African Swine Fever Response: Laos has ordered urgent nationwide measures to curb African Swine Fever, including a ban on moving pigs and pork between provinces and districts and a prohibition on imports, with surveillance, support for farmers and possible emergency funding being coordinated by the agriculture ministry. Mine Action & UXO Safety: At the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, Laos and international delegates focused on risk education, victim assistance and community participation, with Lao teams reporting UXO safety outreach reaching hundreds of villages and more than half a million people in 2026. China-ASEAN Trade Push: China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang opened the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, urging progress on CAFTA 3.0 and deeper cooperation on digital economy and AI-enabled trade. Laos–Vietnam Border Cooperation: A Lao province and Da Nang agreed to keep implementing cooperation plans on education, health, trade and border management, with continued support for training and practical benefits for border communities. Sports Spotlight: Laos is in the spotlight through regional sports links as India’s Asian Games campaign includes matches against Laos in soft tennis, while teqball and women’s cricket action continues in Nagoya. Business & Finance: Umoney, a Laos digital finance platform, received recognition at the Asian Technology Excellence Awards, highlighting its growing user base and nationwide agent network. Legal Update: A US court revived Laos’ bid to enforce about $5 million in arbitral awards in a casino-related case, sending the matter back for closer review.