International Sources

BHUTANESE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR NEW PARLIAMENT – Inter Press Service
APRIL 2008 (IPS) – Expectations are high among the people of Bhutan for the new government to deliver on its promises, especially once the new constitution is adopted in early May when the parliament convenes, writes Francoise Pommaret, Bhutan’s …

From Bhutan to the Bronx – BBC South-Asia
“We can’t understand anyone, and they can’t understand us. We walk on the street, and everybody is a giant. It’s scary. We go into the subway it’s strange, getting into a lift is odd,” she says. “Everything is strange.” She giggles as she describes …

Bhutanese refugees find new home – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bhutanese siblings Dilli Prasad Odari, 20, Man Maya Odari, 25, Yani Maya Odari, 22, stand in the doorway of their Whitehall apartment. For 17 years, the Odari family was among more than 107,000 Bhutanese refugees in camps scattered among the …

Global tourism struggles to shrink environmental footprint – Chicago Tribune
BANGKOK, Thailand – Citing green hotels, coconut oil fuel for airlines and even recyclable golf tees, executives in one of the world’s largest industries say they are urgently trying to shrink tourism’s oversized environmental footprint. But with …

India among countries worst affected by terror: US report – Rediff
India was among the countries worst affected by terror with militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ] and in the north-east, strikes by Naxalites and attacks elsewhere in the country taking a toll of more than 2,300 lives in 2007, the US state …

Bhutan to allow more foreigners, but no bungee jumping – ninemsn
The insular Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan aims to boost tourists five-fold but will preserve its cachet as an exclusive destination with no bungee jumping backpackers allowed, officials say. The small and stunning mountainous nation first welcomed …

Where’s Matt Lauer? Lifting NBC’s ‘Today’ ratings – Newsday
A poster of Muhammad Ali looms over Matt Lauer ‘s cluttered office up the stairs from NBC’s “Today” show studios. Both men are accustomed to training for grueling physical feats. Lauer ate better, stepped up his workouts and slept more during the …

Bhutan on the brink – Deccan Herald
With the Earth’s rising temperatures, many glacial lakes in Bhutan are at risk of overflowing and dumping their contents into the narrow valleys where much of the country’s population lives. High in the Himalayas, above this peaceful valley where …

Bhutan bags 21 new birds – Kuensel Online
29 April, 2008 – Besides being home to some of the world’s endangered bird species, Bhutan has recorded 21 new additional species, adding to its high floral and faunal diversity, according to officials of the nature conservation division. With the …

XL TechGroup unit in product development, licensing deal with Nicholas … – Forbes
LONDON (Thomson Financial) – XL TechGroup Inc. said its 83.5-percent owned company DxTech LLC. has signed a long-term product development and licensing agreement with pharmaceutical company Nicholas Piramal India Ltd., as part of a long-term …

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Namgay Penjore wins NC chair

30 April, 2008 – The members of the National Council elected the Punakha councillor, Namgay Penjore, as their Chairman with 13 votes. The 25 members gave one of His Majesty the King’s eminent nominees, Dasho Karma Ura, 10 votes to make him Deputy Chairman, a largely ceremonial position.

The pen-pushers’ table-tours

One for all, claims for all

30 April, 2008 – “Could you kindly take this issue seriously …”

An anonymous complaint on kuenselonline’s discussion forum alleges that a drangpon (judge) has been colluding with his staff and claiming travel and daily allowance (TA/DA) for official tours he never made.

Flat facts about high heels
Shoes are your passion. And high heels are the mainstay of your professional image and never go out of fashion. But your feet don’t feel too good in them. Is it time to surrender these beauties?

29 April, 2008 – Ask any woman … and high heels are an essential part of their wardrobe. Apart from looking and feeling taller, high heels are worn for that feel of sophistication imparted by making your legs look longer and bottom smaller and which can convert you from a drab ‘flatfoot’ to a diva ‘spectacular’!

These boots are meant for (more than) walking

29 April, 2008 – Y
ou want to know a man’s style, look at his shoes. A line that everyone remembers and you must have surely noticed how people giving others the once-over scan their shoes first.

