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...

Thai and Filipino Workers Filling Labor Gap in Israel Get Caught up in War Between Israel and Hamas

BANGKOK (AP) — The first group of Thai workers evacuated from Israel after the past few days’ bloody events in southern Israel and Gaza arrived Thursday...

Lao Residents Continue Crossing to Thailand Amidst High Inflation

Residents in Laos are still seen actively traveling to neighboring Thailand despite high inflation and fluctuating foreign currency prices. Since the reopening of the Lao-Thai...

Freight Train Between Vientiane, Shanghai Officially Launched

A freight train service linking Vientiane Capital, Laos, and Shanghai, China, was officially launched on 8 October. This freight service which links the Laos-China Railway...

Myanmar’s Top Court Declines to Hear Suu Kyi’s Special Appeals in Abuse of Power, Bribery Cases

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear special appeals from the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her...

Japan Foreign Minister Begins ASEAN Tour to Strengthen Ties Amid China’s Growing Influence

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is leading a delegation on a six-day trip to four ASEAN countries –Laos, Brunei, Vietnam, and Thailand – to...

Thai Credit Rating Agency Demotes Lao Sovereign Rating to Below Investment Grade

The Lao government has issued the first-ever Thai Baht bond in the Lao domestic market, as a Thai credit agency downgraded the country’s credit...