The Navhind Times

Panaji: Petrol and diesel prices in Goa rose to Rs 103.94 per litre and Rs 95.83 per litre respectively on Monday after the government effected an increase of Rs 2.66 per litre and Rs 2.74 per litre in the selling rates of the two fuels. The price of high-speed petrol in the state has now []

Canacona: In Shristhal, molasses effluent from a company that ceased operations decades ago remains uncleared at the Canacona industrial estate site, where it is currently lying in pits covered with tarpaulin. With the monsoon approaching, locals and activists have raised concern over possible groundwater contamination and environmental damage. The waste is linked to a distillery []

Panaji: The Goa State Election Commission has fixed the number of elected councillors for 11 municipal councils based on population figures from the 2011 Census ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. According to the order issued by the Commission, the two Class A municipal councils Mormugao and Margao will have 27 councillors each. []

Sarah Rodrigues As the sun begins to set behind the hills of Pernem, Sitabai slowly makes her way home, a worn jhola resting against her hip. Her day has been spent walking through nearby villages, knocking on doors and asking for leftover food or old clotheswhatever people are willing to give. For Sitabai, this is []

PTI Mumbai Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday defended Prime Minister Narendra Modis austerity call, stressing the need to focus on the 3Fs fuel, fertiliser and forex amid the West Asia crisis. Speaking at the 37th foundation day event of Sidbi here, she also hit out against naysayers who have built a []

PTI Srinagar Over 300 tourists were left stranded mid-air for hours inside 65 cabins of the famous Gulmarg Gondola cable car after a major technical snag halted Asias highest ropeway, causing panic among the holidayers before they weresafely rescued. A massive, multi-agency operation that lasted seven hours ensured the evacuation of all the people, some []

NT Reporter Panaji The central government has sanctioned Rs 1,880.11 crore for four-laning of the Cuncolim to Bendordem stretch of the National Highway-66, including construction of the Cuncolim and Balli bypasses, marking a major boost to Goas infrastructure development. Announcing the approval, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union []

NT Reporter Panaji Amid ongoing political developments within the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) following the resignation of its president Manoj Parab, St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar on Monday asserted that he continues to stand firmly with the party and described Parab as a respected leader who remains in our hearts. Dismissing rumours that he would []

Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji The Goa government is unlikely to proceed with its proposal to ban five dog breeds in the state after receiving objections from citizens and animal welfare groups. Instead, it is considering implementing the recent Supreme Court guidelines that allow euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably aggressive dogs under strict conditions []

Padmavati Prabhu Panaji In a first-of its-kind initiative, the Goa State Council of Educational Research and Training (GSCERT) has initiated the process to establish a state-of-the-art social science laboratory powered by Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, aimed at transforming the teaching and learning of social sciences in Goa. The facility will provide students, teachers and []

From scrunchies to tote bags, Norika Fernandes is weaving affordability and sustainability into every handmade piece KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ In a world dominated by fast fashion and mass-produced accessories, Sewdicted by Norika Fernandes is quietly carving a niche with handmade works that are as thoughtful as theyare stylish. I began stitching because I []

Foreign footfalls are affected by local, national and global factors This issue almost never seems to go away; and in a way, thats understandable. Its a prism through which much of the rest of the world understands Goa. After bloggers riled Goa by making all kinds of claims about its tourist arrivals, some of which []

Rising non-essential imports like gold that weigh negatively on consumption need to be curbed to limit West Asia crisis impact on Indias current account deficit The celebrated economist John Maynard Keynes once famously quipped that gold is a relic of a barbaric era, but the allure and lucrative value of this idle asset have seldom []

Miguel Braganza This weekend, Goa will celebrate its 38th Statehood Day and eight years since the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, was notified in the Official Gazette of Goa as the State Tree in 2017. Goa has three main cultivars of coconut: Benaulim, Calangute and Nadora. Among its five variants, the green round Benaulim coconut has []

Jaishankar, Rubio hold candid talks to re-energise ties New Delhi: India and the US on Sunday sought to signal a reset in their strained ties as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Marco Rubio held frank discussions on thorny issues such as trade, visas, energy security, cross-border terrorism and the implications of []

Study calls for stronger public health intervention Abdul Wahab Khan Panaji: A preliminary socio-environmental and toxicological study in Gaondongrem village in Canacona taluka has raised concerns over potential long-term vulnerabilities to Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu). Researchers attribute these risks to untreated water consumption, labour-intensive farming, poor healthcare access and traditional lifestyle practices. []

