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Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on digitalising labour and social protection, according to Egemen Qazaqstan, which cited the government's press service. Discussed were digital tools meant to ensure state social aid reaches citizens who truly need it, and to help enterprises observe workers' labour rights and prevent labour risks.
A 245-bed Republican Infectious Clinical Hospital is planned in Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia, as part of the city's master plan. The project is among initiatives under the national project «Longevity and Active Life», carried out with support from President Vladimir Putin.
The Ministry of Education and Science has announced that the deadline for paying contract fees and formalising enrolment at higher education institutions for the 2026/2027 academic year has been extended to November 1. The extension applies to bachelor's and master's applicants recommended for admission, as well as to students who transferred, were reinstated after transfer, or resumed their studies.
Turkic World
Members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) gathered at the 8th Meeting of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Media and Information, according to Anadolu Agency. The meeting addressed the development of media cooperation among member states.
According to APA, Azerbaijan is marking 35 years since restoring its independence. The article's headline is devoted to this anniversary.
On 15 October, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, speaking at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, proposed establishing a Network of Young CICA Ambassadors of Trust.
Bashkortostan plans to abolish and merge several settlements, according to decisions considered by a committee of the republic's State Assembly.
Kyrgyzstan's Central Commission for Elections and Referendums has approved the procedure for organising the work of a Public Observation Centre. According to Kabar, in a report dated 16.10.26, the decision was adopted today. The commission said the centre's main goal is to create conditions for viewing video broadcasts from polling stations in real time on voting day in upcoming elections and referendums in Kyrgyzstan.
CTP Member of Parliament Ürün Solyalı has explained how voters will cast ballots in parliamentary elections after the mixed vote was abolished. Referring to Article 101 of Law No. 5/1976 on Elections and Referendums, Solyalı said ballots will list parties and candidates, and a vote for a party can be cast either by stamp alone or by stamp plus preference.
President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides will attend a bicommunal Peace Festival in Pile on Saturday, the first in seven years. According to Politis newspaper, the event will begin at 19.00 on the football pitch behind Pile Turkish Primary School.
Croatia has supported Uzbekistan's initiative to open a representation of the Agency for Migration in Zagreb, according to UzDaily. The news followed talks between the agency's director, Mukhsinkhodzha Abdurakhmonov, and the leadership of Croatia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
From 1 January 2027, the minimum wage (MROT) in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia, Russia) will be 72,300 rubles in zone 1 and 81,018 rubles in zone 2. Acting Finance Minister Ivan Alekseyev announced the figures on 15 October at open hearings in the Il Tumen legislature.
More than 30,000 Kazakhstani women could lose maternity payments from 1 January 2027. The warning came from Kurultai deputy Lazzat Kozhakhmet, who has studied the social protection reform proposed by the Ministry of Labour. Tengrinews reported the claim, citing the KTK channel.
Culture & Arts
Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the honorary title “People's Artist of the Russian Federation” to Askar Abdrazakov, a vocalist at the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, according to a decree reported by the Bashinform news agency.
Bishkek, October 16, 2026. According to the Kabar news agency, the Kyrgyzstan National Electric Grid JSC is carrying out comprehensive measures to ensure reliable electricity supply to the public during the 2026–2027 autumn-winter period. The company said electricity grids and equipment are being prepared to operate under high loads.
The operational headquarters of Yakutia published up-to-date data on fuel sales at gas stations as of 09:00 on 16 October 2026. At Tuymaada-Neft stations, temporary restrictions on fuel sales, including sales into containers, have been lifted, and diesel is unrestricted across the network. At SibOil stations, limits on AI-92 and AI-95 have been removed; customers can buy fuel with cash or cards without volume limits, including into containers.
Speaking on BRT's Manşet+ programme, Oğuz said the country's projected population is known and called the opposition's push for a census a “populist approach.” He argued that repeating a census at set intervals alone would not be enough to obtain healthy and up-to-date data.
The Russian Consulate General in Almaty has sent a diplomatic note to the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a two-month arrest was ordered for Russian rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov), a member of the popular duo HammAli & Navai, according to Sputnik Kazakhstan. In the note, Russian diplomats requested official clarifications and comments from the Kazakh side about the detention of the Russian citizen and said they were ready to provide the artist with necessary consular assistance.
Turkey's Constitutional Court (AYM) has decided to file criminal complaints with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against 26 political parties, following financial audits of the parties.
KNSB, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, the country's largest union, will hold a car convoy protest in front of the Parliament building at 12:00 tomorrow, 16 October, against the government's proposed minimum wage of 660 euros for next year.
Representatives of Turkish minorities and communities from nine European countries will gather in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 15 to 18 October 2026. The meeting is organised and hosted by the Turkish Democratic Party (TDP) and marks the 12th annual meeting of the Turkish Minorities/Communities Working Group (TAG) of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN).
Bulgaria's Consumer Protection Commission will impose fines of between 10,000 and 50,000 euros for each food product found to have an unjustified price increase. Commission Chair Maya Manolova told Nova TV that the commission will continue to focus its inspections on food products.
Bashkortostan head Radiy Khabirov has described progress on improving public spaces across the republic. According to him, modern parks are opening not only in Ufa but in every city and district of the region. Under the Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment project, part of the national project Infrastructure for Life, more than 1,000 such spaces have appeared over seven years.
Irina Golovanova, Minister of Housing and Utilities of Bashkortostan, outlined the main problems in the republic's housing and utilities sector at a briefing for the BST television channel. According to her, the key issues include accidents on utility networks, insufficient information for residents about planned and emergency works, and debts for utility services.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
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