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Bhutan

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Bhutan. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Thimphu

Head of State

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

Head of Government

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay

Belt and Road Initiative

In Focus | Can Beijing’s gateway plan for Tibet survive geopolitics and natural disasters?

Beijing hopes trade will stabilise Tibet, but friction with India and the looming Dalai Lama succession are hampering its efforts.

29 Aug 2026 - 6:49AMvideocam

Nepal

China-Nepal floods: rescuers pull out survivors caked in mud as toll climbs

29 Aug 2026 - 8:48PMvideocam

China-India relations

India and China revive Himalayan trade at high-altitude pass

1 Aug 2026 - 1:00PM

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: covering crafts, from Bhutan’s heritage arts to a designer’s mountainous ‘planet’

Also, a Hong Kong master carpenter on being the last in his line and the vanishing Cantonese ‘kung fu’ cuisine classics.

5 Jul 2026 - 8:00AM

A master weaver at work at the Royal Textile Academy, in Thimphu, Bhutan. Photo: Jen Paolini

Art

Bhutan’s heritage arts become the frontline of cultural preservation as modernity dawns

What does the quest for economic progress mean for the Himalayan kingdom’s rich culture of traditional arts?

3 Jul 2026 - 9:05AM

Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

21 Mar 2026 - 3:00PM

United States

US halts visas for 75 countries indefinitely; China not on the list

Trump administration pauses immigrant visa processing from January 21, affecting applicants worldwide while exempting key visa categories.

15 Jan 2026 - 3:43AM

The pause on visa processing will begin on January 21, and will continue indefinitely. Photo: Reuters

Singapore

Can Bhutan’s Singapore-inspired ‘mindfulness city’ lure its youth back?

The Gelephu Mindfulness City, which has adopted laws from Singapore and Abu Dhabi, will help boost Bhutan’s economy, an official says.

16 Nov 2025 - 5:01PM

Extreme weather

Landslides and floods kill 70 in Nepal and India after torrential rains

Nepal’s PM Karki said the government was ‘fully prepared for rescue and relief’ while India’s Modi said he was ‘pained by the loss of lives’.

6 Oct 2025 - 5:25PMvideocam

Art

An artist’s dream of a cultural renaissance in remote Bhutan

Asha Kama Wangdi is embarking on an ambitious project: a high-altitude sanctuary for local and international creatives.

28 Sep 2025 - 3:15PM

Asha Kama Wangdi at home in Kabjisa, a village in Bhutan’s Punakha district. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: from Hong Kong farmers to ‘aura farming’

We meet farmers weathering storms in Nam Chung, explore TikTok’s viral aura-boat craze, and taste Armenia’s reimagined traditions.

6 Oct 2025 - 10:52AM

Nam Chung, in the northeastern New Territories of Hong Kong, features on PostMag’s cover this issue. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong tobacco control bill: will the measures help or hurt the city?

The Post breaks down how the bill’s passage will affect smokers and gauges where city stands with regional neighbours in restrictiveness.

13 Sep 2025 - 7:00PM

Trip Inspiration

8 sustainable getaways: are these the world’s most eco-friendly destinations?

Singapore, Copenhagen, Bhutan and others put the planet and local communities first.

25 Aug 2025 - 6:00PM

Locals' Guide

Insiders’ guide to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon

The tiny Himalayan kingdom has plenty to energise visitors after any number of breathtaking hikes.

13 Aug 2025 - 4:57PM

The Paro Taktsang, or Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan’s most popular tourist attraction. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Diplomacy

Editorial | Transparency key to easing regional concerns over Tibet mega-dam

With delicate diplomatic handling, this ‘project of the century’ can build goodwill and help South Asia’s water-dependent economies.

29 Jul 2025 - 7:15AM

The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Nyingchi city, Tibet, China, on March 28, 2021. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Opinion | Are China, Pakistan, Bangladesh quietly planting region’s new framework?

Kunming trilateral meeting comes as India-Pakistan rivalry paralyses SAARC and Pakistan is frozen out of BIMSTEC, leaving a regional void.

18 Jul 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Tourism

Crypto kingdom: Bhutan goes all-in on bitcoin tourism

With over 1,000 vendors now accepting crypto payments, Bhutan is wagering on rapid adoption luring tech-savvy travellers and fuelling growth.

