Electricity & Daily Life: Laos is exporting more power to neighbours, but frequent blackouts are still hitting Vientiane—clinics and hospitals report outages that shut down equipment until generators kick in, underscoring how “Battery of Southeast Asia” branding doesn’t match everyday reliability. US Trade Pressure on Laos: The US Commerce Department has finalized steep anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar cells and panels imported from India, Indonesia and Laos, with Laos margins set at 65.43% (anti-dumping) and 82.03%–153.67% (countervailing), while the US International Trade Commission will decide injury in October. Cluster Munitions Review in Vientiane: International attention is on Laos this week as the Convention on Cluster Munitions’ Third Review Conference runs Sept 14–18, with new reports warning civilians remain the majority of casualties. Mekong Cooperation Training: Lao and Vietnamese officials wrapped a Mekong-Australia Partnership masterclass in Luang Prabang, focusing on responsible public administration, smart villages, digital transition and anti-money laundering. Energy Project Update: A Lao-Chinese joint venture is preparing a 330MW coal-fired plant in Xieng Khouang, targeting completion in 2029 to supply domestic demand.