Bhutan Observer

bO Observation: Jolly good luck!
I want to believe we are all living well. But that arouses suspicion. We just need to glance at the news; both town and country. There’s enough fodder there for a regurgitating mammal to contemplate upon and enact. Now let’s look at news concerning the countryside; a villager, a farmer and the rest of that [...]

Readers’ Voice: I drink, therefore I am
There is an ancient Indian fable about a drunkard. The story goes that the man, in an inebriated state, made all the more intrepid by the influence of alcohol, impetuously demanded to make a purchase of the Raja’s royal mount. After a lot of persistence, the courtiers timidly reported the incident to their liege and [...]

Readers’ Voice: When it came to names, the bard was apparently wrong!
When William Shakespeare challenged, ‘What is in a name?’ and drew out an indisputable analogy of ‘rose by any name would smell just the same,’ little did he realize that a divine madman, Lam Drukpa Kuenley of the East, would preach otherwise?
The name, to the Lam, was so crucial that it determined who was to [...]

in summary
Signboards: Democracy comes amarching

The Lyonchen’s office
The new government is in place but whether there should be any political appointment in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is a general apprehension.
Some say the appointees should be civil servants while other says that some members of the Druk Phuentsum Tshogpa should also be appointed.
The structure of the PMO has been submitted for approval to [...]

The enigmatic signboard
Democracy has arrived. The new government is in place and the ministers have assumed their responsibilities. But wait, there seems to be a dictator lurking inside the system. We don’t quite know about the size of the moustache but the mind is certainly dictatorial. There is this almost sinister fixation with uniformity. He would have [...]

bO Column: Frustrations of a “dog-eat-dog” world
A Zen story goes: a doctor was deeply frustrated that every soldier he treated would go right back into battle and would subsequently be killed. Much disturbed, he presented his dilemma to a Zen master. At which the master advised that every time the doubt arose, he should instruct himself saying – “because I am [...]

First session of the parliament
The first session of the parliament under the new government has tentatively been fixed on May 8.
The members of parliament will discuss and endorse the five bills of Election, Constitution, National Assembly, National Council and Parliamentary Entitlement.
Bills will be passed in three stages; it will go to the National Council from the National Assembly for [...]

The salary factor
With the Parliamentary Entitlement bill yet to be endorsed, Pay Commission yet to be instituted and parliament session yet to begin, the Members of Parliament (MP) are living without salaries while the ministers are getting paid.
The legal justification to this is that the ministers have started working and shouldering responsibilities but have not the rest? [...]

Child labour and the policy makers
Sir,
  Children are said to be the reflection of god but does it apply to one’s children only or also to children throughout the world? On this question, every decision maker will try to colour themselves and hide under the colourful of words of care and concern, without meaning it from their heart.
Today’s children are [...]

International Sources

From Bhutan to the Bronx – BBC South-Asia
“We can’t understand anyone, and they can’t understand us. We walk on the street, and everybody is a giant. It’s scary. We go into the subway it’s strange, getting into a lift is odd,” she says. “Everything is strange.” She giggles as she describes …

Environmental havoc looms for Bhutan – Boston Globe
PUNAKHA, Bhutan – High in the Himalayas, above this peaceful valley where farmers till a patchwork of emerald-green fields, an icy lake fed by melting glaciers waits to become a “tsunami from the sky.” The lake is swollen dangerously past normal …

In Bhutan, arrows (and insults) fly – Chicago Tribune
PARO, Bhutan — Dorji, a house painter with close-cropped black hair, draws his bowstring, hooks his thumb on his cheek and takes aim at what looks like an impossible target: an 11-inch-wide slip of wood dug into the soil a whopping 460 feet away, a …

Bhutan on the brink – Deccan Herald
With the Earth’s rising temperatures, many glacial lakes in Bhutan are at risk of overflowing and dumping their contents into the narrow valleys where much of the country’s population lives. High in the Himalayas, above this peaceful valley where …

