Uzbekistan’s AI Push: Uzbekistan aims to break into the world’s top 50 on the AI Readiness Index by 2030, up from 62nd now, and grow AI software services to $1.5B, backed by expanded computing infrastructure (including a new NVIDIA-based supercomputer cluster) and 200+ AI projects. Space Tech: Uzbek engineers’ AI module has been deployed in orbit aboard China’s hyperspectral Earth observation satellite Samarkand-2028, enabling on-orbit processing to cut down data sent to Earth. Nuclear Fuel Watch: India’s nuclear expansion faces a uranium gap: a parliamentary panel says PHWRs may need ~5,400 tonnes of uranium oxide yearly while domestic supply covers only ~30%, urging faster local mining and more overseas fuel deals (including with Uzbekistan). Water-Saving Irrigation: Tajikistan is looking to Kazakhstan’s drip and polyethylene pipe irrigation tech to reduce losses and improve water efficiency, as regional water-management cooperation moves forward. Olympiad Spotlight: Saudi Arabia sent a four-student informatics team to the IOI 2026 in Tashkent, competing against nearly 100 countries. Archaeology: Chinese and Uzbek researchers report the oldest known silkworm cocoons outside China at Sapalli Tepe in Uzbekistan, dated to around 2000 BC. Regional Science & Safety: A magnitude ~3 earthquake struck southern Kyrgyzstan near the Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan border.