Public Health & Food Safety: Vientiane authorities destroyed 440kg of illegally imported animal and fishery products at the Dongphosy Animal Quarantine Checkpoint after finding incomplete, invalid import documents at the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge checkpoint—part of tighter controls to protect public health and livestock. Surgery Access: Mahosot Hospital will offer free cleft lip and palate surgery in Vientiane from Nov 25–30, 2026, with registration open until Nov 20 through listed contacts. Nutrition & Food Prices: Pork shortages in Vientiane are pushing up meat prices and shifting demand toward beef and other alternatives, with African Swine Fever restrictions disrupting supplies. Animal Health & Biosecurity: Cambodia urged tighter pig import controls from Laos and Vietnam as African Swine Fever spreads, highlighting border testing and crackdowns on illegal meat and live pig trade. Regional Health Cooperation: Laos and development partners launched a new phase of a joint programme to strengthen reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services nationwide. Tech for Care: A-LRYNGO, an AI-guided video laryngoscope, expanded to global markets, aiming to support safer airway management during intubation. Water & Climate Resilience: The Mekong River Commission marked 30 years of dialogue in Vientiane, focusing on shared hydrological data exchange as flood, drought, and water quality risks grow.