International Sources

Quietdrive to entertain troops in Mideast - West Central Tribune
Twin Cities rockers Quietdrive will head overseas to play for U.S. troops in the Mideast. The five-member band leaves was leaving Saturday to perform at embassies in Jordan and Egypt. On New Year’s Eve, Quietdrive will play a show at Incirlik Air …    [read more]

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,217 - Macon Telegraph
As of Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008, at least 4,217 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,398 …    [read more]

John McCain in Bhutan - Newsblaze.com
Mc Cain lacks supporters even in this part of the world. One month after the election in the US, president runner up, Senator John McCain, was in Bhutan. If you guessed he was there to learn meditation or gaining tips to happiness, you are mistaken …    [read more]

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless - Newsblaze.com
The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render tens of thousands of refugees stateless, six international …    [read more]

Bhutanese monk to spend weekend at Tibetan museum - Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel, a Bhutanese Buddhist monk, will be at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art Jan. 3-4 for a weekend of special blessings, teachings, a fire ceremony and dance. Lama Karma is the founder …    [read more]

Bhutanese take divorce in their stride - BBC News
“The divorce case is very, very common. If you go to the court, you will see most of the cases are all on divorce.” It may sound like a comment from Scandinavia - but this is Bhutan and the speaker is a young artist, Barun Gurung. His own parents …    [read more]

Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ Released after 17 yrs - Scoop
Bhutanese democratic fighter Dhan Kumar Rai, who was slapped life sentence by the Bhutanese regime on charges of treason, has finally been released after 17 years imprisonment inside Chemgang jail in Bhutan, reports Kantipur Daily. Rai, who is …    [read more]

Shawl bags only Bhutanese award - Kuensel Online
22 December, 2008 - Karma Yangchen’s natural dyed cotton shawl proved a worthy symbol of Bhutanese craftsmanship. The shawl was among the 13 handicrafts Bhutan had submitted in the South Asia UNESCO award of excellence for handicrafts in September …    [read more]

Immunising Bhutan – with Japan’s help - Kuensel Online
25 December, 2008 - The government of Japan will continue to support the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) in Bhutan for the next three years. The health secretary, Dasho Dr Gado Tshering, the resident representative of JICA, Tetsuo Yabe, and …    [read more]

IT giants look at Bhutan for investment - Business Standard
Around 30 leading IT firms from India held strategy meetings here recently to explore investment possibilities in Bhutan. The IT leaders said that Bhutan can play host to an array of possibilities like data centre operation, disaster recovery centre …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Clearly an original
Her fight against corruption is something of a personal crusade

DUE RECOGNITION: Dasho Neten Zangmo at her red-scarf investiture

27 December, 2008 - Fighting corruption in a country where it was fast taking root is a lonely job. The Anti Corruption Commission’s campaign against corruption had been running into a host of controversies and sometimes looked like a lost cause. In fact it was even rumoured that the ACC chief, Neten Zangmo, herself may not keep her job for much longer.    [read more]

Bhutanese cabaret in night-clubs

27 December, 2008 - Thimphu is changing. And fast. To accompany alcohol, new forms of entertainment are cropping up. Dance bars are one such development.

Only this time the ‘entertainers’ are girls.

Don’t let this raise your eyebrows? They exist under the guise of restaurants and bars. But, these are not strip clubs: the women remain fully clothed. They are not discos either: the women dance, and the men, the main customers, can only offer cash from their seats.    [read more]

The Centenary Citizen

27 December, 2008 - Bhutan’s oldest citizen, 109-year old Agay Lethro, was recognised as the Centenary Citizen by the CICCC.
   [read more]

Buddhist answers to common questions

26 December, 2008 - Lam Shenphen Zangpo answers basic questions that every Bhutanese man, woman, and child on the street wants to know.

I have done many bad things. Is there any hope for me to cleanse my mind and be happy?