Where’s Matt Lauer? Lifting NBC’s ‘Today’ ratings – Newsday
A poster of Muhammad Ali looms over Matt Lauer ‘s cluttered office up the stairs from NBC’s “Today” show studios. Both men are accustomed to training for grueling physical feats. Lauer ate better, stepped up his workouts and slept more during the …

Bhutan bags 21 new birds – Kuensel Online
29 April, 2008 – Besides being home to some of the world’s endangered bird species, Bhutan has recorded 21 new additional species, adding to its high floral and faunal diversity, according to officials of the nature conservation division. With the …

Film industry in decline – Kuensel Online
29 April, 2008 – Bhutanese film producers say that the biggest bottlenecks for the rapidly evolving local film industry are a lack of venues to screen productions and screening restrictions in the districts. With just one cinema hall in the capital …

Bound Women, Sacred Temples, Chiseled Males: 57th Street Art – Bloomberg
April 29 (Bloomberg) — Bound kimono-clad women, a muscular author in a loincloth, a cliff-side temple — the images in “Photographers of Japanese Descent” range from East to West, sacred to street. The exhibition on view at the Howard Greenberg …

Where in The World Is Matt Lauer Now? – The Ledger
MATT LAUER has begun his ninth series of “Where in the World Is Matt Lauer?” His destination is kept a mystery from colleagues as well. Lauer ate better, stepped up his workouts and slept more during the past few weeks in preparation for his ninth …

Food, biofuels and developing countries – Globe and Mail
As the price of food rises and stories are told of people around the world stocking up on commodities such as rice, questions are being asked about the role biofuel is playing in what many predict will become a worldwide crisis. In North America, the …

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Flat facts about high heels
Shoes are your passion. And high heels are the mainstay of your professional image and never go out of fashion. But your feet don’t feel too good in them. Is it time to surrender these beauties?

29 April, 2008 – Ask any woman … and high heels are an essential part of their wardrobe. Apart from looking and feeling taller, high heels are worn for that feel of sophistication imparted by making your legs look longer and bottom smaller and which can convert you from a drab ‘flatfoot’ to a diva ‘spectacular’!
These boots are meant for (more than) walking

29 April, 2008 – Y
ou want to know a man’s style, look at his shoes. A line that everyone remembers and you must have surely noticed how people giving others the once-over scan their shoes first.

Ten question

29 April, 2008 – Dorji Khandu, 48, from Sha Wangdi runs a shoe shop in Thimphu. He tells City Bytes what the most sought after designs are and what one should look for when buying shoes.

1. How’s business?
It’s good but it was better in the past.

Bhutan bags 21 new birds

Brahminy starling

29 April, 2008 – Besides being home to some of the world’s endangered bird species, Bhutan has recorded 21 new additional species, adding to its high floral and faunal diversity, according to officials of the nature conservation division.

Burning the midnight oil, Sherubtse-style

The Sherubtse campus: “… has suddenly become more decent and quiet.”

29 April, 2008 – If you happen to pass through Sherubtse College in Kanglung at night, you are likely to come across a group of men wielding torches.

Cent per cent in Economics
29 April, 2008 – When the results for Sherubtse’s economics department came in last month, they provided a pleasant shock – every single student had passed!

Better roads, higher accident rates

Smooth as silk but speed can kill

29 April, 2008 – New data from the road safety transport authority (RSTA) show that broader highways are leading to a significant jump in motor accidents.

New-look National Assembly makeover

The arena of political discourse and national legislation

29 April, 2008 – The functioning of the elected parliament will be different from the previous National Assembly, according to the assembly secretariat.

Accident claims two lives

The mangled wreck of the van

29 April, 2008 – Two men died and two others were injured when the maruti van they were travelling in plunged off the road in Kuengarabten, Trongsa, at around 7:30 am on April 24.

Kaba crop flattened by hailstorm

Months of toil and sweat decimated in a day

29 April, 2008 – Wheat and barley cultivation in Kaba village, Trongsa, has taken a pelting in recent weeks, with hailstorms destroying several acres of the area’s two important spring crops.

