One of Japan’s largest banks will open a representative office in July due to burgeoning interest in Cambodia most likely by Japanese investors, a bank official said yesterday. Mizuho Financial Group will open a small office in Phnom Penh Tower on Monivong Boulevard on July 8, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/japanese-mizuho-bank-to-open-representative-office/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A U.S.-bAsed energy compAny hAs Announced thAt it is plAnning A biomAss project using geneticAlly modified rice in CAmbodiA, in A purportedly mAssive deAl About which little informAtion hAs been mAde public. In A stAtement posted online ThursdAy, Sino Bioenergy Corp. sAid it hAd signed A <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/firm-Announces-rice-energy-plAn-in-cAmbodiA/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

An OddAr MeAnchey director of educAtion is denying A complAint filed to the Ministry of EducAtion Alleging he took school supplies from A public school for use in A privAte school And pocketed sAlAries of teAchers who no longer worked there. In A letter dAted MondAy, <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/public-supplies-put-to-privAte-use-union-sAys/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Phnom Penh commuters fed up with navigating the city’s increasingly busy streets will have a chance to test a new public bus service beginning in February. Phnom Penh Municipality spokesman Long Dimanche yesterday confirmed a one-month trial of a bus service along a 7.5-kilometre route running <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/capital-to-launch-trial-bus-route/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Three people have filed separate complaints against a Phnom Penh district official, accusing him of ordering violence in a clash between security forces and bystanders near Freedom Park last week. at least 10 people were injured in clashes last Monday, as opposition member Mu Sochua staged <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/complaints-filed-against-city-official-for-last-weeks-violence/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Control of a 17-seat district council in Kompong Cham province was determined by a Buddhist monk pulling a name out of a box Wednesday after election results revealed an equal number of votes for both parties. The CPP and CNRP each came away with 36 votes <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/control-of-district-council-decided-by-lottery/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Workers at the Beautiful Spring Footwear factory in Takeo province refused to end a two-day protest on Saturday after management ceded to most of their demands but refused to raise their good-attendance bonus. The factory’s roughly 1,000 workers started protesting outside the building on Friday, two <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/despite-employers-concessions-workers-vow-to-continue-protest/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

All but four gArment fActories in SvAy Rieng province were closed yesterdAy, As A strike of thousAnds of workers there continued into its second week, A lAbour union officiAl sAid. The strike, estimAted to involve About 20,000 people Across the province’s TAi Seng And MAnhAttAn speciAl <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/strike-closes-most-bAvet-fActories/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

A request by the CAmbodiAn government for A delAy in its universAl periodic review (UPR) heAring At the HumAn Rights Council in GenevA, which wAs supposed to be ThursdAy, hAs been Accepted, According to A rights group thAt wAs to deliver A stAtement on the <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/cAmbodiA-delAys-humAn-rights-heAring-for-one-week/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Migrant workers and students who have won scholarships abroad will now pay only a small tax fee for passports, according to a government sub-decree enacted this month that seeks to reprise a similar effort from 2008 widely perceived to have been ineffective. The latest sub-decree, signed <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/passports-pledged-anew/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A mid​ strong demAnd growth in the GrAde A office sector, A joint-venture Agreement signing event wAs held At the Sofitel PhokeethrA lAst week, estAblishing An investment compAny, provisionAlly cAlled Kingdom Luxury Development Co, which Aims to build A GrAde-A office tower Phnom Penh. The joint-venture <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/locAl-And-foreign-business-interests-form-luxury-property-joint-venture/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Representatives for the employees and owners of a Phnom Penh garment factory gutted by a fire last month will meet at the Ministry of Labor today to try and hammer out a pay package for the workers, though a factory official said they would not <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/representatives-to-meet-over-factory-fire/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Staff at the Phnom Penh Municipal Referral Hospital said Tuesday that they had no record of a recent visit from a man who died late last month at the Prey Speu social affairs center, contradicting claims made by a city official. Both a file search by <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/records-refute-citys-claim-of-hospital-visits/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

More than 100 staff members of the Phnom Penh Referral Hospital and 7 Makara Health Care Center met the capital’s health director yesterday to discuss concerns about a land swap after a recent announcement that part of the hospitals lost their land title. The meeting came <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/land-swap-fears-at-hospital/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has sold its 12.25 percent stake in acleda bank to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) in an undisclosed amount after having supported acleda for over 15 years, said an IFC news statement <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ifc-sells-stake-in-cambodias-commercial-bank-to-japanese-bank/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

An overwhelming mAjority of trAnsgender women on CAmbodiA’s city streets Are subject to “shocking” hArAssment And Abuse, According to A new report from the CAmbodiAn Centre for HumAn Rights (CCHR). The report, releAsed yesterdAy, Also shines A light on A disturbing new prActice thAt hAs Allegedly <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/Abuses-prevAlent-for-cAmbodiAs-trAnsgender-women-study/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Jatropha, known in Cambodia as “Lhong Kwong”, is commonly grown in the Kingdom. Jatropha mainly grows in the mountainous regions of the north and central parts of Cambodia but is not restricted to those areas. It can be found in Battambong, Pursat, Kampong Speu, Sihanouk, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/topics/jatropha/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications implemented a law preventing mobile phone service providers from selling at less than cost over a year and a half ago, though the companies are still lowering their tariffs in an effort to remain competitive in the highly saturated <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/price-dumping-in-telecoms-market-still-persists/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

An expected 4,500 CAmbodiAns Are expected to be working in South KoreA by the end of the yeAr, up from the estimAted 2,915 According to the Ministry of LAbour. The strong economy in KoreA combined with A Buddhist bAckground is A big drAw for the <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/rise-in-worker-numbers-heAding-to-south-koreA/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

After winning whAt is sAid to be A lAndslide victory in SundAy’s polls, cAretAker Prime Minister Hun Sen Announced on ThursdAy thAt new members to the NAtionAl Assembly would be confirmed, And A new government creAted by the third week of September. However, A leAder <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/hun-sen-new-government-in-september/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>