Aral Sea Climate Impact: A new Science study says the Aral Sea’s drying has turned the region from a carbon sink into a major carbon source, releasing hundreds of millions of tons of CO₂ from exposed lake-bed sediments—raising alarms for climate accounting across Central Asia. Seismic Risk Reassurance: Uzbekistan’s Academy of Sciences urged the public not to panic after UN warnings on earthquake danger, saying faults are well studied and building standards already reflect seismic hazard maps. Urban Planning Rules: Uzbekistan will ban construction and investment based on unregistered master plans starting Nov. 1, 2026, with a unified electronic registry and tighter implementation requirements. Water Infrastructure Cooperation: Uzbek diplomats met UAE’s TAQA Water Solutions to explore upgrades to water supply and wastewater systems, including public-private partnership options. Green Belt Project: Tashkent plans a 58,000-hectare protective forest belt by 2045, targeting 50 million drought-resistant trees and shrubs with high survival rates. AI in Uzbekistan: Instadesk, Huawei and iFLYTEK launched an AI Customer Experience Lab in Tashkent using Huawei Ascend infrastructure and Uzbek/Russian speech tech. SAF Biofuels Tech: Topsoe and Sasol’s advanced SAF technology push continues in Uzbekistan, supporting the country’s large-scale sustainable aviation fuel plans. Uzbek-Greece Heritage Talks: Uzbekistan proposed a joint film and exhibition with Greece on Alexander the Great’s ties to Central Asia and his marriage to Roxane. Regional Context: Uzbekistan’s prison population ranking placed it 166th globally, with 85 prisoners per 100,000 people.