Definitely. According to Buddhism our mind is naturally pure. Think of it like a pane of glass, and our habitual patterns and negative emotions as mud and dirt that obscure its natural radiance. No matter how thick or coarse the layer of mud, it can never penetrate the glass itself.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Trading leaves for a living
For over a century, the farmers from Denchukha Gewog in Samtse have braved the vagaries of nature and
traded betel leaves with Haa. Rabi C. Dahal reports.
For the people of Denchukha Gewog in Samtse, how well the betel leaves grow in the subtropical forest around them matters a lot. Betel leaves is their lifeline. For nearly […]    [read more]

First private free school for Thimphu
Starting 2009, Singye Group of Companies will start Thimphu’s first free community school in Bjemina.
The school will be a charity school. Books, stationeries and uniforms will be provided by the school.
“To begin with, we will start pre-primary classes and class one, which will slowly be upgraded in the future,” said Tshering Chhoden, Programme Officer in […]    [read more]

I’m out the choppy waters of democracy, lads
   [read more]

Give them their share They will remain there
Are we discussing rural-urban migration this time around? This social phenomenon forms the backdrop to many social issues on the parliamentary agenda.
We are discussing youth unemployment, which is largely an urban issue. Answers to this challenge are few given a stunted private sector and a zero-growth-policy-adopting civil service. The government’s much parroted answer to educated, […]    [read more]

Opposition Leader slams PM’s government performance report
It was another elbow to the ribs in the course of what many perceive to be an already strained relationship when the Opposition Leader expressed disappointment with the Prime Minister on the opening day of Parliament on December 24.
Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgye criticised Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley’s report on the performance of the government, saying […]    [read more]

Development issues high on agenda
Not too much fumbling with patangs and coloured kabneys, or shuffling about in stiff tshoglhams, or huddling into comfort-seeking groups this time around.
A been-there-done-that sense of familiarity prevailed when visibly more confident Members of Parliament attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the first Parliament on Wednesday, December 24, in Thimphu.
In an address […]    [read more]

Bhutan gets 300- hour chham archive
The Honolunu Academy of Arts (HAA) has gifted a video archive of over 300 hours of high-definition footage on chham (Buddhist ritual dances) to the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs yesterday at the National Library, Thimphu.
The gift, presented to the Home Secretary by Mr Gerard Houghton, the official representative from the academy, comprised two […]    [read more]

Drug abuse on the rise still
The narcotic control agency this year seized 13,526.5 items of pharmaceutical drugs illicitly trafficked from across the border along with 6,845 grams of marijuana. Kinley Dorji, the Executive Director said that most of the trafficking was carried out on the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.
The Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA) seized 244 bottles of Corex (cough syrup), 4,745 […]    [read more]

Five years for manslaughter
A woman in her early twenties was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison this month by the Dzongkhag Court of Pemagatshel.
Pema Lhamu from Murshing Gonpa, mother of a minor girl, was convicted for the death of her maternal uncle on the night of September 13. Her 44-year-old mother, who was […]    [read more]

The Centenary Citizen
Out of the five oldies born before 1907, Ap Lethro, 109- year-old from Khamey, Jigmechholing, Sarpang, was declared the “Centenary Citizen.”
The Citizen’s Initiative for Coronation and Centenary Celebrations will present a cash prize of Nu 25,000 to Ap Lethro.
Although his official age is 109, people in his village believe that he is older.
Presently, he lives […]    [read more]

International Sources

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,217 - KAAL-TV
As of Friday, Dec. 26, 2008, at least 4,217 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,398 …    [read more]

Bhutanese monk to spend weekend at Tibetan museum - Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel, a Bhutanese Buddhist monk, will be at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art Jan. 3-4 for a weekend of special blessings, teachings, a fire ceremony and dance. Lama Karma is the founder …    [read more]

National interest above all else - Kuensel Online
27 December, 2008 - Although they represented different constituencies and dzongkhags, parliamentarians must deliberate on all issues with the goal of safeguarding the interests of the people in all 20 dzongkhags and the nation, His Majesty the King …    [read more]

Clean-up Act - Kuensel Online
27 December, 2008 - Thimphu will be one of the cleanest cities in the world by 2011, assured the prime minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley. After the National Assembly enacted the Waste Prevention and Management Act yesterday, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y …    [read more]

John McCain in Bhutan - Newsblaze.com
Mc Cain lacks supporters even in this part of the world. One month after the election in the US, president runner up, Senator John McCain, was in Bhutan. If you guessed he was there to learn meditation or gaining tips to happiness, you are mistaken …    [read more]

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless - Newsblaze.com
The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render tens of thousands of refugees stateless, six international …    [read more]

Bhutanese take divorce in their stride - BBC News
“The divorce case is very, very common. If you go to the court, you will see most of the cases are all on divorce.” It may sound like a comment from Scandinavia - but this is Bhutan and the speaker is a young artist, Barun Gurung. His own parents …    [read more]

Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ Released after 17 yrs - Scoop
Bhutanese democratic fighter Dhan Kumar Rai, who was slapped life sentence by the Bhutanese regime on charges of treason, has finally been released after 17 years imprisonment inside Chemgang jail in Bhutan, reports Kantipur Daily. Rai, who is …    [read more]

IT giants look at Bhutan for investment - Business Standard
Around 30 leading IT firms from India held strategy meetings here recently to explore investment possibilities in Bhutan. The IT leaders said that Bhutan can play host to an array of possibilities like data centre operation, disaster recovery centre …    [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

Clearly an original
Her fight against corruption is something of a personal crusade

DUE RECOGNITION: Dasho Neten Zangmo at her red-scarf investiture

27 December, 2008 - Fighting corruption in a country where it was fast taking root is a lonely job. The Anti Corruption Commission’s campaign against corruption had been running into a host of controversies and sometimes looked like a lost cause. In fact it was even rumoured that the ACC chief, Neten Zangmo, herself may not keep her job for much longer.    [read more]

Bhutanese cabaret in night-clubs

27 December, 2008 - Thimphu is changing. And fast. To accompany alcohol, new forms of entertainment are cropping up. Dance bars are one such development.

Only this time the ‘entertainers’ are girls.

Don’t let this raise your eyebrows? They exist under the guise of restaurants and bars. But, these are not strip clubs: the women remain fully clothed. They are not discos either: the women dance, and the men, the main customers, can only offer cash from their seats.    [read more]

The Centenary Citizen

27 December, 2008 - Bhutan’s oldest citizen, 109-year old Agay Lethro, was recognised as the Centenary Citizen by the CICCC.
   [read more]

Buddhist answers to common questions

26 December, 2008 - Lam Shenphen Zangpo answers basic questions that every Bhutanese man, woman, and child on the street wants to know.

I have done many bad things. Is there any hope for me to cleanse my mind and be happy?

Definitely. According to Buddhism our mind is naturally pure. Think of it like a pane of glass, and our habitual patterns and negative emotions as mud and dirt that obscure its natural radiance. No matter how thick or coarse the layer of mud, it can never penetrate the glass itself.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Trading leaves for a living
For over a century, the farmers from Denchukha Gewog in Samtse have braved the vagaries of nature and
traded betel leaves with Haa. Rabi C. Dahal reports.
For the people of Denchukha Gewog in Samtse, how well the betel leaves grow in the subtropical forest around them matters a lot. Betel leaves is their lifeline. For nearly […]    [read more]

First private free school for Thimphu
Starting 2009, Singye Group of Companies will start Thimphu’s first free community school in Bjemina.
The school will be a charity school. Books, stationeries and uniforms will be provided by the school.
“To begin with, we will start pre-primary classes and class one, which will slowly be upgraded in the future,” said Tshering Chhoden, Programme Officer in […]    [read more]

I’m out the choppy waters of democracy, lads
   [read more]

Give them their share They will remain there
Are we discussing rural-urban migration this time around? This social phenomenon forms the backdrop to many social issues on the parliamentary agenda.
We are discussing youth unemployment, which is largely an urban issue. Answers to this challenge are few given a stunted private sector and a zero-growth-policy-adopting civil service. The government’s much parroted answer to educated, […]    [read more]

Opposition Leader slams PM’s government performance report
It was another elbow to the ribs in the course of what many perceive to be an already strained relationship when the Opposition Leader expressed disappointment with the Prime Minister on the opening day of Parliament on December 24.
Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgye criticised Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley’s report on the performance of the government, saying […]    [read more]

Development issues high on agenda
Not too much fumbling with patangs and coloured kabneys, or shuffling about in stiff tshoglhams, or huddling into comfort-seeking groups this time around.
A been-there-done-that sense of familiarity prevailed when visibly more confident Members of Parliament attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the first Parliament on Wednesday, December 24, in Thimphu.
In an address […]    [read more]

Bhutan gets 300- hour chham archive
The Honolunu Academy of Arts (HAA) has gifted a video archive of over 300 hours of high-definition footage on chham (Buddhist ritual dances) to the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs yesterday at the National Library, Thimphu.
The gift, presented to the Home Secretary by Mr Gerard Houghton, the official representative from the academy, comprised two […]    [read more]

