UNESCO World Heritage: UNESCO added 25 new World Heritage sites in Busan, including the D-Day Landing Beaches in Normandy and Greece’s Mount Olympus, underscoring how global history and mythology keep getting new official protection. Uzbekistan Heritage: Tashkent modernist architecture has been inscribed on the UNESCO list, with 10 20th-century buildings recognized—Uzbekistan’s first modernist World Heritage nomination in 25 years. Kazakhstan–Caspian Spiritual Landscape: UNESCO also listed Kazakhstan’s Mangystau Rock Mosques, a sacred Sufi-and-nomad landscape of rock-cut mosques, necropolises, pilgrimage routes, and wells. Culture Diplomacy: Uzbekistan’s “Days of Culture” are underway in Cholpon-Ata, with Kyrgyz-Uzbek ties framed as centuries-deep and backed by plans for joint films and specialist training quotas. Business & Lifestyle Tech: Uzbekistan hosted the Global Business Services Forum 2026 in Tashkent, spotlighting AI-ready reforms and IT Park’s growing international footprint. Sports & Identity: FIDE confirmed the 2026 Chess World Championship match between Gukesh and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov will be played in Geneva on neutral soil. Regional Spotlight: Uzbekistan’s Caucasus connectivity push is linked to Mirziyoyev’s Georgia visit and the future of the Middle Corridor/CKU railway.