Bhutan Observer

bO Observation: Jolly good luck!
I want to believe we are all living well. But that arouses suspicion. We just need to glance at the news; both town and country. There’s enough fodder there for a regurgitating mammal to contemplate upon and enact. Now let’s look at news concerning the countryside; a villager, a farmer and the rest of that [...]

Readers’ Voice: I drink, therefore I am
There is an ancient Indian fable about a drunkard. The story goes that the man, in an inebriated state, made all the more intrepid by the influence of alcohol, impetuously demanded to make a purchase of the Raja’s royal mount. After a lot of persistence, the courtiers timidly reported the incident to their liege and [...]

Readers’ Voice: When it came to names, the bard was apparently wrong!
When William Shakespeare challenged, ‘What is in a name?’ and drew out an indisputable analogy of ‘rose by any name would smell just the same,’ little did he realize that a divine madman, Lam Drukpa Kuenley of the East, would preach otherwise?
The name, to the Lam, was so crucial that it determined who was to [...]

in summary
Signboards: Democracy comes amarching

The Lyonchen’s office
The new government is in place but whether there should be any political appointment in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is a general apprehension.
Some say the appointees should be civil servants while other says that some members of the Druk Phuentsum Tshogpa should also be appointed.
The structure of the PMO has been submitted for approval to [...]

The enigmatic signboard
Democracy has arrived. The new government is in place and the ministers have assumed their responsibilities. But wait, there seems to be a dictator lurking inside the system. We don’t quite know about the size of the moustache but the mind is certainly dictatorial. There is this almost sinister fixation with uniformity. He would have [...]

bO Column: Frustrations of a “dog-eat-dog” world
A Zen story goes: a doctor was deeply frustrated that every soldier he treated would go right back into battle and would subsequently be killed. Much disturbed, he presented his dilemma to a Zen master. At which the master advised that every time the doubt arose, he should instruct himself saying – “because I am [...]

First session of the parliament
The first session of the parliament under the new government has tentatively been fixed on May 8.
The members of parliament will discuss and endorse the five bills of Election, Constitution, National Assembly, National Council and Parliamentary Entitlement.
Bills will be passed in three stages; it will go to the National Council from the National Assembly for [...]

The salary factor
With the Parliamentary Entitlement bill yet to be endorsed, Pay Commission yet to be instituted and parliament session yet to begin, the Members of Parliament (MP) are living without salaries while the ministers are getting paid.
The legal justification to this is that the ministers have started working and shouldering responsibilities but have not the rest? [...]

Child labour and the policy makers
Sir,
 Children are said to be the reflection of god but does it apply to one’s children only or also to children throughout the world? On this question, every decision maker will try to colour themselves and hide under the colourful of words of care and concern, without meaning it from their heart.
Today’s children are [...]

Bhutan paying for others’ environmental damage (OneWorld South Asia)
Punakha, Bhutan: High in the Himalayas, an icy lake fed by melting glaciers waits to become a “tsunami from the sky”. The lake is swollen dangerously past normal levels, thanks to the global warming that is causing the glaciers to retreat at record speed.

Singapore volunteers share IT skills with students in Bhutan (Channel NewsAsia via Yahoo! Philippines News)
PARO, Bhutan: Over half of Bhutan’s population of 700,000 is under 25 years old.

Singapore volunteers share IT skills with students in Bhutan (Channel NewsAsia)
PARO, Bhutan: Over half of Bhutan’s population of 700,000 is under 25 years old. With the country’s jobless rate at nearly four percent, efforts are being made to ensure that the youths have the right skills for employment.

In Bhutan, arrows (and insults) fly (Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Laurie Goering looks at archery, the longtime national pastime that has remained a passion for many in modern-day Bhutan. The Tribune’s Laurie Goering looks at archery, the longtime national pastime that has remained a passion for many in modern-day Bhutan.

The ‘she factor’ in Bhutan’s tourism sector (New Kerala)
Zafri Mudasser, Nofil Thimphu: Bhutan is opening up slowly to the modern world in a fine balance with its traditions and its women are contributing in their own way to make the country one of the most sought-after travel destinations.

