Turkmenistan
1. New Year's concerts with the participation of foreign pop stars will be held at the Winter Sports Complex in Ashgabat. On December 24, the guest of honor of the event will be the popular Iranian singer of Turkmen origin Emin Rasen.
2. On December 25, a festive concert will be given by Turkish stars Burak Bulut and Kurtulus Kusu.
4. The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Russian Commission will be held in Ashgabat at the beginning of 2024. The agenda of the forum will include a wide range of issues that are related to the realization of the potential of Turkmen-Russian cooperation in the economic, scientific and educational spheres.
5. Ashgabat holiday fairs delight with an abundance of agricultural and food products, New Year's souvenirs and decorations. The feeling of a holiday is also created by the New Year's decoration of the streets, parks and squares of Ashgabat with photo zones and installations in the national style. And with the onset of evening, the Turkmen capital turns into a real fairy tale. In shopping centers and government stores, special sections and departments with New Year's assortment have been opened. These days, all the markets in the country are crowded and lively.
6. Warming up to +22 degrees is expected in Ashgabat this weekend – December 23-24. If on Friday the maximum temperature during the day will be +13 degrees, then on Saturday the air will warm up to +20 degrees. At the same time, the average daily temperature will be within +13 degrees.
7. The Russian language remains an important tool for interethnic communication in Turkmenistan. About 12% of the country's population considers it native, and to one degree or another, both older people and young people own it. Many schools in Turkmenistan have classes taught in Russian. It is studied in leading universities in the country, as well as in numerous courses.
World
8. Istanbul was included in the list of “Top 50 Places to Travel in 2024” and was recommended as one of the upcoming travel destinations next year. The city's vibrant atmosphere and emblematic landmarks provide guests with an unforgettable experience. Istanbul's modern look, combining past and present on two continents, has earned the city a spot in the top travel destinations in the “Great City Experiences” category.
9. The flight route between Southeast Asia's two biggest cities, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, has become the world's busiest in 2023, according to UK research firm OAG. In the past year, 4,9 million seats were available on this route, which is one and a half times more than in 2022. In second place in the ranking of the busiest air routes in the world is the Cairo-Jeddah flight, and in third place is Hong Kong-Taiwan.
Sport
10. The Turkmenistan Swimming Cup started at the Ashgabat Olympic Aquatics Complex. Based on the results of four days of competition, judges will determine the best in the disciplines: backstroke, freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and relay. About 150 athletes entered the competition for awards. On the first day of competition, the 50-meter freestyle final was held in a fierce competition. Anastasia Morgenstern finished first here, Musa Jalayev became the first among men at this distance. In the 400-meter freestyle, the best time among girls in the final swim was shown by Valeria Mirenskaya, and among men, Kemal Osmanov became the first in this distance. The competition continues.
11. The National Federation of Electronic Sports of Turkmenistan and Aurora Gaming have announced a partnership. Within the framework of the new cooperation, it is planned to jointly develop a plan for the development and implementation of e-sports in educational institutions of Turkmenistan.
