The Navhind Times

Dr. Luis Dias My first-ever trip to the African continent last year has created a deep impression on me, and makes me long to return and explore further. We entered Zanibar, a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa, however, on a jarring note. Despite having travel insurance for Tanzania, upon arrival late at []

Nandkumar M. Kamat I stood on the lateritic plateau of Devihasol as evening settled over the Konkan hills. From where I stood the land sloped gently westward toward the Arabian Sea, now hidden beyond forested ridges. Today, the plateau was quiet except for the wind and the occasional cry of a bird. Carved deep into []

Frederick Noronha Many in Goa today passionately defend Konkani. Street protests and prolonged campaigns were organised to secure a better deal for the language and, among some groups, for Marathi as well. Yet decades later, how have Goas languages actually fared? Despite receiving considerable if sometimes reluctant government support, why does a []

Dr Gauri Rupesh Gauns Every month, many women quietly endure severe pain during their periods, often believing it to be a normal part of womanhood. As a gynaecologist, I frequently meet women who have spent years living with debilitating menstrual pain before learning that what they have been experiencing is not normal at all -it []

Sena Medal recipient Lt Col Cliff DSouza from Siolim reflects on his on his journey from IT engineer to Indian Army officer, and the lessons he learnt of discipline and service John Aguiar For many, Goa evokes images of quiet villages, coconut groves, and the unhurried rhythm of susegad life. Yet for Lt Col Cliff []

AP Dubai Iran issued an evacuation warning for three major ports in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, including the busiest in the Middle East, openly threatening a neighbouring countrys non-US assets for the first time as its war with the US and Israel entered its third week. Iran said the US had used ports, []

AP Kapikoy (Turkey) After bombs exploded near her home in the eastern Iranian city of Golestan, hairdresser Merve Pourkaz decided to leave. Pourkaz, 32, said she travelled nearly 1,500 km to an alpine border crossing in the hopes of reaching the safety of the nearby Turkish city of Van. If they let me, I will []

AP Berlin Prominent Belarus opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova on Saturday picked up a prize for contributions to European unity that she was unable to collect while in prison in her homeland four years ago. Kolesnikova was presented with the International Charlemagne Prize at a ceremony in Aachen, Germany. She won the prize in 2022, when []

NT Reporter Margao The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government and the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) against a High Court (HC) order that had ruled in favour of sanitation workers of MMC. The development has been welcomed by the Bhimshakti Sangatan, which has been supporting the []

NT Reporter Panaji The state government has identified four ferocious dog breeds that are likely to be banned in Goa following months of internal discussions, public suggestions and legal consultations. Senior government officials said the breeds identified for the proposed ban are Pitbull, Rottweiler, Cane Corso and Dogo Argentino. The proposal has been submitted to []

NT Reporter Panaji Stating that land sharks are descending upon Goas horticulture lands, retired Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Justice Ferdino Rebello said that critical agricultural lands, originally granted for horticulture purposes, are now under threat from developers. He also urged those in power to carefully choose their words when speaking on environmental []

NT Reporter Panaji Around Rs 100 crore was lost to various cyber frauds in the last three years, with police managing to save barely over Rs 90 lakh. According to data from 2023 to 2025, Goa police registered 298 cybercrime-related cases, including financial frauds. Most of the cases, 131, were registered in 2025, which also []

Nilesh Borde Friday the 13th oh! God, what a day for a management student like me. The CCP election yielded a textbook-style result. It demonstrated the flaw in every predictive model. It defined and underlined every theory in Management across consumer behaviour, Brand Equity, and Strategy. Why were the predictive models flawed? A lot of []

NT Reporter Panaji Pointing to the intensified action against drug trafficking, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has informed the state Legislative Assembly that the Goa Police registered 740 drug cases and arrested 899 accused over the last five years. He added that the conviction rate in drug cases has been rising, with the police achieving an []

NT Reporter Panaji Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that 33,384 foreigners were registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Goa during 2024 and 2025, and 29 foreign nationals were found involved in illegal drug trade during the same period. In a written reply tabled in the Assembly, Sawant said that if foreigners exceed []

NT Reporter Curchorem A PowerPoint presentation by the Water Resources Department (WRD) on the proposed Mirabag bandhara (barrage) failed to convince villagers, who questioned officials over missing studies and documentation for the project. The presentation, conducted by Additional CE Ankush Gaonkar at Ganpati Mandap, Sanvordem, was attended by CE Dyneshwar Salelkar, AE Shantaram Gaonkar and []

