Edited by Eddie Fernandes editor@goanvoice.org.uk

Video: Milton Braganza, 33, of Disney Cruise Line allegedly molests girl, 11, in ship’s elevator

Goa police undergoes fitness test
22 May: IBNS. A major reform is set to take place in the Goa police force with 5,000-odd police personnel, divided in batches, undergoing physical proficiency test (PPT) – the first ever in the history of the elite department… The recently concluded state legislative assembly had expressed disappointment with the unfit and pot-bellied policemen in the department and suggested that government inculcate routine exercises among the force…  click here

Auction: Antique Goan cabinet

Accused UK realtor may have the last laugh
22 May: Herald. It was on March 5 last that a real estate developer was accused of mercilessly destroying a sand dune at Colva, triggering outrage amongst local villagers and activists. On March 14, the Colva police registered a case against the real estate developer and maintained that action would be initiated against the real estate developer Dilip Basant Acquilla of Acquilla Properties Pvt Ltd upon his return from UK. Two and half months the criminal case has hit a block and the authorities seem engaged in passing the buck on each other … Meanwhile, questions are being raised whether the government would intervene and save the remaining portion of the sand dune from destruction during the monsoons.  click here
The Directors of Acquilla Properties are listed as Sushma Dilip Acquilla and Dilip Basant Acquilla of Kilifi [Mombasa] House, 2 Leven Close, Stokesley, Middlesbrough, TS9 5AU, UK.  click here

UK: TV & RADIO HIGHLIGHTS By Lira Fernandes

Mon: Abdul Karim

FILM: Date Movie. Channel 4. Saturday 25th May. 00:10 to 01:35. Alyson Hannigan plays Julia Jones, a waitress who falls for Grant Funkyerdoder, but she must convince her parents that she can marry outside her Greek/African/American/Indian/Japanese heritage. (2006, PG, 2 Star)

SPORT: Cricket. itv4. Sunday 26th May. 14:45 to 20:00. Pepsi Indian Premier League Final Live. After seven weeks of intense competition the sixth IPL series draws to a close with the showpiece final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

DRAMA: New Tricks. Yesterday 19. Sunday 26th May. 20:00 to 21:00. James Bolam and Dennis Waterman star in another adventure for the aging detectives. The squad try to track down the attacker of a young Asian woman in Southall.

FILM: Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride. Bollywood 4U (Sky). Sunday, 26 May. 22:30 to 02:00. Romantic drama. A singer cons the daughter of a top record producer into marrying him, but at his bachelor party in Goa, he falls head-over-heels for another woman. Will he go ahead and marry for his career, or run away with his Goan beauty?

ARTS: Move Over Wodehouse. BBC Radio 4. Monday 27th May. 16:00 to 16:30. International publishers and writers are flocking to India as it becomes the single biggest book market in the world. Mukti Jain Campion reports on the changing reading habits of India's growing middle class.

HISTORY DOCUMENTARY: Queen Victoria's Last Love. more4. Monday 27th May. 21:00 to 22:00. In 1897 a war was raging between Queen Victoria and her court over her relationship with her Indian servant, Abdul Karim. Her relationship with Karim produced shockwaves in the Palace. Originally one of two Indians selected to join the Queen's household, Karim rose from being a humble waiter to become Victoria's most intimate confidant. He introduced her to the delights of Indian cuisine, fed her romantic visions of India, and became her 'Munshi' or teacher, giving Victoria daily lessons in Hindustani.

