World

Laos Collects USD 12 Million in Digital Taxes From Global Tech Companies

Laos has collected approximately USD 12 million in digital taxes from global technology companies since introducing its digital tax system in late 2024, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Santiphab Phomvihane. The tax applies to foreign digital service providers without a physical presence in Laos, including Microsoft,...

China Reservoir Collapse Comes as Laos Prepares for Rising Rivers and Flood Risks

Floods in southern China have killed two people and forced nearly 48,000 residents to...

Myanmar’s Leader Wraps First ASEAN Visit in Laos, Signs Mekong Dam Study

Myanmar's recently elected President, Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in the 2021 military...

Vietnam, Philippines Reach Upper-Middle-Income Status as Laos Eyes 2035 Target

Vietnam and the Philippines have been reclassified as upper-middle-income economies by the World Bank,...

Laos, South Korea Sign USD 1.1 Million in Agriculture Deals

Laos and South Korea have sealed two new agriculture deals worth more than USD...

United States to Charge USD 250 Visa Integrity Fee Starting October

The United States will begin charging a new USD 250 “Visa Integrity Fee” to most non-immigrant visa applicants from 1 October, as part of...

Dozens Dead in Vietnam After Ha Long Bay Tourist Ferry Sinks

By ran Thi Minh Ha/AFP - Rescuers were desperately searching for five people still missing on Sunday after 37 were killed when a boat...

Cambodia Targets Cross-Border Crime with Mass Arrests, Signs Pact with Laos to Combat Scams, Drug Trafficking

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,362 individuals, including hundreds of foreign nationals, in a sweeping 20-day crackdown on online scam operations across seven...

Misbehaving Monks: Sex Scandal Shakes Thai Buddhist Faithful

By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON/AFP - Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the...

Thailand Rejects Full Tariff Elimination in US Trade Talks, Citing Domestic Risks

Thailand has ruled out cutting tariffs on all US goods to zero in ongoing trade talks, due to concerns about risks to local producers...

US Solar Makers Push for Tariffs on Laos, Indonesia, India

A coalition of small United States solar manufacturers has petitioned the Department of Commerce to impose new tariffs on solar panel imports from Laos,...