By Chimi Wangmo The Royal Government of Bhutan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a USD 4.854 million project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).  The initiative, a child project of the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) will be implemented by Tourism Council as part of Tourism Flagship Programme in the 12th Five-year Plan. The project seeks to …

Staff Reporter Upon command of His Holiness the Je Khenpo, the Central Monastic Body is currently conducting a weeklong Kurim in Phuentsholing to avert the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The prayer ceremony began on Tuesday this week and will end on coming Monday. The prayers are held at the Rinchending Goenpa and is led by the Laytshog Lopen …

Staff Reporter His Majesty The King this week visited the De-suung Skilling Centre at Dzongkhalum, Trongsa to inspect the facility and meet with the first cohort of De-Suups participating in training programmes there. The De-Suung Skilling Programme (DSP) is a series of multiple short-term accelerated trainings by local and foreign experts, focusing on practical, hands-on skilling, customised for our youth. …

Parliamentary Human Rights Committee adopting a holistic review approach and will write to the heads of agencies involved in the Penjore case for consultations. By Tashi Namgyal Thimphu The Parliamentary Human Rights Committee (PHRC) will soon submit their report and recommendations to the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) based on their findings concerning the human rights violation and arbitrary …

Current budget for the Financial Year 2021-22 up by 8 percent, fiscal deficit 8.59 percent of GDP. By Tashi Namgyal Thimphu The country’s expenditure continues to rise while its resources increase just at a snail’s pace or at the least,remains stagnant. The current budget for this Financial Year (FY) has increased by 8 percent compared with the last FY. The …

Residents say that another lockdown could definitely be the last straw and that it should be prevented at all costs. By Tashi Dendup Just as residents were gradually dusting themselves up from the long covid-19 storm, 11 fresh cases were detected from the Medical Supplies Division jolting the residents and putting all contingency and unlocking plans into total disarray. The …

By Staff Reporter Just days after a court in Thimphu implicated a former RBA colonel and a senior Supreme Court judge, including their alliances, in a mutiny and sedition case, the high court affirmed the Trongsa District Court’s judgment involving former Trongsa Dzongda Lhab Dorji and five other individuals in a land scam. The former Dzongda was sentenced to five …

Natural catastrophes largely triggered by climate factors are becoming a grave threat to the country every passing year. By Tshering Dema This year the country experienced one of its worst natural disasters as landslides claimed about 11 cordyceps’ collectors in the highlands. Further, heavy rainfall washed away three young school kids in Trashiyangtse dzongkhag just recently. Last year the Moa …

By Chimi Wangmo With climate change exacerbating the threat to this elusive Himalayan cat, researchers say study of snow leopards must be beefed-up and diversified to secure the health of Asia’s mountain ecosystems and save it from further extinction. According to a recent report by WWF, more than 70% of snow leopard habitat remains understudied by conservationists leaving conservation planning …

Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying, and some trends are now irreversible, at least during the present time frame, according to the latest much-anticipated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Compiled by Tandin Wangchuk The report confirms that the intensity and frequency of hot extremes, including heat waves, and heavy precipitation, as well as agricultural and ecological droughts, …