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Goa police afraid rape suspect may leave India
NAT54National/Politics/CrimeGoa police afraid rape suspect may leave IndiaPanaji, Oct 15 IANS The Goa Police Wednesday said they were concerned about the possibility of state Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte's son Rohit fleeing the country, after he was formally charged with raping a 14-year-old German girl Tuesday. "We are worried about him Rohit leaving India," Superintendent of Police north Bosco George told reporters here.Rohit has managed to elude the police, even as his father maintains he is innocent.Police, however, refused to divulge any more information on its probe into the sensational case where a German woman has charged the minister's son of raping her 14-year-old daughter and sending her lewd messages. The complaint, which was filed by the victim's mother Fadela Fuchs Oct 2, was registered after 12 days at 12.10 p.m. Tuesday. Fuchs had claimed that the police "preferred her not to pursue the complaint". Minister Monseratte has also been booked for abetting his son in the crime. Asked how long the police would take to declare Rohit an absconder, George refused to give a clear answer. Questioned about Monseratte's claims of his son's innocence, the officer said: "Then let him come to the police station and prove it." Inspector General of Police Kishen Kumar said a women police officer, a child psychiatrist and an NGO working for child rights were trying to get the victim to make a statement."We are using a psychological approach. She is a small girl and this is a sensitive case," he said.Earlier the German Consulate in Mumbai wrote to the Goa government expressing its concern in the matter. It has asked the government to ensure "that the safety of Fuchs and her daughter is not compromised". Fuchs has claimed that the minister's wife had also approached her, asking her to drop the complaint against her 21-year-old son. Fuch's counsel Aires Roderigues was severely injured Monday night after he was assaulted by a group of masked attackers. Roderigues alleged at a press conference Tuesday that Monseratte had masterminded the attack. The minister has denied the allegation.--Indo-Asian News Servicemb/mv/jg384 Words*15101933
2008-10-15 10:03:05
NEW DELHI/LONDON/SYDNEY
NAT46National/Diaspora/BooksIndia's Aravind Adiga wins Booker for debut novel RoundupNew Delhi/London/Sydney, Oct 15 IANS India's Aravind Adiga was the toast of the literary world Wednesday after he won the prestigious Man Booker Prize at a glittering ceremony in London for his debut novel "The White Tiger", set against the backdrop of India's growing wealth gap. The 33-year-old former journalist, who defied odds and beat hot favourite Sebastian Barry, took home the 50,000-pound $47,000 prize -- becoming the third debutant to win the award in its 40-year-history and the fifth Indian-origin author to win the prize.His book - which judges felt "shocked and entertained in equal measure" - is the story of Balram Halwai, a village boy who becomes an entrepreneur through villainous means. Adiga's novel, aimed to highlight the needs of India's poor, was described by one reviewer as an "unadorned portrait" of India seen "from the bottom of the heap".As accolades poured in thick and fast, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too congratulated Adiga: “I join the people of this country in celebrating this international recognition of your literary accomplishment."The Mumbai-based author had been given odds of 7/1 before the ceremony by bookmakers William Hill. Irish writer Barry had been tipped to take the prize at 7/4. The bookmakers' favourite has not won since Yann Martel in 2002 for "Life of Pi". Born in Chennai and raised partly in Australia, Adiga, who always wanted to be a novelist since he was a boy, studied at Columbia and Oxford Universities and was a former correspondent for TIME magazine in India based out of Delhi.Adiga, who beat off competition from five other authors, including fellow Indian Amitav Ghosh, nominated for his "Sea of Poppies", dedicated the prize to New Delhi where he has lived for many years."It's a city that I love and a city that's going to determine India's future and the future of a large part of the world. It's a book about Delhi, so I dedicate it to the people that made it happen," he said."It is a fact that for most of the poor people in India there are only two ways to go up - either through crime or through politics, which can be a variant of crime," Adiga told the BBC."These people at the bottom have the same aspirations as the middle class - to make it in life, to become businessmen, to create business empires. They need to be given their legitimate needs - the schooling, the education, the health care - to achieve those dreams. If not, as I said, there are only two ways up: crime or politics."Back home, his alma mater St. Aloysius High School in Karnataka's coastal city of Mangalore, where he was a top-ranking student, invited him on Oct 18."We are extremely happy. We congratulated him Wednesday morning as soon we learnt he has been chosen for the award. We hope he will make it to the Oct 18 