The Navhind Times

Disaster devastates towns & villages, washes away critical bridges Kathmandu: Nearly 100 people were killed and over 750, including 133 Indian nationals, remain missing after a massive flash flood originating in Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating several towns and villages, washing away critical bridges, and crippling a dozen hydropower projects. Nepal Foreign []

Sharp decline reported during April-June Panaji: The international passenger traffic from Dabolim airport has plunged by 69 per cent, just as it has dipped by 42 per cent at Mopa airport during April-June, thus being among the steepest declines recorded across Indian airports. At the national level, the international traffic from India dropped by 10 []

Panaji: The water supply from the Tillari Dam to three major talukas in North Goa namely Pernem, Bardez and Bicholim will remain suspended for three months as Maharashtra is undertaking repair works on the canal network, which could bring about hardship to the people. Minister for Water Resources Subhash Shirodkar said a pipeline linked to []

Pernem: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the martyrs memorial at Patradevi is not merely a monument of stone, but a living symbol of Indias collective national consciousness and an eternal testament to the fact that India is a living, breathing nation whose soul cannot be divided. Speaking after inaugurating the Hutatma Smruti Smarak, []

Panaji: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set aside the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authoritys (GCZMA) approval for 25 temporary cottages and a shack at Agonda, saying the authority had failed to explain why it disregarded its own beach carrying capacity report, which prescribed zero carrying capacity for shacks at Agonda beach. The matter concerned []

Panaji: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has alleged a Rs 2,147-crore scam in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, citing observations of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and demanded an investigation into the alleged revenue loss caused by granting an additional 20 per cent floor area ratio (FAR) to commercial establishments free of []

Roque Dias Margao: Political analysts, experts, opposition legislators and activists across Salcete taluka have questioned the need for the Goa Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2026, citing the absence of historical records or documented cases of forced or unlawful religious conversions in the state. The State Cabinet recently approved the Bill, which is []

Margao: The Muslim community celebrated Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi in Margao on Wednesday, marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. A julus (procession) commenced from the historic Sunni Jama Masjid in Malbhat, Margao. Hundreds of devotees participated, making their way through the town before culminating at the SGPDA ground in Fatorda. Participants waved flags and chanted devotional verses []

Oakland(US): Meta has agreed to pay USD 17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced on Wednesday. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the []

Nashville: Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died in Nashville. She was 80 years old. Known for her curvy physique, massive blond wigs and skin-tight outfits that []

Underground cabling, improved lighting, landscaping planned Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the Goa Medical College (GMC) campus will soon be developed into a five-star campus with underground cabling, improved lighting, landscaping, parking and other facilities through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC). He added that all efforts would be made to []

Lucknow: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday said Indian electronic voting machines (EVMs) are manufactured by public sector companies and do not have internet, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connectivity. During his two-day visit to Lucknow, Kumar interacted with students at the historic Colvin Taluqdars College and discussed Indias democratic system, the electoral process, the reliability []

Pan-India crackdown on Rs 30K-cr transactions Panaji: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji zonal office, has arrested two brothers from MumbaiFahim Moin Hussain Sayed and Naim Mueen Sayyedin connection with a money laundering investigation into a large-scale digital arrest cyber frauds, including one in the state. The victim, a senior citizen from Goa, was duped []

Rise in infections forces parents to keep children away from school Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji: Flu cases in Goa this year have almost doubled compared to 2025, with paediatricians and physicians reporting a sharp surge in viral fever, cough, cold, throat infections, and other flu-like symptoms among both children and adults. Porvorim-based paediatrician Dr Pinky []

NT Reporter Vasco Vasco Police traced three minor children reported missing during the annual Saptah Fair and reunited them with their families, while an 80-year-old man who went missing in the crowd was also traced and reunited with his family. The Saptah Fair, which began last week, attracts thousands of visitors from Goa and neighbouring []

NT Reporter Panaji Valpoi has crossed the 100-inch rainfall mark, recording 2,543.7 mm of rain since June 1, making it the first of the major rain-gauge stations to cross the three-digit rainfall mark. Widespread rainfall over the past two days has helped the states overall monsoon deficit ease to 29.8 per cent on Monday. Dharbandora, []

NT Reporter Panaji In a suo motu public interest litigation concerning illegal hoardings along state and national highways, the High Court has directed the authorities concerned to file a detailed, jurisdiction-wise list of illegal hoardings still standing in village panchayats and municipal areas across the State. The Court ordered the respondent authorities to map existing []