Maoist victory casts shadow over Bhutan refugee resettlement (IANS via Yahoo! India News)
Kathmandu, April 27 (IANS) The historic victory of Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas in this month’s crucial election and their bid to lead the new government has cast a dark shadow over the process started by the US and other western governments to offer Bhutanese refugees in Nepal new homes abroad.

Maoist victory casts shadow over Bhutan refugee resettlement (New Kerala)
By Sudeshna Sarkar, Kathmandu, April 27 : The historic victory of Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas in this month’s crucial election and their bid to lead the new government has cast a dark shadow over the process started by the US and other western governments to offer Bhutanese refugees in Nepal new homes abroad.

Private sector giants (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energy cooperation (The Economic Times)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energycooperation (Outlook India)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened manifold by sale of surplus hydel power.

Here come the lawyers
26 April, 2008 – Western society has gone through a stage where there has been intensive debate on the role of lawyers in society. There are numerous jokes on how much, or how little, they trust lawyers and on how much money lawyers make. But developed – and, for that matter, developing – societies cannot function without lawyers.

Sacred lhakhang consecrated

Lungchu-tse monastery

26 April, 2008 – His Majesty the King, His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo and members of the royal family attended a quiet and sacred ceremony to consecrate the Lungchu-tse monastery above Dochu-la pass, which has been expanded and completely restored.

Not too late nor early either

26 April, 2008 – Settlements and infrastructure along a 147-km stretch, from Punatsangchu to Lhamoizingkha (Kalikhola) in the southern foothills, will feel the impact of 53 million cubic metres of water thundering down the mountainside if the Thorthormi and Raphstreng glacial lakes in Lunana merge and burst its banks.

Private sector giants
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Taking ICT to the next level
26 April, 2008 – More than money and manpower, Bhutan needs political will to take ICT (Information Communications Technology) to the next level.

Police crack desecrators’ ring
26 April, 2008 – In what police describe as the most sacrilegious lhakhang desecration case in Bhutan’s history, the Royal Bhutan Police’s special investigation team and the Paro police have arrested nine men in connection with the robbery and desecration of the 12th century Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro.

City case verdicts reversed
26 April, 2008 – The High Court yesterday acquitted the former Thimphu thrompon (mayor) of the two cases he was charged with and tried in a lower court for “illegal transfer of immovable property and misuse of authority”. The court reversed five decisions, including three partially overturned, and upheld two, which were appealed by both defendants and plaintiffs.

Race is on for NC Chairperson
26 April, 2008 – There is tense, if low key, lobbying going on among the National Council members for the post of Chairperson. One member said that about four members, including one woman, were reportedly lobbying for the seat.

Unemployment in the era of imported labour
The gap between expectations and opportunities has to be bridged

Are white collar jobs all they want?

25 April, 2008 – As the day gives way to dusk, Kunzang Thinley’s mood starts to take on the colour of the darkening sky.

Getting to grips with ground realities
24 April, 2008 – Climbing thickly forested terrain and trudging through knee deep puddles under the scorching summer sun to set up a water pipeline are experiences that national service workers during the late 1970s and early 80s talk about with pride and contentment.

Singapore volunteers share IT skills with students in Bhutan (Channel NewsAsia via Yahoo! Singapore News)
PARO, Bhutan: Over half of Bhutan’s population of 700,000 is under 25 years old.

Singapore volunteers share IT skills with students in Bhutan (Channel NewsAsia)
PARO, Bhutan: Over half of Bhutan’s population of 700,000 is under 25 years old. With the country’s jobless rate at nearly four percent, efforts are being made to ensure that the youths have the right skills for employment.

The ‘she factor’ in Bhutan’s tourism sector (New Kerala)
Zafri Mudasser, Nofil Thimphu: Bhutan is opening up slowly to the modern world in a fine balance with its traditions and its women are contributing in their own way to make the country one of the most sought-after travel destinations.

Maoist victory casts shadow over Bhutan refugee resettlement (IANS via Yahoo! India News)
Kathmandu, April 27 (IANS) The historic victory of Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas in this month’s crucial election and their bid to lead the new government has cast a dark shadow over the process started by the US and other western governments to offer Bhutanese refugees in Nepal new homes abroad.

