International Sources

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

Forex Converter - Economic Times
Currency you want to convert from Afghanistan Afghani Albanian Lek Algerian Dinar Andorran Franc Andorran Peseta Angolan Kwanza Angolan New Kwanza Argentine Peso Armenian Dram Aruban Florin Australian Dollar Austrian Schilling Azerbaijani Manat …

Hotels to be rated with stars - Kuensel Online
26 May, 2008 - Hotels in the country will soon graded on a star rating, based on a new classification system introduced by the tourism council of Bhutan (TCB), which will replace the existing lettering system. “The proposed system incorporates all …

Register » - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
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 …

Colombian rebels say leader dies of heart attack - Seattle Post Intelligencer
Foto de archivo de Manuel Marulanda, alias Tirofijo y máximo líder de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), que murió en marzo de un paro cardíaco, según informó el grupo guerrillero el domingo 25 de mayo de 2008.(AP foto …

While India sleeps, Chinese threat grows - Rediff
N ew Delhi’s portrayal of the humiliating defeat at the hands of Chinese in 1962 as ‘betrayal’ and ’surprise’ is untrue. The pacifist Indian leadership that was crying hoarse from rooftops for friendship at any cost remained blind to Communist China …

Caution urged as B.C. Typhoid cases soar - Vancouver Sun
The incidence of typhoid and paratyphoid fever is on pace to shatter all previous records, with 44 cases diagnosed so far in B.C. this year. Nearly all are in the Fraser health region among Indo-Canadians who picked up the disease while visiting …

FACTBOX-Plastic not fantastic? — bag bans around the world - Reuters AlertNet
May 27 (Reuters) — China will become the latest country to outlaw ultra-thin plastic bags, when a ban takes effect on Sunday, in a bid to cut pollution and save resources. The ban, announced by the State Council in January, halts the production of …

Smoking and Your Social Network - Health and Age.com
Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of smoking in the United States has decreased substantially. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, quitting smoking is heavily influenced by spouses and friends Using a densely …

Police crackdown on chorten robbers - Kuensel Online
26 May, 2008 - The royal Bhutan police (RBP) have stepped up its hunt for chorten robbers, following a crackdown on what they describe as one of the most brutal desecration cases at Shera Drangu lhakhang in Paro on February 17. On May 16, the …

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Lhuentse’s Little Leap Forward

Lhuentse has not changed in decades

27 May, 2008 - The face of Lhuentse town is up for a major overhaul.

Replacing the cluster of small shacks, built of planks and tin sheets, which has made up the district’s urban centre for decades, will be permanent structures, an internal road network, proper drainage, adequate water supply and street lighting.

Parliament apparel

26 May, 2008 - One recent occasion that showcased the best of Bhutan’s rich weaving traditions was the opening day of the joint session of the new parliament.

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26 May, 2008 -
Picture story: Students in Paro waiting to welcome the Indian prime minster Manmohan Singh on May 16. Students from all government schools lined the Paro-Thimphu highway with flags .

Make your own travel scrabble!

Materials

Old bottle tops – 100 beer or cola caps, with some spares
Patterned fabric – 50×50 cm
Plain light coloured fabric – 50×50 cm
Any other fabric scrap - 20×20 cm (of a light duty material)
White paint – any white paint
Small pot paint or permanent marker – black or any dark colour
Fabric paint – small pot in at least 2 colours
Paint brushes – small
Paint thinner, nail polish remover
String, old shoelaces, 2 bits – one 30cm long, one 50cm long
Sewing cotton/thread and needle
Scissors

Positively Disciplining children

26 May, 2008 - In the process of learning and becoming independent, children explore, experiment, and test the limits. This often results in behaviour that frustrates and challenges parents. It is the parent’s job to be role models of good behaviour and teach children how to behave in a positive way.

Ten question

26 May, 2008 - Karsang, 35, from Ngatshang Ugyenste, Samtse has been a taxi driver for six years now. He shares his thoughts on his life with City Bytes.

1. How did you become a taxi driver?
I thought I’d make a living by being a taxi driver.

Tales from the storm

Pema Yangki with her children at her home

26 May, 2008 - On the night of April 12, Pema Yangki, 25, and her family had retired for the night in their one-roomed bamboo hut in Lhakhangzor in Moshi, about 95 km south of Trashigang town. While her two children dozed off to sleep, Pema Yangki and her husband remained awake, engrossed in a conversation.

Bhutan Observer

The Bhutan Goenpa – reaching out to all
Legend has it that three decades ago, a renowned administrator from India visited Phuentsholing. The administrator did not have any children as his wife was unable to conceive. He was advised by the late Gyelyum Phuntsho Choden to offer prayers at the Phuntsho Choeling Goenpa at Kharbandi. He did and nine months later, his wife […]

Do you think MP’s sitting fees should be waived?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Culture club: is Bhutanese heritage alive?
After sitting in on meetings at the Centre for Bhutan Studies, and many a school debate, I noticed one recurring theme over and over again. Even on BBS, these debates are televised. I just wonder how deep a thought has gone into the subject. The subject I am addressing, which is constantly debated, is the […]

Bollywood does get to you
As a little kid growing up in Phuentsholing, I probably saw more Indians than Bhutanese. They were everywhere. The milkman with the aluminium pot and kettle was Indian; the man who sweetened my tooth with cotton candy was an Indian. I went to school and was taught by teachers from India.
And then the Indian movies […]

Back in school wearing a smile and a kira
Observer’s Jurmi Chhowing follows up on the Geisha of Purple Lounge and finds a transformed young student who wants to continue her education.
It’s been about two weeks since Dechen Seldon, “The Geisha of Purple Lounge,” was reinstated back in school. She now attends Shari HSS, in a kira. I’m back in Paro looking for her. […]

‘Ginseg’ conducted in Taksang
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche  conducted a 10-day Fire ‘Ginseg’ Puja for the conclusion of the Vajrakilaya retreat in Taksang with about 150 devotees from across the country.

Follow the money
On the 15th of May, the Government of India approved a total fund of Nu 2610.14 crores for the extended ninth plan. The fund was meant for Indian Companies to participate in major projects and strengthen goodwill for India in Bhutan. The package assistance under ‘Aid to Bhutan’ was provided by the Ministry of External […]

Policeman’s leg crushed
A Paro policeman, whose leg was crushed by a jeep driver in a fit of rage on May 10, was amputated twice at the JDWNR Hospital. The driver, Daza, a Paro based businessman, was detained after the incident.
The incident occurred on Saturday night after 2 am, when Gopa Dorji and colleagues were on patrol at […]

Enforcing the law brutally?
The law is clearly defined on paper but what about its enforcement?
Is there too much force used by the enforcers, defying the written law itself? The issue is about police brutality.
There is no denying that it happens nationwide but such cases have always been kept out of the media. Not anymore.
People are now coming forward […]

Uniform signboards out
Uniform signboards are out even as the Thimphu City Corporation (TCC) is still confused about the issue and file-searching for the notification issued sometime in 2005.
The draconian rule was buried by the Minister of MOWHS, LyonpoYeshi Zimba, in a meeting held with TCC officials last week. There will be no Nu.1, 000 penalty a day […]

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