India: Israel Warns of Terrorist Threat in Goa; Beaches Need Lifeguards

1 comment | December 20th, 2006 | Trackback

Israel has warned its citizens about the threat of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack in Goa over the New Year’s holiday, urging Israelis to avoid the state or if they intend to go there, to avoid crowded areas. Israel’s security services called the threat concrete but gave no further details. Goa, a former Portuguese colony, for decades has been a popular destination for young travelers during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday season, and it’s especially popular with Israelis who have recently completed their military service. In other Goa news, authorities have been trying to hire at least 100 lifeguards to patrol its 65 miles of beaches where currently only nine are qualified. The trouble is, few candidates can pass the internationally accepted requirement for certification: to swim 400 meters in nine minutes. Only one of 129 recruits could do it, and 50 couldn’t complete the distance at all. In 2006, 45 people drowned off Goa’s coast, six on a single day in August.