Bihar CM Visit Bhutan for 5 Days

The chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is on a five-day goodwill visit to Bhutan, on the invitation of Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley.

In his meeting with Lyonchhoen yesterday in Thimphu, the chief minister said that land to build a temple, an area for meditation and a rest house - dharamsala - had been identified in Rajgir, which is visited by thousands of Bhutanese every year.

Lyonchhoen had made a request for a three-acre plot of land in Rajgir, during his visit to Bihar in September 2010 as the president of the Mahabodhi society.

An exhibition on tourism in Bihar and a cultural performance, followed by a lunch, showcasing the rich cuisine of Bihar, will be held today at the Tarayana centre in Thimphu, organised by the Bihar state tourism development corporation and the tourism council of Bhutan.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who arrived on May 1, leaves the country today.

Source: Kuenselonline

BCCB Twenty20 Final on Sunday

Team Dot Com and BTCL are in the finals of the ongoing Twenty20 tournament being played at the Jigmethang ground in Thimphu.

On Monday, Dot Com brushed aside Rigsum CC comfortably by nine wickets, while BTCL clinched a two wicket victory over Bhutan Telecom.

Choosing to field first after winning the toss proved a correct decision for Dot Com. No other batsman made an impact from Rigsum, except Manoj Adhikari, who scored 35 in 34 balls. Dot Com’s captain Jigme Singye was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Tandin Wangchuk, Lobzang Younten and Nima shared two wickets each.

At the end of their 20 overs Rigsum set a 106-run target. Rigsum brought down Kinley Wangchuk in the fifth over and, thereafter, it was all Dot Com. Leading from the front, captain Jigme Singye hit his first half century of the tournament, while Susil Sharma added a supporting 30 in 31 balls. Jigme Singye was named man of the match for his all-round performance of three wickets and 57 runs.

Later in the afternoon, Bhutan Telecom came close to winning, but it was BTCL, who ultimately passed the pressure situation, beating Telecom by two wickets. It would have been Telecom’s game, if BTCL Ugyen Dorji had not hit four boundaries in the 18th over.

Having won the toss, Bhutan Telecom elected to bat first and set a 123-run target that included 58 runs from Saijo and 20 from Damber Gurung. BTCL’s opening bowler Darjay ripped through Telecom’s opening batsmen, picking up three wickets.

In reply, BTCL scored 123 for the loss of eight wickets. Tandin top scored with 33 runs and Ugyen added a crucial 19 in 10 balls. Vijay Gurung yet again picked four wickets but couldn’t save his team from losing. Sonam Darjay was awarded the man of the match.

The finals is scheduled for May 8.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan national airline Drukair is considering increasing airfares during peak seasons

With aviation fuel prices continuing to surge worldwide, national airline Drukair is considering increasing airfares during peak seasons.

Earlier this year, Drukair committed itself not to increase airfares in 2011, despite rising aviation fuel prices. But this was at a time, when the rate of increase was only around 20-25 percent.

“It has increased by almost 45 percent over one year, but we haven’t increased our fares at all,” said the airline’s commercial manager, Tshering Penjore. “So there’s pressure on the management and we need to also rationalise the amount of increase,” he said.

Between 40-44 percent of Drukair’s operating costs is on aviation fuel.

“We may be forced some time or the other to have a fuel surcharge,” said Tshering Penjore. A fuel surcharge is when an extra cost is added to the airfare to cover the increased fuel price. So far, Drukair has been able to cover fuel price increases because of traffic increase. The airline experienced a 12 percent growth in traffic last year. The airline flew 132,675 passengers in 2010, compared to 118,084 in 2009.

Tshering Penjore pointed out that Drukair is currently still “trying to resist” any increase in airfare. He said that the airline is hoping to offset rising fuel costs by attracting more travellers, which should “mitigate” any increase in airfare.

He added that an increase in airfare would only be for the peak seasons. “We find it pertinent because that’s when demand is at its peak,” said Tshering Penjore. Drukair considers the months of March and April, and September and October as peak seasons. Tshering Penjore added that the rest of the year would see no increase in airfares. He said that Drukair would also continue to maintain its regular discount schemes for both tourists and local travelers.

Source: Kuenselonline

Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda leader, dead - Barack Obama

Bin Laden was shot dead at a compound near Islamabad, in a ground operation based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.

Mr Obama said US forces took possession of the body after "a firefight".

Bin Laden is believed to have ordered the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 and a number of others.

He was top of the US' "most wanted" list.

DNA tests later confirmed that Bin Laden was dead, US officials said.

Bin Laden was buried at sea after a Muslim funeral on board an aircraft carrier, Pentagon officials said.

Announcing the success of the operation, Mr Obama said it was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda". Read More

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13256676

Bhutan: Indian helicopter carrying the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, India missing

A helicopter carrying the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, India which was reported missing since yesterday has not been found so far said the Home Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji. He was speaking to the Bhutanese media this afternoon. The Home Minister who is coordinating the search operation said “the entire government machinery has been mobilised and all the dzongdas (governors) of the six eastern districts have been alerted.”

The helicopter left Tawang for Itanagar, the state capital, at 9.55 a.m. with five people on board. Because of bad weather, it had to change route and attempt to fly over Bhutan.

The search has been narrowed down to three areas; Merak and Sakteng area in Trashigang district, Dungte in Trashiyangtse, and Shingkhar Lauri in Samdrupjongkhar. Hundreds of people including district administration officials, armed force personnel, local farmers, park officials, and teachers are combing the area to locate the missing chopper.

“The area is uninhabited and covered by thick forests, the terrain is extremely rough, and the weather conditions unfavourable making the search efforts difficult,” said the Home Minister.

With the Prime Minister closely involved, the Home Minister and the Cabinet Secretary Dasho Tashi Phuntshog are coordinating the efforts with Royal Bhutan Army, the Royal Bhutan Police, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Department of Disaster Management, and the Indian Embassy.

“His Majesty the King who has been informed regularly on the missing chopper is deeply concerned,” said the Home Minister.

A number of helicopters are searching the area where the chopper may have been lost. Communication problems are also hampering the search efforts.

The Cabinet Secretary said “the search will continue till the chopper is located.” Nobody is sure where it has landed, in Bhutan or in India. “Search is on, on both sides of the border,” he said.

Prayers are also being recited in the six eastern districts for the safety of the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister and other people on-board the chopper.

Source: BBS