Maoist victory casts shadow over Bhutan refugee resettlement (New Kerala)
By Sudeshna Sarkar, Kathmandu, April 27 : The historic victory of Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas in this month’s crucial election and their bid to lead the new government has cast a dark shadow over the process started by the US and other western governments to offer Bhutanese refugees in Nepal new homes abroad.

Private sector giants (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energy cooperation (The Economic Times)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energycooperation (Outlook India)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened manifold by sale of surplus hydel power.

Police crack desecrators’ ring (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – In what police describe as the most sacrilegious lhakhang desecration case in Bhutan’s history, the Royal Bhutan Police’s special investigation team and the Paro police have arrested nine men in connection with the robbery and desecration of the 12th century Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro.

Collateral damage (Express India)
High in the Himalayas, an icy lake fed by melting glaciers waits to become a “tsunami from the sky”.

Here come the lawyers
26 April, 2008 – Western society has gone through a stage where there has been intensive debate on the role of lawyers in society. There are numerous jokes on how much, or how little, they trust lawyers and on how much money lawyers make. But developed – and, for that matter, developing – societies cannot function without lawyers.

Sacred lhakhang consecrated

Lungchu-tse monastery

26 April, 2008 – His Majesty the King, His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo and members of the royal family attended a quiet and sacred ceremony to consecrate the Lungchu-tse monastery above Dochu-la pass, which has been expanded and completely restored.

Not too late nor early either

26 April, 2008 – Settlements and infrastructure along a 147-km stretch, from Punatsangchu to Lhamoizingkha (Kalikhola) in the southern foothills, will feel the impact of 53 million cubic metres of water thundering down the mountainside if the Thorthormi and Raphstreng glacial lakes in Lunana merge and burst its banks.

Private sector giants
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Taking ICT to the next level
26 April, 2008 – More than money and manpower, Bhutan needs political will to take ICT (Information Communications Technology) to the next level.

Police crack desecrators’ ring
26 April, 2008 – In what police describe as the most sacrilegious lhakhang desecration case in Bhutan’s history, the Royal Bhutan Police’s special investigation team and the Paro police have arrested nine men in connection with the robbery and desecration of the 12th century Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro.

City case verdicts reversed
26 April, 2008 – The High Court yesterday acquitted the former Thimphu thrompon (mayor) of the two cases he was charged with and tried in a lower court for “illegal transfer of immovable property and misuse of authority”. The court reversed five decisions, including three partially overturned, and upheld two, which were appealed by both defendants and plaintiffs.

Race is on for NC Chairperson
26 April, 2008 – There is tense, if low key, lobbying going on among the National Council members for the post of Chairperson. One member said that about four members, including one woman, were reportedly lobbying for the seat.

Unemployment in the era of imported labour
The gap between expectations and opportunities has to be bridged

Are white collar jobs all they want?

25 April, 2008 – As the day gives way to dusk, Kunzang Thinley’s mood starts to take on the colour of the darkening sky.

Getting to grips with ground realities
24 April, 2008 – Climbing thickly forested terrain and trudging through knee deep puddles under the scorching summer sun to set up a water pipeline are experiences that national service workers during the late 1970s and early 80s talk about with pride and contentment.

The ‘she factor’ in Bhutan’s tourism sector (New Kerala)
Zafri Mudasser, Nofil Thimphu: Bhutan is opening up slowly to the modern world in a fine balance with its traditions and its women are contributing in their own way to make the country one of the most sought-after travel destinations.

Private sector giants (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energy cooperation (The Economic Times)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened.

Nitish asks Nepal to take cue from Bhutan on energycooperation (Outlook India)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asked Nepal to take a cue from Bhutan and harness water resources with India so that the Nepalese economy is strengthened manifold by sale of surplus hydel power.

Police crack desecrators’ ring (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – In what police describe as the most sacrilegious lhakhang desecration case in Bhutan’s history, the Royal Bhutan Police’s special investigation team and the Paro police have arrested nine men in connection with the robbery and desecration of the 12th century Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro.

