Pension Reform: Uzbekistan is set to raise the pension age to 63 for men and 58 for women, phased in from 2028, alongside a gradual increase in minimum work experience from 7 to 15 years and plans to end the “freezing” rule on pension savings from 2030. Public Safety: A fire at an oil storage facility in Bukhara Region injured three people with burns; authorities are investigating the cause and confirming production was not disrupted. Health & Biotech Partnerships: South Korea and Uzbekistan signed 13 agreements in Seoul, including plans for a national genome and biobank center and feasibility work for eight more high-speed train sets, with expanded cooperation also covering healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Pharma Cluster Push: KIND will host a Tashkent Bio Cluster project briefing in Seoul (with Uzbekistan’s health and pharma agencies) to attract GMP-capable pharma, biotech, medical device and related companies to Central Asia. Healthcare Workforce/Access Angle: Uzbekistan’s expanding ties with Korea also explicitly include “digital solutions in medicine, healthcare, and pharmaceutical manufacturing,” linking tech investment to health sector capacity. Climate & Food Security: While not a direct health story, Azerbaijan’s climate-resilient irrigation funding and AI farmer scoring show regional momentum on water-saving agriculture that can affect nutrition and disease risk through food stability.