Methanol poisoning warnings for travellers: A UK Foreign Office campaign at Manchester Airport urged passengers to “Know The Signs” of deadly methanol poisoning after a Bali death and a mass poisoning incident in Laos’ Vang Vieng, where several backpackers died and one survivor suffered permanent vision damage. Cluster munitions and mines scrutiny in Vientiane: Vietnam backed efforts to prevent indiscriminate use of cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines at the Third Review Conference in Laos, as campaigners cited 2025’s near-record civilian casualties. China–Laos medical rescue drills: “Peace Train-2026” in Vientiane featured drones, robotic dogs, and a medical train using AI-enabled decision support for triage and evacuation in a full-process humanitarian exercise. Power outages hit Laos hospitals despite export boom: Laos’ electricity exports to Thailand and Vietnam are rising, but frequent blackouts and an ageing grid are still disrupting care—at one children’s centre, ventilators and imaging equipment were affected until generators kicked in. Trachoma milestone for the region: WHO certified Timor-Leste as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, meaning the WHO-defined Southeast Asia region is now trachoma-free. Laos crackdown on healthcare services (clinic oversight): Laos is stepping up enforcement against beauty clinics, ordering a doctor to halt procedures—another reminder of the need for safer, regulated care.