Turkmenistan

1. The National Leader of the Turkmen people left for a working visit to Berlin. At the capital's Ashgabat International Airport, the head of the Halk Maslahaty was seen off by officials, including the German Ambassador to Turkmenistan. In Berlin, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will take part in the “Germany – Central Asia” summit. The parties will discuss strengthening cooperation between the countries of the region and Germany in various fields, including economics, energy, ecology and climate change.

2. In Turkmenistan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahri Bashimova met with the new Ambassador of Spain Marcos Gomez Martinez. Bashimova congratulated Martinez on his appointment and expressed Turkmenistan’s readiness to cooperate. The parties discussed current issues of bilateral cooperation and agreed to expand interaction in the fields of agriculture, transport, culture and education.

3. Celebrations were held at the International Ahal-Teke Equestrian Complex, in which President Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part. Equestrian competitions, held annually in Turkmenistan in honor of the main holiday, personify the continuous connection of times and continuity of generations, the commitment of the Turkmen people to primordial national traditions. Ahal-Teke athletes aged from three to six years competed in seven races over various distances. The winning jockeys were awarded large cash prizes, including the main one on behalf of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, which amounted to 300 thousand manats.

4. The Turkmen Agricultural Institute will host an AgriHack hackathon on September 30 with the participation of university students in Turkmenistan. From each university in the country, student teams have been invited to participate in the competition, which will have to prepare and present to the panel of judges the software development, its client and server parts, and justify the effectiveness and criteria for the successful functioning of an innovative project. Successful competition projects will be reviewed by the organizers with a view to their further implementation and launch into production.

5. On October 27, a gala concert of the International Festival of National Cultures “Oriental Bazaar in Kazan” will be held in Kazan. Singer Zuleyha Kakayeva and the dance ensemble “Galkynysh” will take part in it. “Oriental Bazaar in Kazan” is the largest international music festival in Russia, which takes place from October 21 to 27. Artists from 25 countries, including Turkmenistan, take part in it.

6. Minister of Foreign Relations of the Astrakhan Region Vladimir Golovkov handed over to the school named after A.S. Pushkin in Ashgabat books by Russian and Soviet classics, as well as modern authors. The gift was presented on behalf of Governor Igor Babushkin. The educational institution maintains close ties with the school named after Magtymguly Fragi in the village of Funtovo, Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation. Schools hold joint activities such as competitions, quizzes and creative meetings.

World

7. Flowers appeared for the first time in Antarctica. This miraculous phenomenon in the world of ice and snow is a response to global warming. Scientists record that over the past century the average temperature in Antarctica has risen by 2 degrees Celsius. This led not only to a decrease in ice area, but also to the growth of flowers and other plants. According to scientists, air temperatures may rise by another 6 degrees by 2096. Today, only about 1% of Antarctica's area is suitable for plant growth, the rest is covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, but closer to March the air on the continent warms up almost to the melting point, and the ice shell will begin to decrease, freeing up new areas for Antarctic flora.

8. On September 28, at the age of 83, British actor Michael Gambon, best known to modern audiences for his role as Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films, died. It is known that the actor died in hospital after a long illness; he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

9. On October 29, “Belavia” Airlines opens regular flights from Gomel to Vnukovo International Airport. Flights will operate three times a week: on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Sport

10. Along with athletes, referees from Turkmenistan are also represented at the XIX Summer Asian Games, which take place from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou. At the chess tournament, the Asian Games program includes an international referee, Vladimir Annayev, and the judo competitions were adjudicated by an international referee, Rovshan Amandurdyev.

11. The Federation Cup of Chess of Turkmenistan starts in Ashgabat on October 1. About 90 participants from all velayat of the country have already registered for the tournament, which is being held in the country after a long break. The prize fund of the Federation Cup is 10 000 manats.