Shoma Patnaik Panaji Goas paddy output increased marginally to 1.17 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 1.14 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, with the increase attributed to a modest improvement in yield and higher production during the kharif season. Production during the rabi season remained more or less stagnant at 3.7 lakh tonnes. According to the latest []

NT Reporter Mapusa Upset over inflated electricity bills, Colvale residents staged a protest at the Electricity Department office in Mapusa on Monday. The residents demanded that the department issue monthly bills instead of sending bills for 45-55 days, as consumers have to bear a higher burden when bills attract a higher slab. The villagers warned []

NT Reporter Ponda The latest detailed project report (DPR) presented by National Highway officials has failed to convince protesting villagers of Bhoma, who have remained firm on their demand for a bypass instead of a flyover for the proposed highway expansion. The presentation, conducted in compliance with the High Court direction, once again left villagers []

PTI Chennai The Tamil Nadu government has issued work orders for nearly 1.28 lakh gold rings, costing approximately Rs 220 crore, to two jewellery retail chains under the Maternal uncle gold ring scheme for newborns, a poll promise made by TVK, an official said on Saturday. Over one lakh gold rings are required to implement []

PTI New Delhi Passengers flying out of Indian airports will no longer be required to carry a physical boarding pass, as immigration authorities have decided to do away with the stamping of this document from September 1, officials said on Saturday. Instead, passengers travelling abroad will have to produce an e-boarding pass on their smartphones []

PTI New Delhi The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday condemned Congress for its decision to sing just two stanzas of Vande Mataram at its events and vowed to protect the dignity and the national status of the full version of the national song. In a 10-point resolution passed at a meeting here of its []

NT Reporter Panaji Goas decision to make cancer a notified disease will give the state a more comprehensive picture of its cancer burden, but the notification itself does not announce any new financial benefit or reduction in treatment costs forpatients. Under the public health departments notification dated August 20, all newly diagnosed cancer cases, including []

NT Reporter Mapusa Rovina Pereira Lobo, who has been lodged in judicial custody at the Colvale Central Jail since her arrest in connection with the 2020 double murder of her husbands aunts, has now been arrested by Colvale police in a case of alleged smuggling of drugs inside the prison. The arrest follows an investigation []

NT Reporter Panaji Goa recorded 169 road accidents per lakh population in 2024, the highest rate among all states and Union territories nationally, ahead of Kerala (136) and Tamil Nadu (88). While Goa may not lead India in terms of total road accidents by absolute vehicle volume, it consistently lands in the top five states []

Following Konkani Rashtramanyatai Dis on August 20, NT NETWORK looks at whether a Konkani degree can translate into a sustainable career as opportunities expand beyond teaching and translation VINIKA VISWAMBHARANNT NETWORK Konkani has Constitutional recognition and official status in Goa, and its presence extends across literature, culture,and an increasingly digital space. But for students choosing []

NT Reporter Ponda Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai, at a meeting in Mollem on Saturday warned thatif pending payments tosugarcane farmers werenot cleared before the Assembly session, the party would bring sugarcane to the Assembly to highlight the issue. Sardesai visited villages in the Sanvordem constituency as part of the partys Jai Gaon, []

NT Reporter Panaji The District and Sessions Court, North Goa has rejected bail applications of Zakaulla Khazi (21) from Caranzalem and Riyan Bagwan (18) from Tonca in connection with June case of alleged trespass and assault at a Caranzalem guest house. The order was passedon Friday. The court observed that in view of the gravity []

NT Reporter Ponda A tense exchange between Aframent-Shirshirem residents and Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar over water-related issues and the naming of their internal road as NH 566 was brought under control after Shirodkar assured the residents that their grievances would be heard and addressed. The confrontation took place after the inauguration-related programme for the []

NT Reporter Margao The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan (GRLA), while congratulating the Tiatr Academy of Goa and the Tiatr fraternity on Tiatr being recognised nationally as an element of Indias Intangible Cultural Heritage, said the recognition should also lead to equal recognition for the RomiKonkani script. This is a proud moment for Goa and a []

DR. R. G. WISEMAN PINTO Cancer often begins insidiously and without pain. However, in stages III and IV, many patients develop significant, sometimes excruciating pain. It may result from a tumour growing rapidly and stretching or infiltrating surrounding tissues. It can also arise from diagnostic procedures, treatment, involvement of the skin and nerves, hormonal changes []

