BRICS Summit Prep: India is set to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on Sept 12-13, with a Business Forum and Women’s Business Alliance events on Sept 11, focusing on trade, digital tech, finance, energy security, and governance reform. Uzbek Talent Push: A new analysis argues Uzbekistan’s next competitive edge will come from building, attracting, and retaining talent—linking universities, industry, and research to turn education spending into innovation and high-value jobs. Digital Money Policy: Uzbekistan’s central bank says a retail CBDC has “no value,” pointing instead to privately issued stablecoins for retail use, while a wholesale CBDC is still being explored for cross-border trade. Nuclear Oversight Shift: Uzbekistan is proposing a joint engineering venture to provide independent technical oversight for its first nuclear power plant, signaling a move away from relying solely on Russia’s Rosatom. Uzbek-Serbia Tech & Trade: Uzbekistan’s president begins a Serbia visit with talks aimed at expanding investment and business-to-business ties, including IT, agriculture, and light industry. CKU Railway Progress: China reports major progress on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, with the first tunnel drilled on the Kyrgyz section, boosting a faster Central Asia trade route. Cultural Science Diplomacy: Qatar is participating in a Tashkent conference on Islamic cultural heritage and its role in global science, highlighting cultural diplomacy through research and scholarly exchange. Art Infrastructure: Uzbekistan’s restored Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent opens in a repurposed 1912 industrial building, adding a research library and international exhibition links.