FORTHCOMING

16 Mar. 7pm -11pm. Guava Groove Party. Bring whoever you want. The Princess Louise Pub - function room 2nd floor. 208 High Holborn, (Holborn tube station). Collecting donations for the National Association for Colitis and Crohns disease and the Thalassemia Society - entrance £2. GuavaGroove@yahoo.com About 70-80 people attended the last such event on 17 Jan.

22 Mar. 8.30 p.m. BBC World Service Radio. MW 648 kHz. Susan Marling assesses the debit and credit of tourism, by visiting four destinations around the world and talking to the people who earn a living in the industry. This week Goa. Repeated on Friday 23 March 15.30 and Monday 26 March at 10.30 GMT

23 March 5.30pm - 8.30pm YLGS (Young London Goan Social - 21-40+ Free membership). Strand Theatre, Aldwych WC2B 5LD - Buddy - Half-price matinee. Meet outside theatre at 5.10pm. marie.pereira@talk21.com

25 Mar. 12.00-18.00. Leicester Goans. Mothers Day Dance. Sacred Heart Church Hall, Mere Road, Leicester. Music by Nite Life Noel 0116 221 9790 or Yvonne 0116 220 1845.

16 Apr. 12 noon - 10 p.m. Goan Community Millennium Celebration in conjunction with the Goan Association(UK) on Easter Monday at the Goan Community Centre, Keston Road, London N15. Opening Ceremony by the Mayor of Haringey at 12 noon. Stalls. Performance Football nearby in Downhills Park. Entertainment in Keston Centre from 2-6 p.m. followed by dancing to live band. Disco for the youth will be in the Goan Community Centre. Entrance £1 for 16 yrs and over. Event to accommodate 2000 people covering the areas of the Park & the two Halls so everyone is welcome. Ample car parking. If you wish to put up a stall or participate in the entertainment contact Nina Pinto on 020 8767 0663 or Candy on 020 8245 4513:e-mail candyrose2000@hotmail.com

29 Apr. Rocky's Trook Tournament. Near Oval LT Station. Rocky Fernandes 020-7274 3585.

6 May. 5 p.m. The Goan Cultural Society UK proudly presents a modern comedy Konkani play, " FARICPON" written and directed by Larryboy. St Monica's Church Hall, Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13. Tickets: Adults £ 6, OAPs £ 5 and children under 14 years £ 5. Contact: Rosy 020 8352 9450, Bella 020 8352 0373, Ida 020 8881 2921 or visit our website: www.goanculturalsociety.com

6 May. Saligao Feast. Zemira Fernandes 01895 259947

20 May. Malawi Goans. 25th Anniversary Reunion.

27 May. 12:00-20:00 Cortalim Union. Feast of St. Phillip & St. James at White Hart Lane School Hall. Wood Green. London N22. For further details contact Luis Fernandes 020 8889 2278 luisf@lineone.net, Maria Alfonso 020 8803 5146, or Melvyn Fernandes 020 8809 1128. See Cortalim website for further info at: http://home.earthlink.net/~nsequeira

27 May 12.30pm - 8pm.The members of the Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim Union (AVC) will celebrate their annual feast at Bishop Thomas Grant School, Streatham. Alvira Almeida 020-9300 6154 or Plino Martins 020-8657 8951.

27 May. 1.00pm to 8.30pm. Third Bakuli (Kampala, Uganda) Reunion at the Jasmin Club, Tooting. Music by "Zodiac" and "Ben's Formula 21". Tickets £10 and £5 children. Snacks and meals included. Leave name, address and telephone number at 01666 824122 or email ediasuk@email.com or regdacunha@aol.com Details to follow.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Keith Vaz, may have been cleared of any serious wrongdoing but the papers were rather less forgiving. The Hammond Report is at: http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/hc287/hc287/28701.htm
The Filkin Report is at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmselect/cmstnprv/314/31402.htm
From the Telegraph 13 Mar.: Keith Vaz's friends, of whom there are many, believe that yesterday's allegations spring from resentment at the rapid rise of the most successful Asian politician in Britain …

DEATHS

26 Feb. Anjuna. CRAIG WHYTE, 30, son of Philip and Jean Whyte. His death was not being treated as suspicious. The funeral is at Aberdeen Crematorium's west chapel at 1.35pm on Mon. 19 Mar.

7 Mar. UK. IVAN ALMEIDA. Son of late Menino and late Grasmina Almeida (Assolna), brother/ brother-in-law Mathilda/ late Cyril Costa Correa (Canada), Leo/ Nanny Almeida (Colva), Sara/ late Silvano Fernandes (Mumbai), Eric/ Lency Almeida (Assolna) and Sybil/ Ferdinand Gracias (Margao).

8 Mar. London JOSE ANTONIO GABRIEL FERNANDES (ex Nairobi). Husband of the late Rosita. Father/father-in-law of Blasco, Brita/Rollo, Brenda/Eric, Brian/Margaret and Boris. Funeral on Friday 16/3/01, 11.30am at St Margaret Clitherow Church, Everglade Strand, Grahame Park, London NW9 (nearest Tube Station - Colindale. Burial at Hendon Cemetery, Holders Hill Road, London NW7.

