Australian teen and British woman who drank tainted alcohol in Laos have died, bringing toll to 5

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister on Thursday said was every parent’s nightmare. An American and two Danish tourists also died, officials said, following reports...

Southeast Asian defense chiefs discuss regional security with US, China and other partner nations

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian defense chiefs met Thursday with their counterparts from China, the United States and other nations in Laos for security talks, which come as Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in its claim to most of the South China Sea is leading to more...

American and Australian tourists die in Laos alcohol poisoning incident, raising death toll to 4

Alcohol poisoning in Laos leaves 2 tourists hospitalized

VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — Two Australian tourists are being treated in Thailand for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after consuming tainted drinks in neighboring Laos, Australian media reported Tuesday. The two 19-year-old women were on a backpacking vacation in Laos when they...

Japan's new PM dissolves the lower house of parliament to set up a snap election

TOKYO (AP) — New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament Wednesday to set up an Oct. 27 snap election, asking people to trust the governing party's policies even as critics said the vote comes far too soon. Ishiba took office last week as...

Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to discuss Myanmar war and disputed sea

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders gathered Wednesday for an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two key challenges that have tested the bloc's credibility. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations...

Blinken heads to Asia this week for a summit of regional leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his 19th trip in office to Asia this week when he leads the U.S. delegation to a meeting of East Asian leaders in Laos. The State Department said Tuesday that Blinken would fill in for President Joe Biden at the annual...

Cambodia pulls out of a regional development pact after protests

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he was pulling his country out of a development agreement with neighboring Vietnam and Laos following protests that it was benefiting foreign interests. Critics on social media have focused on land concessions in...

An American pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Christian pastor from California has been freed from China after nearly 20 years behind bars and is back home in the U.S., the State Department said Monday. David Lin, 68, was detained after he entered China in 2006, later convicted of contract fraud and...

Cambodia's leader says arrested protesters were trying to overthrow the government

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s leader on Thursday condemned international human rights groups for criticizing the arrest of nearly 100 people for protesting against a decades-old regional development agreement with neighboring countries. London-based Amnesty International...