SCO Summit in Bishkek: Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith is set to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders’ meeting and the “SCO Plus” summit on September 1, with major regional leaders including Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi and others also expected. EDL Leadership Change: Électricité du Laos (EDL) has appointed Souksavart Sosouphanh as Managing Director and CEO, following life sentences for four former EDL executives in a hydropower-linked corruption case. Education & Language Access: Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports, with Australia’s BEQUAL program, released 50 new animated audio stories to boost Spoken Lao learning for Grade 1 students nationwide. Green Energy for Schools: China-aided “Green Energy TO Zero-Carbon Library” opened in Luang Prabang, combining solar power, storage and EV charging at Luang Prabang Peace Secondary School. Children’s Investment Ahead of LDC Graduation: UNICEF’s Asia-Pacific director urged sustained funding for children as Laos approaches Least Developed Country graduation in November. Cybercrime Push in the Region: ASEAN leaders discussed the rise of transnational crime, including online scams, and how networks exploit cross-border gaps. Laos–China Cooperation: Laos and Zhejiang agreed to deepen ties in priority areas such as environmental protection, agriculture, AI and UXO clearance. Rare Earth Angle: A new analysis highlights Laos and Myanmar as emerging upstream sources of heavy rare earths that India wants to secure for magnets and clean-tech supply chains.