Turkmenistan

1. On September 14-15, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov will visit Tajikistan on a working visit. The head of Turkmenistan will take part in the fifth Consultative Meeting of the Leaders of Central Asia and in the meeting of the heads of state of the founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). A number of side events are also planned within the framework of the upcoming summit meetings in Dushanbe.

2. A new creative competition “The Fount of the Mind of Magtymguly Fragi” has been announced in Turkmenistan among young people for the presidential award “Golden Age of Turkmen”. The results of the competition are expected to be announced in December 2023. The winners of the competition will be awarded a cash prize and a gold chain. The cash prize is planned to be allocated from the funds of the Charitable Fund of the President of Turkmenistan.

3. The results of the work of sectors of the national economy for eight months of the current year, as well as current tasks of the country’s socio-economic development and drafts of a number of documents were considered at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, which was held via a digital system by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on Friday. Over the eight months of this year, a stable GDP growth rate has been ensured, amounting to 6,2 percent. Retail trade turnover increased by 9,6 percent compared to the same period last year, and foreign trade turnover by 2,5 percent.

4. A new library and hall for studying the Arabic language have opened at the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages. The grand opening was held within the framework of the visit to Turkmenistan of the Director General of the Diplomatic Academy named after Anwar Gargash, Nikolay Mladenov. The new library houses a collection of Arabic and Emirati literature, providing a valuable resource for the study of Arab culture, traditions, values and contemporary trends.

5. A native of Ashgabat, singer Olga Schulteis will perform at the “Good Moscow” festival, organized in honor of City Day. On September 9 and 10, a variety of creative master classes, a charity fair, competitions, a sports ground and much more will be organized on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The celebration will also include concerts where famous artists will perform. Olga Schulteis, a native of Ashgabat, has already gained popularity in Russia and abroad. Her song “Mille Miglia” became the main theme of the Italian-Russian film “Racing the Italian Style,” which premiered on May 21, 2016.

World

6. On the night of September 9, an earthquake of magnitude 6,9 occurred in Morocco. The epicenter was located 80 kilometers from Marrakesh, but the tremors were felt within a radius of about 400 kilometers from the site. There are casualties and injuries; according to the latest data, about 300 people were killed and more than 150 were injured. Field hospitals for the victims have been set up in Marrakesh.

7. Experienced American speleologist Mark Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1000 meters while exploring a cave in the Taurus Mountains in southern Türkiye. Teams from different European countries arrived to rescue him. Rescuers, including a doctor, managed to get to Dickey and provide him with first aid. But it could be days, perhaps weeks, before they are able to pull him out of the cave, which in places is too narrow for a stretcher to fit through. Dickey recorded a video message in which he thanked the rescuers and the Turkish government. The 40 years old caver said he needed a lot of help to get out of the cave.

Sport

8. On Friday in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, the Turkmenistan national football team lost to the Indonesian team in a friendly match with a score of 2:0. One of the key moments of the meeting was the episode in the 49th minute, when the chief referee did not award an obvious penalty against the Indonesian team. It should be noted that the Turkmenistan national team continues to prepare for the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. The Turkmen players have another test match coming up, which will be on September 12 in Dubai against the Bahrain national team.

9. The national teams of Armenia and Türkiye played a draw in the qualifying match for Euro 2024 football. The meeting was held in the Turkish city of Eskisehir and ended with a score of 1:1. In another group “D” match, the Croatian team defeated the Latvian team at home with a score of 5:0. In group “J”, the Portugal team beat the Slovak team with a score of 1:0 on the road. The Spanish national team defeated the Georgian team on the road in the group “A” match with a score of 7:1. As part of the Spanish national team, one of the goals was scored by 16 years old Lamin Yamal, who became the youngest player and goal scorer in the history of the Spanish national team. The 2024 European Championship will be held in Germany. The top two teams from each qualifying group qualify for the tournament. The remaining participants in the tournament will be determined based on the results of the Nations League playoffs.