Driving in Goa is not for the faint-hearted

Forthcoming Auction: Indo-Portuguese Rosewood and Hardwood Bookcase

‘Goa hospital faces water shortage because taps are stolen’
21 May: IANS. The Goa Medical College (GMC), the state’s top health facility, regularly faces water shortage because people steal taps installed in the hospital premises, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday. The water shortage is putting patients and their kin to hardships, especially during the scorching summer season… He added that all employees and patients’ kin working or visiting the hospital would soon be frisked by security guards to ensure that such thefts do not occur again …  click here

Goa’s land record software wins international award
21 May: IANS. Dharnaksh, a land record portal developed by the Goa government has won an international award for making e-governance concepts people-friendly and accessible, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday. It won the Geospatial World Application Excellence award at Holland’s Rotterdam last week, beating over 270 nominations from across the globe, he said. “The portal as a following all over the world,” Parrikar said, adding that users, many of them non resident Goans had accessed the website from Britain, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, etc. Dharnaksh enables anyone with a computer and an internet connection to search through all the land records as well as survey numbers as well as see the property in question via satellite imagery by just logging in the corresponding property details.  click here
For the Dharnaksh website,  click here

Andrea Colaço Brings Gesture Control to Mobile Devices

Goa to extend 45-day fishing ban to two months
21 May: Times of India. The 45-day fishing ban during the monsoon period in Goa will be extended by 15 more days after the Goa government decided to reduce the proposed extension of the ban. Taking cognizance of demands from various quarters, the government had proposed to extend the ban period from June 15 to July 31 (45 days) to 75 days. Environmentalists and the fishing community itself had been crying hoarse about a decline in the fish catch in recent years…  click here

Tony Fernandes: The Indian Aviation Scene
20 May: SME Mentor. India's perception of low-cost carriers has been badly damaged and bruised by failed promises, said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes in an exclusive interaction with Entrepreneur magazine. Not one to mince any words, Fernandes said that "too many people in the airline business have an ego the size of an A380."… Starting out in the third quarter of 2014, AirAsia will begin operations from Chennai and it is expected that it will come into direct competition from SpiceJet … Photo  click here

New Goan Voice Sponsor: Goa & Worldwide Travel

Foreigners and locals now pay more to marry in Goa
21 May: Times of India. Foreigners and locals tying the knot in Goa are paying a higher marriage registration fee. The government has hiked the registration fees for foreigners' marriages from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000 while the fee for locals has been doubled to Rs 200. Annually around 14,000 marriages are registered in the state, of which 100 figure foreigners…  click here

Dabolim airport vital for tourism: Eduardo
21 May: Herald. Wading into the airport debate and stressing the importance of Dabolim's central location and its importance for tourism, former union minister Eduardo Faleiro has in a statement released here said "the ideal" situation "would be if the Navy shifts from Dabolim." …  click here

Anthony Rego: A Goan kappelmeister in Adelaide

Move to patent Goa’s Feni manufacturing process
21 May: PTI. After obtaining Geographical Indication (GI) status for the famous Goa Feni, researchers and producers in the coastal State are now trying to patent the process to manufacture this local brew, which is also known for its medicinal benefits… There are 35 leading Feni processors besides several hundred people brewing this spirit alongside their cashew plantations in Goa.  click here

Goa study on impact of 'yogic farming' on productivity
21 May: Business Standard. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Goa is contemplating the possibility of developing a plot of land using the yogic farming practice … experts will study the impact of meditation on plants and their growth… the energy produced from meditation will be transferred to the land … 325 words.  click here

Forthcoming Auctions: Goan Ivory Carvings

Death: Dominic Noronha

Indians take over London: Census shows they are largest foreign-born group in city now
21 May: Times of India. Indians have become the largest foreign-born group in London. Nearly 9% of all foreign-born residents in London are now Indians. In sheer numbers, this means 263,000 people born in India are now living in London. London had about 3 million foreign-born residents in 2011 (37% of the total London population and 40% of the total foreign-born population of England and Wales). London's foreign-born population increased by 54% since 2001, accounting for 105% of the total population increase, as the UK-born population decreased in the decade… Oxford University's migration observatory deputy director Scott Blinder described the increase in foreign-born population from 9% to 13% in 2011 as "a very noticeable change" …  click here

