WASHINGTON, DC – The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently sanctioned a technology called Tornado Cash, on the grounds that it “has been used to launder more than $7 billion worth of virtual currency since its creation in 2019.” Such enforcement measures are nothing new. But what …

Finally, it is the turn of politicians to take part in the larger national reforms, and quite a few of them are already complaining loudly. The ECB’s rule mandating that political parties must reveal the source of financing for their promises is a welcome rule. This is especially in the …

In June 2021 the National Assembly was forced to amend the Tobacco Act to allow the legal import and sale of tobacco to reduce the smuggling that was happening at the time. At the time, the main fear was that this smuggling will bring in COVID-19 since Bhutan’s strategy at …

CHICAGO – Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian food shipments and the potential loss of Ukrainian harvests due to disruptions from the war have dominated headlines in recent months. Between February and June, global wheat prices surged by more than 60%, fueling humanitarian concerns and warnings from international development agencies about increased food insecurity in poor African and Asian countries. But many of these headlines …

It is good and timely that the Indian Power Secretary will be soon coming to Bhutan to review hydropower cooperation with focus on the 600 MW Kholongchu project, and the 10,000 MW by 2020 agreement. In 2006 Bhutan and India signed the ‘Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydropower’ …

CAMBRIDGE/CHICAGO – US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s headline-generating visit to Taipei has reminded the world how much Taiwan matters to China. But Taiwan also should matter to the democratic world. It is no secret that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is committed to unifying Taiwan (which it views as …

By Ambassador Gurjit Singh In a globalising world there was an increasing shift towards development partnership. Today, when globalisation is threatened due to the pandemic and a new war in Europe, there is a greater requirement for development partnership programmes. India’s approach to development partnership was rooted in the experience …

The Thimphu Thromde has come up with a rash of heavy fines over the last two weeks for everything from parking on the footpath to the wrong colour of the roof. The fines are not the typical Nu 500 or Nu 1,000 but Nu 5,000 to Nu 50,000. These fines …

CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA – US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan has incited a predictably strong response from China. Chinese warplanes have brushed up against the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese foreign ministry has warned of “serious consequences” as a result of Pelosi’s visit to …