12 Jul 2025 - 4:30PM

India

Beyond gold: India sees America’s bitcoin reserve – and eyes its own

While a ‘measured bitcoin strategy’ could boost India’s economic resilience, the country lacks a proper framework for cryptocurrencies, analysts say.

10 Jul 2025 - 7:00PM

Bitcoins are a form of digital money outside the control of any one person, group or entity, and have been compared to the modern-day equivalent of a traditional asset such as gold. Photo: TNS

Poverty

Opinion | Fallen world must ensure justice for future generations

The current negative cycle can only be addressed if we direct our energies towards promoting social and planetary well-being.

5 Jul 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

United Nations

Sex education with monks in Bhutan: 5 UN projects you likely didn’t know about

Think the United Nations is just about politics? These initiatives in health, safety and human rights might change your perspective.

23 Jun 2025 - 1:43PMvideocam

Nepal

Swiss Birch glacier collapse is a chilling warning to Asia

At-risk regions like the Himalayas would benefit from the early-warning system which averted mass casualties in Switzerland, experts say.

31 May 2025 - 3:31PMvideocam

A helicopter flies above debris and destroyed houses of the village of Blatten now submerged after the huge Birch glacier collapsed on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

Philippines’ nuclear advocacy faces reality check after statement recall

As Manila’s attempt to act as a middleman in nuclear disarmament falters, analysts question its ability to influence smaller nations.

26 Mar 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr speaks to military officials in Manila on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Human rights

Bhutan’s life sentences for political prisoners is illegal, UN says

The UN report noted that it was ‘discriminatory’ to single out members of a minority group for expressing political opinions.

21 Mar 2025 - 12:44PM

Asia elections

In a world of declining freedom, 1 South Asian nation stands out: report

Only one nation in South Asia was classified as ‘free’ in US democracy watchdog Freedom House’s latest report.

3 Mar 2025 - 10:02AM

Indonesia

Will Bali adopt Bhutan-style tax to deter ‘low-class foreign tourists’?

Officials are urged to look at tougher measures to ‘select’ tourists, such as Bhutan’s requirement for most travellers to pay a fixed daily charge.

22 Feb 2025 - 3:19PMvideocam

Tourists wander at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia, on February 3. Bali welcomed 6.3 million foreign tourists last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Nepal

Bhutan’s ‘mindfulness city’ angers displaced ethnic Nepalis

Bhutan’s plan for southern farmlands has sparked outrage among forced-out ethnic Nepalis, who say the megaproject would be on stolen land.

2 Dec 2024 - 8:02AM

Bhutan, a Himalayan nation of fewer than 800,000 people, is pitching its Gelephu Mindfulness City project as “a sanctuary for global businesses and professionals”. Photo: Getty Images

Music

Ed Sheeran to make history with concert in Bhutan

The Himalayan kingdom welcomes the superstar British musician to Thimphu for a concert in January 2025, with tickets starting at US$10.

29 Nov 2024 - 10:06PM

Investing

Bhutan aims to sell Southeast Asia on its 21-year ‘mindfulness city’ project

The tiny Himalayan kingdom is looking to raise US$100 million to get its planned special administrative region off the ground.

12 Nov 2024 - 9:39AM

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Bhutan

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}In Focus | Can Beijing’s gateway plan for Tibet survive geopolitics and natural disasters?

Beijing hopes trade will stabilise Tibet, but friction with India and the looming Dalai Lama succession are hampering its efforts.

China-Nepal floods: rescuers pull out survivors caked in mud as toll climbs

India and China revive Himalayan trade at high-altitude pass

This week in PostMag: covering crafts, from Bhutan’s heritage arts to a designer’s mountainous ‘planet’

Also, a Hong Kong master carpenter on being the last in his line and the vanishing Cantonese ‘kung fu’ cuisine classics.

Bhutan’s heritage arts become the frontline of cultural preservation as modernity dawns

What does the quest for economic progress mean for the Himalayan kingdom’s rich culture of traditional arts?

