The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, led by former premier Jigmi Thinley, said to be popular among the elite and well educated, on Monday scored a landslide victory in the first elections in Bhutan that marks the end of absolute monarchy in this Himalayan Kingdom. DPT, several of whose candidates have been ministers under King Jigme Khesar Namgyel and have experience in the government, made a virtual clean sweep bagging 44 out of the total 47 seats in the National Assembly.
Becoming the first world leader to address the Bhutan Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday strongly pitched for a South Asia that is "at peace with itself" and expressed India's readiness to assist in making the region more secure and prosperous. Singh, who is on a two-day visit, assured Bhutan that India would stand by the Himalayan country as a factor of stability and support.
Withdrawing a blanket ban on overseas shipments of non-basmati white rice, the government on Saturday imposed a floor price of $490 per tonne and exempted the commodity from export duty. Exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023 to boost domestic supply. "The export policy for non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or gazed) ...is amended from prohibited to free, subject to MEP (minimum export price) of $490 per tonne with immediate effect and until further orders," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.
Striker Sunil Chhetri and Clifford Miranda scored two goals each as a rampaging India drubbed Bhutan 5-0 in their second league match to keep their semi-finals hopes in the SAFF Championships alive, in Delhi, on Monday. Chhetri scored in the 69th and 84th minutes while Miranda struck in the 44th and 58th, after Syed Rahim Nabi (29th) had given India the lead.
Bhutan's new government will not hesitate to carry out a 2003-like operation against Indian insurgents if they sneak into its territory, the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa said on Wednesday. The DPT swept to power in the country's first general election on Monday."Both India and China are important neighbours and we will continue to maintain excellent relations with them," party spokesman Palden Tshering said. Ugyen denied reports of presence of camps of northeast rebels in Bhutan.
From India's neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood, presidents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran, Seychelles and prime ministers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius have sent congratulatory greetings to Modi.
He further opined that though as public functionaries, courts were vested with the responsibility to give effect to equity, these judicial bodies were not directly in charge of the manner in which resources were to be distributed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Thimphu on a two-day visit to participate in the 16th SAARC Summit that begins on Wednesday. He was received at the Paro International airport, 60 km from the capital, by Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley and Indian's Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan Varma.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Thimphu on a two-day visit to participate in the 16th SAARC Summit that begins on Wednesday.
Kate Middleton's recycled outfit failed to make its mark.
How to discover beautiful destinations in true-blue filmi style (which simply means you look fabulous as you do so:))!
As ever, this is the major factor holding Saarc back and neither of the two countries seems to have an initiative.
The share of the Hindu population declined by 7.8% to 78.06%.
In contrast, the share of the Muslim and Christian populations increased by 43.15% to 14.09%, and by 5.4% to 2.36%.
Plabita wants to holiday... Hina returns to Goa...Kushboo says goodbye...
It is likely to inundate the lower Assam districts of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Nalbari, official sources said in Guwahati on Saturday.
The Bhutanese Army overran six camps housing over 3000 heavily armed militants in four districts bordering Assam.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has accepted the invitation to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi over the weekend, according to a media report on Friday.
India Meteorological Department officials said the quake shook Assam, including its capital Guwahati, Meghalaya, West Bengal and neighbouring Bhutan at 6.35 am.
With militants belonging to anti-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation trying to strike fresh routes along the thickly forested and rugged terrain on the India-Bhutan border in North East and North Bengal (West Bengal), both the countries have decided to mount vigil along the border.
India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded that Russia immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday asked border guarding forces to check anti-national elements from taking advantage of the country's friendly relations with its neighbours for perpetrating their evil designs.
With the commissioning of the 2,000 MW Tala hydel power project scheduled for July 2006, Bhutan is all set to start exporting 2,500 MW power to India by the year end, Bhutan ambassador to India Lyonpo Dago Tshering said on Monday.
When the internal security situation spirals out of the control of the provincial law and order machinery, the CAPFs can be called in, providing a security buffer before the Army is deployed.
Bhutan's dashing King walked hand-in-hand with his beautiful bride and turned his romantic self inside out, publicly kissing the Queen not once but thrice, throwing the people at his wedding reception here into a rapturous frenzy.
The government on Saturday lifted the ban on onion exports but imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of $550 per tonne, amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country. Last night, the government imposed a 40 per cent duty on export of onions. In August last year, India had imposed a 40 per cent export duty on onions up to December 31, 2023.
'In Eastern Ladakh the Chinese attempted salami slicing.' 'Our response has been superb. Our military has responded magnificently.'
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Rising high on Prosenjit Chakborty's hat-trick, India registered 8-1 victory against Bhutan in their third match of the U-16 AFC Qualifiers in Kuwait City on Friday night.
Shriya gets magical in Rome... Arjun looks back at July... Tara meets the Queen...
India has slipped two places on the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap index to 129th place, while Iceland retained its top position in the rankings published on Wednesday. Within South Asia, India was ranked fifth after Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while Pakistan was ranked last. Globally, Sudan was ranked last on the index of 146 countries, while Pakistan slipped three places to 145th.
India is not "rethinking" supporting investments from China, said Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday, referring to a proposal made in the Economic Survey 2024. The survey by India's chief economic advisor last week said India had two "choices" to benefit from the so-called China plus one strategy, either by integrating into that country's supply chain or by promoting foreign direct investment (FDI). "Chief economic advisor's report speaks about new ideas and gives out their own thinking. It is not at all binding on the government and there is no rethinking to support Chinese investments in the country," Goyal told reporters in Delhi.
Prime Minister Singh left on Friday morning for New Delhi from Paro International airport, about 60 km from Thimphu, the Bhutanese capital.
'China did not expect India to show such strategic resolve in defending its territorial integrity.'
Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk embarked on a jungle safari at Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Sunday.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recognised the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) as a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) in the fintech sector, the central bank announced on Wednesday. The banking regulator received three applications for fintech SRO. Of the remaining two applications, one has been returned by the RBI with a provision for resubmission after meeting specific requirements, while the third application is still under examination, said Governor Shaktikanta Das at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai.
'You have to be in good spirits to make other people happy'.
Boxing's already uncertain Olympic future was thrown into further jeopardy after the sport's Asian governing body voted against leaving the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA) to join the rival association.
A multi-layer security arrangement involving five companies of paramilitary personnel, NSG commandoes and snipers have already been deployed around the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Drone cameras have also been put into service.