Young Canadian classical players to mentor Indian musicians

Think your flip-flops have been through hell? Try a pair of Gandys
20 May: CNN. Created by orphans of the 2004 Asian tsunami, Gandys flip-flops aim to do more than sit around on the beach. The Forkan brothers launched Gandys flip-flops in memory of their parents… India is where their fondest family memories were made… Gandys is forecast to turn over more than £1million ($1.51 million) by 2014… the brothers donate 10% of profits from Gandys to Mango Tree Goa, a UK-based charity that helps disadvantaged children in Goa. In one year of operating Gandys, the brothers say they’ve donated enough money to Mango Tree Goa to provide school supplies for 100 children and fund a teacher for a year. 1359 words + photos.  click here

Video: Goa Tourism Minister announces new shack policy
20 May: Goa 365. The Tourism Minister has stated that the Govt plans to come out with strict garbage clearance guidelines in its new shack policy and has also considered giving owners of beach shacks licenses to operate for 3 years…  click here

Silvia Fernandes: Music and dance are part of Goan lifestyle

Mumbai Bonnie Fernandes turned his talent for hosting events into business
20 May: Economic Times. It was only in 1995, that Bonnie Fernandes started making money off his hobby. In the meantime, he added to his repertoire by hosting communion parties and weddingsIt was only in 1995, that Bonnie Fernandes started making money off his hobby. In the meantime, he added to his repertoire by hosting communion parties and weddings … Today, he makes Rs 25,000 a month handling about 4-5 shows, working only on weekends when he can spare time from his day job… Photo.  click here

The Russian mafia could be operating in Goa: Russian official

Victor Albuquerque

Cheaper fish may hit the markets
20 May: Times of India. Chonak (giant sea perch) and modso (lemon fish), two species of tasty and high-priced in Goa could turn cheap and abundant in the future. The fisheries department has finalized plans to rear them in cages kept in the open sea… This involves placing a circular cage of six metres diameter in the sea at a depth of between six to 10 metres. The fishermen will then release fingerlings (young fish) into the cage. The fishermen will rear the fish in the open sea cages by feeding them pellet feed. Each cage is expected to yield about four tonnes of fish in about seven-eight months…  click here

Indian rapes prompt change, but slowly
20 May: Total Travel (Aus). By Nathan Paull. The vile act of rape is a punchline in India… We met a band of 20-something Indian guys on a beach in Goa. The group of maybe 10 or so young men came to join us after noticing an attractive young English woman in our company. The ringleader and self-proclaimed ladies man, who went by the moniker "Chocolatey Boy", proudly told us the group was in Goa to lose their respective virginities… He said that he decided the English girl we were with would be a suitable candidate to lose his virginity to. Despite repeated assurances she was seeing our mate, who was sitting right next to her, Chocolatey Boy's attempts at smooth-talking didn't let up until she pretended to go to the toilet and went back to her room…  click here

Liz Dobson: Dangers of driving in Goa

UK visitors rank second in Goa figures
17 May: Travel Media Daily (UK). Goa registered a record arrival of international tourists with the UK its second-biggest market. Around 152 chartered flights from the UK travelled to the area out of 987, second only to Russia’s 742. The region also saw an increase in cruise ship visits, with 25 vessels carrying 22, 233 people visiting in the 2012/13 period…  click here

44 great Dubai secrets
13 May: Time Out Dubai … Hidden eats, secret nightlife, one-off shops and more hidden gems … Ambot Tik: A real hidden gem serving affordable authentic Goan eats, from the selection of meats to the Portuguese-style pau bread rolls. Chelsea Plaza Hotel, Satwa ...  click here

