When Coke writes something negative about Pepsi then Coke should tread carefully, as the inherent conflict of interest is obvious to the audience. Any claims made must be backed by solid evidence and verifiable facts; otherwise, Coke risks being dismissed as biased or even legally challenged as defamatory. The same …

A common complaint from small and medium sized businesses these days, like shops, restaurants, etc., is that their estimated Business Income Tax (BIT) has gone up considerably. The common explanation provided so far to them has been that their tax is higher since the tax is now assessed on the …

On 4th March 2025 the Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay said the Cabinet has approved the slashing of mobile phone data charges by 50%. There was no timeline or details given beyond this leading to questions. This paper has learnt that it will take another 3 to 4 months before …

With so far average tourism numbers in January and February 2025 comparable to 2024 and Nu 13.508 billion (bn) in deferred hotel loans coming to an end by June 2025, there is now a growing sense of urgency within the government on increasing the numbers. The main mantra, till date, …

An article by the New York Times that said that Bhutan is a on a draft ‘Red List’ along with 11 other countries for a complete travel ban to the USA set alarm bells ringing in Bhutan, and it made global and regional news as well. A Reuters article published …

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has finished its investigation into the Monument Fee corruption case at Punakha Dzong. A total of 47 people are being charged, of which 40 are guides, 4 are ticket officials and three are RBP personnel at the gate. The charges for the guides are active bribery …

It may be interesting or even entertaining to watch or read the news on unfolding international political developments with the United States of America (USA) intent on withdrawing from international bodies, tariff wars between major economies, the European Union (EU) planning to rearm etc., but a closer look shows that …

In the next three month, if you see a low flying helicopter zipping over your head at a low altitude with specialized equipment, don’t worry — as these are not spying on you but are looking for mineral wealth under Bhutan’s soil. Two specialized helicopters from Australia have finally reached …

In the last issue of this paper, we did a story on how the Department of Geology and Mines (DGM) has hired two especially equipped Australian helicopters to do aerial surveys of the country using magnetometer and LiDAR or laser scanning to map areas in Bhutan at or under 10,000 …

The Department of Geology and Mines (DGM) will be auctioning 11 boulder collection sites by June 2025 followed by about 26 remaining sites after July 2025 in a staggered manner. Earlier, the Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS) had put up 53 sites for auction and of this, 47 …