TV ban lifted during World Cup

THIMPU, Bhutan (AP): Television is banned in Bhutan -- except when the World Cup is on.

It seems King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk is an avid soccer fan, so soccer enthusiasts in the tiny Himalayan kingdom are being allowed to watch the matches on giant mounted screens.

In Thimpu, the Bhutanese capital, the Bhutan Olympic Association has put up a screen in a sports stadium, according to Kinley Dorji, editor of the state-owned newspaper.

The government also has allowed some private institutions to show the matches in three other towns, Dorji said.

Television has been long forbidden and mass tourism is discouraged in Bhutan to avoid outside influence on its Buddhist way of life.