Death: Olga da Costa

O’Coqueiro’s: Goan cuisine at its best
19 May: Navhind Times. … In 1970, the management of O’ Coqueiro Bar and Restaurant changed hands and was popularised by Chef Gines Viegas, a native of Assagao, who had returned from [Dar es Salaam], East Africa. O’ Coqueiro is now run by Chef Peter Fernandes, who apprenticed with the legendary Viegas. In 1997, Chef Viegas collaborated with Alcon chairman, Mr Anil Counto, who at that time invited Mr Fernandes to come aboard and run the venture. Later in 2002, when Chef Viegas passed away, Alcon acquired the restaurant, and since then Mr Fernandes has been with O’ Coqueiro, that’s nearly 23 years… Chef Gines Viegas, was the first to introduce chicken cafreal in the state…  click here

Goa ministers have 172 staff; 30 with CM Manohar Parrikar
19 May: Times of India. The Goa cabinet ministers have a total of 172 office staff members and the chief minister ManoharParrikar himself has a strength of 30, information obtained by social activist Aires Rodrigues. under Right to Information ( RTI) Act has revealed… As per the rules revised last year, the chief minister is now entitled to a maximum of 33 office staff while each cabinet Minister is allowed up to 15 staff, Rodrigues said…  click here

Death: Brig Joseph Victor Pinto, AVSM

Meet Mario Antao of the Carnival Spirit Cruise Ship
19 May: News.com.au. Mario Agnelo Antao: Age: 32. Born: Goa. Bartender. “Goa is a country within a country. It is different from the rest of India because it was under Portuguese rule, so it is mainly Roman Catholic … The people of Goa are beautiful loving people only too willing to help promote their city… My wife and I have great mutual trust in each other mostly due to our Catholic faith and great love for each other… for me my perfect place is home, Goa… 421 words + photo.  click here

Africans in Goa: Colouring The Whole

Grandchildren of the Raj
19 May: Daily News & Analysis. Curious foreigners are digging through records of the East India Company to trace what their forefathers did in India during the Raj, finds Yolande D'Mello… People of British-origin who are keen on tracing their ancestry usually hit a dead end when they find that their forefathers were in India. That’s when the Families in British India Society (FIBIS) steps in. “The East India Company maintained exhaustive records of every British citizen that left for India, what post they held, where they married and when they died,” says Peter Bailey, FIBS chairman. The FIBIS resource includes arrival and departure notices on British ships, army musters, census reports, lists of government officials and church records… 1161 words. Photos.  click here
For the Families in British India Society (FIBIS) website,  click here

Death: Anselm D'Souza
11 May: Winnipeg, Canada. ANSELM JOSEPH XAVIER D'SOUZA. Anslem died at St. Joseph Residence at the age of 90 years. Funeral Liturgy will be held on 18th May at 10:00 a.m. in St. Paul The Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 2400 Portage Avenue. Interment will follow in Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery, 3990 Portage Avenue.

Death: Grace de Souza

Roland Francis: Gulf Goans (The Conclusion) - Stray Thoughts of a Toronto Goan
The entry into Bahrain seems to have been the proverbial opening of the floodgates for Goans in India to work and eventually settle abroad via the small states of the Persian Gulf. Although there was a trickle even before Bahrain that flowed to the other emirates specifically Dubai and Kuwait, it was Bahrain that proved to be the milestone and the watershed for the Goan community.

It was the sixties and seventies. There was not enough economic activity in India to sustain the growing population and to provide jobs for the legions of young men and women making their exits from secondary schools and higher education. Oil that was discovered in the Arabian Peninsula thirty to fifty years before, was slowly bearing fruit. Construction in the desert cities was the first to create demand for employment along with the oilfield and drilling industry with finance and banking not far behind.

