This week, Central Asia demonstrated progress in technology and athletic achievement. Uzbekistan partnered with Amazon Kuiper and Meta to enhance its digital infrastructure. Kyrgyzstan introduced a breakthrough AI voice model and secured EU education funding, while Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan celebrated victories in tennis, swimming, and boxing.
Kazakhstan
First Kazakh Woman in Space joins Blue Origin’s 15th Human Flight
Danna Karagussova has become the first Kazakh woman to travel to space, joining Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew on its 15th human flight on October 8. The suborbital mission crossed the Kármán line at over 100 kilometers, marking a new milestone for Kazakhstan’s space legacy and international collaboration.
Source: astanatimes.com
Qatar opens a labor market for Kazakh citizens
Kazakhstan’s Senate has ratified an agreement with Qatar regulating the employment of Kazakh citizens in the Gulf state. The deal ensures legal and social protections for workers, including housing, transport, and healthcare benefits, and is expected to expand job opportunities beyond the oil and gas sector, where over 800 Kazakhs are already employed.
Source: zakon.kz
Almaty to host ATP 250 Tennis Tournament this month
The Almaty Open ATP 250 will take place from October 11 to 19 at Almaty Arena, featuring world-class players including Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev, and Flavio Cobolli. Alongside the matches, visitors can enjoy a festival zone, fair, and concerts by Dimash Qudaibergen, Ninety One, and other Kazakh artists.
Source: astanatimes.com
Anna Danilina stages thrilling comeback at WTA 1000 Tournament in Wuhan
Kazakhstan’s top tennis player Anna Danilina, partnering with Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunić, secured a hard-fought victory to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan. The duo triumphed over Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Spain’s Cristina Bucșa after an intense match.
Source: sports.kz
Dimash meets cultural leaders following Madison Square Garden triumph in New York
Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen met with U.S. cultural figures and organizations promoting Kazakh music at Kazakhstan’s Consulate General in New York, following his historic concert at Madison Square Garden. The meeting focused on strengthening cultural ties and expanding cooperation with American institutions to promote Kazakhstan’s heritage abroad.
Source: astanatimes.com
Kazakh synchronised swimmers win silver at Asian Artistic Swimming Championships
Kazakhstan’s duo Dayana Dzhamanchalova and Yasmin Tuyakova delivered a brilliant performance to claim silver medals at the Asian Aquatics Championships in India. Their routine impressed both the audience and judges, who gave them a standing ovation.
Source: zakon.kz
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Director’s film competes for Oscar Consideration
Kyrgyz filmmaker Ilgiz-Sherniyaz Tursunbek uulu’s short documentary The Long Road to Letovka has been submitted for consideration by the Academy Awards. The film explores the traditions, nature, and human stories of life in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
Source: news.kg
Kyrgyzstan finishes sixth at the 3rd CIS Games
Team Kyrgyzstan secured sixth place in the overall medal standings at the 3rd CIS Games held across seven cities in Azerbaijan. The delegation earned 25 medals — one gold, 15 silver, and 9 bronze. Russia topped the ranking with 231 medals, followed by Azerbaijan with 184 and Belarus with 122. The event featured 21 sports disciplines and 505 medal events, with 126 Kyrgyz athletes representing the country.
Source: 24.kg
Kyrgyzstan receives €6.5 million EU grant to support education
The European Union has allocated a €6.5 million grant to Kyrgyzstan to strengthen the country’s education sector. According to the Ministry of Education, the funds will be directed toward improving the quality and accessibility of school education, advancing STEM, promoting digital and media literacy, and providing modern textbooks. This marks the third installment of a total €27 million grant under the national education program Altyn Kazyk.
Source: 24.kg
Kyrgyz Startup develops World-Class Voice AI
Kyrgyz team NineNineSix created KaniTTS — a text-to-speech model that generates lifelike audio in six languages at high speed, rivaling Google and OpenAI. Available for free on Hugging Face, it has over 15 000 downloads and can be used in chatbots, games, and educational tools.
Source: 24.kg
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and Amazon Kuiper Sign Memorandum on Satellite Internet Development
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies, Sherzod Shermatov, met with representatives of U.S.-based Amazon Kuiper to discuss cooperation in expanding digital infrastructure and broadband internet services. Following the meeting, the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide high-speed internet across Uzbekistan via Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite network and to advance national telecommunications development.
Source: uzdaily.uz
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Plan FIFA Central Asian Cup and Expert Exchange
Football officials from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan met in Tashkent to strengthen cooperation between their national associations, including plans to launch the FIFA Central Asian Cup and expand professional exchanges. The meeting highlighted reforms in football management, infrastructure development, and youth training systems, with both sides agreeing to organize more friendly matches and joint regional projects.
Source: uzdaily.uz
Young Uzbek Judokas win six medals at World Championships in Peru
Uzbekistan’s youth judo team delivered an impressive performance at the World Junior Judo Championships in Peru, earning a total of six medals, including one silver and two bronze in the heavyweight category. The results highlight the growing strength of Uzbekistan’s next generation of judokas on the global stage.
Source: sports.uz
Mitsubishi Corporation Plans New Investments in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade held a meeting on October 7 with a delegation from Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, led by CEO Juro Baba. The discussions focused on accelerating ongoing energy projects and exploring new public-private partnership initiatives, reaffirming Japan’s interest in expanding its presence in Uzbekistan and strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
Source: uzdaily.uz
Meta considers opening an office in Uzbekistan
Representatives of Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads — met with Uzbekistan’s National Agency for Perspective Projects to discuss the potential opening of an official office in the country. The talks focused on launching joint digital initiatives, combating ad-related fraud, enhancing monetization tools, and supporting local content creators.
Source: uzdaily.uz
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani boxer wins second European Championship Title
Bilalkhabashi Nazarov from Azerbaijan claimed his second consecutive gold medal at the European Youth Boxing Championship U-19 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, defeating Italy’s Tommaso Orlando 5:0 in the final. The Azerbaijani team earned a total of five medals — one gold, one silver, and three bronze.
Source: 1news.az
Four Azerbaijani Universities enter Times Higher Education World Rankings for the first time
For the first time, four Azerbaijani universities were included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026. Azerbaijan State University of Economics entered the Top 1000, while Baku State University, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, and Azerbaijan Technical University ranked in the 1501+ range. Azerbaijan now holds the second-highest number of ranked universities in Central Asia and leads the South Caucasus region.
Source: 1news.az
Azercell Partners with Amazon to advance digital transformation
Azerbaijan’s leading telecom company, Azercell, has officially joined the Amazon Web Services AWS Partner Network, strengthening its role in digital innovation. During a meeting on October 7, Azercell and AWS representatives discussed expanding cooperation in areas such as AI-based solutions, infrastructure development, cybersecurity, and digital skills training. The partnership aims to boost Azerbaijan’s digital ecosystem, support women in tech, and advance the country’s national AI strategy.
Source: 1news.az