School Nutrition Expansion: Hot meals are now running in 35 more schools, 16 kindergartens, and 12 vocational lyceums, with renovated canteens, modern kitchen equipment, enriched flour for two years, and 20 days of cook training supported by the UN World Food Programme. Education Reform (Smart-Ed): In Bishkek, teacher professional development programs under Smart-Ed were reviewed, with plans to boost practical training, real professional tasks, and outcome assessment before new qualification modules are built. Regional Living Costs & Pay Gap: Kyrgyzstan’s real wages rose 16.1% in the first seven months of 2026, but earnings still vary sharply—Bishkek averages 67,361 soms versus 36,751 in Osh, and non-budget jobs pay about 1.5 times more than public-sector roles. Rights & Migration (Russia-Kyrgyz): Bishkek met Russia’s human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova to discuss protecting citizens’ rights, simplifying migration, and improving access to education and support for families of Kyrgyz workers in Russia, including plans for a joint rights center. Sports & Culture: Kyrgyzstan has been officially confirmed to host the 5th CIS Games, while Bishkek also welcomed an India-Kyrgyz cultural push with a “Manas and Mahabharata” civilizational studies center and a first Hindi translation of the Manas epic. Language & Skills: Azerbaijani language teaching is set to start at two Bishkek schools, and a Wind Energy Training Center opened in vocational lyceum No. 100 with Turkish support. Activism Court Update: Activist Mavlyan Askarbekov was sentenced to two years in a general-regime colony for alleged incitement of hatred tied to social media posts about Chinese citizens working in Kyrgyzstan.