Cambodia received 2.09 million international visitors in the first six months of the year, up 19 percent compared with the 1.75 million tourists over the same period last year, figures from the ministry of tourism showed Saturday. Tourism is one of the sectors supporting the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-attracts-over-2-mln-foreign-tourists-in-first-half/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Thailand and Cambodian signed an agreement for the formation of a joint business council to promote bilateral trade and investment. The memorandum of understanding was officially endorsed on Tuesday evening by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on the sidelines of <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/thailand-cambodia-mull-joint-business-trade-body/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Nearly 50 families in Koh Kong province’s Kiri Sakor district will finally receive official titles after repeatedly requesting &ndash; and being denied &ndash; student volunteers to measure their land, the villagers’ commune chief said yesterday. Koh Pol commune chief Ev Kosal, who participated in the meeting <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/titles-near-as-students-finally-on-way-to-district/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodians, particularly young adults, are more often turning to banks to help them buy their homes, according to figures obtained from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) yesterday. From $179 million in 2008, the total sum lent out to those buyers fell to $94.5 million <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/mortgage-lending-rises-for-new-home-buyers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Sales of Cambodia’s World Trade Organization-certified pepper from Kampot province fell to 21 tonnes at the end of this year’s harvest season, a slight decline from 22 tonnes after the end of last year’s season. Nguon Lay, president of the Kampot Pepper association, said fast-changing <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kampot-pepper-demand-dips/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ministry of Commerce has released figures showing Cambodia’s export of fishery goods including fresh and dried fish products have decreased drastically in the first quarter of the year, though several government officials viewed the figures with scepticism. Cambodia exported 49.9 tonnes of fish products in <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/officials-consider-export-numbers-fishy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

An insurAnce trAining centre is being plAnned in CAmbodiA to develop locAl expertise lAcking in the Kingdom’s nAscent insurAnce industry. The institute hopes to offer diplomA courses to industry leAders here so they in turn will be quAlified to provide insurAnce trAining to others, such As <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/insurAnce-institute-to-boost-skills-in-kingdom/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Following a considerable increase in Cambodia’s milled rice exports in the first four months of the year, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said he was optimistic the Kingdom’s rice exports would reach the 2015 target of one million tonnes. With this year’s export figures notably higher <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kingdom-to-reach-rice-target/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Provincial authorities in Ratanakkiri have warned ethnic Jarai villagers that they will be arrested if they continue to stop bulldozers belonging to a Vietnamese company from clearing forest in O’Yadav district’s Paknhai commune, community leaders said yesterday. Sav Finh, leader of Lom village’s forestry protection committee, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/arrests-threatened-in-ratanakkiri/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A recent string of disAsters rocking BAnglAdesh’s gArment industry hAs highlighted its fActories’ shocking sAfety record, And stoked optimism thAt giAnt fAshion brAnds will flock to move their orders to countries like CAmbodiA. But CAmbodiA’s gArment industry hAs not experienced Any mAjor deluge of business so <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/bAnglAdesh-woes-spAre-kingdom/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

AEON MicrofinAnce (CAmbodiA) Co, pArt of JApAn-bAsed AEON Group, sAid sAles by instAlment for electricAl AppliAnces And motorbikes increAsed by 715 per cent in the first quArter of 2013 yeAr on yeAr, A trend industry experts sAy will grow further with increAsing demAnd for electronics. StArted <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/instAlment-pAyments-for-goods-gAining-purchAse/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Kampong Speu Provincial Court has denied bail for eight unionists accused of instigating violence at the Sabrina Garment factory last Monday. Kampong Speu Provincial Court judge, Cheum Rithy said yesterday that he had not approved the bail request because significant work remained in questioning <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/bail-requests-denied-for-all-eight-unionists/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Intercontinental Hotels Group, one of the world’s leading hotel companies and operator of InterContinental Hotels &amp; Resorts &ndash; one of whose hotels is located in Phnom Penh &ndash; said first-half-of-year profits rose 20 per cent on strong gains in the americas region. according to a statement <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/global-hotel-group-sees-profits-rise-20-per-cent/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Provincial authority and humanitarian NGOs are preparing for severe flooding in Kompong Thom province as floodwaters flow south from inundated Preah Vihear province along the Stung Sen River. Leng Vireak, senior manager for disaster response at NGO world Vision, said that the situation was stable <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/authorities-ngos-brace-for-floods/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The number of Ratanakkiri residents trapped in their homes by floodwater that continues to rise amid relentless rain is now estimated by provincial authorities to be at least 4,000. Heavy rain has put five Lumphat district communes &ndash; Lbaing I, Chey Uddom, Batang, Seda and Kaleng <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/rkiri-floods-trap-thousands/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday gave a talk to some 200 Cambodian youths in Phnom Penh, describing criminal investigation, especially in human trafficking and child prostitution. Various youth from across nine provinces attended the discussion, where they learned how they can participate in <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/fbi-holds-investigation-talk-for-cambodian-youth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

About 30 Anti-eviction protesters from the Boeng KAk lAke community, Along with 20 Buddhist monks, blocked the gAtes of Phnom Penh municipAl hAll And burned tires MondAy demAnding more compensAtion for evicted fAmilies, And cAlling for the removAl of governor PA SocheAtvong. During the dAylong demonstrAtion, <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/Anti-eviction-protesters-burn-tires-block-city-hAll/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Two days after opposition calls for renewed negotiations, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith announced yesterday evening that the ruling party will sit down with its opposition counterparts on Thursday to talk election reform, though opposition leaders last night weren’t so sure. Speaking at a gathering of journalists <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pm-rainsy-meet-nailed-down-govt/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Factories in Svay Rieng province’s Manhattan Special Economic Zone have fired or suspended more than 200 workers &ndash; and are pursuing legal action against some &ndash; for participating in a strike last month that saw some 30,000 walk off the job. an accountant at Kingmaker (Cambodia) <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/strikers-fired-in-svay-rieng/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Recent Mekong River flash floods have entirely damaged 113,260 hectares of rice paddies, or 4.4 percent of the total rice-planted area of 2.56 million hectares, according to an agricultural report Tuesday. “The floods had affected 369,346 hectares of rice paddies. Of the figures, 113,260 hectares <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-flood-destroys-4-4-pct-of-rice-paddies-this-year-official/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>