5th GNH conference concludes

26 November, 2009 – The Fifth International GNH conference in Iguacu, Brazil, ended on November 24 after prime minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley thanked all the participants for their support, which made it possible to hold the conference in South America for the first time. Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, in his concluding remarks, also thanked the officials of Itaipu Binacional, the Future Vision institute, the mayor and people of Foz do Iguacu city. He said that the conference had been an... Read more

2 domestic airports by 2010

26 November, 2009 – Although not on schedule, Bhutan will have two operational domestic airports in Bumthang and Trashigang by 2010, according to the department of civil aviation (DCA). The aviation department will present to the cabinet, some time this week, an identified site for the construction of an airport in Bumthang. DCA director general, Phala Dorji, said that Bathpalathang has been identified on the basis of its low operating costs and high safety characteristics. Nine sites in Bumthang... Read more

Bhutan Standards Bureau to be established

November 26 – The Bhutan standards bureau, to be established after the Standards Bill 2009 is endorsed, will start with standardising the quality of construction material and processed food that are imported and exported. “We all talk about quality goods but what is good quality? The bureau will lay down the minimum standard that’s required,” said the works and human settlement minister, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, after the third reading of the bill at the National Assembly yesterday.... Read more

No dress code imposed: GJMM

November 26 – The president of the Gorkha jan mukti morcha (GJMM) party, Bhimal Gurung, has denied that the party’s central body was imposing a dress code on Bhutanese students studying in the hill district of Darjeeling, India. “We want the students’ support on humanitarian grounds but, if they feel insecure, they aren’t imposed to wear their traditional dresses,” he told Kuensel in a telephonic interview yesterday morning. The cultural dress code was initiated... Read more

International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women

November 25: The International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated globally on the November 25 every year. In Bhutan, Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women (RENEW) along with students and community of Babesa and the UN family in Bhutan observed the Day. It was graced by Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, the president of RENEW and the Goodwill ambassador of UNFPA. The theme for the day is “Commit. Act. Demand: We Can End violence against... Read more

In search for Chief Justice of Supreme Court

November 25 – The members of the newly formed Royal Commission met for the fourth time yesterday to accelerate the search for Bhutan’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The six commission members, who were appointed on November 20, are doing extensive research on existing laws and framing guidelines and criteria to nominate the Chief Justice, said a commission member. “We’re also trying to figure out what an eminent jurist means because, as per the Constitution,... Read more

Bhutan’s 1st BPO on brink of shutdown

November 25 – The government may have plans to create a high tech habitat in Bhutan by promoting the establishment of, among others, business processes outsourcing companies (BPO), but the country’s first such company may not even make it that far. Bhutan business solutions (BBS), a medical transcription BPO, established in Thimphu in 2007, is contemplating shutting down after not being able to find a suitable location to relocate its company. The BPO was informed earlier last month... Read more

Bhutan wins best immunisation award

November 24 – After three decades of aggressively promoting and achieving 95 percent immunisation coverage, Bhutan’s effort received international recognition on November 19, in Hanoi, Vietnam, when it received the best immunisation performance award. For six different categories, the awards were given to 14 low-income group countries by the global alliance for vaccine and immunisation (GAVI) for their outstanding performance in child health and immunisation. The best immunisation performance... Read more

T Bank on cue, PNB gets extension

November 24 - The royal monetary authority (RMA) has given a six-month extension to Druk PNB to fulfill all requirements needed to obtain the license to start commercial banking operations. “We checked to see if the need was genuine and accordingly gave the extension,” said RMA’s head of the financial institutions supervisory division, Eden Dema. “An extension is normally given for six months at a time.” Druk PNB, a joint venture between some Bhutanese promoters and... Read more

Brazil GNH conference

November 23 – Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley delivered the keynote address at the opening of the Fifth International Conference on GNH at Iguacu, Brazil, on November 20. Addressing an audience of about a thousand participants including senior officials and prominent academicians, the Prime Minister explained the evolution of the concept of GNH, its practice and relevance. Earlier today he also addressed the concluding session of the Conference on ‘Cultivating Good Water’. After his... Read more

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