PHNOM PENH – Foreign currency exchange company Travelex has begun trading riel at Tokyo Haneda Airport after the first launch succeeded at Changi Airport in Singapore. In partnership with the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), the initiative aims to promote the riel’s use in international markets.
The exchange of the riel at Japan’s International Airport makes it easier for Japanese tourists visiting Cambodia to change their yen for riel and especially to encourage more international tourists to visit Cambodia.
The inclusion of the riel on the Tokyo trading charts increases confidence in the use of the riel and enables the NBC to intervene in the exchange market to stabilize the riel. In addition, the greater use of the riel stabilizes the Cambodian economy and mobilizes more reserves.
Hong Vanak, director of international economics at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said tourists will have the convenience of exchanging the currency before coming to Cambodia.
“Tourists won’t have a long way to access the exchange at the banks or anywhere else. They can have riel banknotes as soon as they arrive,” he said.
NBC and Travelex will expand the initiative in other countries.
The manga “Chiikawa”, which was started by illustrator Nagano on Twitter a few years ago, has continued to make rapid progress that will remain in the history of Japanese characters. Its popularity has gradually increased since around 2021, when the book series began to be published, but it became even more popular when the TV anime began airing in April 2022. When it was broadcast on Mezamashi TV, which has the highest ratings in the morning hours, it became a character that everyone, young and old, knew. The redistribution on YouTube has been viewed more than 53 million times. Some of these fans have become enthusiastic fans and are flocking to various events. Particularly popular are photo sessions, cafes, and exclusive shops. For example, tickets for photo sessions with characters held at shopping malls across the country are always competitive. A total of over 8,000 people came to the show, making it as popular as an idol.
The book “Insects in Cambodia” was published by Sipar Editions in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur of Cambodia. Photo: Michelle Vachon
PHNOM PENH — The book “Insects in Cambodia” showcases insects in bright colors, providing basic information on what they are and the role they play in nature. Meant for readers young and old, it was produced through collaboration between Sipar, the book-publishing and library-service NGO, and the research and public health center Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.
Authored by two experts in entomology, the book describes the roles insects play in the environment and in the lives of animals and humans. With colorful photos and illustrations along with short explanations on every page, the 42-page book presents the various classifications of insects such as coleoptera (beetles), hymenoptera (ants and bees), lepidoptera (butterflies), and diptera (flies).
Since its release, the book has been a success among all Cambodian publics, said Hok Sothik, director of Sipar and also president of the Cambodian Librarians Association. This is the first publication on insects that makes it easy for children, young people and adults to understand and learn about insects, he said.
The book has been published in three languages: Khmer, English, and French. As Sothik explained, while written for the general public of all ages, the text also includes scientific terminology about insects, which may drive some readers to do research to learn more. There are not many books on insects in Khmer language, Sothik said.
According to the book “Insects in Cambodia,” there are more than 400,000 species of coleoptera. But there could be many more. Photo: mv
Burnt trees and a car after yesterday’s fire in Mandra, west of Athens, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Photo: AP/Thanassis Stavrakis, File
NAPLES, Italy — Europe is the fastest-warming continent and its temperatures are rising at roughly twice the global average, two top climate monitoring organizations reported Monday, warning of the consequences for human health, glacier melt and economic activity.
The U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s climate agency, Copernicus, said in a joint report that the continent has the opportunity to develop targeted strategies to speed up the transition to renewable resources like wind, solar and hydroelectric power in response to the effects of climate change.
The continent generated 43% of its electricity from renewable resources last year, up from 36% the year before, the agencies say in their European State of the Climate report for last year. More energy in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second year running.
The latest five-year averages show that temperatures in Europe are now running 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.1 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, compared to 1.3 degrees Celsius higher globally, the report says — just shy of the targets under the 2015 Paris climate accord to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Europe saw yet another year of increasing temperatures and intensifying climate extremes — including heat stress with record temperatures, wildfires, heat waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall,” said Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus at the EU’s executive commission.
The report serves up a continental complement for WMO’s flagship state of the global climate report, which has been published annually for three decades, and this year came with a “red alert” warning that the world isn’t doing enough to fight the consequences of global warming.
Copernicus has reported that March marked the 10th straight month of record monthly temperatures. The average sea-surface temperature for the ocean across Europe hit its highest annual level in 2023, the Europe report said.
The European report focuses this year on the impact of high temperatures on human health, noting that deaths related to heat have risen across the continent. It said more than 150 lives were lost directly last year in connection with storms, floods and wildfires.
