Helmets compulsory from 15 August
Helmets will be made compulsory for both riders and pillion riders from 15 August, a senior police officer announced on 27 July. However, the enforcement of the law will only follow after about two weeks of awareness programme across the state.

BJP's Goa govt on shaky ground
On Saturday 31 Jul 2004. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in Goa is on the brink of losing its majority in the state assembly after former minister Micky Pacheco, who was dropped from the state Cabinet last month. Pacheco, a former guitarist is famous for his flamboyance and funky sartorial style, was the state tourism minister until a month ago. Now with Pacheco's move the Parrikar government is left with 22 legislators in the 40-member assembly. The BJP now has 19 legislators in the 40 member House. It still enjoys the support of three other MLAs – Sudin Dhawalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Saldhana, and Philip Neri D'Souza, an independent.

Rising water levels at beaches
Noted environmentalist and the general secretary of the Mhadei Bachao Andolan Rajendra Kerkar has stressed on the need to undertake a vigorous tree plantation drive to maintain the ecological balance. He was addressing a gathering of students of the Zantye College of Commerce and Economics. Kerkar expressed serious apprehensions about the rise in water levels at beaches such as Calangute, Baga and Miramar and highlighted the need to have mangrove plantations to take care of this disturbing phenomenon.

The life of St. Francis Xavier made into a documentary
The life of Saint Francis Xavier will soon be made into a documentary film. A Catholic couple, Shamir and Kavita Diniz both of whom are filmmakers, have launched the project. Shooting started on July 9 in the Indian State of Goa, on the country’s western coast, where the 16th-century Jesuit's remains are kept.
The Diniz hope to finish the film in time for the once-a-decade exposition of the saint’s relics scheduled to open on November 21, 2004, at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, and to last till January 5, 2005.

UK Goan family sustain grievous burn injuries in Goa blast.
Six members of a family sustained grievous burn injuries due to a blast caused suspectedly by leakage of liquefied petroleum gas cylinder on the ground floor of a residential flat. Ms Gilda Cotta (50), her three sons, Carl (20), Lian (17), Chelvin (22), her sister, Ms Celma Veira Velho and a rickshaw driver, Mr Subhash Gaundar (38) were seriously injured. The Cottas had been in Goa on a holiday trip from the UK for the last 10 days and had been staying in the Goa flat. The front-side wall of the flat crumbled to pieces due to impact of the blast, completely destroying belongings in the flat. The blast also developed cracks in the building besides damaging two cars, which were parked in the parking enclave of the two-storied residential complex