NT Reporter Panaji The state government has revised the financial assistance under the Sheti Samrudhi Yojana to facilitate community-level action for the growth of agriculture among farmers belonging to the scheduled tribe community. According to a notification issued by the Directorate of Tribal Welfare, the scheme will provide financial assistance to registered societies to support []

NT Reporter Panaji The work on the Development of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Digital Museum at Farmagudi, Ponda, is 22 per cent complete, the state government said. The project is expected to be completed by June 2026. The government has initiated the establishment of a Digital Museum at Farmagudi, aimed at developing the fort as a []

NT Reporter Panaji Chief Minister Pramod Sawant attended the 44th convocation ceremony of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, where he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature (D Litt) by the institution. Sawant said he was pleased to receive the honour from the university founded on the ideals and vision of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, whom he []

NT Reporter Pernem The executive engineer of the Water Resources Department (works division VII) has issued a no objection to allot 1.75 MLD of raw water to Delta Corp Limited for its proposed integrated resort development project at Dhargal in Pernem. In a letter addressed to the company, the WRD executive engineer said there was []

NT Reporter Panaji The state government has constituted a tripartite committee State Level Task Force Committee (SLTFC) to implement the regulatory framework for all the shrimp processing units and pre-processing units within the state. The committee will also inspect the reports of the North District Level Task Force Committee (NDLTFC) and South District Level []

Agencies Leverkusen Bayern Munich were held to a dramatic 11 draw by Bayer Leverkusen in a Bundesliga clash packed with red cards, VAR interventions and late controversy at the BayArena on Saturday. Leverkusen struck early when Aleix Garca opened the scoring in the fifth minute, weaving past two defenders before his deflected effort looped over []

NT Reporter Utorda Curtorim Gymkhana booked their place in the final of the Lourdes Festival Soccer Cup after a 3-1 win via tie-breaker over Shiroda Youth Club At Utorda. After a goalless full time, Curtorim prevailed in the shootout with Joy Hilario, Rhay Dias and Versly Paes converting, while Royston Vaz scored Shirodas only penalty. []

PTI Mumbai Kolkata Knight Riders took the wrong decision by letting Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt leave after their title-winning campaign in 2024, and unless the three-time IPL champions understand the importance of retaining key players, they cannot be considered serious title contenders, cautioned the legendary Anil Kumble. Iyer exited KKR to join Punjab Kings, []

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, also called as Sunshine Vitamin because it is synthesised in the body in the presence of sunlight. It has critical metabolic functions in the body as it is needed for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and aids in the process of bone mineralisation. Evidence from newer research studies []

Two upcoming Lenten concerts in the state aim to help the faithfulin prayerduring this sombre period as theyspiritually prepare for the Easter celebration CHRISTINE MACHADO NT BUZZ The season of Lent which began on Ash Wednesday (February 18 this year) is a time for meditation and prayer for Catholics as they contemplate on the great []

FILM REVIEWS SACHIN CHATTE Film: Iron Lung Cast: Mark Markiplier Fischbach Directed by: Mark Markiplier Fischbach Duration: 2 hours 5 minutes Rating: * * On one hand, there is something admirable about Iron Lunga video game turned into a feature film, acted in and directed by Mark Fischbach, who is something of a sensation on []

Maria Fernandes | NT Dentistry today is more advanced, efficient and patient-friendly than ever before. Innovations such as digital scanning, laser treatments, and same-day crowns are reshaping the way dental care is delivered. Dental surgeon Lt. Col. Dr. Parag Prabhudesai spoke about these developments as a guest on The Navhind Times talk show Talk from []

Wins 27 out of total 30 seats; Utpal Parrikar settles for 3 Panaji: Revenue Minister and BJPs Panaji MLA Atanasio Babush Monserrates panel For A Progressive Panaji, swept the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections, retaining his hold over the lone municipal corporation in the state on Friday. The Monserrate panel secured 27 []

AI likely subject in schools, colleges Panaji: Highlighting the governments vision to adopt artificial intelligence (AI), with a strong focus on developing local talent to create home-grown AI solutions, Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Rohan Khaunte on Friday said the Goa AI and Deep-Tech Policy will be notified in the next 100 days. []

Crunch hits people across India New Delhi: Panic reigned in the streets on Friday as a scramble for domestic gas made people queue up across states, eateries shut shop, and reports of hoarding made rounds, even as the Centre insisted there was no shortage of LPG in the country. The Centre on Friday said uninterrupted []

1,50,000 Indian nationals returned from West Asia after conflict began New Delhi: Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 others injured in a drone strike in Omans Sohar city on Friday that marked the first Indian fatalities on land since the Iran-US conflict erupted on February 28. Joint secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External []

