BHUTAN

BHUTAN

Indian FM calls on Bhutanese PM during first official overseas visit


India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar met Bhutan's top leadership Friday, including Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, and discussed important elements of the bilateral ties with emphasis on development partnership and cooperation in the hydropower sector. S Jaishankar is in... More

Bhutan losses 3,460 acres of forest to hydro projects


Bhutan lost about 3,460 acres of forest cover due to construction of three hydropower projects – Punatsangchhu-I, Punatsangchhu-II, and Mangdechhu. A study by Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS), “Forest Cover Loss Due to Hydropower Projects and... More

More Hotels, Less Tourists: A stiff competition in Bhutan


Hundreds and thousands of tourist visit Bhutan every year. Presently there is a rise in the number of regional tourists especially coming in from India. Thimphu, Paro, Punakha and Bumthang are the main tourist destinations. These places... More

Buthan launches cards to provide services to senior citizens


The 8th Annual General meeting for the Royal Society for Senior Citizens was held in Thimphu Sunday. The meeting is expected to sort out issues and challenges faced by the senior citizens. Senior citizens card was also... More

Bhutan host to over 11,000 species of biodiversity


Bhutan is a host to more than 11,000 species of biodiversity as per the Biodiversity statistics of Bhutan released yesterday. The figure accounts for 4.89 per cent of the total biodiversity recorded for the world. There are... More

Bhutan hydropower revenue drops


With the Wangchhu recording the lowest flow due to the worst hydrology since 2008,  the Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) saw the lowest generation of electricity last year. DGPC was short of 13.18 percent of the target generation ... More

Boulders export to Bangladesh: Ghost representation cancels Bhutanese exporters’ meeting


Local exporters and official from Bhutan Exporters Association (BEA) were supposed to visit Nakugaon on 13th of this month to meet with Bangladeshis importers of boulders at Nakugaon to discuss the Bhutan boulders export issue raised during... More

Construction boom affecting Bhutan’s balance of trade


Bhutan is experiencing huge construction boom in recent years. But except for cement, all raw materials for construction are imported leading to huge amount of money draining out from the country. There is a huge credit injected in... More

Bhutan’s outstanding external debt at Nu 184B


The total outstanding external debt of Bhutan has increased to Nu 184 billion (B) this March from Nu 172B in March last year, on account of increased hydropower loan and RBI swap facility. According to the Royal Monetary... More

Bhutanese exporters to visit Bangladesh to sort out boulder issue


A team comprising of boulder exporters and officials from the Bhutan Exporters Association (BEA) will travel to Nakugoan in Bangladesh on May 13 to resolve the ongoing boulders export issue from Gelephu. This was decided during a meeting... More

Bhutan presents report to UN Human Rights Council


Bhutan presented its third national report to the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism on May 8 in Geneva, Switzerland. In his statement to the review body, foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji highlighted... More

In happy Bhutan, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering is a doctor on Saturdays


It's Saturday in Bhutan and Dr Lotay Tshering has just completed urinary bladder repair surgery on a patient at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. But Dr Tshering is no ordinary doctor. During the week, he also... More

Switzerland and Bhutan discuss boosting ties


Switzerland’s foreign minister Ignazio Cassis has held official talks in Bern with his counterpart Tandi Dorji of Bhutan on boosting economic and political ties between the two countries. “Switzerland and the Himalayan state can look back on many... More

Sustainable Development Fee on regional tourists recommended in Bhutan


A recently released fourth pay commission report of Bhutan has recommended the government to introduce sustainable development fee (SDF) on regional tourists which refer those tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives. The report recommended introducing a Sustainable Development... More

Bhutan plans to bring down the trade deficit to 12%


The government of Bhutan plans to bring down the trade deficit to 12 per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of the 12th Five-Year-Plan. At present, the trade deficit of Nu 29.7bn... More

Bhutan, FAO agree 5 year plan to improve food and nutrition security


The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) this week announced the development of a five-year Country Programming Framework (CPF) on technical cooperation and partnership to improve food... More

Can Bhutan take its happiness brand to the next level?


Happiness was on everyone's lips recently, when I informed friends and contacts about receiving an invitation to visit Bhutan as a guest of the King last week. Many nations dream of universally positive brand recall, but Bhutan has... More

Bhutanese economy expected to grow moderately: ADB


Bhutanese economy is expected to grow moderately this year as well as the following year according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) report, which was released Tuesday. The growth forecasts are at 5.7 per cent this year and... More

Bhutan, Bangladesh to establish Joint Business Council


Bhutan and Bangladesh will soon establish a Joint Business Council for the business communities of the two countries to work together, foster friendship and understanding. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the council was signed between the... More

BBIN motor vehicle agreement, hydropower discussed during Bhutan PM’s visit to Bangladesh


Bhutanese prime minister Dr Lotay Tshering says the Bangladeshi government understands the emotions, the positive and negative impacts of Bhutan joining the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement. During the Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering official talks with the... More

Bangladesh visit successful: Bhutan PM


The Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering says his four-day visit to Bangladesh has been a successful one. He arrived Bhutan Monday morning from Dhaka. The Bangladeshi Foreign Minister saw off the Prime Minister from the Hazrat Shahjahal International... More

COLUMN

Tied to US apron strings, India is losing out in Iran

While China continues to buy Iranian oil, defying U.S. sanctions and challenging U.S. unilateralism, India has capitulated to the US and is losing out on opportunities in Iran, a “hard rock friend” till recently. The change in India’s attitude to Iran was seen clearly when Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad... More

Shame and defame: Using hybrid warfare against Chairman NAB

The major reason for the dismal economic situation of the country is corruption and the feudal-type nepotism that sustained it over decades has infested the state and its institutions. Making money from kickbacks by bureaucrats and politicians who are in a position of power, selling jobs and stealing public... More

Yangon’s smart metres: A step towards creating a smart city

Yangon city is introducing state of the art smart metres to control the electricity supply, monitor its usage and bill costumers in parts of the city – in one automated system. “It’s a step towards making Yangon a smart city and improving and extending e-government throughout Myanmar,” Myo Aung... More

India falls in line with others on Afghanistan

After swinging its Iran policy from ‘no dictate from the U.S.’ and compliance only with the U.N sanctions to completely ditching their purchase of oil from Iran and principally following the U.S. policy of isolating and crippling Iran’s economy, India has now also made a major change in its... More

Court ticks off Bangladesh Central Bank for being blatantly pro-rich

Bangladeshi farmers are facing a massive problem with their rice harvest facing low demand and a steep fall in prices. The distressing situation has led some farmers to burn their crops in anger. People are aghast that the agriculture sector can be in such a situation in what is billed... More

VIDEO-INTERVIEW

video

Exclusive Interview with Bhutan’s Prime Minister


“I will request PM Sheikh Hasina to support us with some (medical) specialists that will be an immediate help for Bhutan” Dr.Lotay Tshering Prime Minister of Bhutan Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Dr. Lotay Tshering, is set to visit Bangladesh on 12th... More

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