Drug abuse on the rise still
The narcotic control agency this year seized 13,526.5 items of pharmaceutical drugs illicitly trafficked from across the border along with 6,845 grams of marijuana. Kinley Dorji, the Executive Director said that most of the trafficking was carried out on the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.
The Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA) seized 244 bottles of Corex (cough syrup), 4,745 […]    [read more]

Five years for manslaughter
A woman in her early twenties was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison this month by the Dzongkhag Court of Pemagatshel.
Pema Lhamu from Murshing Gonpa, mother of a minor girl, was convicted for the death of her maternal uncle on the night of September 13. Her 44-year-old mother, who was […]    [read more]

The Centenary Citizen
Out of the five oldies born before 1907, Ap Lethro, 109- year-old from Khamey, Jigmechholing, Sarpang, was declared the “Centenary Citizen.”
The Citizen’s Initiative for Coronation and Centenary Celebrations will present a cash prize of Nu 25,000 to Ap Lethro.
Although his official age is 109, people in his village believe that he is older.
Presently, he lives […]    [read more]

International Sources

Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review - Global Voices Online.org
Full Category List Armenia Azerbaijan Central Asia & Caucasus Eastern & Central Europe Education Elections English Entertainment Freedom of Speech General Georgia Human Rights International Relations Internet & Telecoms LGBT Middle East & North …    [read more]

A Nepali-English Dictionary: The Gift of Language - NHPR
As NHPR’s Jon Greenberg was working on that story about the Bhutanese refugees, he came across an unexpected case of creative generosity. When Doug Hall began volunteering with the Bhutanese, he discovered that a general purpose English Nepali …    [read more]

Immunising Bhutan – with Japan’s help - Kuensel Online
25 December, 2008 - The government of Japan will continue to support the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) in Bhutan for the next three years. The health secretary, Dasho Dr Gado Tshering, the resident representative of JICA, Tetsuo Yabe, and …    [read more]

Recession Hits Refugees Hard - NHPR
The US takes in about 60 thousand refugees a year. When they arrive, they get assistance for several months. In the past, that’s generally been enough to tide them over until they find work. But with the economy in recession, some refugees are …    [read more]

John McCain in Bhutan - Newsblaze.com
Mc Cain lacks supporters even in this part of the world. One month after the election in the US, president runner up, Senator John McCain, was in Bhutan. If you guessed he was there to learn meditation or gaining tips to happiness, you are mistaken …    [read more]

IT giants look at Bhutan for investment - Business Standard
Around 30 leading IT firms from India held strategy meetings here recently to explore investment possibilities in Bhutan. The IT leaders said that Bhutan can play host to an array of possibilities like data centre operation, disaster recovery centre …    [read more]

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless - Newsblaze.com
The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render tens of thousands of refugees stateless, six international …    [read more]

Bhutanese take divorce in their stride - BBC News
“The divorce case is very, very common. If you go to the court, you will see most of the cases are all on divorce.” It may sound like a comment from Scandinavia - but this is Bhutan and the speaker is a young artist, Barun Gurung. His own parents …    [read more]

Bhutan woman tells of transition from monarchy to democracy - Spencer Daily Reporter
(Photo submitted) Adorned in their Bhutanese national dress and special scarves, Tashi Ongmo, left, and her family, which includes father Dr. Gado Tshering, brother Thinley Jamtsho Tshering, mother Tashi Choden and older sister Chimi Ongmo, were …    [read more]

Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ Released after 17 yrs - Scoop
Bhutanese democratic fighter Dhan Kumar Rai, who was slapped life sentence by the Bhutanese regime on charges of treason, has finally been released after 17 years imprisonment inside Chemgang jail in Bhutan, reports Kantipur Daily. Rai, who is …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Buddhist answers to common questions

26 December, 2008 - Lam Shenphen Zangpo answers basic questions that every Bhutanese man, woman, and child on the street wants to know.

I have done many bad things. Is there any hope for me to cleanse my mind and be happy?

