Bishkek Film Festival: The Bishkek International Film Festival is positioning itself as a Central Asia cinema hub, with guests from 30+ countries, multiple premieres, and a big jump in state support for national filmmaking. School Food Upgrade in Osh: A Southern Competence Center opened in Osh to train and certify specialists who run school meal kitchens, with funding for meals set to rise from 14 to 40 soms per student per day starting in 2027. K-pop Casting in Kyrgyzstan: “Click the Star – Central Asia” announced casting for a new international K-pop girl group, with auditions starting in August and finalists heading to Seoul for training. Gender Rights Under Pressure: A draft “family values” bill would ban legal gender changes and gender-affirming care for minors, drawing sharp criticism from Human Rights Watch. Local Media & Bloggers: Kyrgyzstan is introducing tax benefits for “promising creative class” content creators and AI developers, while traditional media won’t get the same treatment. Sport for Health: The government’s reality show “New Path” is pushing obesity-fighting training, and Bishkek also hosted a Night Run with 3,500 participants. Osh Culture & Heritage: In Suleiman-Too, metal fences at cemeteries are being dismantled to improve fire safety and protect the UNESCO site. Mediation Gets a Boost: A new mediation center in Kant (Chui region) is expanding dispute-resolution options, including plans for mandatory mediator info meetings from 2027.