What better opportunity for educated Indians who the Arabs favored since they were hard working, non-political and non-trouble makers. Among the Indians just as the British had, the Arabs preferred Goans. They were westernized, the job seekers were mostly Christian (people of the Book), and they were the perfect means to build businesses that were raring to go with all that spare money flowing into the local economies from oil exports. The British too who were no longer the masters of that region but to whom the Arabs still looked up to as demi-Gods, naturally themselves looked to Goans as their underlings and for their office staff. A Bombay bank worker whose pay on the high side was about Rs 500 per month, now could suddenly expect 8 to 10 times that salary if he secured a Gulf position. The word spread and soon Gulf recruiters were reaching out to Goa through their existing Goan network. Some Goans in key positions saw an opportunity to help their village folk and it became common in some villages for every idle boy to find a job in their sponsors company.

This was especially fortuitous for the folk back in Goa and Bombay since these were the bleakest years of the era where India had decided that they were not going to import a single item if the exporter was not willing to transfer sophisticated technology to help in Indian manufacture. Coupled with some other silly prohibitions like that of liquor and gold, the average Bombay resident would have killed to enjoy a carton of State Express 555 cigarettes, a 'Made in England' box of chocolates, a French perfume and of course the ubiquitous bottle of Johnnie Walker which was good as gold at a wedding reception. All this and more the Gulf Goan could bring back. It was Santa Claus coming home to please the relatives and as any Goan knows, there were many outstretched hands that needed to be filled. Such situations were not without their own humor.

New houses got built, the Goan economy stimulated, progress commenced. All on the dime of the Gulf Goan remittance. The mines were in operation of course but on a low key since Japan and the rest of the world didn't care for Goa's poor grade ore and China was still in its manufacturing infancy. What the Portuguese didn't possess to drive the market, Arab oil now did. The fact that later on money would flow, albeit not in the right places or the right areas is all due to the corruption that India festers in. Gulf money was clean, Goans were hardworking but times were going to change mostly for the worse from then on. There would be more money coming Goa's way but it would not be clean and only a few would enjoy its ill-gotten fruit.

Comments to roland.francis@gmail.com

Australia: Keg D’Souza told to take the money and let creativity run

Double murder: Victims' daughter sexually abused, say Goa cops
18 May: Business Standard. Police today said the minor daughter of the couple, who was murdered last week, was sexually abused by one of the culprits. The six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother were strangled and dumped along a ghat section on Goa-Karnataka border, but both survived. Their parents had been murdered before that. Osban Fernandes and Ramesh Bhagwe have been arrested for murdering the couple Shivaji Nayak and Sujata Nayak and trying to kill the two children… Bhagwe had confessed to have sexually abused the girl in the car on Monday … http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-  click here

NRI guide to property investment in India
17 May: NDTV. NRIs have always been opportunistic in terms of investment avenues and returns… Real estate is one of the sectors which always grabs the attention of non-residents. The Reserve Bank of India has also given permission to all non-residents who possess Indian passports as well as people of Indian origin to put their money in the real estate sector (residential as well as commercial property). The number of NRIs investing in real estate is increasing fast as the value of the rupee is depreciating and real estate offers better returns. A place in the homeland usually gives a sentimental support and sense of security, which is the other reason of investment in real estate by NRIs… 1008 words.  click here

Reversal of Fortune

Remo Fernandes:
17 May: Radio & Music. Multi-lingual and instrumentalist Remo Fernandes has worn many musical hats throughout his career. Born 8 May, 1953 in Goa, Fernandes was a prodigious musician at a young age and already managed to form a band in school… Between 1977-80, he literally hitchhiked his way across North Africa and Europe, busking- playing music on streets for money- to stay alive. Over the years, his innovativeness, versatility and vitality in music has won him multi-platinum albums and the opportunities like performing with rock legends Led Zeppelin and the Queen. After hippiedom, experimenting with music, earning accolades, Fernandes can afford to take it (a little) easy. Radioandmusic.com caught up with the man who brought, Calypso, the sun n sand, Goa and fun to our collective imagination… 3 pages. 887 words + photo.  click here