The cost of weather- and climate-related economic losses in 2023 were estimated at more than 13.4 billion euros (about $14.3 billion).
“Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by extreme climate events in 2023, which have been responsible for large losses at continental level, estimated to be at least in the tens of billions of euros,” said Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “Unfortunately, these figures are unlikely and likely to get smaller, at least in the near future.”
Extreme weather fanned heat waves, wildfires, droughts and flooding, the report said. High temperatures have contributed to a loss of glacier ice on the continent, including in the Alps — which have lost about 10% of their remaining glacier ice over the last two years.
Still, the report’s authors pointed to some exceptions, such as how temperatures were below average in Scandinavia and Iceland even if the mercury was higher than average across much of the continent as a whole.
MALE, Maldives — Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s political party has swept parliamentary elections in a strong endorsement of his pro-China foreign policy, according to preliminary results reported Monday by local media.
The People’s National Congress won 70 out of 93 seats in Sunday’s vote, and along with three seats secured by its allies has taken absolute control of Parliament, according to the preliminary results.
The Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as pro-India, held 65 seats in the previous Parliament but won only 15 seats, the news site Mihaaru.com reported.
Official results are expected later Monday.
The election was closely watched by regional powers India and China, which are competing for influence in the archipelago nation, which has a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
Muizzu’s election as president last year sharpened the rivalry between India and China as he took a pro-China stand and acted to remove Indian troops stationed on one of Maldives’ islets.
Sunday’s election was easier than expected for Muizzu, who had been expected to face a tough fight because some of his allies had fallen out and more parties entered the race.
Six political parties and independent groups fielded 368 candidates for the 93 seats in Parliament. The number of seats is six more than in the previous Parliament following adjustments for population growth.
Muizzu ran for president on a campaign theme of “India out,” accusing his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty by giving India too much influence.
At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives and their known activities were operating two aircraft donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Muizzu has taken steps to have civilians take over those activities.
Relations were strained further when Indian social media activists started a boycott of tourism in Maldives. That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s own string of islands similar to the Maldives.
India has fallen from being the top source of foreign visitors to Maldives to No. 6, according to Maldives government statistics.
Muizzu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and inbound flights from China.
In 2013, Maldives joined China’s “Belt and Road” initiative meant to build ports and highways to expand trade — and China’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe.
ISTANBUL — Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers emphasized that the military confrontation and crises in the Middle East could potentially widen to a larger area, underscoring the necessity for urgent action.
Hakan Fidan and Sameh Shoukry met in Türkiye’s Istanbul on Saturday to discuss current regional challenges and bilateral relations.
“Conflicts, incomprehension, and violence must not continue,” said Shoukry at a joint conference with Fidan. “There is a possibility that the conflict may spread. The tension between Iran and Israel has increased… We have called for restraint,” he noted.
The Egyptian foreign minister also noted that the strain between Iran and Israel diverted the international community’s attention from the “tragic situation” in Gaza, underscoring the significance of delivering aid to the region.
Shoukry called for the immediate opening of six Israeli crossings with Gaza for humanitarian aid, stressing that any failure to do so constitutes a violation of international law.
“It is very important that a ceasefire is established first and that the Palestinian people receive the humanitarian aid they need,” he remarked.
Fidan, for his part, noted that everything that happens in Palestine could trigger global fault lines and expand across both Eastern and Western spheres.
“The disruption of logistics chains and the surge in prices are just the tip of the iceberg. To curb the proliferation of crises, proactive measures are imperative to address these issues at their core,” the Turkish minister said.
“Our priority should be the end of the Israeli occupation and the realization of the two-state solution formula. Without this resolution, yesterday’s attacks from Yemen, today’s Iran-Israel tension, tomorrow’s potential for another war, and the day after’s risk of civil unrest will persist,” he said.
Meanwhile, the two ministers also underscored the profound and constructive relations between Türkiye and Egypt, emphasizing their positive impact on the region.
“We are committed to elevating our political, economic, cultural, and security relations to a superior standard. Our strong ties will contribute significantly to the security and stability of the region,” Shoukry said.
In February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Cairo in over a decade, aiming to revitalize ties with Egypt after more than a decade of estrangement.
SIEM REAP – The Bathing of the Buddha, or Srang Preah, remains one of most important ceremonies held during Khmer New Year in Cambodia.
According to Hak Kim Huot, the abbot of Wat Aranh Sakor pagoda in Siem Reap City, the Srang Preah ceremony has been held for many generations in the country.
