Hospitality Skills Boost: Bhutan is piloting a Recognition of Prior Learning scheme in Phuentshogling, assessing nearly 60 hotel workers across housekeeping, cooking, front office and food & beverage, with successful candidates earning a Bhutan Qualifications Framework Level 2 certificate. Climate Research Milestone: The first batch of Bhutanese PhD scholars in Climate Studies graduated from the College of Natural Resources in Lobesa, Punakha, with theses focused on climate impacts on food systems and climate-resilient farming. Tourism Investment Push (Gelephu): Gelephu Mindfulness City unveiled a tourism investment programme at a forum, pitching 20 attractions and 20 activities to attract Bhutanese and international investors for high-value, sustainable tourism. Cross-Border Payments for Travellers: NPCI partnered with HSBC India and J.P. Morgan Payments to enable real-time FX settlement for international UPI transactions, improving transparency for Indians paying abroad. UPI Goes Global (Greece): India launched UPI in Greece via Eurobank, expanding UPI availability to 10 countries including Bhutan—good news for cash-light travel. Visa Reform Talk (India): NITI Aayog urged simplifying India’s visa regime with a phased tourist visa-on-arrival approach to unlock tourism growth. Bhutan-Lumbini Cultural Link: Bhutan began construction of its Nu. 160 million temple complex in Lumbini, strengthening Buddhist pilgrimage ties with Nepal.