National News

By Tshering In what is a feather in the cap of Bhutan’s environment conservation effort, a high-resolution picture of a Bengal Tiger was captured at an altitude of 11,733 feet in Bhutan Bhutan’s national tiger survey in 2014-2015 confirmed the presence of tigers in several areas of Bhutan for the first time – and found that tigers were using wildlife …

Low production in the plains is raising the cost of the nut By Kinley Yonten If chewing doma (areca nut) is a dirty habit, it is now an expensive habit too. Price of doma is shooting through the roof with Nu 10 fetching only tow khamtos (two ready-made doma). That is the money that fetched a backload of doma from …

Dial 112 for emergencies By Kinley Yonten The three digits, 112, could save lives, says Dr Charles Haviland Mize, a resuscitation specialist at the Thimphu national referral hospital. Dr Charles heads the Bhutan Emergency Aero Retrieval (BEAR) and says that not many are aware of the toll free number. Dr Charles team has teamed up with the Royal Bhutan Helicopter …

By Tshering Motorist using the expressway, be careful! There is a trap waiting for you near the Changbandu flyover. The trap is a huge pothole, about two meters in diameter and 20 centimeter in depth. It can easily damage a car coming at full speed or cause an accident anytime soon. It is a distraction, traffic slower and an accident …

By Tshering Gyeltshen, 65, is a lost man. A bucket, a LPG cylinder and a shovel were all he could save from the fire that razed his hut to the ground at Changzamtog on Thursday. The lhakhang caretaker was at Kuenselphodrang School when he heard the news. Gyeltshen is physically impaired and stays alone with no means of earning either. …

16-year-old detained for alleged murder By Tshering Thimphu police arrested an 11-year-old boy and other 43 people in last three weeks for alleged substance abuse, illegal sale of insolvents and illicit trafficking of controlled substances. Out of the 43 arrested, 32 were detained for substance abuse, two for illegal sale of insolvents, and six for illicit trafficking, two for tobacco …

Authority claims figure is far less than reported By Kinley Yonten Bhutanese should not be alarmed with the findings of the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, which found that Bhutan has the highest number of adolescent tobacco users in the South-East Asia, according to Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority (BNCA) officials. Officials said that the report is based on incidents of …

By Tshering The heavy rain in the past two weeks has damaged irrigation channels, washed away bridges and caused havoc to numerous roads in the country. While most of the roadblocks were cleared, an assessment by the Department of Disaster Management show that heavy monsoon rains caused major roadblocks around the country affecting the transportation system in all the dzongkhags. …

Shitake is a good source of income for farmers in Gidawom By Kinley Yonten At Gidawom in Thimphu, farmer Thinley Zangmo is literally playing a cat and mouse game. With the rodents attacking her priced Shitake mushroom, the farmer is having sleepless nights. Thinley Zam tries shooing away the rats with sticks and brooms but they keep coming back. The …

487 teachers trained with basic understanding of drugs use and science of addiction   By Kinley Yonten In an effort to make school free of drugs, the Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority (BNCA) has trained 487 teachers from eight Higher Secondary School (HSS) and Middle Secondary School (MSS) of Thimphu Thromde on the basic understanding Drug Use and Science of Addiction. …