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

US halts visas for 75 countries indefinitely; China not on the list

Trump administration pauses immigrant visa processing from January 21, affecting applicants worldwide while exempting key visa categories.

Can Bhutan’s Singapore-inspired ‘mindfulness city’ lure its youth back?

The Gelephu Mindfulness City, which has adopted laws from Singapore and Abu Dhabi, will help boost Bhutan’s economy, an official says.

Landslides and floods kill 70 in Nepal and India after torrential rains

Nepal’s PM Karki said the government was ‘fully prepared for rescue and relief’ while India’s Modi said he was ‘pained by the loss of lives’.

An artist’s dream of a cultural renaissance in remote Bhutan

Asha Kama Wangdi is embarking on an ambitious project: a high-altitude sanctuary for local and international creatives.

This week in PostMag: from Hong Kong farmers to ‘aura farming’

We meet farmers weathering storms in Nam Chung, explore TikTok’s viral aura-boat craze, and taste Armenia’s reimagined traditions.

Hong Kong tobacco control bill: will the measures help or hurt the city?

The Post breaks down how the bill’s passage will affect smokers and gauges where city stands with regional neighbours in restrictiveness.

8 sustainable getaways: are these the world’s most eco-friendly destinations?

Singapore, Copenhagen, Bhutan and others put the planet and local communities first.

Insiders’ guide to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon

The tiny Himalayan kingdom has plenty to energise visitors after any number of breathtaking hikes.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Transparency key to easing regional concerns over Tibet mega-dam

With delicate diplomatic handling, this ‘project of the century’ can build goodwill and help South Asia’s water-dependent economies.

Opinion | Are China, Pakistan, Bangladesh quietly planting region’s new framework?

Kunming trilateral meeting comes as India-Pakistan rivalry paralyses SAARC and Pakistan is frozen out of BIMSTEC, leaving a regional void.

Crypto kingdom: Bhutan goes all-in on bitcoin tourism

With over 1,000 vendors now accepting crypto payments, Bhutan is wagering on rapid adoption luring tech-savvy travellers and fuelling growth.

Beyond gold: India sees America’s bitcoin reserve – and eyes its own

While a ‘measured bitcoin strategy’ could boost India’s economic resilience, the country lacks a proper framework for cryptocurrencies, analysts say.

Opinion | Fallen world must ensure justice for future generations

The current negative cycle can only be addressed if we direct our energies towards promoting social and planetary well-being.

Sex education with monks in Bhutan: 5 UN projects you likely didn’t know about

Think the United Nations is just about politics? These initiatives in health, safety and human rights might change your perspective.

Swiss Birch glacier collapse is a chilling warning to Asia

At-risk regions like the Himalayas would benefit from the early-warning system which averted mass casualties in Switzerland, experts say.

Philippines’ nuclear advocacy faces reality check after statement recall

As Manila’s attempt to act as a middleman in nuclear disarmament falters, analysts question its ability to influence smaller nations.

Bhutan’s life sentences for political prisoners is illegal, UN says

The UN report noted that it was ‘discriminatory’ to single out members of a minority group for expressing political opinions.

In a world of declining freedom, 1 South Asian nation stands out: report

Only one nation in South Asia was classified as ‘free’ in US democracy watchdog Freedom House’s latest report.

Will Bali adopt Bhutan-style tax to deter ‘low-class foreign tourists’?

Officials are urged to look at tougher measures to ‘select’ tourists, such as Bhutan’s requirement for most travellers to pay a fixed daily charge.

Bhutan’s ‘mindfulness city’ angers displaced ethnic Nepalis

Bhutan’s plan for southern farmlands has sparked outrage among forced-out ethnic Nepalis, who say the megaproject would be on stolen land.

Ed Sheeran to make history with concert in Bhutan

The Himalayan kingdom welcomes the superstar British musician to Thimphu for a concert in January 2025, with tickets starting at US$10.

Bhutan aims to sell Southeast Asia on its 21-year ‘mindfulness city’ project

The tiny Himalayan kingdom is looking to raise US$100 million to get its planned special administrative region off the ground.

In Focus | Can Beijing’s gateway plan for Tibet survive geopolitics and natural disasters?

Editorial | Transparency key to easing regional concerns over Tibet mega-dam