Canada intends to sign agreement with MERCOSUR by the end of 2026

A conflict has arisen in Tashkent between business representatives and city authorities regarding the requirement to dismantle advertising structures installed on the roofs of apartment buildings. Despite some advertising permits being issued for the period up to 2030–2034, businesses began receiving notices about the need for dismantling after the new design code came into force.

The Situation with Advertising Permits

According to information provided by Kun.uz based on business appeals, the company Single Media Group received two advertising spot permits from the Department of Digital Development under the Tashkent City Administration in 2025. These documents allowed the placement of structures on the roofs of apartment buildings: one until 2030, and the second until 2034.

Nevertheless, in May 2026, the company received a notice requiring the dismantling of the structures within ten days. The Department cited the recently adopted Tashkent design code, which prohibits such advertising on the roofs of apartment buildings, and notified them of measures to annul the issued permits.

Entrepreneurs' Arguments

A company representative emphasized that investments in advertising spots were made based on the validity period of the permits issued by the state. He specified that 270.4 million soms was paid for an advertising spot on Shota Rustaveli Street, and another 69.4 million soms for a spot in the Almazar array in Chilanzar district. The entrepreneur stated: 'We invested based on a legally issued permit' and considered that the new requirements effectively deprived him of previously granted rights.

In its appeal to the Business Ombudsman, the company referenced Presidential Decree No. PP-48 of February 5, 2026. This document stipulates that income from the rent of common property, placement of advertising, and mobile communication antennas goes into the apartment building's account and is counted as owners' income. Furthermore, working groups were instructed to determine locations for advertising placement in apartment buildings. The entrepreneur believes that this presidential decree lacks a direct prohibition on placing advertisements on roofs; on the contrary, it recognizes the income from them as a source of revenue for residents.

The company also cites Article 41 of the Law 'On Normative Legal Acts,' which states that normative documents cannot have retroactive effect and apply only to relations arising after their entry into force. In the applicant's opinion, the restrictions introduced by the new design code should not affect advertising permits that were obtained legally and have a valid term.

Another objection was the absence of a conclusion from a special working group, which, in the company's view, should precede the process of annulling advertising permits.

Position of City Authorities and Ministry of Justice

The Department of Digital Development under the Tashkent City Administration holds a different view. The department justified its position by citing Cabinet of Ministers Resolutions No. 104 and 428, as well as the requirements of the Tashkent design code, which demands that all outdoor advertising objects comply with urban planning standards. The Department also pointed to the terms of the public offer with the advertising distributor, according to which the entrepreneur is obliged to remove the advertising structure if legislation or the urban planning situation changes. If the ten-day deadline is not met, the structure may be forcibly dismantled, and the costs recovered from the entrepreneur.

The Ministry of Justice also reviewed the appeal. The agency confirmed that the Tashkent City Council of People's Deputies has the right to approve the design code within the framework of the Law 'On Local State Power.' Regarding Presidential Decree No. PP-48, the Ministry of Justice noted that it allows income from advertising on common property but does not grant explicit permission to install structures specifically on roofs. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice did not consider the design code's prohibition to contradict the presidential decision. However, the agency emphasized the protection of the trust of the interested party, stating that according to Article 59 of the Law 'On Administrative Procedures,' the issue of revoking or changing an administrative document subject to trust protection must be considered by the court, and the entrepreneur was informed of the right to judicial appeal.

Intervention of the Business Ombudsman

After the publication of information about the dismantling requirements, the Business Ombudsman stated that he had taken this situation under personal control. The agency reminded that an advertising permit serves as confirmation of the right of a legal or natural person to install an outdoor advertising object at the specified location, regardless of the form of ownership. The Business Ombudsman also referred to the Law 'On Administrative Procedures,' which prohibits administrative bodies from creating obstacles or restricting the rights of interested parties solely for the sake of complying with formal rules.

The agency reiterated the point that normative legal acts do not have retroactive effect and apply only to relations arising after their introduction. The Business Ombudsman's office sent a conclusion to the Tashkent City Administration demanding strict adherence to the law and non-violation of the rights of entrepreneurs whose permits remain valid. The statement said that in case of violation of property rights or legitimate interests of entrepreneurs, the Business Ombudsman would defend their rights, including appealing to the court.

Previously, the district administrations of Tashkent conducted large-scale inspections to remove outdoor advertising, including corporate signs, citing the need to unify the appearance of the capital. Following a wave of objections, the office of the Business Ombudsman of Uzbekistan prepared a conclusion on revising the decision of the Tashkent City Council regarding the 'design code,' identifying inconsistencies with current legislation. Entrepreneurs had previously proposed canceling payments for information signs and providing time to adapt to the new code, as current norms require significant expenses and lead to business losses.

Automakers and importers have issued warnings about the real risk of mechanical problems in imported and older vehicles due to the change in gasoline composition to E32 (32% ethanol), determined by the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE).

Automotive Sector Reaction

Both Anfavea, the manufacturers' association, and Abeifa, the importers' association, strongly criticized the government decision released on Tuesday (14). Both entities questioned the absence of 'specific and conclusive technical studies' on durability, pointing to a concrete danger of mechanical damage to the national fleet.

According to these associations, the tests conducted by the government to approve E32 focused only on short-term metrics, such as performance, emissions, and drivability, neglecting crucial factors like material degradation and component longevity.

