Education & Language Quotas: Kyrgyzstan’s State Commission approved 2026–2027 admission quotas: 155,852 full-time bachelor seats, with most places for Uzbek-language instruction (130,843) and 19,341 for Russian; smaller allocations include Kyrgyz (75) and Turkmen (55), plus targeted grant quotas for people with disabilities, orphans, internal affairs/customs families, and women with 5+ years’ work experience. IMF on the Informal Economy: An IMF report says about 71% of workers are in the informal sector, contributing roughly 19% of GDP, with low-skilled employment common and barriers like tax policy, rigid labor rules, and limited finance access. SCO Youth & Environment: Deputy PM Ulan Mamatkanov met the SCO Youth Council, pushing digital skills and joint youth projects in AI, robotics, medicine, and ecology, and floated SCO youth environmental forums in Kyrgyzstan. Gender Rights Under UN Scrutiny: UN experts criticized a Kyrgyz draft law that would define legal sex as immutable, block gender marker changes, ban gender-affirming medical interventions, and require upbringing strictly by sex at birth. Climate Policy Milestone: President Japarov signed a comprehensive Climate Activity law—Central Asia’s first—effective Jan 1, 2027, covering mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, carbon registry, and training. Culture on Issyk-Kul: The SCO International Film Festival opened in Cholpon-Ata, with Kyrgyz officials calling cinema a “soft power” bridge; the event runs for four days. Plastic Recycling Spotlight: UpKel is turning unsorted plastic waste into custom accessories and home decor, tackling local recycling limits through design and small-scale production.