Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its population was estimated to be around 6.5 million in 2012. A third (33%) of the country's population lives below the international poverty line which means living on less than U.S. $1.25 per day.

lasgow-based artist Jim Lambie can transform any space into a visual delight with his geometric tape designs. Using everyday vinyl tape, he creates angles and lines of contrasting colors that suggest movement and optical illusions. He can convert a once empty and quiet room into a space filled with energy. As viewers enter a converted space, they instantly have a visual interaction with the artwork.

Afghan air force 2nd Lt. Niloofar Rhmani walks the flight line at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan, prior to her graduation from undergraduate pilot training, on May 13, 2013. Rhmani made history on May 14, when she became the first female to successfully complete undergraduate pilot training and earn the status of pilot in more than 30 years. She will continue her service as she joins the Kabul Air Wing as a Cessna 208 pilot. (Photo by Senior Airman Scott Saldukas/USAF)

A member of security personnel stands on duty on an empty train platform inside a station on the Subway Line Number 1 on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Beijing, China, February 7, 2016. According to local media, traffic in Beijing has seen a rare relief from its usual heavy pressure after 15 million people have left the city, heading for family reunions in their hometowns on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year of Monkey. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

These snaps capture true winter wonderlands – as Mother Nature's icy grip takes hold of America's National Parks. From snow-capped mountains in Yosemite to an icy still Glacier Bay, the incredible images show their beauty is year round. In other breath-taking shots crisp frost lines the paths through Great Smokey Mountains and Crater Lake has had more than a dusting of snow. Here: Apostle Island National Lakeshore Park in Wisconsin. (Photo by U.S. Department of the Interior/Cater News)

In this August 3, 2015, photo, residents make their way through floodwaters in Minbu, Magway division, in Myanmar. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said that more than 200,000 people are affected in 11 of the country's 14 states and divisions by flooding. In addition to damage to houses and farmland, infrastructure has been very badly hit, with roads and rail lines cut in many places and telecommunication links broken. (Photo by Hkun Lat/AP Photo)

Participants costumed as zombies try to catch hobby runners during the so-called Zombie-Run at the harness racing track Karlshorst in Berlin, Germany, 18 May 2014. The runners carry small flags in their belts which they have to get safely across the finishing line while the zombies try to steal them. The sporting event is based on the US television series “The Walking Dead”. (Photo by Soeren Stache/DPA)

In this September 14, 2017 photo, young women pose for a photo inside their squatter building that used to house the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in the Mangueira slum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many lower-middle class Brazilians who gained ground during the boom years have since slid back closer to the poverty line. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo)