International Sources

Bhutan’s tourism policy keeps out the riffraff – Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON – Bhutan is looking for a few good tourists – and put the emphasis on “a few,” please. The Buddhist nation of 680,000 residents squeezed between India and China in the high Himalayas had no television until 1999. Smaller than West Virginia …    [read more]

Child killed in schoolbus accident – Kuensel Online
31 August, 2008 – A nine-year-old boy was killed and several others injured when an army school truck carrying about 40 children skidded off the road near Samarzingkha, Thimphu, at around 8:00 am on August 29. The DCM truck was on its way to the …    [read more]

Yangphel Q/Finalists decided today – Kuensel Online
31 August, 2008 – Last year’s finalist Katayana made it to the quarter-finals of the 8th Yangphel archery tournament again after it defeated Dorji Drolo and Samden Lhendrup at the knock-out round on August 29. Katayana lead by one set but the match …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

The Big Picture competition: round 19 – Daily Telegraph
This week’s winner is Caroline Unwin from Andover in Hampshire, for this intimate photograph of an 88-year-old man at Jambey Lakhang temple in Bumthang, Bhutan. Read on to see this week’s other shortlisted entries    [read more]

Paper Talk – SkySports
We bring you all the football gossip from the national newspapers. Please note that these are the views published in the print media. Country: please choose Afghanistan Aland Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua …    [read more]

South Asia cooperation urged on climate change – International Herald Tribune
DHAKA, Bangladesh : Regional cooperation to promote the sharing of weather information, improved technologies and increased financial support are needed to combat the impacts of climate change in South Asia, experts said. The recommendations came …    [read more]

Bihar floods killed 76 and 3.5 lakh evacuated in India – Pakistan News Service
More than 22 lakh people were hit by the deluge in four districts with over 3.5 lakh people already evacuated. Three Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers were pressed for airdropping, official sources said. Army jawans continued to assist in massive …    [read more]

PSEB, Shaheen Foundation to develop IT Park – Pakistan News Service
LAHORE: Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has joined hands with Shaheen Foundation for the establishment of a new state-of-the-art IT Park measuring 360,000 square feet in Lahore. Operational from November 2008, the facility will be the one of …    [read more]

Nepali FM leaves for India for BIMSTEC meeting – Xinhua News Agency
KATHMANDU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Nepali Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav left here on Thursday for India in order to take part in the 10th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Child killed in schoolbus accident

THE VEHICLE INVOLVED – An electric pole stopped the DCM from plunging into the river

31 August, 2008 – A nine-year-old boy was killed and several others injured when an army school truck carrying about 40 children skidded off the road near Samarzingkha, Thimphu, at around 8:00 am on August 29.    [read more]

Yangphel Q/Finalists decided today

31 August, 2008 – Last year’s finalist Katayana made it to the quarter-finals of the 8th Yangphel archery tournament again after it defeated Dorji Drolo and Samden Lhendrup at the knock-out round on August 29.    [read more]

A day in the death …
Butchers across the border kept in business by Bhutan

IN THE FLESH – Not a sweet but a meat tooth has Thimphu

29 August, 2008 – On a hot humid afternoon recently, a truck loaded with a herd of cattle reached Jaigaon. The cows were from Nepal and Assam, India. They were released at Gauvari, a field on the outskirts of Jaigaon. At around 2 am next morning, the cows were herded towards the Toorsa river area. There, Narusin waited with a large carving knife. Its sharp edges gleamed in the sun.    [read more]

Sound and light show to scare off wildlife

ELECTRIC SCARECROW – Pema Dakpa’s device has proved effective in field trials Photo: Pema Dakpa

29 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Agriculture has devised an ingenious indigenous contraption, somewhat similar to a police siren in its function, to prevent wild animals from attacking farmer’s fields at night.
   [read more]

Real estate values keep going through the roof
Spiralling land prices will stabilise only if generally opened to development

FROM LAND TO SKY – Boom time now but will the bubble burst?

28 August, 2008 – The government has revised the urban land rates by more than 100 percent, but a closer look at the actual rates of land transactions today reveals an altogether different story.    [read more]

The mithun move – From Chukha frying pan into Zhemgang fire
Habitat loss has driven this ‘cash cow’ into wild dog terrain

SOFT TARGET – Since its relocation in late 2005, the farm has lost about 20 calves

28 August, 2008 – The mithun breeding farm in Wangdigang, Zhemgang, has literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

OAG vs Judiciary: (f) law & (dis) order
   [read more]

A tripless trip
The agriculture ministry is tripping down the green lane every Tuesday with the ‘No Vehicle Day’ initiative. It is already doing them a world of good. The whole nation flushed at the sight of their smiling faces and therapeutic gaits. Somehow, this wholesome sight lighted up some soggy streets down memory lane. In school, our [...]    [read more]

A supplication to all the people, born as brothers and sisters
All the sentient beings in the six realms desire to live happily and there is no creature who does not desire
happiness. As we do not want suffering, likewise no creature wants suffering. If we take ourselves as example, we cannot bear the pain caused by a thorn piercing our foot. If our parents, children, spouse [...]    [read more]

Gewogs endangered by degradation
All of Radhi, Phongmey and parts of Shongphu and Samkhar gewogs could be engulfed by flood, landslides and soil erosion in 15-20 years. Tempa Wangdi reports.
If grazing continues and degradation fails to be curbed, specialists fear the future could be bleak. It has been revealed that the regioncould soon run out of water and Radhi [...]    [read more]

Archery: a sport one cannot master
Don S Rabska, one of the most knowledgeable archery experts in the world, was here in the country for four days. A day before his departure, he talked to some 40 Bhutanese archers.
Don S Rabska is a regional Olympic archery coach in the US and he holds the position of executive director in the Easton [...]    [read more]

Baby boom: All because of a faulty female anatomy?
There is no denying that everyone loves to make love, but everyone does not necessarily love to make babies. Simply put, babies are the products of love-making to some as much as they are the by-products of love-making to others. The belief that a community or a society wanting in recreational amenities causes baby boom [...]    [read more]

Thimphu as we know it
Picture Thimphu all dressed in white. Not the sporadic out-of-the-blue attempts at green roofs and blue signboards. That has finally been laid to rest in the capital. The ghosts now haunt urban towns further away and will keep doing so in the absence of a ministerial notification. After all, when the surface ground is thick, [...]    [read more]

Singye Quarry case in ACC and other stories
His Holiness the Je Khenpo is in Haa conducting a week-long Menlam Chenmo, which began on August 27 at Lhakhang Karpo. On September 1, the Tangra Goenpoi Tongtsho will be performed and the next day, His Holiness will consecrate the Thongdrol of Lam Drakpa Jamtsho. This is the eighth Moenlam Chenmo conducted in Haa.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The case [...]    [read more]

One less endangered bird
It is not uncommon to have gift-bearing guests come a visiting. Only in this case, it was a cause for alarm as the person was carrying the dead body of the highly endangered White-Bellied Heron (Ardea insignis Hume, A. imperialis).
The Divisional Forest Officer of Thimphu was immediately informed and the dead bird duly handed over. [...]    [read more]

Novel approach to tackling youth crime
The sight of blue uniforms in schools, or anywhere for that matter, is not always welcome. It augurs bad news. Not so this time when the police chief decided to tackle youth issues head-on. “There is this bully in school who took stuff like my pens and watch but after the (police) chief’s visit, he [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Before you die: So how many of the 100 have you managed to do? – The Independent
Should we all be rushing to the Darwin Beer Can Festival before it’s too late? Dave Freeman thought so and included it in his book, ’100 Things To Do Before You Die’. He died this month, having worked his way through half the list. Here’s your chance …    [read more]

Pakistan tops in violence among South Asian countries – Thaindian.com
Peshawar, Aug 30 (ANI): Pakistan tops the list of South Asian countries having the worst law and order situation, according to statistics collected by a website. At least 355 people were killed in 183 blasts during the first three months of 2008 …    [read more]

Pakistan tops in violence in South Asia – MSN India
Peshawar:  Pakistan tops the list of South Asian countries having the worst law and order situation, according to statistics collected by a website. At least 355 people were killed in 183 blasts during the first three months of 2008, while another …    [read more]

BIMSTEC officials meet PM Manmohan Singh – Top News India
New Delhi, Aug 30: Officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand called on Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here last evening. They are in New Delhi for the tenth ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative …    [read more]

Over 24 militants killed in Afghanistan – Pakistan News Service
KABUL: More than 24 militants were killed in two separate battles with US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, the coalition said Friday. More than a dozen militants were killed after they attacked a coalition base in Shaheed Hasas district of the …    [read more]

Bush greets Muslims on Ramazan – Pakistan News Service
WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush has sent greetings to Muslims around the globe on the advent of the holy month of Ramazan and praised the contributions of American Muslim community to the country’s development. In a message released by the …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Intermarkets, Inc. Debuts on the 2008 Inc. 5000 List – Onlypunjab.com
Intermarkets, Inc. ( www.intermarkets.net ), the nation’s leading independent advertising sales management services firm, achieved a listing in the second annual Inc. 5000 ( www.inc5000.com ). With a three-year sales growth of 125.8% and $8.1 million …    [read more]

Sound and light show to scare off wildlife – Kuensel Online
29 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Agriculture has devised an ingenious indigenous contraption, somewhat similar to a police siren in its function, to prevent wild animals from attacking farmer’s fields at night. The inventor is Pema Dakpa, 39, of …    [read more]

Nepali FM leaves for India for BIMSTEC meeting – Xinhua News Agency
KATHMANDU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Nepali Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav left here on Thursday for India in order to take part in the 10th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

A day in the death …
Butchers across the border kept in business by Bhutan

IN THE FLESH – Not a sweet but a meat tooth has Thimphu

29 August, 2008 – On a hot humid afternoon recently, a truck loaded with a herd of cattle reached Jaigaon. The cows were from Nepal and Assam, India. They were released at Gauvari, a field on the outskirts of Jaigaon. At around 2 am next morning, the cows were herded towards the Toorsa river area. There, Narusin waited with a large carving knife. Its sharp edges gleamed in the sun.    [read more]

Sound and light show to scare off wildlife

ELECTRIC SCARECROW – Pema Dakpa’s device has proved effective in field trials Photo: Pema Dakpa

29 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Agriculture has devised an ingenious indigenous contraption, somewhat similar to a police siren in its function, to prevent wild animals from attacking farmer’s fields at night.
   [read more]

Real estate values keep going through the roof
Spiralling land prices will stabilise only if generally opened to development

FROM LAND TO SKY – Boom time now but will the bubble burst?

28 August, 2008 – The government has revised the urban land rates by more than 100 percent, but a closer look at the actual rates of land transactions today reveals an altogether different story.    [read more]

The mithun move – From Chukha frying pan into Zhemgang fire
Habitat loss has driven this ‘cash cow’ into wild dog terrain

SOFT TARGET – Since its relocation in late 2005, the farm has lost about 20 calves

28 August, 2008 – The mithun breeding farm in Wangdigang, Zhemgang, has literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire.    [read more]

Major makeover for museum

28 August, 2008 – The 40-year-old national museum in Paro will get a major makeover by the end of 2013 if the government endorses the master plan for the extension of the museum worth Nu 350 million this year.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

OAG vs Judiciary: (f) law & (dis) order
   [read more]

A tripless trip
The agriculture ministry is tripping down the green lane every Tuesday with the ‘No Vehicle Day’ initiative. It is already doing them a world of good. The whole nation flushed at the sight of their smiling faces and therapeutic gaits. Somehow, this wholesome sight lighted up some soggy streets down memory lane. In school, our [...]    [read more]

A supplication to all the people, born as brothers and sisters
All the sentient beings in the six realms desire to live happily and there is no creature who does not desire
happiness. As we do not want suffering, likewise no creature wants suffering. If we take ourselves as example, we cannot bear the pain caused by a thorn piercing our foot. If our parents, children, spouse [...]    [read more]

Gewogs endangered by degradation
All of Radhi, Phongmey and parts of Shongphu and Samkhar gewogs could be engulfed by flood, landslides and soil erosion in 15-20 years. Tempa Wangdi reports.
If grazing continues and degradation fails to be curbed, specialists fear the future could be bleak. It has been revealed that the regioncould soon run out of water and Radhi [...]    [read more]

Archery: a sport one cannot master
Don S Rabska, one of the most knowledgeable archery experts in the world, was here in the country for four days. A day before his departure, he talked to some 40 Bhutanese archers.
Don S Rabska is a regional Olympic archery coach in the US and he holds the position of executive director in the Easton [...]    [read more]

Baby boom: All because of a faulty female anatomy?
There is no denying that everyone loves to make love, but everyone does not necessarily love to make babies. Simply put, babies are the products of love-making to some as much as they are the by-products of love-making to others. The belief that a community or a society wanting in recreational amenities causes baby boom [...]    [read more]

Thimphu as we know it
Picture Thimphu all dressed in white. Not the sporadic out-of-the-blue attempts at green roofs and blue signboards. That has finally been laid to rest in the capital. The ghosts now haunt urban towns further away and will keep doing so in the absence of a ministerial notification. After all, when the surface ground is thick, [...]    [read more]

Singye Quarry case in ACC and other stories
His Holiness the Je Khenpo is in Haa conducting a week-long Menlam Chenmo, which began on August 27 at Lhakhang Karpo. On September 1, the Tangra Goenpoi Tongtsho will be performed and the next day, His Holiness will consecrate the Thongdrol of Lam Drakpa Jamtsho. This is the eighth Moenlam Chenmo conducted in Haa.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The case [...]    [read more]

One less endangered bird
It is not uncommon to have gift-bearing guests come a visiting. Only in this case, it was a cause for alarm as the person was carrying the dead body of the highly endangered White-Bellied Heron (Ardea insignis Hume, A. imperialis).
The Divisional Forest Officer of Thimphu was immediately informed and the dead bird duly handed over. [...]    [read more]

Novel approach to tackling youth crime
The sight of blue uniforms in schools, or anywhere for that matter, is not always welcome. It augurs bad news. Not so this time when the police chief decided to tackle youth issues head-on. “There is this bully in school who took stuff like my pens and watch but after the (police) chief’s visit, he [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Sound and light show to scare off wildlife – Kuensel Online
29 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Agriculture has devised an ingenious indigenous contraption, somewhat similar to a police siren in its function, to prevent wild animals from attacking farmer’s fields at night. The inventor is Pema Dakpa, 39, of …    [read more]

Sentenced for manslaughter – Kuensel Online
28 August, 2008 – The Paro district court sentenced a 20-year-old construction worker from Naja gewog in Paro to a prison term of five years and ten months for accidentally killing his friend, who fell off a cliff during a fight. Pema Wangchuk was …    [read more]

Nepali FM leaves for India for BIMSTEC meeting – Xinhua News Agency
KATHMANDU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Nepali Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav left here on Thursday for India in order to take part in the 10th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC …    [read more]

Global Challenges | Delegates at Asia-Pacific Meeting Call for … – Kaisernetwork.org
Health officials and experts from countries in the Asia-Pacific region with a low prevalence of HIV/AIDS Thursday in Manila, Philippines, pledged to intensify national efforts to curb the spread of the disease, the Independent Online reports. The …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

More than two dozen militants killed in Afghanistan: coalition – Pakistan News Service
KABUL (AFP) – The US-led coalition in Afghanistan said Friday its troops had killed around two dozen militants after coming under attack, while Afghan officials reported another dozen rebel deaths. Militants had opened fire on a coalition base in the …    [read more]

Ivanovic shocked by French qualifier at US Open Tennis – Pakistan News Service
Additionally, Serena and Venus Williams, and Olympic silver medalist Dinara Safina all advanced in straight sets on Day 4. But the spotlight shone on the 25-year-old Coin, who posted one of the biggest upsets in U.S. Open history by erasing Ivanovic …    [read more]

More exercise helps maintain weight loss – Health and Age.com
Regular exercise is important but it has not been clear how much is needed to maintain a weight loss. Researchers have now studied the impact of varying levels of exercise upon a group in a weight loss program. They learned that doing an hour a day …    [read more]

Migraine with aura increases stroke risk in women – Health and Age.com
Migraine with aura increases the risk of cardiovascular events like stroke and heart attack. A new study shows that the magnitude of this risk, in women, depends upon the presence or absence of other risk factors. The risk posed by migraine is higher …    [read more]

AIDS cases seen on the rise in Philippines – International Herald Tribune
MANILA : The Philippines has a lower incidence of HIV than most of its neighbours despite sharing many of the risks, but health officials warned on Thursday that many new cases were now coming to light. A spate of new HIV cases suggests that the …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

A day in the death …
Butchers across the border kept in business by Bhutan

IN THE FLESH – Not a sweet but a meat tooth has Thimphu

29 August, 2008 – On a hot humid afternoon recently, a truck loaded with a herd of cattle reached Jaigaon. The cows were from Nepal and Assam, India. They were released at Gauvari, a field on the outskirts of Jaigaon. At around 2 am next morning, the cows were herded towards the Toorsa river area. There, Narusin waited with a large carving knife. Its sharp edges gleamed in the sun.    [read more]

Sound and light show to scare off wildlife

ELECTRIC SCARECROW – Pema Dakpa’s device has proved effective in field trials Photo: Pema Dakpa

29 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Agriculture has devised an ingenious indigenous contraption, somewhat similar to a police siren in its function, to prevent wild animals from attacking farmer’s fields at night.
   [read more]

Real estate values keep going through the roof
Spiralling land prices will stabilise only if generally opened to development

FROM LAND TO SKY – Boom time now but will the bubble burst?

28 August, 2008 – The government has revised the urban land rates by more than 100 percent, but a closer look at the actual rates of land transactions today reveals an altogether different story.    [read more]

The mithun move – From Chukha frying pan into Zhemgang fire
Habitat loss has driven this ‘cash cow’ into wild dog terrain

SOFT TARGET – Since its relocation in late 2005, the farm has lost about 20 calves

28 August, 2008 – The mithun breeding farm in Wangdigang, Zhemgang, has literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire.    [read more]

Major makeover for museum

28 August, 2008 – The 40-year-old national museum in Paro will get a major makeover by the end of 2013 if the government endorses the master plan for the extension of the museum worth Nu 350 million this year.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Gewogs endangered by degradation
All of Radhi, Phongmey and parts of Shongphu and Samkhar gewogs could be engulfed by flood, landslides and soil erosion in 15-20 years. Tempa Wangdi reports.
If grazing continues and degradation fails to be curbed, specialists fear the future could be bleak. It has been revealed that the regioncould soon run out of water and Radhi [...]    [read more]

Archery: a sport one cannot master
Don S Rabska, one of the most knowledgeable archery experts in the world, was here in the country for four days. A day before his departure, he talked to some 40 Bhutanese archers.
Don S Rabska is a regional Olympic archery coach in the US and he holds the position of executive director in the Easton [...]    [read more]

Baby boom: All because of a faulty female anatomy?
There is no denying that everyone loves to make love, but everyone does not necessarily love to make babies. Simply put, babies are the products of love-making to some as much as they are the by-products of love-making to others. The belief that a community or a society wanting in recreational amenities causes baby boom [...]    [read more]

Thimphu as we know it
Picture Thimphu all dressed in white. Not the sporadic out-of-the-blue attempts at green roofs and blue signboards. That has finally been laid to rest in the capital. The ghosts now haunt urban towns further away and will keep doing so in the absence of a ministerial notification. After all, when the surface ground is thick, [...]    [read more]

Singye Quarry case in ACC and other stories
His Holiness the Je Khenpo is in Haa conducting a week-long Menlam Chenmo, which began on August 27 at Lhakhang Karpo. On September 1, the Tangra Goenpoi Tongtsho will be performed and the next day, His Holiness will consecrate the Thongdrol of Lam Drakpa Jamtsho. This is the eighth Moenlam Chenmo conducted in Haa.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The case [...]    [read more]

One less endangered bird
It is not uncommon to have gift-bearing guests come a visiting. Only in this case, it was a cause for alarm as the person was carrying the dead body of the highly endangered White-Bellied Heron (Ardea insignis Hume, A. imperialis).
The Divisional Forest Officer of Thimphu was immediately informed and the dead bird duly handed over. [...]    [read more]

Novel approach to tackling youth crime
The sight of blue uniforms in schools, or anywhere for that matter, is not always welcome. It augurs bad news. Not so this time when the police chief decided to tackle youth issues head-on. “There is this bully in school who took stuff like my pens and watch but after the (police) chief’s visit, he [...]    [read more]

Labour Act awakens
Between March 17, 2006 to December 26, 2007, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources received 29 appeals from employees and employers of private and corporate companies of which 16 cases have been resolved. While most appeals came from aggrieved employees, there were some cases of employers complaining about abscondment of contractors and labourers.
Of the 16 [...]    [read more]

The expressway – in arrested motion
The Thimphu-Babesa expressway is undergoing a make-over once again. Equipped with some 12 recommendations from the Council of Cabinet Ministers (CCM), the Ministry of Works and Human Settlements is reworking on the expressway to make it user-friendly and sustainable. The Field Road Maintenance Division has already made necessary changes such as cross drainages to prevent [...]    [read more]

Child protection
They came on holiday but found common cause in what they do to alleviate problems related to the child and shared experiences with their Bhutanese counterparts. A team from the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), met with individuals and organizations on August 27.
During the session, the team talked about increasing [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Sentenced for manslaughter – Kuensel Online
28 August, 2008 – The Paro district court sentenced a 20-year-old construction worker from Naja gewog in Paro to a prison term of five years and ten months for accidentally killing his friend, who fell off a cliff during a fight. Pema Wangchuk was …    [read more]

Boxing for army sons – Kuensel Online
27 August, 2008 – With his bare fists below his chin, the 9-year-old Dorji Nima strikes a fighting pose as do other boys beside him. A tough looking soldier bellows an instruction. Dorji double punches the air with his right hand and moves into …    [read more]

Tibetan Monks Still Held in Qinghai – Radio Free Asia
675 Tibetan monks from monasteries in Lhasa were put on a train on April 25 and transported to a military detention center. Those detained were reported to have suffered harsh treatment, including beatings. KATHMANDU—Hundreds of Tibetan monks …    [read more]

AIDS cases seen on the rise in Philippines – Washington Post
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines has a lower incidence of HIV than most of its neighbors despite sharing many of the risks, but health officials warned on Thursday that many new cases were now coming to light. A spate of new HIV cases suggests that …    [read more]

Is JJ Abrams going to nuke the fridge with Fringe? – Guardian Blogs
A plane crash lands at an airport in Boston, all the passengers and crew mysteriously and gruesomely dead. Within minutes we’ve met the FBI, an eccentric professor who has been in an asylum for decades and may or may not be suffering from paranoid …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Belief in the beast – star.com.my
Once ingrained in the history and culture of Bhutan, the yeti today is being dismissed, just like the other old ways of this isolated Himalayan nation. HE REMEMBERS the darkness of the pine forest, and the footprints, and his terror when the creature …    [read more]

India to help flood-hit Nepal – Thaindian.com
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) India and Nepal Thursday discussed ways to deal with the aftermath of floods that have severely affected people in both countries as Kathmandu sought to clear the air over Prime Minister Prachanda’s recent trip to China. In …    [read more]

The Big Picture competition: round 19 – Daily Telegraph
This week’s winner is Caroline Unwin from Andover in Hampshire, for this intimate photograph of an 88-year-old man at Jambey Lakhang temple in Bumthang, Bhutan. Read on to see this week’s other shortlisted entries    [read more]

Visiting monks create fleeting artwork in Newmarket – Fosters Daily Democrat
Mike Ross/Chief photographer Tibetan Monks Tamding Sichoe, left, and Lobsang Damchoe work on a mandala as part of a Tibetan Monks Sacred Arts Tour at the Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center in Newmarket on Wednesday. NEWMARKET — Tibetan monks …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Real estate values keep going through the roof
Spiralling land prices will stabilise only if generally opened to development

FROM LAND TO SKY – Boom time now but will the bubble burst?

28 August, 2008 – The government has revised the urban land rates by more than 100 percent, but a closer look at the actual rates of land transactions today reveals an altogether different story.    [read more]

The mithun move – From Chukha frying pan into Zhemgang fire
Habitat loss has driven this ‘cash cow’ into wild dog terrain

SOFT TARGET – Since its relocation in late 2005, the farm has lost about 20 calves

28 August, 2008 – The mithun breeding farm in Wangdigang, Zhemgang, has literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire.    [read more]

Major makeover for museum

28 August, 2008 – The 40-year-old national museum in Paro will get a major makeover by the end of 2013 if the government endorses the master plan for the extension of the museum worth Nu 350 million this year.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

The price of doing drugs
Getting high on drugs might seem like another part of the world with all that excitement initially, but when this fun turns to fear, one might as well wish for a time machine to go back and erase the past. Pushkar Chhetri reports.

Tenzin (name changed), 28 has been doing drugs since he was 14. He [...]    [read more]

Beyond Druk, Datsi, Tashi and Sonfy
For a diminutive speck on the map of the world Bhutan really does have a few bolts from the blue up its sleeve. But then, we saw last week that size does not really matter. The adventure continues and the surprises still abound:
That I have run into so many people from the east, that Thimphu [...]    [read more]

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Boxing for army sons – Kuensel Online
27 August, 2008 – With his bare fists below his chin, the 9-year-old Dorji Nima strikes a fighting pose as do other boys beside him. A tough looking soldier bellows an instruction. Dorji double punches the air with his right hand and moves into …    [read more]

Thumbnail sketch of Thimphu’s less fortunate – Kuensel Online
26 August, 2008 – Thimphu, in its vibrant urban buzz, is busily engaged in the pursuit of property and comfort but in the process many seem to have overlooked the deprived sections of the city. These are people, who survive amidst the modernization …    [read more]

A Spontaneous Eco-Wander Through Germany – Slate
While zooming by a field of wind turbines, traveling on a train from Amsterdam to Bremen at 200 kilometers per hour, I suddenly realized that I was experiencing turbine envy. My own country, the United States, seems to be stuck in a co-dependent …    [read more]

Belief in the beast – star.com.my
Once ingrained in the history and culture of Bhutan, the yeti today is being dismissed, just like the other old ways of this isolated Himalayan nation. HE REMEMBERS the darkness of the pine forest, and the footprints, and his terror when the creature …    [read more]

Tibet’s most famous woman blogger, Woeser, detained by police – Times Online
Tibet’s most famous woman writer and blogger was accused of taking photographs of military installations and arrested by police after she returned home briefly to Lhasa, the capital. The detention of Woeser, who, like many Tibetans, goes by a …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Climate change threatens South Asia food supplies – Boston Globe
DHAKA, Bangladesh— Melting Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels and depleting fresh water sources as a result of global climate change are posing grave threats to food production and economic development in the populous South Asia region, experts …    [read more]

Afridi not excited to play in Ramdan – Pakistan News Service
Karachi: Pakistan is looking at the possibility of inviting India, among others, to fill in for the now postponed Champions Trophy next month and go to South Africa to play in a tri-series. However, Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is not very …    [read more]

Achakzai calls for postponement of presidential elections – Pakistan News Service
QUETTA: APDM central convener Mehmood Khan Achakzai has called for postponement of presidential elections adding the elections will not bring stability in the country but will further aggravate the situation by fueling blame game and charges and …    [read more]

A bad dancer shows what Web does best – Seattle Times
Admit it: You want to be Matt Harding. I want to be Matt Harding. Hell, everybody wants to be Matt Harding. The guy is an international Internet sensation who almost literally stumbled into his dream job. The makers of Stride gum paid him to travel …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Post accident driver missing

HILUX LEFTOVERS – Strewn on the path to destruction

27 August, 2008 – A search team of police and Royal Institute of Management (RIM) staff are combing the Wangchhu banks – the union of Thimpchhu and Pachhu – for the body of an RIM driver who went missing after the Toyota Hilux he was driving plunged into the Pachu, about 3 km from the Chunzom checkpost on Sunday, August 24.
   [read more]

HEHE – No laughing matter
‘Green’ agriculture ministry initiates Tuesday – No Vehicle Day

WITHOUT WHEELS: Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho with staff walk to work to save the environment

27 August, 2008 – At around 8:30 yesterday morning, staff of the agriculture ministry hit the road to go to office as usual. But this time, for a change, they walked.    [read more]

Boxing for army sons

GROOMING ‘EM YOUNG – Perfecting their pugilistic skills at Lungtenphug

27 August, 2008 – With his bare fists below his chin, the 9-year-old Dorji Nima strikes a fighting pose as do other boys beside him. A tough looking soldier bellows an instruction. Dorji double punches the air with his right hand and moves into position for the southpaw shot.    [read more]

Yangphel’s first K/O stage

27 August, 2008 – The road is still not clear for the 54 teams who made it to the knock-out stage of the Yangphel archery tournament yesterday.
   [read more]

Traditional healing in the land of medicinal herbs

The present indigenous hospital

26 August, 2008 – Traditional medical system was established in Bhutan by the personal physician of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Tenzin Drugyal, in the 16th century AD. This ancient system of healing was passed on as an oral tradition till it was formalised by establishing the institute of traditional medicine services (ITMS) in 1967 as an indigenous unit under the department of health services.    [read more]

Know your nutrients

26 August, 2008 – With the ban on chicken still on and other meat items not easily available at this time of the year, how about supplanting your meatless diet with vegetables and fruits, especially when these can provide the same amount of nutrients required.
   [read more]

10?

26 August, 2008 – Tshering Dem is a salesgirl in R Penjor Tshongkhang. The 20-year-old tells City Bytes how she gives people directions to her home and the shop.

1. How do you tell people where your shop is located?
I tell them it’s near the main traffic and opposite the clock tower.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

The price of doing drugs
Getting high on drugs might seem like another part of the world with all that excitement initially, but when this fun turns to fear, one might as well wish for a time machine to go back and erase the past. Pushkar Chhetri reports.

Tenzin (name changed), 28 has been doing drugs since he was 14. He [...]    [read more]

Beyond Druk, Datsi, Tashi and Sonfy
For a diminutive speck on the map of the world Bhutan really does have a few bolts from the blue up its sleeve. But then, we saw last week that size does not really matter. The adventure continues and the surprises still abound:
That I have run into so many people from the east, that Thimphu [...]    [read more]

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Belief in the beast – star.com.my
Once ingrained in the history and culture of Bhutan, the yeti today is being dismissed, just like the other old ways of this isolated Himalayan nation. HE REMEMBERS the darkness of the pine forest, and the footprints, and his terror when the creature …    [read more]

Thumbnail sketch of Thimphu’s less fortunate – Kuensel Online
26 August, 2008 – Thimphu, in its vibrant urban buzz, is busily engaged in the pursuit of property and comfort but in the process many seem to have overlooked the deprived sections of the city. These are people, who survive amidst the modernization …    [read more]

Tibet’s most famous woman blogger, Woeser, detained by police – Times Online
Tibet’s most famous woman writer and blogger was accused of taking photographs of military installations and arrested by police after she returned home briefly to Lhasa, the capital. The detention of Woeser, who, like many Tibetans, goes by a …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Bhutan: ‘toilet revolution’ has not led to high use – IRC
Despite a national campaign in Bhutan to provide public latrines, which provided almost 100% coverage by 2000, people tend not to use them and continue to defecate in the open. The toilets often fall into disrepair or are used for other purposes. The …    [read more]

PUNJAB NAT’L BANK TO START BHUTAN OPS BY MARCH 2009 – TradingMarkets.com
“We have recently signed an MoU with the a prominent local business house and are in the process of obtaining regulatory approval from the Bhutan for the operation,” Punjab National Bank General Manager Ranjan Dhawan said. The bank already has got …    [read more]

Climate change threatens South Asia food supplies – Boston Globe
DHAKA, Bangladesh— Melting Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels and depleting fresh water sources as a result of global climate change are posing grave threats to food production and economic development in the populous South Asia region, experts …    [read more]

Bin there, but done what? – Kuensel Online
26 August, 2008 – In an renewed battle to tackle the mounting garbage problem, the Thimphu city corporation (TCC) will empty all recycle bins in the city tomorrow and urge the public to use them correctly by segregating waste. This step is an …    [read more]

MQM delegation headed by Dr.Farooq Sattar met PM Gilani – Pakistan News Service
The Prime Minister said that his government must take initiatives for the poor segments of the society as PPPP was given the mandate on the said manifesto. He further stressed greater political reconciliation on all-important national issues. He …    [read more]

Iran boosts spending to promote Koran culture – Pakistan News Service
TEHRAN (AFP)-The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday it has boosted spending to promote the Muslim holy book the Koran and revive revolutionary ideals in Iran. “The current government aims to revive the culture of the early …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Traditional healing in the land of medicinal herbs

The present indigenous hospital

26 August, 2008 – Traditional medical system was established in Bhutan by the personal physician of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Tenzin Drugyal, in the 16th century AD. This ancient system of healing was passed on as an oral tradition till it was formalised by establishing the institute of traditional medicine services (ITMS) in 1967 as an indigenous unit under the department of health services.    [read more]

Know your nutrients

26 August, 2008 – With the ban on chicken still on and other meat items not easily available at this time of the year, how about supplanting your meatless diet with vegetables and fruits, especially when these can provide the same amount of nutrients required.
   [read more]

10?

26 August, 2008 – Tshering Dem is a salesgirl in R Penjor Tshongkhang. The 20-year-old tells City Bytes how she gives people directions to her home and the shop.

1. How do you tell people where your shop is located?
I tell them it’s near the main traffic and opposite the clock tower.    [read more]

Expand your computer’s horizon

26 August, 2008 – Everyday electronics are being upgraded. They’re getting sleeker, smaller and more complicated. A trend we never thought about yesterday is becoming a reality today.
   [read more]

Bin there, but done what?
Irresponsibility and lack of awareness undermine recycle bin program

ANYTHING GOES – Some have even stopped disposing of waste in garbage disposal trucks

   [read more]

Thumbnail sketch of Thimphu’s less fortunate
A look-see into how the other half lives
in the capital

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD – The underbelly of urban development

26 August, 2008 – Thimphu, in its vibrant urban buzz, is busily engaged in the pursuit of property and comfort but in the process many seem to have overlooked the deprived sections of the city.    [read more]

Who let the dogs out?

CANINE CAPTURE – The catch quota is one dog per shop

26 August, 2008 – A common problem all dzongkhags share today lies with impounding their stray dogs after the 87th session of the National Assembly resolved that every dzongkhag should build dog pounds.    [read more]

Going by the numbers
Surface transport statistics throw up interesting and insightful figures

26 August, 2008 – A detailed study on Bhutan’s transport situation under the surface transport Master Plan has thrown up some interesting and insightful figures.

Nu 356.4
million: For development of surface transport in 10th plan    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

The price of doing drugs
Getting high on drugs might seem like another part of the world with all that excitement initially, but when this fun turns to fear, one might as well wish for a time machine to go back and erase the past. Pushkar Chhetri reports.

Tenzin (name changed), 28 has been doing drugs since he was 14. He [...]    [read more]

Beyond Druk, Datsi, Tashi and Sonfy
For a diminutive speck on the map of the world Bhutan really does have a few bolts from the blue up its sleeve. But then, we saw last week that size does not really matter. The adventure continues and the surprises still abound:
That I have run into so many people from the east, that Thimphu [...]    [read more]

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Climate change threatens South Asia food supplies – Boston Globe
DHAKA, Bangladesh— Melting Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels and depleting fresh water sources as a result of global climate change are posing grave threats to food production and economic development in the populous South Asia region, experts …    [read more]

A bad dancer shows what Web does best – Seattle Times
Admit it: You want to be Matt Harding. I want to be Matt Harding. Hell, everybody wants to be Matt Harding. The guy is an international Internet sensation who almost literally stumbled into his dream job. The makers of Stride gum paid him to travel …    [read more]

A Spontaneous Eco-Wander Through Germany – Slate
While zooming by a field of wind turbines, traveling on a train from Amsterdam to Bremen at 200 kilometers per hour, I suddenly realized that I was experiencing turbine envy. My own country, the United States, seems to be stuck in a co-dependent …    [read more]

Nepal reassures India over ties with China – NDTV
Nepal on Monday said India should not worry about Prime Minister Prachanda’s recent visit to China as it will pursue a policy of “equi-distance” with its two neighbouring countries. “India does not need to worry about Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal …    [read more]

Bhutan: ‘toilet revolution’ has not led to high use – IRC
Despite a national campaign in Bhutan to provide public latrines, which provided almost 100% coverage by 2000, people tend not to use them and continue to defecate in the open. The toilets often fall into disrepair or are used for other purposes. The …    [read more]

India builds military air bases close to Tibet – United Press International
HONG KONG, Aug. 25 (UPI) — In the strategic direction of Bhutan and central Nepal, the Indian air force has built three major military airports, sufficient to provide deterrence over the central part of Tibet. These airports include the Bagdogra …    [read more]

PUNJAB NAT’L BANK TO START BHUTAN OPS BY MARCH 2009 – TradingMarkets.com
“We have recently signed an MoU with the a prominent local business house and are in the process of obtaining regulatory approval from the Bhutan for the operation,” Punjab National Bank General Manager Ranjan Dhawan said. The bank already has got …    [read more]

Refugee kids practice for school – Seattle Post Intelligencer
TUKWILA — Saimon Lay, 7, pressed against the window of the Samara Apartments cabana, gazing at the pool filled with flipping children. Swimming is one of his favorite new activities since arriving here from a refugee camp, where there were no …    [read more]

Liberalised norms for NRI investors – Economic Times
The government has liberalised investment norms for NRIs to invest in real estate in India. At the same time there is a need of adhering to ground realities before plunging into investment. We provide some of the frequently answered questions …    [read more]

Humanitas: Images of India by Fredric Roberts – Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
Roberts pictures various people from India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bhutan, Thailand, and China as they go about their lives selling water or herding camels. Simultaneously, this exhibition illuminates the quiet corners that often don’t have witnesses …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

How to get there from here
Locating places in the capital may need a GPS

23 August, 2008 – “It’s a white building beside Norling. Near the main traffic.”
“It’s that huge white building opposite the Centre mall.”
“Centre mall?

“Yes, in front of the Lugar theatre. You can’t miss it!
Could you figure out where the above directions lead?    [read more]

Fire kills three in Trashigang tragedy

The bereaved – Kencho Tshering and the surviving members of his family

23 August, 2008 – A 72-year-old man and his two grand daughters, aged seven and five, were burned to death when their bamboo thatched house was reduced to ashes by a fire on Friday morning at around 2 am in Shingchen Goenpa, Yonphula, Trashigang.    [read more]

Readers galore, yet readers get none
Lack of transparency in selection and publication of Dzongkha text books

23 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Education has been transforming the Dzongkha curriculum for schools to improve the teaching of the language. As part of this initiative, the ministry’s curriculum and professional support division (CAPDS) last year selected about 50 additional reading books in Dzongkha, aside from the main textbooks, for Classes IV to VIII.    [read more]

Highway hold-up

THE ROAD LESS USED – Not many tread the middle path

23 August, 2008 – Motorists plying between Thimphu and Paro yesterday evening were taken aback when they were suddenly stopped at Paro Shaba and made to pay toll tax by two old men.    [read more]

Moonlighting with moonshine
Ara raids raise a hornet’s nest

On the boil – Surprise raids spark off simmering resentment

22 August, 2008 – The midday heat doesn’t bother Angay Tsering (name changed on request) as she sits by a fire burning on a traditional wood-fed stove. On the oven sit three layers of pots.    [read more]

The ‘holy’ boulder that won’t be budged
Locals attribute accidents to attempts to dislodge rock

ROAD BLOCK – Bearing the footprints of Terton Tenzin Drukda’s horse, it’s said

22 August, 2008 – An eight-foot, cone-shaped boulder, located five kilometres from Tsatsilakha, has become the centre of attraction for commuters along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

The price of doing drugs
Getting high on drugs might seem like another part of the world with all that excitement initially, but when this fun turns to fear, one might as well wish for a time machine to go back and erase the past. Pushkar Chhetri reports.

Tenzin (name changed), 28 has been doing drugs since he was 14. He [...]    [read more]

Beyond Druk, Datsi, Tashi and Sonfy
For a diminutive speck on the map of the world Bhutan really does have a few bolts from the blue up its sleeve. But then, we saw last week that size does not really matter. The adventure continues and the surprises still abound:
That I have run into so many people from the east, that Thimphu [...]    [read more]

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Biz Briefs – Statesman
NEW DELHI, Aug. 24: Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries and Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure are the only two companies to have qualified for the $6-8 billion project to convert coal into oil, as per the criteria set by the government. n …    [read more]

PNB to start Bhutan ops by March 2009 – Livemint.com
New Delhi: Country’s second largest public sector lender Punjab National Bank is expected to start operations in Bhutan by March next year, for which it has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the local partner. “We have recently …    [read more]

Refugee kids practice for school – Seattle Post Intelligencer
TUKWILA — Saimon Lay, 7, pressed against the window of the Samara Apartments cabana, gazing at the pool filled with flipping children. Swimming is one of his favorite new activities since arriving here from a refugee camp, where there were no …    [read more]

Tribute: Randy Dernovish was a straight-shooting teacher – Kansas City Star
Randy “Wizrd” Dernovish was an Army veteran who for three years rode with the Patriot Guard, welcoming soldiers home and attending funerals. Who: Randy “Wizrd” Dernovish, 52, of Bonner Springs. When and how he died: July 28, of a heart attack …    [read more]

Warming threatens crucial Himalayan water resources – Daily Times
Climate change poses a serious threat to essential water resources in the Himalayan region putting the livelihoods of 1.3 billion people at risk, experts said Thursday. The mountainous region, home to the world’s largest glaciers and permafrost …    [read more]

Register » – Scotsman
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Highway hold-up – Kuensel Online
23 August, 2008 – Motorists plying between Thimphu and Paro yesterday evening were taken aback when they were suddenly stopped at Paro Shaba and made to pay toll tax by two old men. The men, one in his eighties, had put up a temporary gate made from …    [read more]

Surface Transport Master Plan – Kuensel Online
23 August, 2008 – Revision of tax and fees on vehicles according to size, green tax on older vehicles, pedestrianisation of Norzin Lam, tramline buses in Thimphu, Gelephu and Paro, monorail from Thimphu to Paro, river transport and a railway system …    [read more]

A matter of unity: Success means sticking together for MAU – Bennington Banner
BENNINGTON — Laura Paro has a singular focus, but her goal isn’t simple. Armed with a roster brimming with talent and experience, the 12th-year head coach of Mount Anthony Union field hockey is trying to redefine for her players what “unity” really …    [read more]

From Islamabad to Mexico City Our correspondents’ best bets for … – Chicago Tribune
T his is the last of three installments from the Tribune’s foreign correspondents on their tips for finding the best of the best around the world. In previous weeks we covered Rome with Christine Spolar; Moscow with Alex J. Rodriguez; London with Tom …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

How to get there from here
Locating places in the capital may need a GPS

23 August, 2008 – “It’s a white building beside Norling. Near the main traffic.”
“It’s that huge white building opposite the Centre mall.”
“Centre mall?

“Yes, in front of the Lugar theatre. You can’t miss it!
Could you figure out where the above directions lead?    [read more]

Fire kills three in Trashigang tragedy

The bereaved – Kencho Tshering and the surviving members of his family

23 August, 2008 – A 72-year-old man and his two grand daughters, aged seven and five, were burned to death when their bamboo thatched house was reduced to ashes by a fire on Friday morning at around 2 am in Shingchen Goenpa, Yonphula, Trashigang.    [read more]

Readers galore, yet readers get none
Lack of transparency in selection and publication of Dzongkha text books

23 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Education has been transforming the Dzongkha curriculum for schools to improve the teaching of the language. As part of this initiative, the ministry’s curriculum and professional support division (CAPDS) last year selected about 50 additional reading books in Dzongkha, aside from the main textbooks, for Classes IV to VIII.    [read more]

Highway hold-up

THE ROAD LESS USED – Not many tread the middle path

23 August, 2008 – Motorists plying between Thimphu and Paro yesterday evening were taken aback when they were suddenly stopped at Paro Shaba and made to pay toll tax by two old men.    [read more]

Moonlighting with moonshine
Ara raids raise a hornet’s nest

On the boil – Surprise raids spark off simmering resentment

22 August, 2008 – The midday heat doesn’t bother Angay Tsering (name changed on request) as she sits by a fire burning on a traditional wood-fed stove. On the oven sit three layers of pots.    [read more]

The ‘holy’ boulder that won’t be budged
Locals attribute accidents to attempts to dislodge rock

ROAD BLOCK – Bearing the footprints of Terton Tenzin Drukda’s horse, it’s said

22 August, 2008 – An eight-foot, cone-shaped boulder, located five kilometres from Tsatsilakha, has become the centre of attraction for commuters along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Beyond Druk, Datsi, Tashi and Sonfy
For a diminutive speck on the map of the world Bhutan really does have a few bolts from the blue up its sleeve. But then, we saw last week that size does not really matter. The adventure continues and the surprises still abound:
That I have run into so many people from the east, that Thimphu [...]    [read more]

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

BICMA endorses new media rules
Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) has endorsed three sets of rules: Rules Governing Printing Presses, Books and Newspapers, Rules Governing Examination and Certification of Films, and Rules on the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card by mobile service providers.
The rules, which came into effect from July 31, 2008, lay down licensing procedures, eligibility [...]    [read more]

International Sources

A region at the CROSSROADS – Statesman
A series of measures to restore biosphere reserves, conserve and manage wetlands might have been implemented, but how serious is the effort, ask Prithwiraj Jha and Mohan Pai INDIA’S budget flies with the rhetoric of development and economic growth …    [read more]

Bhutanese student commits suicide – NetIndia123.com
A student from Bhutan committed suicide today by hanging himself at his room in a private college hostel here, police said. Bhutan-resident J Doji, a BBA First year student had left a suicide note behind him. He was in love with a girl but both had …    [read more]

Bhutto widower proposed for Pakistan president – Globe and Mail
Nick Wright from Halifax, Canada writes: This move would pretty much eliminate Pakistan as a U.S. ally in its “war on terror”, for two reasons. The army has nothing but contempt for “Mr. 10 percent” and will not risk its forces in the tribal regions …    [read more]

Joanna Lumley: ‘I sound like a demented horror’ – Daily Telegraph
She would ban celebrity magazines, teach girls to sew and, oh yes, bring back national service. Joanna Lumley proves she is more bluestocking than bombshell, says Bryony Gordon Joanna Lumley is on a mission, and that mission is to teach girls how to …    [read more]

The chains that bind Cha Zam to Duksum – Kuensel Online
21 August, 2008 – Cha Zam, one of the oldest suspension bridges in Bhutan, was in Duksum under Trashiyangtse dzonkhag until 2004. The iron bridge builder and revered Buddhist saint, Dupthob Thangthong Gyalpo, had built it in the 14th century …    [read more]

Attracting foreign investors with incentives – Kuensel Online
21 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Economic Affairs is drafting an economic policy and reviewing the foreign direct investment (FDI) with an aim to attract foreign investors to the country. An economic policy is a government regulation or law that …    [read more]

InterMedia Outdoors Acquires Barrett Productions – MSN MoneyCentral
The Sportsman Channel to Benefit from Company’s Vast Outdoor Programming Resources NEW YORK , Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ — InterMedia Outdoors, Inc. (IMO), the industry leader and largest provider of content dedicated to sportsmen, and the parent company …    [read more]

SCR Studios Launches Asian Photo Gallery Web Site Version 2.0 – Forbes
SCR Studios has announced the launching of its Asian Photo Gallery Web Site version 2.0, featuring the work of international travel photographer Steven C. Robertson. The company has an extensive collection of photos from countries such as Cambodia …    [read more]

VACANCIES BY EMERGENCY – Reliefweb.int
All Afghanistan Aland Islands (Finland) Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba (The Netherlands) Australia Austria Azerbaijan Azores Islands (Portugal) Bahamas (the) Bahrain Bangladesh …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

How to get there from here
Locating places in the capital may need a GPS

23 August, 2008 – “It’s a white building beside Norling. Near the main traffic.”
“It’s that huge white building opposite the Centre mall.”
“Centre mall?

“Yes, in front of the Lugar theatre. You can’t miss it!
Could you figure out where the above directions lead?    [read more]

Fire kills three in Trashigang tragedy

The bereaved – Kencho Tshering and the surviving members of his family

23 August, 2008 – A 72-year-old man and his two grand daughters, aged seven and five, were burned to death when their bamboo thatched house was reduced to ashes by a fire on Friday morning at around 2 am in Shingchen Goenpa, Yonphula, Trashigang.    [read more]

Readers galore, yet readers get none
Lack of transparency in selection and publication of Dzongkha text books

23 August, 2008 – The Ministry of Education has been transforming the Dzongkha curriculum for schools to improve the teaching of the language. As part of this initiative, the ministry’s curriculum and professional support division (CAPDS) last year selected about 50 additional reading books in Dzongkha, aside from the main textbooks, for Classes IV to VIII.    [read more]

Highway hold-up

THE ROAD LESS USED – Not many tread the middle path

23 August, 2008 – Motorists plying between Thimphu and Paro yesterday evening were taken aback when they were suddenly stopped at Paro Shaba and made to pay toll tax by two old men.    [read more]

Moonlighting with moonshine
Ara raids raise a hornet’s nest

On the boil – Surprise raids spark off simmering resentment

22 August, 2008 – The midday heat doesn’t bother Angay Tsering (name changed on request) as she sits by a fire burning on a traditional wood-fed stove. On the oven sit three layers of pots.    [read more]

The ‘holy’ boulder that won’t be budged
Locals attribute accidents to attempts to dislodge rock

ROAD BLOCK – Bearing the footprints of Terton Tenzin Drukda’s horse, it’s said

22 August, 2008 – An eight-foot, cone-shaped boulder, located five kilometres from Tsatsilakha, has become the centre of attraction for commuters along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

BICMA endorses new media rules
Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) has endorsed three sets of rules: Rules Governing Printing Presses, Books and Newspapers, Rules Governing Examination and Certification of Films, and Rules on the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card by mobile service providers.
The rules, which came into effect from July 31, 2008, lay down licensing procedures, eligibility [...]    [read more]

Sand is scarce
With increasing construction and development activates taking place around the country, contractors say that they are facing shortage of sand, which is delaying construction work.
Many of the contractors have resorted to using sand made from crushed stones bought from Singye Company in Bjemina, for their personal construction.
“I have used other alternatives for my private construction [...]    [read more]

International Sources

Bhutanese student commits suicide – NetIndia123.com
A student from Bhutan committed suicide today by hanging himself at his room in a private college hostel here, police said. Bhutan-resident J Doji, a BBA First year student had left a suicide note behind him. He was in love with a girl but both had …    [read more]

The ‘holy’ boulder that won’t be budged – Kuensel Online
22 August, 2008 – An eight-foot, cone-shaped boulder, located five kilometres from Tsatsilakha, has become the centre of attraction for commuters along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway. The boulder has withstood all efforts by Dantak workers to …    [read more]

Refugee kids practice for school – Seattle Post Intelligencer
TUKWILA — Saimon Lay, 7, pressed against the window of the Samara Apartments cabana, gazing at the pool filled with flipping children. Swimming is one of his favorite new activities since arriving here from a refugee camp, where there were no …    [read more]

New Microsoft photo site spends first day offline – Pakistan News Service
The site, called Photosynth, stitches together a set of related digital photos into a presentation that allows viewers to zoom and pan across the scene. Microsoft employees and partners including National Geographic had been tinkering with a private …    [read more]

Register » – yorkshirepost
Comment on stories on this website and on all other Johnston Press newspaper websites. See a list of our websites here. Set up a personalised homepage featuring content from any Johnston Press newspaper website or from any site with a RSS feed …    [read more]

UK resolute in supporting Afghanistan, says Brown – Pakistan News Service
Brown flew into the capital from southern Helmand province where he met British troops at a sprawling base of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) helping Afghanistan fight off the extremists. Even though countries with troops …    [read more]

The chains that bind Cha Zam to Duksum – Kuensel Online
21 August, 2008 – Cha Zam, one of the oldest suspension bridges in Bhutan, was in Duksum under Trashiyangtse dzonkhag until 2004. The iron bridge builder and revered Buddhist saint, Dupthob Thangthong Gyalpo, had built it in the 14th century …    [read more]

Send your questions to CNNRadio – CNN
Select country United States of America Canada —– Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaidjan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh …    [read more]

Want to be happy? Become a Dane – Crosscut.com
Two recent surveys have put Denmark at the top of the list of happy countries, challenging the stereotype of the melancholy Danes. Summing up the surveys, Businessweek finds the formula for happy citizens to be a combination of a strong economy and …    [read more]

Adventures with Kira Salak – Oregonian
Kira Salak went backpacking through eastern and central Africa when she was 20 and found herself in Mozambique during a civil war. She was in a truck convoy on a dangerous road called the Bone Yard Stretch when the truck broke down and she was …    [read more]

Kuensel – Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Moonlighting with moonshine
Ara raids raise a hornet’s nest

On the boil – Surprise raids spark off simmering resentment

22 August, 2008 – The midday heat doesn’t bother Angay Tsering (name changed on request) as she sits by a fire burning on a traditional wood-fed stove. On the oven sit three layers of pots.    [read more]

The ‘holy’ boulder that won’t be budged
Locals attribute accidents to attempts to dislodge rock

ROAD BLOCK – Bearing the footprints of Terton Tenzin Drukda’s horse, it’s said

22 August, 2008 – An eight-foot, cone-shaped boulder, located five kilometres from Tsatsilakha, has become the centre of attraction for commuters along the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.    [read more]

The chains that bind Cha Zam to Duksum
Has this sacred bridge been cannibalised?

A Bridge too Far gone – “After it was removed, we felt a lot of pain”

21 August, 2008 – Cha Zam, one of the oldest suspension bridges in Bhutan, was in Duksum under Trashiyangtse dzonkhag until 2004. The iron bridge builder and revered Buddhist saint, Dupthob Thangthong Gyalpo, had built it in the 14th century connecting the dzongkhag’s Khamdang and Tongzhang gewogs.    [read more]

Sangay shamu season!
Will nature’s gold withstand present trends of harvesting?

MATSUTAKE FESTIVAL – Agriculture minister, Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamysho inspects the variety on display

21 August, 2008 – For the people of Ura, the months of July and August demand special attention and time. It’s the occasion to hike uphill and search for the precious fungi, which is scattered and hidden under thickets and pine trees.    [read more]

Police initiate youth sensitisation program
21 August, 2008 – Forming gangs, moving around at late hours, visiting discotheques, and abusing substances were some of the common habits of youth that came into conflict with the law, according to police.    [read more]

The Pam cooperative success story
3-year old association shows how to spin money out of milk

POOL VEHICLE – Joint resources equals shared returns

21 August, 2008 – Farmer Sonam Dema of Namla village in Kanglung has put an end to a lifestyle, which her parents and grandparents had been following – running after cows in the jungle.

The 35-year-old farmer bought two jersey cows some time ago, reducing her dependence on unproductive local cattle, and registered as a member of the Pam community dairy association.    [read more]

Missing girls found
Possible elopement foiled

21 August, 2008 – Much to the relief of parents and teachers, the two teenage girls, who went missing from Gomphu Primary School in Zhemgang on August 14, were found in Gelephu.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Monsoon Cup in Gelephu reaches quarterfinals
The third Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) Monsoon Cup Football Tournament, the greatest sporting event in Gelephu, has reached its quarterfinals. Everyday, it is drawing about three thousand spectators. The crowds brave wet weather and footballers battle it out on a water-logged pitch.
Almost half of a total of 17 teams, including four from Assam, have been [...]    [read more]

Managing solid waste in Thimphu has become a overwhelming task as urban areas have grown messily
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
   [read more]

“Make haste or be buried in waste,” Dasho Benji
   [read more]

If you love my curves I’ve many
I’ve just about had it with the roads. I’m exasperated! Come on people, let’s all be civil. This is not Bangkok nor is it the streets of New York. This is our capital and we all run into each other sooner or later. So stop honking me when all you are going to do today [...]    [read more]

Donation & religion
Sir It is becoming a common sight – people collecting donation in the name of renovation/ construction of religious monuments and other religious activities. But we are unaware of any Rules/Acts regarding the collections and contribution of such donations.
It is observed that almost all classes of citizens donate for the religious purpose but do hesitate [...]    [read more]

Pay revision & division
Sir,
Looking at the history of civil servants’ salaries, the pay of a civil servant is revised on a percentage-wise basis. From higher percent and higher grades to lower rates and grades, benefitting the people holding higher posts. This makes the lower income group in our society struggle. We learn from advertisements in newspapers that the [...]    [read more]

Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro airport and other stories
The Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, in a sombre mood during the closing ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Solid Waste Management held at RIM, Semtokha, Thimphu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
His Holiness the Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choeda performed a Lhabsang Thruesel ceremony at the Paro International Airport.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Internet users are getting back the bandwidth they were denied [...]    [read more]

Child rape
Yesterday, Thimphu dzongkhag court’s Bench II had its first preliminary hearing on the case of a 14-year-old who was raped and impregnated by her 45 year-old step father along with battery charges.
The case was charge sheeted on Monday by the Women and Child Protection Unit, RBP.
The case has been registered under Section 183 on the [...]    [read more]

BICMA endorses new media rulesers
Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) has endorsed three sets of rules: Rules Governing Printing Presses, Books and Newspapers, Rules Governing Examination and Certification of Films, and Rules on the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card by mobile service providers.
The rules, which came into effect from July 31, 2008, lay down licensing procedures, eligibility [...]    [read more]

Sand is scarce
With increasing construction and development activates taking place around the country, contractors say that they are facing shortage of sand, which is delaying construction work.
Many of the contractors have resorted to using sand made from crushed stones bought from Singye Company in Bjemina, for their personal construction.
“I have used other alternatives for my private construction [...]    [read more]