BMX Toronto Bursary' awards
The BMX Toronto Steering Committee announced 'BMX Toronto Bursary' awards to St Britto's and ST Mary's students who have answered March 2005 SSCE of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education and who wish to pursue their higher secondary school education at St Xavier's Higher Secondary School, Mapusa. The total value of this two-year inaugural BMX award is Rs.24,000 which will be divided between St Britto's and St Mary's High Schools. The purpose of the Bursary is to provide financial assistance to four deserving and needy students from the two schools, every academic year.

Goan girls earn laurels at Intel fair
Two Goan girls earned laurels at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's most prestigious pre-college competition, in the US. Suvrata Desai and Mallika Dhillon Desai, both 16, from Goa's Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, received the Ashtvadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty foundation award in the "Organisation Award" category. They won a second award of 500 dollar US savings bond for their project "Traditional Spices as Biospesticides".

Naxalites in Goa?
Suspecting presence of Naxals and terrorists along Goan beaches, the Governor, Mr SC Jamir, said that a large influx of people creates the right condition for undesirables of different hues to be hanging in such areas. Speaking on the inaugural day of the western zonal council meeting at Mumbai, Mr Jamir said, "It cannot be ruled out that they co-ordinated activities along the coastline or simply lying in wait for the right time," he added. He said that the Goan police is singularly ill-equipped in temperament and in training to handle the situation.

'Genuine' IFFI
Union Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhary has said the centre is all for holding a "genuine" International Film Festival in Goa. "The Congress was never against the IFFI being held in Goa, but had reservations over the manner in which the festival was held by the BJP government," she maintained. But, when her attention was drawn to the statement of GPCC president, Ravi Naik that the government would concentrate more on roads and water supply she said "these things are also important. On the other hands, holding IFFI would bring in hordes of tourists to the state".

Mapusa to become binless
Wastes overflowing from garbage bins may be soon a thing of the past with Mapusa Municipal Council extending its door-to-door collection to all wards and the market in the town. This north Goa town is set to change the aesthetics of its surroundings with a move to discard the garbage bins.

26 candidates in fray
In all a total of 26 candidates filed their nomination papers on the last day of filing of nominations on Monday, for the coming bye-elections to five Assembly constituencies slated on 2 June. Both, the Congress and the BJP have fielded their candidates in all five Assembly constituencies - Taleigao, Cumbharjua, Margao, Benaulim and Poinguinim. BJP nominee for Margao, Sharmad Raiturkar and Premanand Lotlikar (Benaulim) and Goa Su-Raj Party president Floriano Lobo (Taleigao) were among those who filed their nominations on Monday. In all eight candidate shave filed their nominations for Taleigao constituency and seven candidates for the Cumbhajua constituency.