Panaji: With the state assembly election drawing closer, the BJP on Friday held a meeting in the city to take stock of the works carried out by its ministers over the past four-and-a-half years. Members of the state BJP core committee were also present at the meeting. State BJP president Damodar Naik said ministers, including []

Calangute: Former Saligao MLA and GFP minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led cabinet Jayesh Salgaonkar resigned from the BJP on Friday. I am announcing that I have resigned from the primary membership of BJP and also from all the party positions I was appointed to, Salgaonkar said at a press conference. He said he was doing []

Will bring greater transparency, address unauthorised operations Panaji: Minister for Transport and Panchayati Raj Mauvin Godinho on Friday said the government had outlined measures to streamline transport operations and improve the process of panchayat-level mapping and surveys across the state. Godinho said that, as far as the rent-a-cab segment was concerned, the government had completed []

PTI Visakhapatnam The government must take steps to correct systemic failures and society must be awakened to set right the system, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader C R Mukunda said on Friday while addressing reporters at the conclusion of the three-day RSS coordination meeting. The demographic imbalance in some regions and its impact on []

Nestled in Sangolda, the newly opened Meraki Art Cafe serves up a different kind of experience, with a menu of art activities for visitors to try their hand at CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ The little purple door leading into the space hints at the beginning of a memorable adventure. And as you step inside []

PTI New Delhi In a major relief to law graduates, the Supreme Court on Friday reduced to a year the earlier mandatory requirement of three-year legal practice for them to take entry level judicial service examination. However, the selected candidates will have to undergo training at the judicial academy and a further one-year clerkship, a []

NT Reporter Panaji Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that the Goa state assembly will take up as many as 13 bills on its first day, including supplementary appropriation bills, during the upcoming three-day monsoon session of the House, which is set to begin on August 31. These bills will be passed on the []

NT Reporter Panaji Prof Rajendra Gad has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Goa University. He replaces Prof Harilal Menon. Governor P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is the university Chancellor, has issued the appointment order. Gad will take charge of his post on August 25. Around 200 applicants had applied for the post of []

Panaji: With the state government permitting up to 20 per cent Plaster of Paris (PoP) content in Ganesh idols for the forthcoming festival, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) will conduct random checks to ensure that the PoP content remains within the permissible limit. GSPCB scientist Mohan Girap said the pollution board, along with []

Says Cong will decide on casinos if voted to power Panaji: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar on Thursday alleged that drug rackets in the state are being operated with the blessings of people in power and claimed that the security guard caught smuggling drugs into the Central jail is a part of []

Ex-CM Laxmikant Parsekar among those who visited new party bldg Panaji: Ahead of the inauguration of the new state BJP office building at Kadamba Plateau by Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah on September 6, a puja and religious rituals was held at the premises on Thursday. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP state []

Panaji: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) has claimed that currently it tops in the Ponda electoral constituency as far as the prospects at the state assembly election are concerned. Power Minister and MGP leader, Ramakrishna Sudin Dhavalikar said that his party stands very strong in Ponda if the political equations are considered. Quoting a latest []

Mogadishu: Six Indians were aboard a Cameroon-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates off Somalias Puntland coast earlier this week, a Somali official said Thursday. The M/V LUTUF, which was carrying Turkish weapons, was seized on Monday and taken by the pirates toward the regions Nugaal coast. The ship was seized about three and a half []

Kyiv: Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the surrounding region with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime aerial attack that lasted for hours and killed at least 16 people, officials said Thursday. Moscows forces have in recent months intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraines chronic shortage of US-made []

London: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have decided to move back to the UK with their two children later this month but will remain non-working members of the royal family, according to UK media reports. Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, relocated with his family to the US six years ago []

Dhaka: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a longtime secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a close ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, was on Thursday elected as the countrys new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years. The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his lone rival Colonel (retd) []

ShahinBepari Lambe Panaji Around 15,000 blood investigations are carried out every day at Goa Medical College and Hospitals (GMC) clinical biochemistry laboratory by spending a monthly budget of around Rs 2.5 crore. With two highly sophisticated machines capable of performing 1,200 tests per hour, the laboratory handles routine biochemistry tests, immunochemistry and specialised investigations, including []

NT Reporter Margao Barely 24 hours after piling work for the proposed elevated corridor began at Dandeawaddo Chinchinim, villagers stopped the contractor from carrying out the work at night, alleging that the late-night activity is causing disturbance to local residents due to vibrations and noise from heavy machinery. Velim MLA Cruz Silva was called []