MURDER MOST FOUL: The charred bodies of two unidentified persons were found at an isolated place at Subdolim near Padi in Canacona. The post mortem reports show injuries on the skulls of both the deceased persons. Despite all attempts since finding the bodies on October 2 the police have not been able to identify the bodies.

RAPE IN CORTALIM: While proceeding home from school, a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped on a hillock at Cortalim on September 27, allegedly by Manuel Domnick Fernandes (25) of Verna.

REGULARISING ENCROACHMENTS: CM Francisco Sardinha said on October 3 cabinet sub-committee comprising Dy CM Dayanand Narvekar, Law minister Francisco D’Souza, Industries minister Alexio Sequeira, Weights and Measures minister Mauvin Godinho and Power minister Digambar Kamat, will study the cases or regularising encroachments on comunidade land. According to Sardinha, there is a proposal before the government to allot maximum of 300 sq mt land to each encroacher.

SANQUELIM, A PANCHAYAT AGAIN: The Goa cabinet has agreed to revert the Sanquelim Municipal council to a village panchayat as wished by the people of the area.

MATRIX COMPUTERS, the current leader in the Mumbai market for competitive prices and gaming machines, have opened a Goa branch with Saligao-based Devine Computers as their retail partner, with plans "to bring Mumbai prices at Goa’s doorsteps". They will begin with hardware solutions and gradually unfurl their expertise in network solutions. Besides Asus mainboards, CD drives and graphics cards, Matrix also deal in Microsoft gaming controllers and input devices like Intellimouse and the natural keyboard, which are quite difficult to get in India at the moment. Matrix is accessible at http://www.matrix3d.com or email ashleywiz@im.eth.net or phone 278580 during office hours.

SABIRE CASE: The Panjim Bench of the Bombay High Court has held that there is enough recorded evidence to frame charges against Dominique Sabire, for conspiring with convicted peadophile Freddy Peats.

DOCTOR DUO FINED: Dr Ajit of Canacona and Dr Kinara or Karnataka have been directed by the Court of the Civil Judge, Senior Division at Mapusa, to pay a sum of Rs.5 lakh jointly to Leo and Rosy Miranda of Canacona, as compensation for a tonsils operation negligently performed on their five-year-old son Francis on July 3, 1989, leading to the boy’s death.

HONOURING A VETERAN BUS: GDX-I, the first bus purchased by the Kadamba Transport Corporation 20 years ago, will be decorated and illuminated today, to mark the 20^th anniversary of the Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd.

"DONGOR POKRUN UNDIR KADDLO": Much ado about nothing. Goa is definitely emerging into a major convention centre of every kind…business, religion…whatever. Goa inspires people to talk but rarely helps anyone to come to hard decisions. On the first day of the two-day convention of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at Ponda, the delegates demanded a ban on cow slaughter and beef export. They condemned the alleged terrorism by the Christian missionaries in Tripura and said that the Tehri dam would desecrate the sacred water of the Ganga. Dawned October 19, and the 100-odd dharmagurus just could not decide on a date to begin the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple at Ayodhya, the prime item on the day’s agenda.

A SAFFRON SWEEP: With four MLAs each from the Ravi and Shaikh splinter groups of the Congress party going saffron, the BJP is comfortably placed with an effective strength of 18 in Goa’s 40-member legislative assembly. By adding the support of two MGP members and the Independent from Poinguinim, they make 21, a figure good enough for Manohar Parrikar to stake claim to form a BJP-led government in Goa, the moment Governor Mohd Fazal returns today (Oct 22). Chief Minister Francisco also returns home today to find himself bereft of the BJP crutches which had helped him reach the hot seat.

TEENAGE GIRL RAPED: Paresh Mahadev Malla and Hemant Sitaram Tulaskar have been arrested on a charge of raping a 16-year-old girl at Wadi Nagar in Pernem.

CELLPHONE GODMAN NABBED: Mobile baba Ramesh Janardhan Naik Kumbharjuenkar, who had set up his base in Sanquelim and duped about 20 job aspirants of Rs.6.25 lakh by promising them jobs in the Central Bureau of Investigations, was arrested at Bicholim when he returned to Goa to collect his out-of-order cellular phone which had been given for repairs.

BJP MINISTRY IN GOA: A BJP-led coalition government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and 13 ministers was sworn in at Cabo Raj Niwas on October 24. The coalition is made up of 18 BJP and two MGP MLAs. Ravi Naik was sworn as the Deputy Chief Minister. The eight Congress MLA who joined the BJP were rewarded with a berth on the new "jumbo jet". Ramakant Khalap, Digambar Kamat, Shaikh Hassan Haroon, Prakash Velip, Pandurang Raut, Dr Suresh Amonkar, Sanjay Bandekar, Prakash Phadte, Manohar Azgaonkar, Felipe Neri Rodrigues, Jose Philip D’Souza and Ramrao Desai were the ministers who were sworn in yesterday. The portfolio will be announced on October 28.

PARRIKAR FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will shortly chalk out an agenda for the next 100 days, with administrative reforms topping the list of priorities. During a visit to Gomantak/Gomantak Times on October 27, Parrikar said that total transparency and streamlining of the administration was his main concern.

GOA’S CHURCH IS SWADESHI: "My concept of swadeshi is totally different. The Goa church is swadeshi. It conducts mass in Konkani. According to me, the problem does not arise in Goa. There are a few families, among Catholics and Hindus, still owing allegiance to the Portuguese. But 99 per cent Catholics in Goa are not pro-Portuguese. Are all Hindus patriots?…That is why we prefer good Catholics to corrupt Hindus, who wanted to join the BJP," said Manohar Parrikar in a Rediff Interview by Sandesh Prabhudesai.