The Navhind Times

Commemoration of Asmitai Dis will be permanent state-level function Panaji: Cutting across party lines, legislators on Friday resolved in the state Legislative Assembly to protect Goa for future generations as even they remembered those who fought to keep separate identity of Goa through the historic Opinion Poll on January 16, 1967. The legislators showed unanimity []

Panaji: Multiple raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Panaji zonal office, across 26 premises in seven states, including Goa, uncovering a well-organised inter-state drug trafficking syndicate on Friday. The distribution of narcotic substances on a business-to-business (B2B) basis has been traced across multiple states, said an ED official. The ED initiated search operations at []

Panaji : Pushing for a CBI inquiry into the Birch fire tragedy that claimed the lives of 25 people, the Opposition on Friday demanded that the magistrate inquiry report into the inferno be tabled in the House. The Opposition also went to the well of the Goa Legislative Assembly demanding that the report be tabled []

Panaji: The state government is in the final stages of formulating a comprehensive event management policy that will introduce a single-window clearance system for all tourism-related events, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday said in the Goa Legislative Assembly. Replying to a calling attention motion that triggered a debate on, morality and Goas global image, []

Margao: As Goa observed Opinion Poll Day on Friday, Opinion Poll stalwart Uday Bhembre called for serious introspection on whether the State today reflects the vision that guided the historic struggle against merger with Maharashtra. Speaking at the Asmitai Dis programme organised by Ganvbhavacho Ekvott, Chandor, Konknni Bhasha Mandal and the Directorate of Official Language []

Mapusa: The coastal belt of Pernem taluka was rocked on Friday after two Russian women were found murdered in separate incidents at Arambol and Morjim. Police have arrested a Russian national Aleksei Leonov, in connection with both killings. Police said the first incident involved the murder of Elena Kasthanova, who was staying in a rented []

Mapusa : Anjuna police on Friday evening arrested dismissed panchayat secretary of Arpora, Raghuvir Bagkar, from Colvale in connection with the Birch by Romeo Lane fire tragedy case. Police said Bagkar had been untraceable after his anticipatory bail application was rejected by the Mapusa court. Police said the arrest is linked to the December 6 []

Margao: Terming it a timely and meaningful initiative, senior advocate and Opinion Poll stalwart Uday Bhembre said that Madganvcho Awaazs decision to commemorate 60 years of the historic Opinion Poll of 1967 through year-long activities would help create milestones for future generations rather than one-day events that are soon forgotten. He was speaking at the []

Dubai: US President Donald Trump pulled back from threatened military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, claiming authorities had halted 800 scheduled executions, as a brutal crackdown that has killed at least 2,637 people appeared to slow nationwide protests, according to a Guardian report. Trump told reporters the Iranian government was stopping killings. Weve been told []

Havana: Tens of thousands of Cubans demonstrated Friday outside the US Embassy in Havana to decry the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela and demand that the US government release former Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. They crowded into the open-air Jos Mart Anti-Imperialist plaza across from the embassy in a rally organised by the []

Washington: Ashley St Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musks children, has sued his company xAI over sexualised deepfakes of her created on social media platform X. The lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday alleges the Grok AI tool created sexually explicit pictures of St Clair. The parent company of X and Grok, []

Johannesburg: Torrential rains and flooding have killed more than 100 people in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and authorities warned Friday that more severe weather was expected across several countries in southern Africa. South Africa has reported at least 19 deaths in two of its northern provinces following heavy rains that began last month led []

EDITORIAL The state has to think in futuristic terms to preserve its Asmitai At last, the government organised a state-level function to celebrate the Opinion Poll day. Besides, several other programmes were held across the state yesterday as part of the Asmitai Dis celebrations. In a positive move, the government announced plans to support and []

United States President Donald Trumps renewed threat to impose higher tariffs on India is not an isolated event. It follows months of tense trade negotiations and comes after the United States last year doubled import tariffs on several Indian goods to as high as 50%. Washington justified this move as a response to Indias large-scale []

Uddhav set to lose control over Indias richest municipal body BMC Mumbai: Breaking the nearly three-decade-old dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP on Friday emerged as the single largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and also triumphed in Pune, where it made mincemeat of the alliance of NCP factions led []

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that candidates from reserved categories who secure higher marks than the general category cut-off must be adjusted against unreserved seats. Reaffirming the landmark legal principle, a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma said, It is now a settled proposition of law that a []

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called on Indian startups to focus on manufacturing, deep technology and global leadership, saying the next decade of Startup India must position the country at the forefront of innovation. Speaking at Bharat Mandapam on the 10th anniversary of Startup India, he said startups are key to shaping []

