Aral Sea Climate Impact: New Science research says the Aral Sea’s exposed dry bed is now a major CO₂ source, releasing an estimated 748 million tons since 1960—turning a former carbon sink into a climate driver. Seismic Preparedness: Uzbekistan’s Academy of Sciences urged the public not to panic after UN warnings, saying seismic risks are well studied and reflected in construction standards, with detailed hazard maps for regions like the Fergana Valley. Water Infrastructure Upgrade: Uzbekistan’s diplomats met UAE’s TAQA Water Solutions to explore modernizing water supply and wastewater systems, including public-private partnership options. Urban Planning Rules: A new decree will require master plans to be registered in a unified electronic system; from Nov. 1, unregistered plans can’t be used for construction or investment. Green Belt Project: Tashkent plans to create a 58,000-hectare protective green belt by 2045, planting 50 million drought-resistant trees and shrubs with monitoring and legal safeguards. Higher Education Expansion: Uzbekistan increased 2026–2027 university admissions to 234,000+ full-time bachelor places, including 36,023 state-funded scholarships, prioritizing engineering, IT, teaching, and agriculture. SAF Technology Deal: Topsoe and Sasol signed a licensing agreement for Allied Biofuels’ eSAF/bio-based SAF facility in Khorezm, combining SynCOR™ and Fischer-Tropsch tech to produce aviation fuel from multiple feedstocks. AI in Customer Service: Instadesk launched an AI Customer Experience Lab in Tashkent with Huawei and iFLYTEK, aiming to deliver multilingual, enterprise-ready AI support for telecom and banking. Prison Population Ranking: Uzbekistan ranked 166th globally in the 2025 prison population index (85 prisoners per 100,000 people), according to ICPR’s World Prison Brief.