Turkmenistan
1. Astana hosts the 15th forum of the Asian Committee “Storytelling Art”. Gozel Magtymgulyeva, Head of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, takes part in the two-day international event. The Asian Committee “Storytelling Art” is designed to promote the intensification of intercultural exchange in the field of literature, the study, careful preservation and popularization in the world of the unique spiritual and cultural heritage of the peoples of the region, the implementation of joint projects to collect national epics, myths and legends.
2. Negotiations at the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan were held by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro, who is visiting Ashgabat. During the meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev, prospects for joint work within the third dimension of the OSCE, including the mandate of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, were discussed. The parties also expressed their readiness to hold joint media events in Turkmenistan both at the national and regional levels.
3. According to the results of the calculation made by scientists on Mikhailov Island in the Caspian Sea, an increase in the number of gulls and terns was found. Mikhailov Island is the second largest in the Turkmen part of the Caspian Sea. Geese, loons, gulls, waders, sea eagles, geese, swans and many others live here. During the period of migration or nesting, the number of birds can reach 600 thousand individuals.
4. Malaysia hosted the second day of the ABU Global News Forum 2023, which is attended by a delegation of the International Information Center under the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography. On the second day of the forum, members of the Turkmen delegation and leading news agencies from around the world discussed issues related to the role of artificial intelligence in the media, facts, concerns and obstacles to the introduction of AI, as well as climate change around the world.
5. Ashgabat hosted a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and a delegation headed by the Parliamentary Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Yuumi Yoshikawa. During the talks, priority areas of the Turkmen-Japanese partnership in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres were discussed.
World
6. The Litres.uz website and a mobile application for iOS and Android operating systems have been added to the “Litres” electronic and audiobook service especially for residents of Uzbekistan. The catalog of books in the Uzbek language will include one and a half thousand titles, and by the end of this year their number is planned to increase to 4 thousand. In addition, it will include works in Russian and other languages.
7. A book about K-pop band BTS became a top seller on Amazon within hours of its release. The book “Beyond History: 10 Years of BTS Recordings” was released on July 9. It is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the creation of the group and contains recordings of interviews of all members and the author's own observations of the musical life of the group. In the top sellers on Amazon, the book about BTS is ahead of the new book by Paul McCartney and is in first place in the sales chart of biographies and memoirs.
Sport
8. The national football team of Turkmenistan plans to hold a friendly match with the Hong Kong team in September. At the moment, the federations are negotiating the upcoming friendly match, which will be a good preparation for the Turkmen football players on the eve of the start of the qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
9. Three clubs representing the Higher League of Turkmenistan in football – “Ahal”, “Altyn Asyr” and “Merv”, as well as the vice-champion of the country in futsal “Kopetdag” - have successfully passed the licensing process, which is the main requirement for participation in international tournaments under AFC auspices for the 2023/2024 season. Let us note that this year “Ahal” will represent Turkmenistan in the main club football tournament in Asia - the AFC Champions League. “Altyn Asyr” and “Merv” will defend the country's honor at the second most important Asian tournament - the AFC Cup.
10. Dushanbe CSKA striker Suleyman Muhadov said goodbye to the club. According to Tajik media, local teams “Khosilot” and “Khatlon”, as well as Ashgabat's “Altyn Asyr” and Osh's “Alai” are interested in the services of the 29 years old football player. The football player moved to the Dushanbe club in March 2023 from “Khujand”. This season, Muhadov scored 1 goal for CSKA in 6 matches of the Major League of Tajikistan.
