International Sources

Bhutanese dance to Indian Ocean’s tunes - Screen India
They went, they performed and the Bhutanese went frenzy. Fusion band Indian Ocean’s debut act in the Himalayan country attracted an impressive audience that swayed and hummed and was literally drenched. The concert was organised by the Indian Embassy …

Indian Idol blown away by Bhutanese reception - Kuensel Online
28 May, 2008 - The show kicked off three hours late. Most chairs were empty. Tickets were expensive and one of the performers, Charu, missed her flight. Despite all that, Prashant Tamang’s show in Thimphu, though not a roaring commercial success …

A look at some of world’s remaining monarchies - Forbes
Nepal ended 239 years of royal rule on Wednesday. The last time a monarchy was abolished was in May 2007 when Samoa’s king died. Some of the world’s remaining ruling monarchies: _ Bahrain, constitutional monarchy: King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa …

Buddhist paintings, sculpture from Bhutan featured in rare exhibit - Ashland Daily Tidings
HONOLULU — Assistant curator John Johnston scaled steep cliffs for seven hours to reach a bronze sculpture of a Buddha at a small Himalayan monastery 13,000 feet above sea level. And where there was no trail, he and two companions grabbed trees to …

Rough Guide to Ultimate Escapes: Celebs sign up for Channel Five … - Guardian Unlimited
Channel Five is to launch a spin-off of its Rough Guides series in which celebrities including comedian Dom Joly and Green Wing actor Stephen Mangan will undertake adrenaline-fuelled adventures. Rough Guide to Ultimate Escapes will see four …

End of an era as another Himalayan kingdom tumbles - Reuters India
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - For centuries they enjoyed absolute power in their mountain fastnesses, revered by their subjects as incarnations of gods or Buddha, but one by one the monarchies of the Himalayas are falling. Pressure has come from China to the …

Controlling precursor chemicals - Kuensel Online
29 May, 2008 - Potassium permanganate purifies water but can also purify cocaine. Acetic anhydride is used in the pharmaceutical, textile and leather industries but can also be misused to manufacture heroin. Such chemicals are known as precursor …

Northeast India is poised to tap economic potential - Los Angeles Times
NEW DELHI — India’s remote northeast region has been both blessed and cursed by its geography. The region is rich in natural resources but is landlocked and surrounded by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, leaving it impoverished. The eight …

A look at some of the world’s remaining ruling monarchies - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Iraqi prime minister to seek debt relief Israeli defense chief says Olmert must step down Ahmadinejad rival gets powerful post in Iran Treaty seeks to ban cluster bombs within 8 years UK police make new arrest after restaurant blast Nepal ended 239 …

Kicking China’s 3bn-a-day plastic bag habit - RTE Online
China is about to try to kick a 3 billion-a-day plastic bag habit. But breaking the addiction, in a bid to save energy and protect the environment, will be easier said than done. This Sunday, the world’s most populous nation will join a growing list …

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

2.15 m euros for Austrian-Bhutan bilateral program

Mrs MC Weinberger and Yeshey Dorji signing the document

29 May, 2008 - The Austrian government has committed 2.15 million euros to Bhutan within the bilateral program for this year.

Pasakha plagued by transportation problems

Buses stranded on one side of the Singhi bridge that was closed to heavy vehicles a month ago

29 May, 2008 - The movement of heavy vehicles to and fro the industrial estate of Pasakha has once again become erratic with the Singhi river rising to dangerous levels.

Beer going down the tube

29 May, 2008 - Around 1,500 cases of expired Golden Eagle, Haywards 5000, Pils and Royal Challenge beer brands are being dumped at the Phuentsholing city corporation waste disposal site at Pasakha.
According to the customs officials on duty, dumping started on May 24, with six workers who dump about 400 cases a day.
A sales tax of Nu 99 is levied on every case of bottled beer and Nu 190 on each carton of canned beer.

Local artisans under import threat

Kinzang Tobgay: Will his craft prove to be a commercial success?

28 May, 2008 - The beating of a dozen hammers does not distract 19-year old Kinzang Tobgay. A hammer and a chisel in hand, the third year student of the Zorig Chusum institute in Thimphu is fully engrossed in his carving - a mouse drawn on a wooden block.

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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