By Goob Sonam Drukpa It was a great privilege and honour to be invited to the 2nd batch passing out parade ceremony of Gyalsung at Pemathang, Samdrupjongkhar, on March 23, 2025 It was an emotional and proud moment to witness our young Bhutanese, mostly from humble background, who have attained …

From available public records Kuensel in 2021 made a revenue of Nu 150.09 million a good chunk of which was made possible by direct government printing, advertising and other works as pointed to by the current Finance Secretary who said the government subsidizes Kuensel through such jobs. However, the same …

For the first time in many decades, the global tectonic plates of geopolitics are shifting and it will have significant impacts on Bhutan in the years to come. The foreign policy of U.S. President Donald Trump is firstly an isolationist one that withdraws from its global role, and secondly there …

By Stephen S. Roach The world’s major growth engines are about to run in reverse. The policies and uncertainties of US President Donald Trump’s second administration have hit a sluggish global economy with a transformational exogenous shock. Risks are especially worrisome in both the United States and China, which have collectively accounted …

The last week has not been a good one for Bhutan in terms of its international image and diplomacy, with reports of Bhutan falling in the traffic colour lists of the US government. There was a lot of hurt and understandable anger given how Bhutan does not pose a threat …

BERKELEY – In his inaugural address this January, Donald Trump framed immigration to the United States as a national security threat, proclaiming, “I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.” He then directed the Department of Defense to draw up a plan to “seal the …

According to an official source, Bhutan is no longer on the dreaded draft ‘Red List’ of the United States government which would mean an absolute travel ban, but is now on the milder ‘Yellow List’. The draft “Yellow List’ is around two dozen counties that will get some time to …

As a small landlocked country further hemmed in by high mountains and deep valleys, we Bhutanese like to mind our own business and keep to our local affairs. However, in an interconnected and fast changing world it is important for Bhutan to not only keep up to date with international …

Bhutan is on a draft ‘Red List’ along with 11 other countries for a complete travel ban to the USA. This is according to a news report by The New York Times (NYT) on the issue. The overall list is targeting the citizens of as many as 43 countries as …

The Auditor General’s Advisory Series on the “Review of Local Government Development Grant” for three financial years 2021-2024 found that various inefficiencies and misallocation of resources. The report says while the introduction of the Annual Grant in 2019 aimed to enhance the financial autonomy of Local Governments (LGs), the current …