Ponda: Due to rising input costs fuelled by the ongoing crisis, the Goa State Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited or Goa Dairy has increased milk prices starting May 25. Prices have been increased by Re 1 per half-litre and Rs 2 per litre across all variants with the exception of High Fat Milk (Gold). The []

Karwar: At least 10 members of a family, including seven women, drowned while two others were reported missing after a group attempting to collect freshwater mussels was swept away by strong currents in the Tatte Hakkalu River in Uttara Kannada district, police sources said on Sunday. Expressing grief, President Droupadi Murmu said the incident was []

Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji: A sterilisation gap of nearly 40 to 50% is driving a 10 to 15% annual rise in Goas dog population, a government officer said, adding that this is undermining years of sterilisation camps, vaccination programmes and annual drives. The major reason for the rise in stray dog population is unsterilised pet []

Mapusa: Following heavy rains, several incidents of treefall were reported in Mapusa and surrounding areas, with losses estimated at over Rs 1 lakh. According to the Mapusa Fire Station, around 14 emergency calls were received since Saturday night reporting treefall incidents on roads, houses, electricity cables and compound walls at various places, including Camurlim, Tivim, []

Shahin Bepari Lambe Panaji: With 11.2% of Goas population now elderly higher than the national average of 8.6% a study has warned that the states ageing population is facing growing financial stress, with many senior citizens dependent on pensions and burdened by healthcare costs. The study also highlighted the increased risk of poverty []

Ponda: Telangana MLAT Raja Singh strongly supported the idea of a Hindu Rashtra while addressing the Hindu Rashtra Awareness Sabha held on Sunday at Ponda. Addressing the gathering, Raja Singh appealed to Hindus to remain united and vigilant against forces he said were attempting to divide society. He said that Hindus should not lose their []

His all-round effort helps RR beat MI, enter playoffs Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals rode on a fine all-round effort from Jofra Archer to clinch the fourth and final playoff berth with a convincing 30-run win over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday. Archer first smashed a quickfire 32 off just 15 balls []

They open campaign against Maldives, target to end six-year title drought Margao: India will begin their SAFF Womens Championship 2026 Group B campaign against Maldives at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao today, with the hosts looking to return to the top after semi-final exits in the last two editions. The Blue Tigresses, five-time []

Madurai/Villupuram: In a novel and emotionally charged protest, hundreds of unemployed youth took to the streets of Madurai on Sunday, staging a first-of-its-kind Cockroach Rally in Tamil Nadu. The demonstration was organised to voice opposition against severe unemployment and recent remarks made by a senior Supreme Court judge comparing jobless youth to cockroaches. The rally []

Pune: Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, principal of a Pune school arrested in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, allegedly shared examination-related questions and content with a few students for money, the CBI told a court here, sources said on Sunday. The federal agency made the submission while seeking her transit remand, they said. The Central []

Tinsukia (Assam): Assam Police has unearthed a suspected inter-state terror funding network and arrested five people, including a students union leader here and an accused in Maharashtra, officials said on Sunday. They said investigations are on to ascertain the motive behind the extortion and funding network, and the organisation for which the funds were being []

New Delhi: An SUV driver assaulted a 60-year-old watchman with a stick, and then ran him over twice with his vehicle as the man fled, killing him, in Peeragarhi village on Sunday, police said. The deceased Bijender Bharadwaj, a resident of the village in outer Delhi, worked as a watchman at the tempo stand where []

Most snakes are shy, beneficial creatures that control pest populations. However, the fear of venomous snakes is not an irrational fantasy; it is rooted in lived experience Goans live with memories of venomous and non-venomous snakes they have encountered from childhood. Herpetophilia, or affection for snakes, is a recent phenomenon, but the general public fears []

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has asked all states and Union territories to step up surveillance, hospital preparedness and screening of international travellers following the World Health Organisations (WHO) declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). In a letter []

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the government will launch a tech-enabled smart border project by the next year to make the 6,000-km fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh impenetrable and ensure that the conspiracy to change the demography of the country is defeated. Delivering the annual Rustamji Memorial lecture hosted by []

Alleges systemic failures in education sector, particularly over NEET-UG 2026 New Delhi: Back with the tagline Cockroaches Never Die after its original X handle was withheld in India, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a satirical social-media account, launched a campaign on Friday demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The campaign, spearheaded through CJPs []

