| Earthquake hits eastern districts again Posted: 01 Jan 2010 12:55 AM PST Jan 01: An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale shook parts of the eastern Bhutan North East India on Thursday, triggering panic among the people. The quake which occurred at 15.58 pm has its epicentre somewhere in eastern Bhutan, around 120 km east from capital Thimphu. There were no reports of injuries to people or damage to property. This was the second quake in two days and the 34th this year in the region which falls in the highly seismic zone. A quake of similar intensity rocked the region on December 29. On September 21, an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter Scale was felt in the region. It was the biggest quake in the last twenty years. Bhutan and the seven Northeastern states of India – Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur – are considered by the seismologists as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world. The region experienced one of the worst earthquakes, measuring 8.7 on the Richter Scale in 1897, that claimed the lives of over 1,600 people. |
| IMF appreciates Bhutan’s economic performance Posted: 01 Jan 2010 12:53 AM PST Jan 01: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the strong economic performance of Bhutan and said its interest rates should be appropriately adjusted to that of India to avoid unwarranted pressures on rupee reserves. At the conclusion of the Article IV Consultation with Bhutan on December 15, the Executive Board of the IMF said its strong economic performance is supported by prudent economic management, firm donor support, and political stability. Welcoming the successes of the Ninth Plan, including lowering poverty, raising per capita income, and improving social indicators, the IMF Board noted the comprehensive development agenda of the 10th Plan and considered the challenge was to achieve the Plan goals while maintaining economic and financial stability. |
| Koirala’s funeral scheduled, wife to get job Posted: 31 Dec 2009 07:44 PM PST BY Yam Kharel, Nashville, Tennessee Jan 1: The funeral for late Tikaram Koirala is scheduled for January 2, Saturday at Marshall Donnelly Comp Funeral Home. Catholic Charities, the resettlement agency helping with the funeral arrangements is further helping to smoothen the upcoming situation of the bereaved family. The funeral home decided to consider the case as exceptional for this refugee family which helped ease the funeral processing. Gaylord Opryland, Tika's employer has offered a job to Tika's wife promising further help. Many individual volunteers are working hard to help the family after the tragic incidence in Koirala family. Meanwhile, the Bhutanese Community of Tennessee has expressed its gratitude to all those support agencies and individuals. Tika Koirala,46, a former Bhutanese refugee resettled in last June in Nashville, Tennessee ,was pronounced dead fifteen minutes after the family gave the consent to remove his life support at Vanderbilt Medical Center on December 29, 2009. Koirala was admitted to Trauma unit following the fatal car crash the same day. A Toyota Camry driven by Moni Rai that carried three passengers including Koirala was hit by another car speeding from the opposite direction, heading towards I-24 at Haywood Lane. The other car was driven by an unidentified drunk illegal immigrant, according to the investigating police officer, Herald Burke. The officer further said that the driver is either at the hospital or in jail, watched by another police officer. Three Bhutanese and an Iranian were returning home after their night shift work at Gaylord Opryland hotel who letter met with the fetal accident. The other three, who sustained minor injuries were discharged the same day from Southern Hills Medical Center after necessary treatment. |