Govt lifts rice ban on Bhutan (The Economic Times)
The Indian government has lifted the ban on the import of rice by Bhutan with immediate effect, agriculture ministry officials in the Himalayan country said.

Bhutan after the polls (Central Chronicle)
Bhutan must be a truly unique country, something more than an idyllic nest high on the Himalayas.

Thimphu’s dry season (Kuensel)
24 April, 2008 – Every year, around this time of the year, at least one third of the city residents in Thimphu suffer from an acute shortage of water supply.

How To Curb Corruption (Kuensel)
OPINION 24 April, 2008 – It’s great that Bhutan’s first democratically elected government is determined to stamp out corruption from society. The Bhutanese media’s headache before used to be getting officials to admit there was corruption. Or if at all it posed a problem.

Taking ICT to the next level (Kuensel)
26 April, 2008 – More than money and manpower, Bhutan needs political will to take ICT (Information Communications Technology) to the next level.

Here come the lawyers
26 April, 2008 – Western society has gone through a stage where there has been intensive debate on the role of lawyers in society. There are numerous jokes on how much, or how little, they trust lawyers and on how much money lawyers make. But developed – and, for that matter, developing – societies cannot function without lawyers.

Sacred lhakhang consecrated

Lungchu-tse monastery

26 April, 2008 – His Majesty the King, His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo and members of the royal family attended a quiet and sacred ceremony to consecrate the Lungchu-tse monastery above Dochu-la pass, which has been expanded and completely restored.

Not too late nor early either

26 April, 2008 – Settlements and infrastructure along a 147-km stretch, from Punatsangchu to Lhamoizingkha (Kalikhola) in the southern foothills, will feel the impact of 53 million cubic metres of water thundering down the mountainside if the Thorthormi and Raphstreng glacial lakes in Lunana merge and burst its banks.

Private sector giants
26 April, 2008 – When we think of the Bhutanese private sector two companies that immediately come to mind are the Tashi and the Singye groups.

Taking ICT to the next level
26 April, 2008 – More than money and manpower, Bhutan needs political will to take ICT (Information Communications Technology) to the next level.

Police crack desecrators’ ring
26 April, 2008 – In what police describe as the most sacrilegious lhakhang desecration case in Bhutan’s history, the Royal Bhutan Police’s special investigation team and the Paro police have arrested nine men in connection with the robbery and desecration of the 12th century Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro.

City case verdicts reversed
26 April, 2008 – The High Court yesterday acquitted the former Thimphu thrompon (mayor) of the two cases he was charged with and tried in a lower court for “illegal transfer of immovable property and misuse of authority”. The court reversed five decisions, including three partially overturned, and upheld two, which were appealed by both defendants and plaintiffs.

Race is on for NC Chairperson
26 April, 2008 – There is tense, if low key, lobbying going on among the National Council members for the post of Chairperson. One member said that about four members, including one woman, were reportedly lobbying for the seat.

Unemployment in the era of imported labour
The gap between expectations and opportunities has to be bridged

Are white collar jobs all they want?

25 April, 2008 – As the day gives way to dusk, Kunzang Thinley’s mood starts to take on the colour of the darkening sky.

Getting to grips with ground realities
24 April, 2008 – Climbing thickly forested terrain and trudging through knee deep puddles under the scorching summer sun to set up a water pipeline are experiences that national service workers during the late 1970s and early 80s talk about with pride and contentment.

The ‘she factor’ in Bhutan’s tourism sector (New Kerala)
Zafri Mudasser, Nofil Thimphu: Bhutan is opening up slowly to the modern world in a fine balance with its traditions and its women are contributing in their own way to make the country one of the most sought-after travel destinations.

Govt lifts rice ban on Bhutan (The Economic Times)
The Indian government has lifted the ban on the import of rice by Bhutan with immediate effect, agriculture ministry officials in the Himalayan country said.

Bhutan after the polls (Central Chronicle)
Bhutan must be a truly unique country, something more than an idyllic nest high on the Himalayas.

Thimphu’s dry season (Kuensel)
24 April, 2008 – Every year, around this time of the year, at least one third of the city residents in Thimphu suffer from an acute shortage of water supply.

