Laos’ ambition to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” has left the country awash with surplus electricity, but burdened by soaring debts from a decades-long dam-building spree.Now, in a bid to turn this excess into economic gain, the government is embracing the energy-intensive business of cryptocurrency mining – drawing both international intrigue and local controversy.The multibillion-dollar business of digital asset mining, which rewards participants with tokens such as bitcoin for...