Cambodia has designated its first-ever genetic conservation area for an animal species. The target is the survival of one of the last wild strongholds of the Siamese crocodile, a species listed as critically endangered.

On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, Art for Kep launched a workshop at the Kep West Wellness Center on making the khleng ek, the Khmer musical kite, with the Association for the Conservation and Development of Khmer Kites. Children from the NGOs CEK and Kep Gardens came in numbers and full of enthusiasm: both sessions were full. Every team built its own kite, and one large kite was given to Art for Kep

Sophea dared him. Bernard said yes, somewhere between two sips of beer. Nobody at the table believed he'd actually show up — least of all in flip-flops.

PA portrait of Henri Marchal (1876-1970), the French architect who became conservator of Angkor after the murder of Jean Commaille, and pioneered the anastylosis restoration method at Banteay Srei.

From October 10 to 12, Cambodia will observe Pchum Ben, one of the two major fixtures of the Khmer calendar alongside New Year. Three days are official holidays, but the rituals span fifteen — the period known as Kan Ben is already under way, and pagodas across the country fill each morning with families bringing offerings.

On Koh Sdach island, in Cambodia's coastal Koh Kong province, Hem Kin Oun and a group of women walk the shoreline every week looking for discarded fishing nets snagged among the rocks or washed up on the sand. These lost nets, known as ghost nets, keep trapping marine life and catching on coral reefs for as long as they stay in the water. The group she leads, SHE Waves, gives them a second life.

The Royal Government of Cambodia has issued two new banknotes, one worth 50,000 riel (about $12.5) and the other 100,000 riel (roughly $25), under two sub-decrees signed Friday by Prime Minister Hun Manet. The new notes will circulate alongside existing banknotes rather than replace them.

Cambodia is moving ahead with its new Agri-Food Industrial Park (AIP) framework, backed by Australia. A meeting held in Phnom Penh in late August brought together the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Australian Embassy, along with agro-industrial investors and development partners, to explore the opportunities the new framework opens up.

France and the European Union have jointly launched two major projects to modernise Cambodia's power grid, signing three contracts at a ceremony presided over by Energy Minister Keo Rottanak, French Ambassador Olivier Richard, and EU Ambassador Igor Driesmans.