Lao Airlines, the Lao national carrier, is in expansion mode, re-launching direct flights from Vientiane's Wattay International Airport to Singapore's Changi International Airport from this October, according to an announcement by the company. Earlier in 2017, Lao Airlines halted direct flights from Lao capital Vientiane to Singapore, for a number of unspecified reasons.

Vientiane , July 26 - The top three Lao male kickboxers in their respective categories will test their skills against Chinese fighters in a friendly event in China on July 28-29. The Lao kickboxers will travel to China on Thursday ahead of the event.

Lao government is set to revise the poverty line for rural and urban dwellers to increase well-being of Lao people and the current economic circumstances, a government official has said. Policy-makers have drafted a governmental decree revising poverty lines that are expected to replace the current poverty line published in 2013.

I had been told that Laos was a gentle, placid country with beautiful French colonial architecture. But no one had mentioned the cooking.

LAO LIGNITE CO., LTD., HONGSA LIGNITE CO., LTD., Petitioners-Appellants-Cross-Appellees, v. GOVERNMENT OF THE LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, Respondent-Appellee-Cross-Appellant.

Laos and Thailand have reached an agreement to enhance technical cooperation in natural resources and the environment, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday. A Memorandum of Understanding with respect to this cooperation was signed by Lao Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sommad Pholsena and his counterpart from the Kingdom of Thailand General Surasak Karnjanarat in Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday.

Luang Prabang, Laos' well-known world heritage site of cultural value, has been voted among the world's top 15 cities by readers of "Travel + Leisure," a travel magazine based in New York City, the Lao media reported Tuesday. The popular tourist destination of Laos came in tenth, scoring 90.10 in the Travel + Leisure World's Top 15 Cities in 2017, according to the magazine's website.

While reporting the story Sunday about how classified records are impeding the quest for recognition by veterans of the CIA's secret war, I learned about another legacy of this conflict: the bombing campaign in Laos by the United States that devastated the country for nine years and continues to maim and kill Laotians today. The scale of the bombing, in an officially neutral country where U.S. forces weren't even supposed to be fighting, is almost inconceivable.

Some are small, located far down tiny "sois" or side streets and well out of the way of tourist traffic. Others are part of massive complexes filled with halls, schools and revered statues, earning them a place in all the guidebooks about Bangkok .

Lao and Thai representatives have met in northern Lao city Luang Prabang, discussing issues related to the export of Lao labor to Thailand, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Lao News Agency . The two countries are speeding up the inspection and legalisation of informal Lao workers to tackle human trafficking and labour exploitation, said the report.

The Healthcare Department under the Lao Ministry of Health will order the closure of foreign-owned clinics when their professional Lao medical licences expire in 2017. The ministry had ordered the closure of the clinics by the end of 2015, but it decided to extend the licensing period in the interests of promoting friendly diplomatic relations, Chanphomma Vongsamphanh, director of the department, was quoted by local daily Vientiane Times as saying on Thursday.

Fugitive red-shirt hardliner and lese majeste suspect Wuthipong "Kotee" Kochathamakun is still hiding in Laos, National Security Council chief Thawip Netniyom says. Despite previous media reports suggesting Mr Wuthipong had fled to Cambodia, Gen Thawip said he could confirm the suspect is still is in Laos but has apparently scaled back his political activities.

In simple terms, it is a case of supply and demand. In China there's a demand for ivory, there's profit to be made, and criminal gangs will therefore do what it takes to provide a supply.

The Thai-Chinese railway reached a new milestone this month, as the Finance Ministry prepared funding for the project, including a loan for up to Bt170 billion from China, pending a final proposal from the Transport Ministry. However, there are still hurdles to overcome, with the terms of the loan continuing to be a major sticking point.

One of the new cardinals created by Pope Francis in the June 28 consistory was imprisoned by his nation's Communist regime for three years. Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos, preached the Gospel in small villages and prisons without government permission.

"Belt and Road, listen as I say, working together for prosperity. Belt and Road links you and me, overcoming obstacles may they be big or small..." Lao singer Athisack Rattanavong sang to Xinhua reporters, showcasing his hit "Belt and Road" in his unique husky voice at a coffee bar in Vientiane recently.

New Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, from Laos, receives the red three-cornered biretta hat from Pope Francis during a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 28, 2017. New Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, from Laos, is greeted by Pope Francis after receiving the red three-cornered biretta hat during a consistory inside the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 28, 2017.