Usually, the bathing of the Budda takes place on Veareak Laeung Sak, that is, the final day of Khmer New Year. In the afternoon of that day, people give a bath or shower to the statues of the Buddha. During the ceremony, the monks, the elders and parents apologize for any mistakes they might have made in the course of the past year, and ask for forgiveness and blessings.
At Wat Aranh Sakor, people used fragrant water to bathe the many statues of the Buddha to wash away the accumulated dust. Afterwards, they brought water to the monks who then took turn to do the same. Some people among the public joyfully splashed water on each other.
Khmer New Year, or Choul Chnam Thmey and also called Sankranta, was celebrated from April 13 through April 16 in 2024. A combination of Buddhist and traditional events, the new year is a time when families come together.
The bathing of the Buddha ceremony is usually held on the last day of Khmer New Year. However, this year at Wat Aranh Sakor, it took place on April 18, that is, two days after the official end of the New Year celebrations.
PHNOM PENH — Vietnam purchased a total of 424,000 tons of raw cashew nuts, which was nearly all of Cambodia’s production and amounted to $543 million, in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC).
This represented a 13-percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, the CAC said in its report.
CAC President Uon Silot said on April 19 that, from January through March, the country produced 474,000 tons of raw cashew nuts of which 424,000 tons were exported to Vietnam, which is Cambodia’s largest cashew-nut buyer. The sales to that country amounted to $543 million, he said.
The increase in exports was the result of the association members drying their cashew nuts at the CAC’s request when the price went down in February and early March, Silot said. It was not until mid-March that cashew nuts prices rebounded, he said.
According to Silot, the price of Cambodian cashew nut is forecasted to rise since bigger cashew-producing countries in Africa, especially the Ivory Coast and Ghana, are currently suffering from the effects of the climate crisis, and some countries are doing extensive farming and selling their nuts at lower prices.
Providing such context of declining cashew production in Africa, Silot expects prices in Cambodia to recover and farmers who dried their nuts earlier this year to sell well.
During this month of April, wet cashew nuts have been 5,000 riel (around $1.24) per kilogram, which was the highest price in the last 15 years. The average price of raw nuts is $1,200 per ton.
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and China’s foreign ministers expressed satisfaction on April 21 with the strong development of bilateral relations in all sectors as China’s top diplomat is paying an official visit to Phnom Penh.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Cambodia’s capital city on April 21 for a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with top leaders.
Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea met his Chinese counterpart a few hours after he stepped foot in the country.
In a statement released on April 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that the meeting included talks for further cooperation in infrastructure, energy, economy and trade.
The two ministers also discussed enhancing the diamond cooperation framework – which was agreed upon in February 2023 to develop cooperation in six priority areas –, people-to-people exchanges, and the joint development of industrial and technological, and fish and rice corridors.
Sophea and Wang said they highly value the strong development of bilateral relations in all sectors under the comprehensive strategic partnership.
According to the Chinese state media agency Xinhua, Wang reportedly told Sophea that the two countries should “jointly combat illegal activities such as online gambling, telecommunications fraud, and human trafficking, and thoroughly eradicate related criminal gangs.”
Sophea, who is also deputy prime minister, said Cambodia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and is committed to advancing friendly cooperation with China while looking forward to more cooperation projects with China and welcoming more Chinese companies.
Wang later paid a courtesy call to King Norodom Sihamoni during which he said that China will always be Cambodia’s most trustworthy partner and strongest supporter.
During his stay in Cambodia, Wang will meet Senate President Hun Sen and hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol and Wang will co-chair an intergovernmental meeting to discuss areas of cooperation.
The visit by the Chinese top diplomat came as Cambodia faced allegations over Chinese military activities at Ream Naval Base and criticism over the 180-kilometer-long Funan Techo Canal project, which will connect the Mekong River to the sea.
Vietnamese experts expressed they fear China will use the canal as a gateway to access the inland Vietnamese border.
Cambodia repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that the project is purely for economic and trade purposes.
The canal will cost $1.7 billion which will be covered by the State-Company China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC) under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.
Manga series “Boku no Hero Academia” (“My Hero Academia”) hit its 100 million mark of copies including electronic books with its 40th volume published from Shueisha Inc. on Thursday.
The manga is currently serialized in the publisher’s weekly Shukan Shonen Jump manga magazine.
The action-packed manga by Kohei Horikoshi that tells the story of a high school student striving to become the greatest hero has also garnered popularity overseas, including in the United States. According to Shuiesha, over 40 million of the 100 million copies have been printed outside Japan.
