National News

…𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 By Lhendup WangmoMental health has emerged as a growing concern in Bhutan’s civil service, with rising cases of stress, burnout and emotional strain reported among government employees. Officials and employees say long working hours, increasing workloads and public accountability are affecting personal wellbeing and workplace …

…𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒚𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒌 𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 By Kezang Choden The Annual Report of the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) for the fiscal year 2024-2025 highlights growing concerns over Bhutan’s glaciers, warning of negative mass balances in several river basins over the coming decades. According to the report, the mass balance of a glacier …

…𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Sonam ChodenThe Bhutan Information, Communications, and Media Authority (BICMA) has raised concerns over extreme punishment challenges and other risky trends on social media, particularly TikTok. Popular among Bhutanese content creators and live streamers, these trends often encourage participants to engage in physically or psychologically dangerous activities in pursuit …

…𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆 By Lhendup Wangmo Passang Tshering’s hands move with careful precision as he dips a fine brush into vibrant ochre paint. Morning light filters softly through the small window of his modest workshop in Wangdue Phodrang. The air carries the scent of pinewood and earthy pigments, …

…𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 By Kinzang Lhamo A major conservation initiative is underway in Wangsingla, Trashigang, aimed at restoring the habitat of the red panda, one of Bhutan’s most endangered and charismatic species. The Trashigang Divisional Forest Office (DFO), in collaboration with local communities and WWF-Bhutan, is leading restoration …

Tshering, Thimphu Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a present reality that is already reshaping lives, landscapes and livelihoods across the world. Nowhere is this more visible than in fragile ecosystems such as the Himalayas. The very mountains that have long sustained civilizations are now under severe strain, as the warming atmosphere accelerates the retreat of …

…𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 By Sonam Choden Bhutan’s farms are producing more than ever. Cereal output reached 72,177 metric tonnes in 2024, an increase of nearly five percent from the previous year. Milk production rose to 44,038 metric tonnes, while butter and cheese output remained steady. These figures reflect resilience and improved farming practices. …

…𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚-𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 By Kinzang Lhamo Communities living inside Bhutan’s protected areas are turning to practical measures to cope with climate change, focusing on two pressing issues: shrinking water resources and growing human-wildlife conflict. In Langchenphu under the Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS) in Samdrupjongkhar, residents revived their only water source, Chukar Po, by restoring …

…𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 By Kezang Choden Tshering Peldon, a mother of four, has emerged as a community advocate helping unemployed youth and struggling parents secure jobs across the country. After completing the Basic Entrepreneurship Course on New Business Creation for Domestic Human Resources Service Group and Unemployed Youth …

…𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌-𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang The Badminton Asia South Asia Regional Championship 2025 opened on August 15 in Bhutan, graced by the Minister of Education and Skills, Lyonpo Yeezang D. Thapa, alongside other distinguished officials and dignitaries. The ceremony marked the start of a week-long sporting event bringing together …