Reservations are now open for the "Meer Campbell Bare-Legged Bunny Ver. 1/4 Scale Finished Figure" featuring Z.A.F.T.'s songstress Meer Campbell from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY." This exclusive figure is available for a limited distribution through hobby online store "AmiAmi" and other selected retailers. The "B-style 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY' Meer Campbell Bare-Legged Bunny Ver. 1/4 Scale Finished Figure" brings the character Meer Campbell back to life in a new and bold costume arrangement. Although Meer has been previously modeled in a bunny outfit, this edition introduces her in a daring bare-legged costume, adding a fresh allure to her depiction.
Neak Oknha Kith Meng and his wife donated $100,000 to Kantha Bopha Hospital through the humanitarian football match of Cambodia Football Super Stars led by Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, at the National Olympic Stadium on May 1, 2024.
As the head coach and team leader, Hun Sen will lead two humanitarian football matches at the National Olympic Stadium, one between Vloggers All Stars and S&E All Stars and another between CFSS and Kun Khmer All Stars. The game will be played under the theme, “Together for charity and against drugs” in order to raise funds for Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital.
With the announcement of the humanitarian football match, Mr. Hun Sen also called on the public to take part and come out in large numbers to promote the humanitarian movement and the fight against drugs.
He also called on philanthropists to contribute funds to help Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital, which is a large complex of hospitals in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap that specialise in the treatment of Cambodian children and infants.
The amount of $50.000 has been donated in advance by Mr. Hun Sen and his wife, Bun Rany.
PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia's bicycle export fell 43 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2024, said a General Department of Customs and Excise's report on Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian country exported bicycles, including electric bicycles, worth 96.9 million U.S. dollars during the January-March period this year, a decrease of 43 percent from 170 million dollars over the same period 2023.
Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the made-in-Cambodia bicycles had been shipped mainly to European countries, the United States, Britain and Canada, among others.
"The drop was due to global economic slowdown and uncertainties that had resulted in a plunge in purchase orders," he told Xinhua.
Sovicheat said bicycles are one of Cambodia's major manufacturing products for exports after garments, footwears, and travel goods.
There are currently five bicycle factories in the kingdom, all of them are located in special economic zones in Svay Rieng Province's Bavet City on the border with Vietnam.
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 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
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.
An earthquake with a magnitude of six-point-six hit southern Japan Wednesday night, prompting reports from South Korean people who felt the tremor in the southern region.
According to local fire authorities, the 119 hotline for emergency received about 160 such calls after the quake struck off the west coast of Japan’s Shikoku Island at 11:14 p.m.
Around half of the calls came from Ulsan, followed by Busan with 55 and South Gyeongsang Province with 27.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the prefectures of Ehime and Kochi were hit by the quake, which had an intensity of six on Japan's one to seven seismic scale.
The Japanese government reportedly said there was no threat of a tsunami and only slight damage and minor injuries were reported.
Health minister Cho Kyoo-hong has vowed to steadfastly accomplish medical reform, which he stressed as being an imperative task.
Cho made the pledge on Thursday when chairing a government response meeting on the collective action taken by trainee doctors in protest of the government's planned medical school admissions quota hike.
The minister stressed that medical reform is a task that is imperative to protect the people’s lives and health, saying such reform would entail boosting regional and essential medical care while making preparations for future demand for medical service.
Cho then again called on the medical community to enter into dialogue to jointly discuss substantial ways to execute such reform, which the minister said is no different from proposals made by doctors’ associations.
With Cho’s remarks, the government has demonstrated its intent to push forward medical reform in the most definite manner since the general elections.
"Charimera" is a product inspired by a unique episode from the popular manga "Chiikawa." It originated from a scene where Hachiware mistakenly calls the instant ramen "Charmela" as "Charimera." This endearing mistake led to a collaboration with Myojo Charmela in April 2021.
This collaboration has been a great success, and by February 2024, it had produced up to its third iteration, becoming a beloved item among "Chiikawa" fans. The latest collaboration features flavors such as "Myojo Charmela Soy Sauce Ramen," "Miyazaki Spicy Noodles," and "Barikata Tonkotsu Noodles," each offered in a limited edition "Charmela × Chiikawa" collaborative design package.
The package design is special, themed around a Charmela street food stall and features characters from "Chiikawa." Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi are depicted holding Charmela, and the inclusion of characters like Kurimanjyu and Momonga adds a fun element of searching for where they are located. The brand name on the package is not the usual "Charmela" but "Charimera," in reference to the episode, adding an extra touch of exclusivity for fans.
Akebono Taro, the first foreign-born grand champion (Yokozuna) in the history of sumo, passed away in early April due to heart failure, it was confirmed on the 11th. He was 54 years old and had been recuperating since becoming ill in the spring of 2017.
Born in Oahu, Hawaii, he acquired Japanese nationality in April 1996 and was formerly known as Chad Rowan.
He debuted in the spring tournament of 1988 from the Azumazeki stable, where his fellow townsman, former sekiwake Takamiyama, was his mentor. After entering the top division in the autumn tournament of 1990, he used his powerful thrusting techniques and massive physique, over 200 cm and 200 kg, to quickly rise through the ranks, being promoted to the 64th Yokozuna after the 1993 New Year's tournament. Along with his contemporaries, Yokozunas Takanohana and Wakanohana, he sparked an unprecedented sumo boom. Despite suffering from knee injuries, he won 11 championships and performed a ceremonial ring-entering at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
After being forced to sit out due to worsening knee injuries, Akebono retired from professional sumo following the January 2001 tournament. He then served as a stable master under the elder name "Akebono" and coached younger wrestlers. In November 2003, he resigned from the Japan Sumo Association and later pursued a career as a professional fighter, among other activities.
