with Tashkent

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

XI'AN, July 16 (Xinhua) — An Airbus A320 plane carrying 137 passengers departed from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, at noon Wednesday, marking the opening of another direct air route between Xi'an and Central Asian countries.

Xi'an-Xianyang Airport, the largest air transport hub in the northwest of the country, is located in the city of Xianyang and is administratively subordinate to the city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

Flight MU855/6, operated by China Eastern Airlines, operates on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flight is scheduled to depart Xi'an at 12:15 Beijing time and arrive in Tashkent at 14:50 local time. The return flight departs at 16:10 local time and lands in Xi'an at 00:05 the following day Beijing time.

On June 1 this year, the visa-free agreement between China and Uzbekistan came into effect, and since then, the movement of people between the two countries has become much more frequent. Previously, regular direct flights between Xi'an and Tashkent operated by Zhejiang Loong Airlines Co., Ltd. created a convenient air bridge between the two cities. The opening of the new passenger airline will promote trade, economic and cultural exchanges between China and Uzbekistan.

The direct flight between Xi'an and Tashkent is the fifth international route from Xi'an opened by China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. this year, following its passenger air routes from the same city to Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Melbourne and Istanbul. -0-

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Breaking: Xi Jinping Expresses Condolences Over Death of Former Nigerian President M. Buhari

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, July 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a message of condolences to Nigerian President Bole Tinubu over the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences and sincere sympathy to the family of M. Buhari and the government and people of Nigeria. –0–

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There are no survivors in the Mi-8 helicopter crash in Khabarovsk Krai — Russian Emergencies Ministry

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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

Vladivostok, July 16 /Xinhua/ — There are no survivors in the Mi-8 helicopter crash in Khabarovsk Krai, TASS reported on Wednesday, citing the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

The helicopter wreckage was found in the area of Cape Gadikan, 130 km from the village of Okhotsk in Khabarovsk Krai, on a hill with a height of 1,500 meters. The crash site is located at an altitude of about 900 meters on a rocky area surrounded by a forest.

The Eastern Interregional Investigative Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported that the bodies of five people, according to preliminary information, were found at the site of the helicopter crash.

Rescuers from the Russian Emergencies Ministry, together with representatives of investigative bodies, will conduct an examination of the crash site, aircraft wreckage, and search for flight recorders to establish the circumstances of the air crash.

On Monday, the Mi-8 helicopter took off from Okhotsk to Magadan to its permanent deployment location. The crew failed to make contact at the appointed time, and the emergency radio beacon did not work. There were five people on board — three crew members and two technical specialists. –0–

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Israel strikes Syrian military headquarters in Damascus

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

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM, July 16 (Xinhua) — Israel on Wednesday struck the headquarters of the Syrian armed forces in the capital Damascus, wounding two people, Israeli and Syrian sources said.

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recently attacked the entrance to the headquarters of the Syrian regime’s armed forces in the Damascus area,” an IDF spokesman said, adding that the military had also carried out additional strikes in the area and “remains prepared for various scenarios.”

He said the attacks were carried out “in accordance with the instructions of the political leadership,” and that the IDF “continues to monitor the developments in the situation and the regime’s actions against the Druze in southern Syria.”

Syrian state television channel Al-Ikhbariya reported that two civilians were wounded in the center of the capital as a result of “Israeli aggression.” –0–

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85 China-Europe freight trains departed from Shenzhen in the first half of 2025

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, July 16 (Xinhua) — A total of 85 China-Europe international freight trains departed from Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, from January to June 2025, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

According to the department, the total volume of cargo transported by these trains amounted to 44 thousand tons, an increase of 4 percent year-on-year. The total value of the shipped goods reached 2.5 billion yuan.

Currently, 27 China-Europe international railway freight routes pass through Shenzhen, leading to 47 countries and regions around the world, including Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy. -0-

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China's Defense Ministry: China opposes Japan's inflating of so-called "Chinese threat"

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, July 16 (Xinhua) — China firmly opposes Japan's hyping up of the so-called "China threat" and its gross interference in China's internal affairs, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said Wednesday.

Jiang Bin made the statement in response to a reporter's request to comment on Japan's recently published "2025 Defense White Paper."

Jiang Bin noted that Japanese militarism has caused great harm to China and its neighboring Asian countries. However, instead of repenting of such crimes, Japan has once again demonstrated a dangerous trend of building up its armed forces by increasing the defense budget, further easing restrictions on arms exports, and forming military groups to unleash bloc confrontation.

These actions seriously contradict Japan's pacifist constitution and its purely defense-oriented policy, seriously undermining the post-war international order and posing serious challenges to peace and tranquility in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

He added that Japan's Asian neighbors and the international community are alarmed and concerned about these actions.

Jiang Bin said this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's liberation from Japanese occupation.

He called on the Japanese side to learn from history and take practical actions to promote the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations. -0-

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