As of 1st January 2021 Bhutan has 689 COVID-19 cases of which 240 are active cases and 449 have recovered with zero deaths so far. According to the National Statistical Bureau Bhutan’s population in 2020 is 748,931. On the global stage with around 83 million COVID-19 cases for a global …

LONDON – In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was common to divide countries and their responses according to their political systems, with many attributing China’s success in controlling the virus to its authoritarianism. As of late 2020, however, it is clear that the real dividing line is …

How an unexpected encounter with a group of gunmen in a foreign land unfolded By Kencho Wangdi (Bonz) THE air was crackling cold as Dorji  Tshering made his way to the Samdrupjongkhar bus station in the dark with his luggage in tow. A large crowd had already gathered there, stranded …

One of the biggest questions with the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Thimphu, Paro and other Dzongkhags is on what would have caused it. While the exact epidemiology of the spread will be better known by the Ministry of Health’s tracing and testing teams and experts, two broad reasons immediately …

WASHINGTON, DC – The world has received the best possible gift for the coming year. The development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in such a short time is something close to a medical miracle and portends an end to the crisis that dominated 2020. But the pace at which …

Before the 111th National Day celebrations in Samtse in 2018 the current government had said it would listen to the address ‘line by line, word by word and also in between the lines and would follow it for the coming year.’ How the government followed through on this pledge is …

A LOT has been said, is being said, about how Buddhists perceive LGBTQ and smoking. The debate was reignited after Bhutan temporarily lifted its infamous smoke ban during the Covid-19 national lockdown. With Bhutan becoming the newest country to decriminalize homosexuality, the debate has expanded. The conclusion from the Western …

Bhutan has been undergoing a strong stress test at various levels since the advent of COVID-19 in March 2020. This pandemic came not only with grave health implications, but also brought a never before seen economic impact as all activities either froze or slowed down with the tourism industry the …

Economy This year the economy is projected to nosedive to between negative 2 to 6 percent growth rate. It makes the worst performance in our economic history. The shrinking fiscal space because of a hefty ‘debt burden’ of Nu.28 billion in the last two years will be a stumbling block …

It comes as a matter of shock and befuddlement that our Parliament since 2010 has failed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) placing Bhutan in an ignoble list of 10 countries not doing so. On the other side are 182 countries who have …