Look out, it's all go in Goa

NZ Herald

Daily Telegraph

Mumbai: Women’s Football: Karen Pias scripts Magic Bus victory
18 May: Free Press Journal (Mumbai). Karen Pias struck winning goal to give Magic Bus a narrow 1-0 win against I.C. United in a Group match of the Goan Sports Association-Women’s Football League (WFL) - 2013, at the Goan Sports Association (GSA) ground, Cross Maidan on Friday… .
31 Oct: Mid-Day. Hard Work Pays Off For Karen. Photo  click here

'Misbehaviour with lady worker led to killing'
18 May: Times of India. Misbehaviour with a female employee of Osban Fernandes is what cost Shivaji Naik his life, so say police, stating that Fernandes has revealed this during interrogation. Fernandes is accused of killing his employee Shivaji and wife Sujata and attempting to kill their children Renuka and Vishal. Police said the accused in his statement has stated that Shivaji was drunk on Saturday (May 11) and misbehaved with a female employee…  click here

The Young Radicals

Goa: Gambling Exposed
18 May: The Goan. The Goan uncovers a rash of gambling dens, in the garb of social clubs, run with police and political support … The Goan simply “ went in” to the seedy cubby holes called social clubs and found tables laden with cards, chips, note sheets and numbers. Yes, we broke their party. As Navin Jha and Sagun Gawde of The Goan moved from one gambling den to another, the gamblers reacted with shock and horror when the flashbulbs came on. Some ducked for cover, other ran with their faces covered, some turned tables over, leaving behind half empty glasses of liquor, chips and cards… Part 1:  click here
Part 2: Over 50% Goans involved in the matka business.  click here
Part 3: Politicians and Matka have shared a symbiotic relationship. click here.

Brian D’Souza gives a warm welcome to sound of Africa

Betty Alvares of USA successfully petitions National Green Tribunal
18 May: Times of India. Heeding a petition filed by an NRI of Goan origin, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to consider constituting small/inquiry committees headed by a retired judge or mamlatdar or officer of the directorate of land and survey records to conduct inquiries into encroachments on beaches and illegal constructions in CRZ areas. The petitioner, Betty Alvares, a resident of USA, had filed the petition after she returned to Goa to find its natural beauty ravaged…  click here

Video: Union Govt advises Goa Govt that the entry tax is 'illegal'

Video: 5 year old Girl Molested in Vasco
17 May: Ingoanews. In a shocking incident, a 5-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a driver in Vasco. Police have taken the driver into custody and investigation is going on… Audio in Hindi. 1m. 34s.
18 May. Navhind Times  click here View Video Clip.

Goa has most diabetics in 40-plus age group
17 May: Business Standard. Goa has the highest rate of diabetes in the country among people over 40 years of age, a doctor said Friday… Goa had approximately one lakh diabetics in a population of 15 lakh… in the age group of 40+ in Goa, over 18 per cent have diabetes. The rate is the highest in the country …  click here

A fascinating map of the world’s most and least racially tolerant countries

click to enlarge

AIDS cases come down in Goa
17 May: Business Standard. The number of AIDS cases has gone down tremendously in Goa with less than two per cent of suspected patients testing positive last year, a senior official from the Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) said today. "The results are encouraging. Way back in 1997, total 13.41 per cent of the cases tested at government-run centres were positive and now in 2012, it has come down to just 1.24 per cent," the official told PTI today…  click here

Complaint to CAG on Advocate-General’s fee
17 May: The Hindu. Activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues on Thursday filed a complaint with the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) against the exorbitant fees being paid to the Advocate-General of Goa, Atmaram Nadkarni… The complaint has stated that Goa, despite being the smallest State, was not only hosting India’s highest paid Advocate-General but also the country’s highest paid public servant…  click here

