log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY APRIL 26, 2026 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 308 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 SPORTS »PAGE 8 Rihanna made a stunning appearance in Mumbai Omega-3 Vs fish oils Alone together Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets What’s new to watch in theatres and OTT? Parents, relationships, and more Nurture lasting happiness through gratitude, meaningful connections Badminton set for major scoring overhaul as BWF clears 315 system >> SEE PG 2 HATE SPEECH & THE CYCLE OF IMPUNITY Explore the difference between Omega-3 & fish oil to understand what your body needs Goans all set to make a mark in UK council polls CAMPAIGNING GAINS GROUND AS CANDIDATES UNVEIL PLANS LUI GODINHO THE GOAN I LONDON 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ Beyond the beaches: Goa’s hinterland beckons this summer How social media is redefining travel choices beyond popular destinations Religious tolerance and eternal truths: Forever steadfast St Francis Bakery in Mapusa reinvents itself with a new cafe in the making 11 IN SHORT >> Sex scam: Deleted clips, pics retrieved PANAJI: Forensic experts have recovered deleted videos and photographs from the mobile phone of the accused, Soham Naik, potentially giving fresh momentum to the Curchorem sex scandal investigation and raising the possibility of new complainants and additional criminal cases.  >> See pg 3 Accused in land grab case denied bail PANAJI: Mohammed Suhail alias Michael Fernandes, implicated in a series of land grab cases, has been denied bail in two offenses with the Additional Sessions Court at Merces holding that there is prima facie material linking him to the alleged forgery and fraudulent transfer of property documents.   >> See pg 5 Colva police bust gambling racket MARGAO: In a major raid on Friday night, Colva police busted an online gambling racket by arresting three persons, all natives of Gujarat. Police also seized two laptops, mobile phones and other online related articles, all worth around Rs 2.60 lakh.  >> See pg 3 Can urban design or modern mixing concepts help overcome urban loneliness? When thousands of Goans began moving to the UK over the past few decades, they began taking active part in social and religious activities amid efforts to preserve and promote their Goan identity and traditions. With the Goan population now having grown significantly in certain areas, a number of Goans have gone to be social workers to take up issues pertaining to the Goan community, and they eventually became politically active. Dozens of candidates of Goan origin have now been picked to represent different parties at elections to various councils across the UK on May 7. Over these past few weeks, these Goan candidates have been busy campaigning and meeting up with voters in their wards to share their plans and promises for the community. Conservative Party candidate Salvador Pereira (second from right) during his campaign in the London Borough of Hounslow. (Right). Labour Party candidate Joyce de Souza during her campaign in the London Borough of Brent. When many of these Goan candidates were contacted, they said their purpose to contest elections had been to represent the community and to be their voice in their respective municipal councils. Salvador Pereira, Conservative Party candidate from the London Borough of Hounslow, said Hounslow has a very large Goan population, and their issues must be addressed. “Unless we have a Goan councillor, only then can these issues be addressed. My desire is to help the local community and also raise various issues that Goans face. Unless we have someone in the council, these issues which are ignored will not be addressed,” said Pereira. Pamila Rodrigues, a Labour Party candidate contesting from Hounslow Central, said she has been an active social Strong winds batter Sattari, leave a trail of destruction UPROOTED TREES DISRUPT TRAFFIC, AFFECT POWER THE GOAN I NETWORK VALPOI Strong winds struck Nanus area of Sattari taluka and caused widespread damage on Saturday night. A large number of trees were uprooted, resulting in disruption of traffic and power supply in several locations. Electricity had not been fully restored till late night. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, though minor damage to a few houses has been reported. Following the incident, the Valpoi fire brigade and authorities swung into action on a war footing. Efforts were underway till late night to clear the fallen trees and restore traffic movement. According to local residents, nearly 15 locations within a stretch of about 1 km were blocked due to fallen trees, leaving several vehicles stranded and causing inconvenience to commuters. As per available information, multiple trees fell from Fire fighters from Valpoi while clearing the fallen trees from the road at Nanus-Sattari. Nanus junction up to the Goshala road stretch. In addition, trees falling on power lines at three different locations led to snapping of electric wires, causing a complete power outage in the area and plunging the locality into darkness. Electricity department staff from Valpoi reached the site promptly and initiated repair work to restore the supply. Officials expressed hope that power would be restored by late night. Meanwhile, other parts of Sattari taluka also experienced rainfall accompanied by thunder. Though no major damage has been reported elsewhere, the sudden weather changes created panic among residents. Dark clouds continued to hover in the sky, indicating the possibility of further rainfall. worker around Hounslow and beyond. “I have been helping Goans who face various difficulties, and I feel it is important to be in the Council to assist not only Goans but also others within the Borough,” she said. Chris Da Cruz, a Conservative Party candidate in the London Borough of Sutton, said he is keen to address and protect the local green area and its local environment. “I have been in the UK for several years and like to protect the area, keeping it for the future generation,” he said. Joyce de Souza, a Labour Party candidate in the London Borough of Brent and a social worker in and around Wembley, felt a Goan voice is a must to ensure Goan issues are addressed, which will help change their way of living. “I want to help the Goan community with their issues and also other local residents within the Brent Council,’ said de Souza. Ex-Chief Town Planner of India Ribeiro no more THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a significant loss to the field of urban planning, Edgar Ribeiro, former Chief Town Planner of India and a distinguished Goan professional, passed away today. Ribeiro was widely respected for his lifelong contribution to urban planning, the pinnacle of which was his stint as India’s Chief Town Planner in Delhi. Post retirement, he later played a crucial role in Goa’s Regional Plan 2021, prepared during the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government between 2007 and 2012. Remarkably, Ribeiro worked with a formal role on the plan at a token honorarium of Re one per month. The Regional Plan 2021 he anchored remains in force today, underscoring the enduring impact of Ribeiro’s work and vision. Known for his meticulous approach and commitment >Continued on P6 Sandra Assucao, the Reform Party candidate in the London Borough of Brent, said she is concerned with issues linked with knife crime. “Students carry knives even in school, which is a concern, and changes are needed urgently. Our diverse community is in need of law and order changes, which need to be addressed,” said Assucao. HOUNSLOW From the London Borough of Hounslow Council, the Goan candidates contesting from the Conservative Party are Salvador Pereira (Heston Central), Vivek Ganachari (Hounslow West), Alister da Sa (Hounslow West), Joseph Lobo (Hanworth), Anthony Mascarenhas (Hounslow West) and Vilber De Costa (Cranford), while Pamila Rodrigues is the Labour Party candidate contesting from Hounslow Central. >Continued on P6 TRAGEDY STRIKES CANACONA, TWO MINORS DROWN Both had gone for a swim in the river without informing their families The site where the minor boys drowned in the Talpona River at Vajrem in Bhatpal-Canacona. THE GOAN I NETWORK CANACONA In a tragic incident, two minor boys drowned in the Talpona River at Vajrem in Bhatpal-Canacona on Saturday morning. According to reports, the incident took place when Rutuvik Naik (11) of Karwar and Dhruv Vaddar (6) from Bhatpal, had gone for a swim in the river without informing their families. Rutuvik Naik hailed from Nandangadda-Karwar and had gone to stay with his maternal aunt at Dhupemal-Bhatpal. His aunt had originally planned to drop him back to Nandangadda on Friday itself, but Rutuvik expressed his desire to stay for two more days. His maternal uncle then decided to take him back to Nandangadda on Sunday instead. While they were swimming, Rutuvik and Dhruv disappeared in the water. A third boy who was on the riverbank ran back home to alert his family and within a short >Continued on P6 Crime Branch to dig into Khattar’s past speeches LIKELY TO INVESTIGATE LINKS TO CURRENT CASE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With the Crime Branch (CB) taking over the custody of Gautam Khattar, the YouTuber who went into hiding after the controversy over his remarks on Goa’s patron saint, St Francis Xavier, the sleuths are expected to also probe his earlier public speeches and past controversies. Official sources told The Goan that they are likely to examine whether Khattar’s past speeches, delivered across several States, establish a larger context relevant to the present case and any future legal proceedings. Khattar, founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, known as a hardline Hindutva preacher and the one who