Gadag: In view of the discovery of centuries-old gold ornaments buried in the earth, the Karnataka government may consider shifting the entire Lakkundi village in Gadag district based on the findings from the excavation, a senior officer said on Friday. As the government started digging earth in Lakkundi from Friday looking for the buried treasure, []

Panaji: Assuring the Assembly that football remains a priority sport for Goa, Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday said the government is working on a long-term, structured roadmap to strengthen infrastructure, player development and institutional coordination, while resolving long-pending operational issues of the Goa Football Development Corporation (GFDC). Replying to a private members resolution moved []

They triumph in Goa University inter-collegiate womens powerlifting championship Taleigao: VM Salgaocar College of Law, Miramar, powered its way to the Goa University Inter-Collegiate Powerlifting (Women) Championship 2025-26 title after a commanding show at the Silver Jubilee Hall, Goa University Campus. Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science, Margao, and Don Bosco College, Panjim, finished []

Verna: United Club of Verna outclassed Betalbatim Sporting Club 5-2 in their Fernando Abranches Memorial Trophy encounter at Verna Panchayat Ground on Friday. In regulation time, Roydon Rego (43rd minute) put UC Verna ahead, before Manushawn Gomes (51st minute) equalised for Betalbatim SC, taking the match to a tiebreaker. In the shootout, UC Verna dominated []

A familiar face in the music circle in Goa,Vishnu Shirodkar, from Siolim,has beenperformingat and co-ordinatingmanymusical showsaroundthe state. In a chat with NT BUZZ,hespeaks about his musical journey over the years RAMNATH N PAI RAIKAR At what age did you realise you had a talent for music? I remember a harmonium in our ancestral home []

Rangh Gandhoffers art lovers a diverse yet harmonious body of workthat not only commemorates a master artist but also reflects the vitality and continuity of Goas art scene today Naguesh Rao Sardessai At Bambolkars Art Gallery, Ponda, the exhibitionRangh Gandhunfolds as a thoughtful confluence of artistic voices shaped during a three-day art camp organised by []

Final decision by Tuesday; villagers to continue stir at project site Panaji : As the protesters opposing the Unity Mall project threatened to stay on through the night along the NH4A near the Merces Circle, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met them at 11.30 pm on Thursday and assured them that no decision on the project []

Panaji : Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the government will come out with a mechanism to ensure the timely deletion of names of deceased persons from the electoral roll. This mechanism will be developed in consonance with Election Commission of India (ECI) instructions, Sawant said while responding to the calling attention by Mormugao MLA []

Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday assured that the government will get to the bottom of the Birch fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives, adding that they will find out the real culprit behind it. He also said the government will not spare anyone responsible for the inferno that broke out at the Birch []

Panaji : Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that he will request the Election Commission of India (ECI) for time extension for the special intensive revision (SIR) process following the demand from the Opposition MLAs who cited various flaws in the exercise. The Opposition legislators were speaking during the calling attention on SIR by Mormugao []

As Goa celebrates Opinion Poll Day, also known as Asmitai Dis, Abel Barretto of The Navhind Times revisits the historic 1967 referendum through the memories of Ramesh Komarpant. As a teenager, he not only witnessed the intense canvassing by pro- and anti-merger supporters, but also actively participated in the anti-merger movement that shaped Goas future []

Panaji: Advocate General Devidas Pangam has said that the Unity Mall project remains fully legal, stressing that the district courts observations were limited to procedural matters and did not challenge the project itself. He said the court had only directed that the construction licence be obtained from the deputy director of panchayats rather than the []

Panaji: In the Unity Mall project matter, the Court of the Principal District Judge, North Goa, observed that even if all necessary permissions had been obtained by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), construction could not be permitted as the order to issue the construction licence was obtained from the Block Development Officer (BDO), an authority []

5-star Henil fires them to 6-wicket win in rain-hit opener Bulawayo: Henil Patel led a ruthless bowling display with an excellent five-wicket haul, setting up Indias six-wicket victory over USA in their rain-hit ICC Under-19 World Cup opener here on Thursday. The right-arm seamer finished with figures of 5/16 from seven overs with one maiden, []

Swavel Furtados brace seals them a 3-1 win; SC Goa beat GASC 3-2 Nagoa/ Mapusa: Swavel Furtados brace ensured Dempo SC moved to the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Pax of Nagoa SC in the Goa Professional League at Nagoa. Dempo made a sharp start and opened the scoring in the []

