Uzbek-India Strategic Push: Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met India’s President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi, with both sides flagging rare earth minerals, mining, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and IT as priority areas for deeper cooperation. Trade Acceleration Talks: India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal urged firms to co-invest, co-manufacture and co-innovate, calling to double bilateral trade to about $3B within three years; Uzbekistan also invited Indian investment in mining and rare earths, targeting $2B trade next year. Mining & Rare Earths Pitch: Uzbekistan’s investment minister Laziz Kudratov told the India-Uzbekistan Business Forum that Indian technology and capital are sought for gold, copper, uranium, critical minerals and rare earth processing, including steel and deep copper processing. Desertification Tech Exchange: China highlighted desert-control know-how for global land restoration, including a straw “checkerboard” approach, and pointed to a China–Central Asia cooperation center in Ningxia for joint pilots. UNESCO for Uzbekistan’s Modernism: Tashkent Modernist Architecture was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, recognizing how 1960s–early 1990s modernist design was adapted to local tradition, climate and seismic risks. Water-Saving Progress: A UN-Water SDG 6 study notes Uzbekistan’s recent gains in reducing freshwater withdrawals, tied to national water-efficiency and irrigation modernization plans. Digital Commerce Growth: Uzbekistan’s BirBir classifieds platform reported 150% year-over-year growth, surpassing 3 million mobile installs and expanding nationwide categories. Tech for Industry & Standards: Uzbekistan’s Technical Regulation Agency offered Afghanistan’s power utility support, including staff training, equipment calibration, and mobile laboratory setup.