Cambodia’s foreign affairs minister and his Laotian counterpart will hold a two-day meeting in Phnom Penh this week to draft a letter to France requesting detailed maps to resolve a border dispute that flared up last month. ...

The government spent far less than half of its approved $5 billion budget for expenditures in 2017 during the first six months of the year, according to a new report by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). ...

The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a national budget for next year that calls for more than $6 billion in spending, the largest increase ever proposed for the Kingdom, with big boosts for education, defence and the arts. ...

Farmers and agricultural NGOs slammed the seventh and final draft of a controversial agricultural law at a workshop in Phnom Penh yesterday, claiming that the law would benefit large corporations at the expense of small farmers if passed. ...

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said royalist party Funcinpec will not be investigated for requesting funds from China, despite an article in the Law on Political Parties banning parties from receiving financial support from foreign governments and institutions. ...

A new shelter for the indigent elderly – plus hundreds of new community-based associations for older people – is in the works under a national plan on ageing launched by Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace yesterday. ...

Representatives of more than 1,000 families from Prek Sleng commune in Kandal province’s Kandal Steung district went to the commune and district hall yesterday to request that authorities resolve their land dispute with the Heng Development Company. ...

The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) established a tax desk at their offices that will be staffed by employees from the General Department of Taxation, in hopes of easing the burden of registration for foreign companies. ...

The Ministry of Health’s communicable disease control department has produced a short video in advance of next month’s Khmer New Year warning revellers of the dangers of consuming rice wine, which has been linked to multiple deaths. ...

About 50 people representing 520 villagers from nine districts in Banteay Meanchey province who claim to be disabled soldiers on Monday asked the provincial hall to intervene and request that the government help them get pensions.   ...

The ban on surrogate pregnancies announced by the health minister on Monday will remain in place until the government drafts a law protecting Cambodian women giving birth to the children of other parents, an official said on Thursday. ...

A mixed group of nearly 40 officials based at the Cambodian-Thai border in Pailin province seized first-class timber on Wednesday, but failed to catch the suspects who illegally entered Thailand to log it, according to police yesterday. ...

The government has decided to confiscate nearly 3,000 hectares of land in Kandal province’s Kien Svay and Saang districts from CPP member Lork Hour after investigating a litany of lawsuits filed by local residents against the parliamentarian. ...

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched a corporate governance initiative yesterday aimed at enhancing the efficiency of Cambodia’s private sector to strengthen the business climate and spur foreign investment and job creation, it said in a release. ...

Some 200 hectares of forest in Ratanakkiri’s Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary have been cleared and sold for up to $400 per hectare – allegedly with an official’s blessing – while an additional 700 hectares around the protected area face clearing. ...

Land Minister Chea Sophara has told two firms to reopen a public road they fenced off without permission. The order came after 127 families affected by the closure complained about Phanimex and Heng​ Ly companies in August last year. ...

An environmental ranger and a village chief were questioned yesterday by the Pailin Provincial Court for allegedly colluding to grab, clear and sell land in a protected area supported by the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, according to officials. ...

Investment in Cambodia’s booming construction industry increased by 43.3 percent over the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the Land Management Ministry on Tuesday. ...

This week marked the official kickoff of campaigning for the June 4 commune elections, with Cambodians taking to the streets to show support for their favourite party decked out in T-shirts, hats and stickers emblazoned with party logos. ...

Phnom Penh’s sole garbage hauler says it will need another week to collect thousands of tons of fetid garbage that piled up over the weekend when workers left the capital to vote in Sunday’s commune elections. ...