Forecasts and Adaptation Efforts

Marcelo de Godoy, president of Abeifa, expressed concern, stating that 'we run the risk of seeing broken cars on the streets because of this increase.' Importing companies are urgently working with their international headquarters to adjust and adapt engines to the new Brazilian reality, which contains almost a third of alcohol in the gasoline.

The federal government tries to justify the measure by claiming that validation tests conducted in 2025 (when the blend reached 30%) already had a tolerance margin of two percentage points upwards, which would allow for 32%. However, this acceleration of the change has strong political and economic motivations, aiming to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and protect the economy from fluctuations in the price of a barrel of oil, in addition to meeting the goals of the Future Fuel program, which establishes up to 35% ethanol in gasoline by 2030.

Impacts for Different Types of Vehicles

For owners of flex-fuel cars, the immediate impact is financial, as the higher proportion of ethanol decreases the fuel's calorific power, resulting in lower autonomy. However, the scenario is critical for owners of imported vehicles without flex calibration or classics with old fuel systems, such as carburetors and diaphragm mechanical pumps. The corrosive nature of ethanol and its high affinity for atmospheric water can accelerate the wear of hoses, gaskets, seals, and metal parts.

News in Automotive and Entertainment

In other news, the new season of The Grand Tour, successor to Top Gear, is scheduled to premiere on September 4th. The show, created by Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond and known for its sharp humor on the BBC, will return with Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, from the Throttle House channel, and Francis Bourgeois. The new cycle was announced with the motto 'Same show, new knobs,' indicating the intention to replicate the relaxed atmosphere of previous seasons.

Alfa Romeo also revealed a teaser of its new SUV, which will be built on the STLA Medium platform, similar to the one used by the Jeep Compass and Peugeot 3008. Although its exact positioning in the line is not defined, there are speculations that it could be a successor to the Tonale or situated between the Tonale and the future Stelvio, which will use the STLA Large platform in 2028. The automaker informed that the new SUV will feature hybrid powertrain options (mild and full) and an all-electric version.

Updates in Japanese Vehicles and Motorcycles

In the car segment, the Honda Fit RS Mugen, which was discontinued in Brazil in 2021, received updates in its fourth generation launched in Japan in 2020. The RS Mugen version gained a more aggressive front bumper, exclusive 17-inch wheels, and a new rear diffuser. Furthermore, Mugen developed a shock absorber kit in partnership with Yamaha, designed to reduce chassis vibrations when driving at the limit, promising greater smoothness and solidity, despite the vehicle maintaining a 1.5 hybrid engine of 123 hp.

In the motorcycle sector, Abraciclo reported the Chinese manufacturer Shineray to the Ministry of Justice at the end of 2025. The complaint alleged that Shineray motorcycles were exceeding legal limits for air and noise pollution, being sold without equipment such as catalysts and canisters. Independent tests conducted by Marelli confirmed the initial reports, showing that models like the SHI 150 emit 18 times more carbon monoxide than permitted.

Oak has emerged from stealth mode, announcing the raising of $60 million in a seed round. These funds are earmarked to accelerate the development of its Artificial Intelligence-based Identity Operating System. The company's goal is to unify identity management and security by replacing disparate legacy tools with a single platform.

Funding and Founders' Team

The seed round was co-led by Accel, Greylock Partners, and CRV, with participation from Hetz Ventures, AlphaDrive Ventures, and several strategic private investors. The startup plans to use the investment to expand its teams in engineering, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Oak was founded by cybersecurity veterans Shay Morag and Tal Marom. The company has already begun commercial deployment of its platform among enterprise clients, believing that identity has become the largest attack surface for organizations.

How the AI-Powered Platform Works

The Oak platform is designed to provide organizations with a continuously updated level of control that manages every identity throughout its lifecycle. The system supports both human users and machine identities and AI agents, reflecting the growing complexity of enterprise environments.

Instead of relying on static identity records, the platform analyzes raw data from enterprise systems to build a live identity graph. It then assesses actual access usage and automatically identifies unnecessary permissions and potential security threats. Thanks to its AI-driven architecture, the company claims that creating new application connectors takes hours, not months, as often required by traditional identity management platforms.

Founders' Experience and Growth Plans

Tal Marom, Product Director at Oak, noted that discussions with over one hundred information security executives and identity leaders revealed widespread dissatisfaction with fragmented security tools and limited visibility in access management.

Morag brings over two decades of experience in cybersecurity to the business. Before launching Oak, he founded Integrity-Project, Secdo, and Ermetic, all of which were acquired by major cybersecurity companies, including NVIDIA's Mellanox, Palo Alto Networks, and Tenable. After Tenable acquired Ermetic, Morag served as the product director for that company before co-founding Oak with Marom. Marom previously held leadership roles in product at Tenable and Salesforce.

The startup has already formed a team of about 50 employees and plans to continue hiring, especially in the United States, where significant future expansion will be focused. Oak's long-term vision is to replace numerous disconnected identity management tools with a single operating system that provides continuous visibility, automated risk assessment, and real-time issue resolution in the enterprise environment.

Growing Demand for Identity Management

Identity management is becoming increasingly critical as organizations adopt more cloud services, connected devices, and AI-powered applications. The company expects the new investments to accelerate product innovation globally. Industry analysts predict that intelligent identity management platforms will become a key element of corporate cybersecurity strategies in the coming years, as enterprises strive for better visibility into who and what has access to critical systems. Oak believes that its AI-centric approach allows it to meet this growing demand by consolidating identity management, risk analysis, and automation into one platform, rather than relying on many separate products.