All aboard the Trans-Asian Railway: (ASIA Times) BANGKOK - A train journey from Singapore to Shanghai may not be the stuff of dreams anymore. So too the prospect of travel by rail from Seoul to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The blueprint for the continent-wide railway network traces tracks that span 114,000 kilometers to link 28 countries. Of that, 106,000 kilometers of tracks already exist in the countries that - in addition to the eight who have ratified the agreement - also include Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Asia takes first step on modern 'Silk Route': An ambitious plan to create a modern Silk Route of roads and railways linking East Asia with Europe has made its first substantial progress, as the BBC's Vaudine England reports from Hong Kong. A seemingly obscure agreement on traffic rights between Vietnam, Laos and Thailand now allows trucks to transit the three countries without having to unload cargo at border crossings for trans-shipment.
Obama okays U.S. Exim bank loans for Laos, Cambodia: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has cleared the way for the U.S. Export-Import Bank to help finance exports of U.S. goods to Laos and Cambodia, the White House said on Friday.
Laos To Host ASEAN Rubber Conference: HANOI, June 9 (Bernama) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Rubber Conference will take place in Vientiane of Laos from June 18 to 20 to discuss the world's natural rubber demand and supply trends, and the future price, China's Xinhua news agency quoted the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times' report Tuesday
Laos invites Lao-British to play tennis for Laos - LAOS va inviter Mlle Anne KEOTHAVONG (Lao-british tennis player N°1 - 48è rang mondial) à jouer pour le Laos au ASEAN Game à Vientiane :

(Vientian-KPL) Laos is planning to recruit Anne Keothavong, a Lao-British tennis player, whose ranking is the top of the pole in England and ranked 48th in the world to play for Lao during the coming 25th SEA Games, but the Lao National Sports Committee is mulling over the problem of transferring her nationality so that her legal status is Lao. Laos is already in touch with Anne and has already invited her to join the Lao women’s tennis team but she has not revealed any information on the offer to the press.Anne was born on 16 September 1983, in Hackney, located in the north of London.Her parents are Lao and they migrated to England from Laos some time back. She started to play tennis from the age of seven.
People of Laos suffer bomb legacy: BBC News, Laos: Sop'ore is a small, remote village in Khammouane province. It's a group of wooden stilt-houses in traditional Lao style. I met Mr Ta on his veranda there, as chickens, dogs and pigs scratched and snuffled below. We sat looking out at the mountains, which were covered with lush tropical rainforest and low morning mist.
MSF claque la porte d’un camp de réfugiés hmongs: (22.05.09-Courrier International.com) Médecins sans frontières (MSF), unique présence internationale depuis 2005 dans le camp de Huay Nam Khao, dans la province de Phetchabun (nord-est), a annoncé, le 20 mai, qu’elle cessait ses activités en raison de l’attitude “coercitive” des militaires thaïlandais, rapporte The Nation.

CIA's Lao ally faces 'outrageous' charge: BANGKOK - Defense attorneys for a group of 11 American citizens accused of plotting to overthrow the Lao government are set to file a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of outrageous US government conduct.
Minister David MILIBAND meet Deputy Prime Minister Dr.Thongloun SISOULITH:
(London) Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, and Foreign Office Minister, Bill Rammell, met the Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, Dr Thongloun Sisoulith, for talks on 7 May 2009.  Discussions covered the signature of a Prisoner Transfer Agreement, and the case of a British national held in Laos on drugs charges which can carry the death penalty (www.fco.gov.uk)
The prisoner Laos does not want: (Citoyenne birtanique Briton Samantha OROBATOR risque la peine capitale au Laos - ayant plus d'un demi kg d'héroïne saisie dans la poche )As pregnant Briton Samantha Orobator faces a possible death sentence for drug smuggling in Laos, Alastair Leithead discovers the communist state is concerned the bad publicity could impact on its economy.
Alexandra on Japanese TV program : Alexandra BOUNXOUEI à la TV japonaise:
EU Commits to Giving Extra Funding to Laos: 2009-04-27 17:19:27 Xinhua  Web Editor: Cao Jie
The European Union (EU) is committed to giving extra funding to Laos to help the country deal with the global financial crisis, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday. According to David Lipman, Head of the European Committee Delegation to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the EU decided to provide about 50 million U.S. dollars to Laos for the period 2010-2013.
Savan Vegas boom in Laos: (nationmultimedia.com): Despite the economic gloom, a new casino just across the border in Laos is doing brisk business. Every day at least 1,000 Thais play games of chance at the Savan Vegas near the town of Savannakhet. Close to 100 vans a day bring Thais from provinces in the Northeast to Mukdahan, for a ride across the second Friendship Bridge to the casino, which started operations on April 5 - 10 days ago. Click on: More Photos Savan Vegas
Le Laos-Dynamo électrique de l'Asie du Sud Est: (Le monde) Le barrage (1 070 mégawatts), bâti avec le soutien de la Banque mondiale, commencera à produire ses premiers kilowattheures fin 2009. L'Etat laotien touchera alors les premiers dividendes d'un projet qui doit lui rapporter 2 milliards de dollars (1,5 milliard d'euros) jusqu'en 2035, quand la Nam Theun Power Company (NTPC) lui cédera l'ouvrage.
Le Mékong sera plein de barrages (19 en tout, parmi eux 9 au Laos): (VOA) Les groupes environnementalists protestent: Environmental Groups Form Coalition to Oppose Damming of the Mekong :  coalition of international environmental organizations launched a campaign to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment and oppose the construction of hydropower dams on the Mekong River.
Ban Outlines Laos’ Progress: Le Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies M.Ban Ki Moon Visit Laos avant ASEAN Summit en Thailande: Ban Outlines Laos’ Progress, Challenges In Meeting Development Targets New York, Apr 13 2009 2:10PM Laos has made considerable strides towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, but the nation must continue its efforts to slash child malnutrition and maternal mortality rates to make the country more competitive in the global economy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.
UN Secretary-General applauds AIDS awareness efforts in Lao PDR: Ban Ki Moon visit Laos: VIENTIANE, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 14 April 2009 – United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon praised the efforts of the UN and its partners to raise awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS in Lao PDR on a visit there this past weekend.