UK: Forthcoming Events

Restless Ribeiro

Bakuli Reunion

Death: Julius Mascarenhas

Collien Fernandes: The sexiest woman in Germany

click to enlarge

Video: The Mopa Debate
16 May: Prudent Media: The Mopa Debate. Chaired by Pramod Acharya, Editor of Prudent Media. With Dr Oscar Rebello – Activist; Vasudev Deshprabhu - Chairperson Pernem Municipal Council and Serafina Cota – Entrepreneur & Activist. Part 1, 15m. 00s.  click here
Part 2:  click here

Goa Newspapers: Govt ad spend – Go Goa Gone?
16 May: News Laundry. By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar. It seems like a bad time to run a newspaper in Goa … The Times of India (Goa edition) have seen a nearly 20 per cent decrease when it comes to government advertising revenue … Herald, a leading local English daily, has seen a 48 per cent decrease in revenues … But Goa Doot, the mouthpiece of the BJP has seen an increase of 14 per cent ... 898 words.  click here

USA: Chelsea Dias Thinks Better Access to Capitol Hill

Goa: Money dispute leads to killing spree
16 May: Khaleej Times (UAE). First he killed a man with whom he had a tiff. Then he strangulated the wife when she came asking for her husband the next day. When their two children saw their mother dying and started crying, Osban Fernandes tried to kill them too. The killing spree over the weekend on the outskirts of this Goa capital ended Monday with the arrest of 54-year-old Fernandes, a small time contractor who allegedly tried to wipe out the family from Maharashtra who worked for him as labourers. The traumatised six-year-old girl and four-year-old boy were allegedly thrown off a cliff by Fernandes and his associate … Luckily, they survived …  click here
Video: Goa 365. Two accused involved in Double Murder get 5 days Police Remand. 0m. 41s. View Video Clip.

Goan-origin priest is auxiliary bishop of Bombay
16 May: Herald. Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed Fr Dominic Savio Fernandes, a priest of Goan origin, and Fr John Rodrigues, as Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Bombay… Bishop-elect Domnic Savio Fernandes (59), who traces his roots to Chinvar-Anjuna, was born in Mumbai in 1954 and was ordained a priest in 1989. Bishop-elect John Rodrigues (46), an East Indian, was born in Bandra-Mumbai in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1998… Photos.  click here

Occult practice in Goa

Suicide in Goa
15 May: Goa Streets. Suicides, according to mental health experts could well be the single most common reason for deaths in Goa, even higher than tuberculosis and HIV… Goa’s suicide average of 18.45 per lakh persons is also substantially higher than the national average of 11.4 per lakh persons, according to a population-based study of deaths carried out by the Federal government two years ago. Inter-personal relationship woes, fear among young students of being scolded by parents over poor academic performance, divorce and marriage discord apart from failures in the job market and mental illness, are some common reasons driving people in Goa to commit suicide, says the Psychiatric Society of Goa… 823 words.  click here

Study on Goan migration planned
15 May: Times of India. A study on Goan migration in the 16th and 17th centuries to the neighbouring areas of North Karnataka and South Maharashtra has been planned for understanding Goan migration. The study will be undertaken by the Xavier Centre of Historical Research. This was announced by former Union minister and ex-NRI commissioner Eduardo Faleiro who said that over the last few months he has visited several villages and towns in the districts of Kolhapur and Belgaum to meet people of Goan origin. He said he had requested the XCHR to undertake the study and their research on this subject has started…  click here

UK: Forthcoming Event

Fundraisers in absorbing race
15 May: Thanet Extra (Kent, UK). … Pupils from King Ethelbert took part in the Kent Water Zorbing challenge at Herons Leisure Centre, Herne Bay. They used the event to raise funds for the Enjewel India Project. Pupils from King Ethelbert used the event to raise funds for the Enjewel India Project. A group of them will be travelling to Goa in India to support a social enterprise providing support for an Aids orphanage…  click here

Weekly Weather & Exchange Rates
16 May: Goa Met.. Weather: Max = 34. Min = 27.
Exchange rates (Xcom): £ = 83.44; $ = 54.83; $Can = 53.83 &; Euro = 70.56.