Border Security & Food Safety: Vientiane authorities destroyed 440 kg of illegally imported animal and fishery products at Dongphosy after finding incomplete, invalid import documents at the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge checkpoint. UN Diplomacy: Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane led the country’s delegation at UNGA 81’s general debate in New York, engaging on peace, development and emerging risks including AI. Anti-Scam Cooperation: Laos is stepping up regional work to tackle scam-centre money laundering, including a seminar in Hanoi with Thailand and UN partners focused on asset freezing, cross-border coordination and AML/CTF reforms due by Jan 2027. Public Security Forum: Laos sent officials to Cambodia’s ICCOS-2026 in Phnom Penh, where regional leaders called online scams a transnational emergency requiring stronger laws and faster cross-border information sharing. Economy Outlook: The ADB forecasts Laos growth at 4% in 2026 and 4.5% in 2027, citing easing inflation and exchange-rate stability, while warning of external shock risks. Domestic Policy: The government’s September meeting reviewed priority tasks and draft action plans, including gender equality and mothers-and-children programmes. Rural Development: Laos launched its 2027–2030 National Agenda for Rural Development and Poverty Eradication, targeting poverty reduction to single digits and lifting 100,000+ families out of poverty. Food Prices: Pork shortages in Vientiane linked to African Swine Fever disruptions are pushing up meat prices and straining restaurants and small food businesses. Transport & Connectivity: The Lao Transport Minister attended the Global Sustainable Transport Forum in Beijing, discussing green transport, AI in mobility, and cross-border connectivity. Party-to-Party Ties: A Belarus Communist Party delegation visited Laos for talks with the LPRP on strengthening party relations and cooperation.