11 Mar. Benaulim: MARIANA GONSALVES E FERNANDES alias MARY FERNANDES (Ex-Dar-es-Salam), wife of Luis Antonio, mother of Agnelo/Suzette (London), Callistus/Purification (USA), Ubaldo/Milly, Mark/Elizabeth.

FLIGHT CORNER

Bargain Holidays. 28 Apr. Gatwick/Goa rtn. 1 Week. Flight only. £159. Tel.01222 330 052

Guardian (also Daily Mail) 10 Mar India : Somak Holidays (020-8423 3000) offers 14 nights at the Osbourne Resorts in Goa, departing March 22 for pounds 399pp (two people sharing) including return flights from Heathrow, and transfers.

NEWS HEADLINES
(mainly from Joel D'Souza in Goa, courtesy of GOACOM, e-mail: goanow@goatelecom.com )

The Goa government is working out schemes to regulate traffic flow, improve parking space and beautify Panjim

There were 113 accidents in the last 13 months of Goa's Kadamba Bus Transport Corporation, killing nine persons.

Fr Romualdo de Souza ( brother of Dr Wilfred de Souza), the Director of the Goa Institute of Management, revealed that it has been rated as an A+ institute of management and is counted among the top 30 from the 750 institutes in India.

A Tourist Information Counter has been set up by the Department of Tourism at the Konkan Railway station, Margao and another is to be set up at Dabolim airport

The Margao Municipal Council may have rebuked a woman for urinating in the Market Inspector's office, but he has now been instructed to submit a report on the condition of the market at the beginning of each week.

A bull belonging to Chandrabhagi Arolkar of Tivim, strayed into the fields of her neighbour Taramati Ambekar. Taramati rushed to Chandrabhagi's residence and started showering abuse and soon slaps and then blows were exchanged. Mapusa Police rushed to the scene and requested both to accompany them to the police station. This enraged Taramati's daughter, Deviani, who started abusing the police personnel so she too was hauled to the police station. The three were placed under arrest.

IN THE NEWS
(e-mail eddie@fernandes.u-net.com for the full text of items marked *) .

1 Mar. Guardian …Tavener's Akhmatova Songs for string quartet and soprano featured Patricia Rozario as soloist. Rozario has inspired many of Tavener's recent vocal works and she possesses a voice of extraordinary refinement and accuracy…

7 Mar Evening Mail. (Birmingham). Headline: Sergeant Sally's aiming to pen some support .By Boris Worrall. Text: A West Midlands police officer is hoping to draw in a lot of support for her aid trip to India. Sergeant Sally Holmes will be visiting a number of schools and orphanages in Goa, which are desperately in need of pens and pencils. She is travelling with students from St George's Post Sixteen Centre and Newtown and Sandwell College on the expedition, which leaves on March 22. Sgt Holmes said: 'One of the orphanages we are planning to visit - the Mother Theresa orphanage in Panjim - is so badly in need of pens, pencils and paper that the children cannot study properly. 'It already has to turn away 50 per cent of children who ask to be taken in, so any help we can give is always greatly appreciated.' Anyone who can help with donations can contact Sgt Holmes on 0121 428 6082.

*8 Mar. Aberdeen Press & Journal. Placido Fernandes was cleared of all charges of causing a breach of peace [see last week's goanet-uk newsletter]. He had lodged a special defence, claiming he was insane and not responsible for his actions at the time. The court heard that Fernandes, a Portuguese national was born and raised in Goa but had once lived in Kuwait. He is married with two children who all stay in Goa. The trial was conducted through an interpreter.

10 Mar. The Birmingham Post. Goa's long history as a Portuguese colony means that it looks nothing like the rest of India. Long sandy beaches swarming with dolphins polish a perfect landscape of palm, coconut, banana, cashew, passion fruit and mango trees. Once you get there, you might want to head for the churches, the market towns or the traditional Portuguese houses. But you could be forgiven for doing what we did when reaching this sandy haven: nothing at all.

*11 Mar. The Observer. Go, go, GOA-way, I yelled... Jennifer Coyle, in search of hedonism and hippies, finds only hawkers and 'mature' tourists. Excerpt: I was expecting throngs of happy revellers dancing in the moonlight and crashing out on idyllic beaches at dawn. I got silver-haired sunseekers from Bolton; more Club 18-80 than Club Tropicana. 715 words. Full text at: http://www.observer.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,449774,00.html

*13 Mar. Daily Mirror. Sir Paul McCartney, the millionaire ex-Beatle has whisked girlfriend Heather Mills away for a romantic holiday in Goa. They're staying at the luxury Leela Palace Hotel in Mobor Beach. 130 words.

*14 Mar. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Travel article: Spice up your life in incredible India. Full text at http://www.inq7.net/lif/2001/mar/14/lif_9-1.htm

Mar. 2001 issue Goa Today has a photograph and article about UK's Anthony D'Mello who was awarded the Papal Benemerenti Medal in recognition of his dedication to Church music and the development of Goan choirs. Moira born D'Mello moved to Uganda in 1951 and to UK in 1972. See: http://www.goacom.com/goatoday/2001/mar/people.html