Definitely. According to Buddhism our mind is naturally pure. Think of it like a pane of glass, and our habitual patterns and negative emotions as mud and dirt that obscure its natural radiance. No matter how thick or coarse the layer of mud, it can never penetrate the glass itself.    [read more]

First parliament’s second session
What’s on the agenda: Bills, reports, plans and
lots more

MPs at a reception hosted by the National Assembly Speaker yesterday

25 December, 2008 - Strengthening of security for MPs, revocation of ban on sale of meat on religious months, putting royal Bhutan police (RBP) under the elected government, discussion of the civil service pay revision, and security clearance for those involved in the 1990 anti-national demonstrations are some of the issues being tabled for the new parliament’s second session that began yesterday.    [read more]

Bhutan Star on New Year’s Eve

ALMOST THERE - The four-month long search for a singing star ends on December 31

25 December, 2008 - The TV remote control has competition. From the electronic slab, that occupies our palms day and night. Never before did mobile phones dictate control over television content. But, then again, never before did we have a reality show.    [read more]

Gelephu gets regional labour office

25 December, 2008 - With the establishment of a new regional labour office in Gelephug, contractors need not travel to Thimphu to process labour permits.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

I’m out the choppy waters of democracy, lads
   [read more]

Give them their share They will remain there
Are we discussing rural-urban migration this time around? This social phenomenon forms the backdrop to many social issues on the parliamentary agenda.
We are discussing youth unemployment, which is largely an urban issue. Answers to this challenge are few given a stunted private sector and a zero-growth-policy-adopting civil service. The government’s much parroted answer to educated, […]    [read more]

It was another elbow to the ribs in the course of what many perceive to be an already strained relationship when the Opposition Leader expressed disappointment with the Prime Minister on the opening day of Parliament on December 24.
Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgye criticised Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley’s report on the performance of the government, saying […]    [read more]

Development issues high on agenda
Not too much fumbling with patangs and coloured kabneys, or shuffling about in stiff tshoglhams, or huddling into comfort-seeking groups this time around.
A been-there-done-that sense of familiarity prevailed when visibly more confident Members of Parliament attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the first Parliament on Wednesday, December 24, in Thimphu.
In an address […]    [read more]

Bhutan gets 300- hour chham archive
The Honolunu Academy of Arts (HAA) has gifted a video archive of over 300 hours of high-definition footage on chham (Buddhist ritual dances) to the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs yesterday at the National Library, Thimphu.
The gift, presented to the Home Secretary by Mr Gerard Houghton, the official representative from the academy, comprised two […]    [read more]

Drug abuse on the rise still
The narcotic control agency this year seized 13,526.5 items of pharmaceutical drugs illicitly trafficked from across the border along with 6,845 grams of marijuana. Kinley Dorji, the Executive Director said that most of the trafficking was carried out on the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway.
The Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA) seized 244 bottles of Corex (cough syrup), 4,745 […]    [read more]

Five years for manslaughter
A woman in her early twenties was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison this month by the Dzongkhag Court of Pemagatshel.
Pema Lhamu from Murshing Gonpa, mother of a minor girl, was convicted for the death of her maternal uncle on the night of September 13. Her 44-year-old mother, who was […]    [read more]

The Centenary Citizen
Out of the five oldies born before 1907, Ap Lethro, 109- year-old from Khamey, Jigmechholing, Sarpang, was declared the “Centenary Citizen.”
The Citizen’s Initiative for Coronation and Centenary Celebrations will present a cash prize of Nu 25,000 to Ap Lethro.
Although his official age is 109, people in his village believe that he is older.
Presently, he lives […]    [read more]

Dasho, where art thou?
For the people of Sarpang, the high anticipation of the winter session of National Assembly is dampened by the fact that their National Council member, Karma Donnen Wangdi, hasn’t visited them.
We are impatient about his visit and are worried of him not visiting us, say the people of Sarpang.
“We have many things to say to […]    [read more]

Factory closure a “big concern”
More than 350 Bhutanese will be rendered jobless if the steel-related industries in Pasakha shut down. The Labour and Human Resources Minister, Lyonpo Dorji Wangdi, said, the closure will have a lot of implications and will aggravate the unemployment problem. “It is a big concern and we are working towards finding amicable solutions,” the Lyonpo […]    [read more]

International Sources

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]

Pakistan to play five ODIs in Bangladesh - Pakistan News Service
KARACHI(AFP)–Pakistan will tour Bangladesh to play five one-day internationals in March next year, an official said Wednesday. Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in Bangladesh since 2002 although they toured the nation to play a tri-series …    [read more]

IT giants look at Bhutan for investment - Business Standard
Around 30 leading IT firms from India held strategy meetings here recently to explore investment possibilities in Bhutan. The IT leaders said that Bhutan can play host to an array of possibilities like data centre operation, disaster recovery centre …    [read more]

