To encourage more young people to become entrepreneurs, the government must prioritise improving the process of starting and registering a business, reducing capital requirements, and expanding access to finance, experts said last week. ...

Kampot pepper, one of the Kingdom’s top Geographical Indication (GI) products, is under pressure as over-cultivation drives farmers to give up production, said Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) president Nguon Lay. ...

A rights group has noticed ongoing illegal migration into Thailand through unofficial border gates in Banteay Meanchey province, citing the lack of market for agricultural products and demand for labour inside the country. ...

More than half of the villagers who fell ill after drinking contaminated water or methanol-laced rice wine in Kratie province’s Chetr Borei district last week have returned home after receiving treatment. ...

Nests of five critically endangered bird species were found in the Siem Pang and Siem Pang Kang Lech wildlife sanctuaries last year, according to an annual report issued yesterday by Birdlife International Cambodia. ...

The Mondulkiri Provincial Court on Monday ordered the detention of three government officials and three Chinese nationals on different charges after they were arrested on Friday and Saturday in connection with forestry offences. ...

The human rights wing of the International Bar Association has found Cambodia’s judiciary is riddled with problems that corrode citizens’ rights to a fair trial, including widespread graft.   ...

A fire tore through a garment factory in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on Monday evening, destroying more than half of the building and its inventory but injuring no workers, an official said Tuesday. ...

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has wrapped up a three-day state visit to Cambodia, which was part of the Kremlin’s push for a stronger role in Southeast Asia. ...

A protest leader was arrested during a demonstration on Monday morning outside Banteay Meanchey provincial police headquarters in Poipet City because authorities said the group of about 40 people did not have permission to protest. ...

A program to provide credit to people to buy home solar panels is set to launch this month after three microfinance organizations agreed to sign on, said Arjen Luxwolda, managing director of solar provider Kamworks. ...

Hong Kong based garment manufacturing giant Crystal Group is hoping to replicate the success of its “Chinese role model sustainable denim jeans factory” with its new facility in Cambodia. ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong asked Laos’ deputy prime minister for further study of the Don Sahong hydropower dam before construction begins during a meeting with the envoy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. ...

The Cambodian Higher Education Association released a statement on Saturday defending its members against claims made last week by CNRP President Sam Rainsy, who criticized the quality of Cambodia’s postsecondary education system. ...

Police in Kandal province on Tuesday arrested the owner of an electrified rat trap that killed a fisherman in a flooded rice field behind the suspect’s home on Mon­day night, an official said. ...

A bipartisan commission of National Assembly lawmakers arrived in Battambang province yesterday to investigate three unresolved land disputes before going on to Banteay Meanchey to investigate six more over the next two days. ...

In recognition of this year’s World Malaria Day on Monday this week, the Health Minister reconfirmed Cambodia’s commitment to eliminate the disease by 2025 during a speech in Pailin on Monday. ...

While Cambodia’s crowded banking sector has enjoyed strong growth, the majority of consumers surveyed have cited dissatisfaction with banking services as a main impediment for the sector’s confidence and future growth. ...

State-run energy utility Electricité du Cambodge (EdC) has asked banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to stop using third-party services to collect payment of customer electricity fees, local media reported yesterday. ...

Two economic zones in Svay Rieng province’s Bavet City closed down on Thursday, sending some 30,000 workers home over what local officials said were violent protests by groups of workers demanding higher wages. ...