Jabalpur/Bhopal: The high-profile Twisha Sharma dowry death case saw fast-paced developments on Friday with police taking custody of her husband who was on the run for more than a week, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordering a second autopsy by a specialised AIIMS Delhi team as requested by her family. The High Court also []

Sawant a magician, can fill up jobs before polls: Health Min Special Correspondent Panaji: Stating that till now, the government has filled 2,500 vacancies through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), as also many more vacancies would soon be filled through the SSC and Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC), Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday []

Death rate at 6.5, closer to national average Special Correspondent Panaji: Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin for the year 2024, released this month, states that Goa has the lowest birth rate as also the second lowest natural growth rate among all Indian states. The SRS Bulletin provides reliable annual estimates of Infant Mortality Rate, birth []

Kathmandu: Two Indian mountaineers who summited Everest have died while descending, an official said on Friday. The climbers, identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are, were exhausted while they were coming down from the peak and could not be saved despite the best efforts of their guides, said Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the []

Panaji: Declaring bamboo as the best plant in the world for carbon sequestration, bamboo scientist Dr Bharathi Nambi on Friday outlined a roadmap to transform Goa into a carbon-neutral state through large-scale bamboo cultivation, green energy production and sustainable rural industries. He said Goa possesses favourable climatic conditions for bamboo growth due to its biodiversity, []

Panaji: Fuel demand in the state has surged this month despite repeated price hikes, taking oil marketing companies and fuel station retailers by surprise. Oil marketing companies on Friday stated that diesel demand in Goa increased by 14.3 per cent between May 1 and 21, a period during which fuel prices were raised twice, resulting []

Panaji: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, on Friday, said the state government will soon float a tender to integrate secondary nursing staff into the health system, a move aimed at creating a cohesive care team and improving overall patient management. Now, I am coming out with a tender which also incorporates the second line for the []

Asks ministers to take steps for comfort of peoples lives New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told his council of ministers to set their goal on 2047 so that by then with various reform initiatives peoples lives become more comfortable. At a meeting of the council of ministers, the Prime Minister said that []

Party will contest 2027 assembly polls: Kholkar Panaji: In a major political development, Manoj Parab on Thursday announced his resignation as president and founder member of Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), while also declaring his retirement from active politics. He made the announcement during a press conference held at the party headquarters in Panaji, alongside senior []

Panaji: The state government has issued a circular urging all government officials and employees to adopt fuel-saving measures in light of mounting pressure on global fuel supply chains and rising concerns over energy conservation. In a directive issued by the General Administration Department, government staff has been advised to minimise fuel consumption by opting for []

New Delhi: The X account of Cockroach Janta Party, the satirical digital outfit that came up last week and took social media by storm, was withheld in India on Thursday. Soon after, came another handle Cockroach is Back with the tagline Cockroaches Dont Die. This (action) was expected since there were attempts to hack []

New Delhi: Top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday paid tributes to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 35th death anniversary, and recalled the various initiatives undertaken by him for the countrys progress. Besides members of the Gandhi family, many former chief ministers and union ministers paid their tributes []

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered setting up a three-member special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI to probe the developments from the time the R G Kar Medical Colleges trainee doctor had dinner on the ill-fated night of August 2024 to her cremation. The young medic was raped and murdered in the []

New Delhi: India and the African Union have postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for May 28-31 in New Delhi in view of concerns over the spread of Ebola virus. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), without citing reasons for postponement of the mega event, said on Thursday that new dates for the summit will []

Chennai: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 23 more legislators as ministers, including two from the Congress, which marked the return of the grand old party to governance in Tamil Nadu after almost 60 years. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Lok Bhavan and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar []

Initiative would help local communities, creative professionals, says Khaunte Calangute: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the state was laying the foundation to become Indias preferred work from home and work from beach destination, as it seeks to position itself as a hub for remote work, digital innovation and creative entrepreneurship. Addressing the Goa Shackathon []

Sankhali: Goa Police, with assistance from Maharashtra Police, arrested a 34-year-old man accused of murdering a 58-year-old woman in Kudnem, Sankhali, following a multi-city manhunt across Maharashtra. The accused is being brought to Goa for further investigation after completion of legal formalities, said Goa police. Police stated that the accused, Sagar Ramesh Rawool, a resident []

Unai Emerys men sink Freiburg 3-0 to clinch first European title in 44 years Istanbul: Aston Villa claimed their first European trophy in 44 years and a maiden UEFA Europa League title as goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealed an emphatic win against Freiburg. After both sides traded half chances in []