Immunising Bhutan – with Japan’s help - Kuensel Online
25 December, 2008 - The government of Japan will continue to support the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) in Bhutan for the next three years. The health secretary, Dasho Dr Gado Tshering, the resident representative of JICA, Tetsuo Yabe, and …    [read more]

Amankora sues ex-employees - Kuensel Online
25 December, 2008 - Amankora, a high-end resort in Bhutan, is suing its former employees, who were tied with a training bond but left in violation of the company’s service rule. The resort filed a lawsuit against a former employee in October this …    [read more]

Bhutanese take divorce in their stride - BBC News
“The divorce case is very, very common. If you go to the court, you will see most of the cases are all on divorce.” It may sound like a comment from Scandinavia - but this is Bhutan and the speaker is a young artist, Barun Gurung. His own parents …    [read more]

John McCain in Bhutan - Newsblaze.com
Mc Cain lacks supporters even in this part of the world. One month after the election in the US, president runner up, Senator John McCain, was in Bhutan. If you guessed he was there to learn meditation or gaining tips to happiness, you are mistaken …    [read more]

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless - Newsblaze.com
The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render tens of thousands of refugees stateless, six international …    [read more]

Bhutan woman tells of transition from monarchy to democracy - Spencer Daily Reporter
(Photo submitted) Adorned in their Bhutanese national dress and special scarves, Tashi Ongmo, left, and her family, which includes father Dr. Gado Tshering, brother Thinley Jamtsho Tshering, mother Tashi Choden and older sister Chimi Ongmo, were …    [read more]

Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ Released after 17 yrs - Scoop
Bhutanese democratic fighter Dhan Kumar Rai, who was slapped life sentence by the Bhutanese regime on charges of treason, has finally been released after 17 years imprisonment inside Chemgang jail in Bhutan, reports Kantipur Daily. Rai, who is …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

First parliament’s second session
What’s on the agenda: Bills, reports, plans and
lots more

MPs at a reception hosted by the National Assembly Speaker yesterday

25 December, 2008 - Strengthening of security for MPs, revocation of ban on sale of meat on religious months, putting royal Bhutan police (RBP) under the elected government, discussion of the civil service pay revision, and security clearance for those involved in the 1990 anti-national demonstrations are some of the issues being tabled for the new parliament’s second session that began yesterday.    [read more]

Bhutan Star on New Year’s Eve

ALMOST THERE - The four-month long search for a singing star ends on December 31

25 December, 2008 - The TV remote control has competition. From the electronic slab, that occupies our palms day and night. Never before did mobile phones dictate control over television content. But, then again, never before did we have a reality show.    [read more]

Gelephu gets regional labour office

25 December, 2008 - With the establishment of a new regional labour office in Gelephug, contractors need not travel to Thimphu to process labour permits.    [read more]

Move over steel, tourism’s sick too

24 December, 2008 - The sick steel industry’s hope of help from the government is set to face a serious setback with tourist operators asking for a similar aid. The operator’s contention: the financial calamity has hurt their business too.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Largest and longest banner for the King, country
Wing 2 of the Royal Bhutan Army, at Damthang in Haa put up a banner, measuring 165 metres long and 4 metres wide, to commemorate the Coronation and Centenary celebrations.
It took two days for five tailors to complete the banner. The entire Wing was engaged for half a day in putting up the […]    [read more]

Chen Chen signed out Rinzin Dorji logged in
Rinzin Dorji of Druk com was elected as the new chairman of Information Communication and Technology Association of Bhutan (ICTAB) at the annual general meeting held at Bhutan Chambers of Commerce and Industry on December 15, Monday.
New Vice President and the seven new executive members were elected by the ICTAB members from various dzongkhags unanimously. […]    [read more]

One more blessing for Bhutan?
Can I say that almost all of us feel lucky to be born in Bhutan and be Bhutanese? Some feel lucky to be associated with or connected with Bhutan, I guess.
In general, all seem to have something positive to say about Bhutan. No doubt, there are numerous blessings that we can count.
Recently, an international report, […]    [read more]

Kangyur Lingkor
For the first time in Punakha, people from different gewogs got together to participate in a Kangyur Lingkor (carrying of religious Buddhist scripts).
On December 15, more than 200 people carried Kangyur from Tabab Chhorten in Punakha proper to Nubgang village and then returned to Punakha Dzong.
The Kangyur is a set of 108 scriptures. Lingkor means […]    [read more]