describes himself as a “spiritual beat journalist”, has in the past drawn criticism from civil rights groups and opposition voices over alleged inflammatory and divisive speeches. Several of his public addresses, delivered in States Sleuths take custody of Khattar; to be brought to Goa today PANAJI: Charged with provocative speech, Gautam Khattar is expected to be brought to Goa on Sunday afternoon, with the Crime Branch (CB) preparing to formally arrest him upon arrival and seek his police custody before a local court. Khattar was taken into custody by the CB sleuths after being detained by police in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. The CB team subsequently produced him before a local court there and obtained a three-day transit remand to move him to Goa. >> See pg 3 including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, have previously triggered controversy for remarks directed at religious minorities. Sources said the CB teams are also likely to examine recordings and transcripts of Khattar’s earlier speeches to assess his public conduct and determine whether any of the statements may have attracted provisions of criminal law relating to hate speech, promotion of enmity, or acts prejudicial to communal harmony. Among those speeches are remarks reportedly made at public gatherings in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in 2024 and 2025, where Khattar is alleged to have called for social and economic boycotts of minority communities and urged followers to remain prepared in defence of Sanatan Dharma. Some of those speeches had previously >Continued on P6 Peace talks hit setback; Iran team WEEKS AFTER TOPPING UNEMPLOYMENT CHART… exits Pak, US scraps envoys’ visit State plans to conduct its own job market survey TEHRAN HANDS LIST OF DEMANDS TO PAK LEADERS PTI ISLAMABAD The Iranian delegation, led by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, departed Islamabad on Saturday after a day of high-level meetings with the Pakistan leadership. As reported by Al Jazeera, the delegation left the Pakistani capital after delivering an "official list of demands" to Pakistani leaders for the US and Israel in order to achieve a complete solution to the conflict in West Asia. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump announced that he had cancelled US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's visit to Islamabad. The development was shared by Fox News White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie in a post on X, where she stated that Trump cancelled the visit by the delegation from Washington due to the long-distance engagements being unnecessary and unproductive. "I've told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, 'Nope, you're not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around and talking about nothing worthwhile'," Trump told Hasnie. This is the second round of talks after the first on April 1112 ended without a deal. The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI ess than a month after official data placed Goa at the top of India’s unemployment chart, the State government has moved to commission its own study of the job market. The Department of Planning and Statistics has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to appoint an agency to conduct a State-level employment survey. According to the tender, the study will focus on local criteria rather than national datasets. Officials argue that existing L „„RFP issued „„Aim to to appoint JOB DATA: address gaps agency for GOVT TO DIG in tourism-drivState-level en, seasonal, DEEPER employment self-employed, survey informal sectors „„Focus on local „„Govt says current criteria instead of national data misrepresents datasets employment reality „„Existing surveys (like „„Survey to analyse PLFS) seen as inadequate trends, challenges, and for Goa’s economy opportunities surveys, including the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), provide limited insight into Goa’s tourism-driven, sea- sonal, self-employment and informal economy. The government says this has led to misinterpretation „„Policy recommendations to be made at State, district, taluka levels „„Study to be completed within three months „„Methodology to include surveys, interviews, case studies, data analysis „„Use of GPS-based digital data collection of the State’s employment reality. The new survey will examine trends, challenges and opportunities, and provide policy recommendations at the State, district and taluka levels. The agency selected will be required to complete the study within three months. The methodology will include surveys, interviews, case studies and data analysis, with digital information collected using GPS systems. A large-scale primary survey of employment and industry across all districts and talukas is mandated. The move follows the PLFS report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme >Continued on P6