Soiru Velip Panaji : Despite several civic issues in the capital city and protests in different parts of the state in the run-up to the elections, the Babush-BJP backed panels victory is being seen as significant. Babushs For a Progressive Panaji panel won 27 of the 30 seats, accounting for about 90 per cent of []

Panaji: Despite the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) election results not swinging in his favour, Utpal Parrikar on Friday struck an optimistic note, describing the narrow margins of defeat as a good thing that provides a strong platform for the future. Parrikar, who addressed a press conference following the results, said that his []

Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday stated that sufficient stock of LPG cylinders for domestic use is available in the state, while commercial users such as hotels and restaurants will receive only 20 per cent of their usual supply. Sawant chaired a high-level meeting at Mantralaya on Friday to review the reported shortage of []

Panaji: Demands for grants of the Public Works Department, Ports Administration and Legal Metrology Department were passed by the Legislative Assembly on Friday as Opposition MLAs boycotted the proceedings of the day. Earlier, the Speaker had to adjourn the House for the third time after Opposition MLAs refused to allow the House to function over []

Agencies Dubai US President Donald Trump derided Irans leaders as deranged scumbags and said it was his great honour to kill them as the war in the Middle East approached the two-week mark on Friday with heavy exchanges of drone and missile strikes across the region. The conflict, which began with joint Israeli-US strikes on []

IANS Washington US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that Irans newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been wounded and forced into hiding as the countrys military leadership struggled amid intense American strikes. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said Irans leadership was under growing pressure as the military campaign continued. Irans leadership []

AP Dubai A large explosion rocked an area of Irans capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organised rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israels demise. Israel had earlier warned that it would target the area in central Tehran. There were no immediate reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed []

PTI Jerusalem Asserting that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran is going better than expected and Israel is stronger than ever, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said there was no life insurance for Irans newly chosen Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Responding to a question about whether Israel would target Khamenei and Hezbollah leader []

AP Washington President Donald Trump is scrambling to replace the revenue the federal government lost when the Supreme Court struck down his biggest and boldest tariffs last month. If the effort succeeds, congressional Democrats warn in a study out Friday, the administrations import taxes will cost American households an average of $2,512 in 2026, up []

EDITORIAL New infrastructure is needed but management of potable water must be efficient An important issue was discussed in the Goa Assembly on Thursday, that of drinking water supply. The government came under severe criticism from opposition members over water shortages in several parts of the state. Two ruling party MLAs had raised the issue []

In Niccol Machiavellis 16th-century classic The Prince, the Italian thinker advised rulers that power is best preserved not through moral purity but through pragmatic cunning: It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. A leader must be both a lion and a fox, ferocious when needed, deceptive when necessary and []

PTI New Delhi One of the 28 Indian-flagged vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing hostilities in the region has since sailed away safely, a senior official said. The Indian-flagged oil tanker, Jag Prakash, which is carrying gasoline from Oman to Africa, has set sail from east of the Strait of Hormuz, []

Agencies Pune Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth will confer Honorary D. Litt. degree upon three eminent personalities, including Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in recognition of their contributions to society. The other recipients will be A Mahesh Kumar Reddy, Chairman of AMR Group and renowned hospitality expert and Chef Hemant Oberoi. The honorary degrees will be conferred []

Centre steps up efforts to secure alternative supplies Panaji : Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that Goa has a minimum of 15 days stock of LPG cylinders, adding that a circular was issued on Tuesday by the Centre to stop the supply of commercial LPG bottles. The shortage has been attributed to the []

Dubai : Iran has threatened to not allow even a single litre of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the US, Israel, or their allies. A spokesperson for Khatam Al-Anbia, which operates the Revolutionary Guard-owned companies, said any ship or oil cargo that belongs to the US, Israel, or its allies will []

Some shacks on Benaulim beach shut down temporarily Diana Fernandes Margao : Shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has already begun impacting smaller eateries across the state with a few shacks being forced to temporarily shut shop. In this backdrop, Industry representatives said the shortage could have wider economic implications if the situation continues. Pralhad Sukhtankar, []

Draft design earmarks six floors for hotel and swimming pool on terrace Panaji: The iconic Junta House in the state capital is set to undergo redevelopment, with the proposed plan reportedly including provision for a casino with commercial luxury hotel. As per section A-A draft design of the redevelopment project, the building will have 11 []

United Nations: The United Nations has warned of significant risks to global trade and development, including higher food prices and cost-of-living, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed amid the West Asia conflict. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report on Tuesday that the ongoing military escalation in the region []