Porvorim: Leo Sports Club produced an all-round display to hammer Betim Sports and Cultural Club by 95 runs in the Tiswadi Zone GCA Division B at the GCA ground, Porvorim, on Thursday. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Leo posted a competitive 194 all out in 37.5 overs, built around a classy 76 []

Bangkok: The Indian womens futsal team went down 1-3 against Bangladesh in their second outing of the SAFF Womens Futsal Championship at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday. Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun (7, 13) scored a brace while Sumaya Matsushima sealed the victory with a goal in the 31st minute. For []

AP Dubai Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehrans bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The closure ran for over four hours, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran, which lies on a key East-West flight route. International carriers diverted []

AP Minneapolis President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act allowing him to deploy troops as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement persist in Minneapolis. Trump made the threat after a federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis on Wednesday after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle. []

AP Nuuk (Greenland) Soldiers from France, Germany and other European countries have begun arriving in Greenland to help boost the Arctic islands security after talks involving Denmark, Greenland and the United States highlighted fundamental disagreement between President Donald Trumps administration and its European allies. France has already sent 15 soldiers and Germany 13. Norway and []

AP Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand) A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people. The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway a major artery leading from Bangkok has []

AP London Wikipedia unveiled new business deals with a slew of artificial intelligence companies on Thursday as it marked its 25th anniversary. The online crowdsourced encyclopedia revealed that it has signed up AI companies including Amazon, Meta Platforms, Perplexity, Microsoft and Frances Mistral AI. Wikipedia is one of the last bastions of the early internet, []

PTI Mumbai All exit polls predicted a clear sweep for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, which took place on Thursday, and a defeat for the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. According to My Axis India exit polls, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is poised to win 131-151 seats and garner []

PTI Kolkata Fish diversity in River Ganga has increased by nearly 61% over 11 years, reflecting sustained ecological recovery under government-led rejuvenation efforts, a study by the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) has revealed. The river also recorded its highest fish diversity in nearly five decades, with scientists documenting 230 fish species across its []

The Bulbul Childrens International Film Festival is in its third edition and is emerging as a space for children to explore creativity as well as for parents and teachers to keep up with the changing times The Ravindra Bhavan at Margao is abuzz with colour, music, and movies as buses loaded with students come to []

Seventeen-year-old self-trained freestyle skater, Janvi Jindal, who hails from Chandigarh, has etched her name in record books through perseverance and determination. Today, she is Indias second highest Guinness record holder in sports MARIA FERNANDES | NT Janvi Jindal from Chandigarh has established herself as one of Indias most remarkable young athletes. A self-trained freestyle skater, []

The 27th edition of the Goa Yuva Mahotsav will be held on January 17 and 18 at the GVM College Ground, Farmagudi, Ponda. The event is being organised jointly by Antruj Ghudyo, Bandora and Goa Vidya Prasarak Mandal, Ponda, with financial support from the Directorate of Official Language, Government of Goa. Over 1,200 young participants []

A childrens art initiative developed by the Goa-based Childrens Art Studio and co-supported by the Museum of Goa is taking marine education beyond the sea. Phytoplankton World: The Unseen Heroes of Marine Life, created by the Childrens Art Studio in Goa, will travel to Bengaluru, where it will be presented at Freedom Park from January []

More efforts are needed to take forward the dreams of those who won the Opinion Poll Today is the anniversary of Goas historic Opinion Poll, a very significant day in the annals of Goas history. It was a referendum held in 1967 that gave the people an opportunity to decide their fate whether to []

Through the only opinion poll held in independent India, Goa secured its geographical and cultural identity on this day in 1967 as Maharashtra eyed its tiny neighbour, known for scenic beauty, pristine nature and for being a melting pot of many cultures. Goa had a definite geographic boundary since the new conquests of the 18th []

Well take very strong action, says Trump; death toll rises to 2,500 Dubai: The head of Irans judiciary signalled on Wednesday that there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from US President Donald Trump. The comments from Irans judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists []

Goa vigilant on steps taken by neighbouring state Panaji: Water Resources Department Minister Subhash Shirodkar has clarified that no new diversion or illegal works, including the laying of underground conduits on the Mhadei river has been undertaken by Karnataka since July 22, 2025. As regards the eight projects in the Mhadei basin, Shirodkar said the []

Sets aside orders issued by deputy director of panchayats, BDO Panaji : People opposing the Unity Mall project received a shot in the arm as the North Goa principal district and sessions court has quashed and set aside the construction licence issued to Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) for the controversial project in Chimbel. The []