How To Curb Corruption (Kuensel)
OPINION 24 April, 2008 – It’s great that Bhutan’s first democratically elected government is determined to stamp out corruption from society. The Bhutanese media’s headache before used to be getting officials to admit there was corruption. Or if at all it posed a problem.

Book of Bhutanese birds (Kuensel)
24 April, 2008 – Bhutan’s geographical diversity combined with equally diverse climatic conditions contribute to Bhutan’s outstanding range of biodiversity and ecosystems. Conservation International describes Bhutan as an integral part of the Himalayan global biodiversity hotspot.

Shaky Start to Bhutan Democracy (The Epoch Times)
Almost a year ago, a middle-aged Bhutanese woman trader in the Indian border town of Phuentsholing sounded an ominous note for Bhutanese democracy. “We have heard about the polls on the Indian side…

Long distance helping hand (Kuensel)
24 April, 2008 – A group of Bhutanese working for the United Nations in Afghanistan donated US$ 707 (about Nu 28,000) to the abandoned mother, Ugyen Zangmo, who gave birth to premature twins at Thimphu hospital last month.

UNHCR rebuilding camps for Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal (People’s Daily)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is rebuilding camps for some 10,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Goldhap camp in Jhapa district in eastern Nepal who were rendered homeless by a fire early last month, local media re …

Ratnam SC down Bhutan’s Transport United 7-1 (Daily News)
Ratnam sports club hosting the AFC President’s group ‘C’ came out with a brilliant performance to beat Bhutan 7 goals to one under lights at Sugahtadasa Stadium yesterday.

Unemployment in the era of imported labour
The gap between expectations and opportunities has to be bridged

Are white collar jobs all they want?

25 April, 2008 – As the day gives way to dusk, Kunzang Thinley’s mood starts to take on the colour of the darkening sky.

Getting to grips with ground realities
24 April, 2008 – Climbing thickly forested terrain and trudging through knee deep puddles under the scorching summer sun to set up a water pipeline are experiences that national service workers during the late 1970s and early 80s talk about with pride and contentment.

Book of Bhutanese birds

Yeshey Dorji.

24 April, 2008 – Bhutan is an ornithologists paradise with over 640 bird species of which 16 species have been identified as being globally threatened, according to Bird Life International, the eastern and the central part of the kingdom like Zhemgang are reputed to be among the best birding spots in Asia.

Iron and steel prices weigh heavy

Construction industry directly affected

24 April, 2008 – The rising prices of iron and steel are beginning to make builders in the construction industry dig deeper into their pockets.

Holy water gets bottled

24 April, 2008 – The Kuje lhakhang Drubchu (spring water considered to be holy) is now available as a commodity in one-litre pet bottles.

How To Curb Corruption
OPINION 24 April, 2008 – It’s great that Bhutan’s first democratically elected government is determined to stamp out corruption from society. The Bhutanese media’s headache before used to be getting officials to admit there was corruption. Or if at all it posed a problem.

SAFTA custom duties reduced
24 April, 2008 – Although the South Asian free trade area (SAFTA), which came into force two years ago, will reduce customs duties to 0-5 percent by 2015, it will not have an impact on Bhutan, say foreign trade officials.

Displaced shopkeepers of Duksum

Four years later, still half a kilometre away

24 April, 2008 – Four years ago, some shopkeepers from Duksum, Trashiyangtse, were compelled to move to Khetsang, about half a kilometre away, after their settlement was threatened by falling boulders.

IMTRAT medical sciences update

24 April, 2008 – Forty doctors from JDWNRH and other district hospitals, medical officers from Royal Bhutan Army, Project DANTAK, Indian Military Training Team and a delegation of senior doctors from the Indian Army attended the 10th annual medical sciences update, which was organized by IMTRAT and inaugurated by the chief justice, Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye on April 19.

Once staple, now specialty

Rooting out the root

24 April, 2008 – Several days before special occasions like Thrue (Blessed Rainy Day) or Losar (New Year), the villagers of Gongdu, Mongar’s remotest gewog, venture into the forest to dig up wild potato (yam).