Regional

Seven-Year-Old Becomes Laos’ Youngest Internationally Rated Chess Player

Seven-year-old Bounthiengtham “Jayson” Sengphachan has already done something no Lao chess player his age has done before. The young player from Vientiane Chess Academy recently became the youngest Lao player to receive an official FIDE Rapid rating, a ranking based on performance in faster-paced chess games, scoring 1503 after a...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic partnership to the next level,...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive...

Lao Police Arrest Two Nationals in Cross-Border Heroin Investigation

Two Lao nationals have been arrested in Laos as part of a growing cross-border...

Japan Launches USD 10 Billion Energy Support Plan for Asia

Japan has announced a USD 10 billion energy support initiative for Asian countries as tensions in the Middle East continue to threaten global oil...

Thongloun Congratulates Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing on Presidency

Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith has congratulated Myanmar’s newly elected president Min Aung Hlaing, pledging to strengthen ties between the two countries. In his message, Thongloun...

Southern Laos Joins Vietnam, Thailand to Push East-West Economic Corridor Forward

Top officials from Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand met in Pakse on 3 April to revive East-West Economic Corridor, a 1,450-kilometer route linking the region. With...

Over 16,000 Fire Hotspots Recorded Nationwide as PM 2.5 Blankets Laos

Laos recorded 16,395 fire hotspots in the first three months of 2026, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), producing PM 2.5...

Indonesia Bans Social Media Access for Under-16s

Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children under 16 from social media on 28 March, following a growing global push...

ProPak Asia 2026 Set to Redefine Processing, Packaging Innovation Across Asia

ProPak Asia, Asia’s largest international trade exhibition for processing and packaging technology, is gearing up for its most ambitious edition yet, opening under the...