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...

Laos Prepares to Take the Helm of ASEAN Amidst Ongoing Myanmar Crisis

In less than a month, Laos is set to assume the ASEAN chairmanship for 2024, succeeding Indonesia. But experts shared concerns over the nation's...

Former Myanmar Colonel Who Once Served as Information Minister Gets 10-Year Prison Term for Sedition

BANGKOK (AP) — A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been...

China’s ‘Love Heart Journey’ Offers Lifeline to Lao Children Battling Heart Disease

A group of five children, ranging from eight months to 12 years old, along with their parents, embarked on a journey from Laos to...

Sumatran Rhino Calf Born in Indonesia Adds to Endangered Species of Fewer Than 50 Animals

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A critically endangered Sumatran rhino was born on Indonesia’s western island of Sumatra on Saturday, the second Sumatran rhino born...

ASEAN, China Officials Discuss Enhancing Connectivity Under ‘Belt and Road Initiative’

Officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered on 27 November, in Vientiane Capital to discuss enhancing connectivity under the...

Harnessing the Power of Data to Combat Gender-Based Violence

*Op-ed by the UNFPA Regional Director for Asia & the Pacific, Mr. Pio Smith on International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women ______________________________________________________________________ From informing...