Cooperatives make hay in Trashigang
At least five gewogs including Merak, Sakteng and Samkhar in Trashigang dzongkhag have formed dairy cooperatives to improve livelihood. As a result, Brokpa zhitpa (fermented cheese) and tshotog (butter) from Merak and Sakteng will soon be available in cleaner packages.
According to the Dzongkhag Livestock Officer, Dr Tshering Dorjee, one of the advantages of forming dairy […]    [read more]

What’s under the gho?
A dzongkhag official in Pemagatshel, is missing something under his immaculate sethra gho. Underwear.
He has never worn it. Despite this unusual fashion habit, 43- year-old Dorji, (name changed), said that he is perfectly comfortable venturing out in his kneelength gho.
“Forty-three years of not wearing undergarments has instilled a natural instinct of saving myself from embarrassment,” […]    [read more]

Should MPs complain about Police not saluting them?
   [read more]

Knock, knock…anybody home?
   [read more]

How gay are Bhutanese gays?
Article 213 in Chapter 14 of the Penal Code of Bhutan states, “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of unnatural sex, if the defendant engages in sodomy or any other sexual conduct that is against the order of nature” Does unnatural sex, which is graded as a petty misdemeanour, include homosexuality? How rife […]    [read more]

Bhutanese take to socialising online
Sonam, 24, is a happily married woman and has a son. Unlike conventional love stories, she fell in love with her husband when he was a faceless man she met while socialising online.
Never had she imagined that she would be marrying the faceless person on the other end of the line.
The story has been similar […]    [read more]

International Sources

Emerging market consumers hurting with rest of world - ABS-CBN
NEW YORK - The financial crisis is shattering global confidence, with three quarters of households cutting spending and consumers in emerging countries feeling especially squeezed, a survey showed on Tuesday. While countries like China, India and …    [read more]

Bhutan bows out - Kuensel Online
24 December, 2008 - Bhutan thrashed Kuwait by 53 runs in their final league match of the ACC U-19 women’s championship on December 19, yet failed to qualify for the quarter-finals because of a low net run-rate. Bhutan’s Anju Gurung was named …    [read more]

John McCain in Bhutan - Newsblaze.com
Mc Cain lacks supporters even in this part of the world. One month after the election in the US, president runner up, Senator John McCain, was in Bhutan. If you guessed he was there to learn meditation or gaining tips to happiness, you are mistaken …    [read more]

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless - Newsblaze.com
The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render tens of thousands of refugees stateless, six international …    [read more]

PDP president steps down - Kuensel Online
24 December, 2008 - The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Sangay Ngedup, has submitted his resignation from his present party post to the Election Commission of Bhutan. The opposition leader Tshering Tobgay said that the party was planning …    [read more]

Bhutan woman tells of transition from monarchy to democracy - Spencer Daily Reporter
(Photo submitted) Adorned in their Bhutanese national dress and special scarves, Tashi Ongmo, left, and her family, which includes father Dr. Gado Tshering, brother Thinley Jamtsho Tshering, mother Tashi Choden and older sister Chimi Ongmo, were …    [read more]

Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ Released after 17 yrs - Scoop
Bhutanese democratic fighter Dhan Kumar Rai, who was slapped life sentence by the Bhutanese regime on charges of treason, has finally been released after 17 years imprisonment inside Chemgang jail in Bhutan, reports Kantipur Daily. Rai, who is …    [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]

India grants Bhutan, Maldives Rs.13.7 bn additional aid - Thaindian.com
New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) India has granted Bhutan and the Maldives Rs.1,370 crore (Rs.13.7 billion) as additional aid, it was announced here Friday.Of this, Rs.900 crore (Rs.9 billion) will go to Bhutan in two tranches, while Rs.470 crore (Rs.4.7 …    [read more]

Notebooks Beat Desktops for the First Time Ever - Pakistan News Service
According to the trusted researchers at iSuppli, laptop computer sales outpaced desktops for the first time last quarter. Strong netbook sales may have played a decisive role in the change. Netbooks may have been the deciding factor in pushing …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Move over steel, tourism’s sick too

24 December, 2008 - The sick steel industry’s hope of help from the government is set to face a serious setback with tourist operators asking for a similar aid. The operator’s contention: the financial calamity has hurt their business too.    [read more]