meeting so that we can honour him," Fr. Denzil Lobo, a former Aloysian who now teaches there, told IANS on telephone from Mangalore."He was a quiet student. Well disciplined and among the best in his class," recalled Sambu Shetty, who was assistant head master of the school when Adiga was a high school student in the late 1980s.Students and teachers at the James Ruse Agricultural High in north-west Sydney, Adiga's other alma mater, also celebrated."We are very proud of Adiga's wonderful achievement. It is amazing for someone so young at 34 to receive one of the highest awards in literature. It reinforces the view of our school as a wonderful place of learning," James Ruse principal Larissa Treskin said. Adiga joined James Ruse school in 1992 half way through Class 10 and topped the New South Wales NSW state in the Class 12 ancient history exam.Lipika Bhushan, marketing manager of Harper Collins Publishers, said there would be a grand welcome for Adiga in Delhi.“He will be going to the Frankfurt book fair and then come back to Delhi,” she said.The other shortlisted authors were Amitav Ghosh "Sea of Poppies", Steve Toltz of Australia "A Fraction of the Whole", Sebastian Barry of Ireland "The Secret Scripture", and British writers Linda Grant and Philip Hensher "The Clothes on Their Backs" and "The Northern Clemency" respectively.Indian origin authors to win the Booker Prize before him are V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai. --Indo-Asian News Servicemk/mj 807 Words**15101900
2008-10-15 10:00:00
Strong rise in UK undergraduates
The total number of full-time students starting higher education courses this year was 9.7% more than in 2007....
2008-10-15 08:04:04
German consulate asks Goa to protect rape victim, mother
NAT24National/CrimeGerman consulate asks Goa to protect rape victim, motherPanaji, Oct 15 IANS The German consulate has asked the Goa government to ensure protection to German researcher Fadela Fuchs and her 14-year-old daughter, who was allegedly raped by state Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte's son Rohit.Alarmed by an attack on Fuchs' counsel Aires Rodrigues Monday night, the Mumbai consulate has expressed concern and asked the state government to pursue the charges made by Fuchs."I would be grateful if you could ensure that the criminal investigation is pursued vigorously and that the safety of Fuchs and her daughter is not compromised," German Consul General in Mumbai Walter Stechel said in a letter to chief secretary J.P. Singh Tuesday. Fuchs, whose criminal complaint was registered Tuesday after a 12-day delay, had claimed that 21-year-old Rohit had caused mental and physical agony to her daughter by raping her and sending lewd SMSes. Fuchs had claimed that the police "preferred her not to pursue the complaint". On Monday night, Rodrigues was attacked by a group of masked men while having dinner with a social activist at a city restaurant. He lost two fingers in the assault, which he alleged was planned by Monseratte."I have received calls from Monseratte's friends and others in high positions who warned me against pursuing the case. Monseratte also sent a some people to Fadela's house to try and ensure that the case is dropped," Rodrigues had told reporters.On Tuesday, Rohit was booked under Sections 354, 376, 293 of the Indian Penal Code IPC. However, he has still not been arrested. The minister has been accused of abetting the crime since the mobile phone from which Rohit sent the messages belonged to him. Official sources said Home Minister Ravi Naik has since Tuesday summoned the police top brass twice to his official residence for updates on the investigation involving his cabinet colleague's son. Police sources claimed that the victim has not been cooperating with officials probing the case."She has not given us a statement yet. She is also not willing to undergo a medical examination," a police official said. Rodrigues said that considering the sensitive nature of the case, he had asked the Goa police to use lady officers to record the victim's statement."It's a sensitive issue. Both the mother and the daughter are in a state of trauma," he said.Sources said the investigators are likely to rope in a child psychiatrist in order to convince the victim to depose in the case. --Indo-Asian News Servicemaya/sh/jg459 Words15101550
2008-10-15 06:04:08
Vocational Training Among Leading Trends in Christian Higher Education
Christian liberal arts colleges are providing vocational training as an integral part of the education offered to students, according to an international association of Christian colleges and universi...
2008-10-15 06:00:00
'Goa police slow in probing corruption charges against their own'
NAT17National/Politics/Crime'Goa police slow in probing corruption charges against their own'Panaji, Oct 15 IANS Goa opposition leader Manohar Parrikar has accused the police of going slow on the investigation into the mention of many police officers' names in a robber's diary. Some of the listed officials are also involved in the probe into the German tourists's rape case in which the state education minister's son is a suspect. The diary belonging to 24-year-old alleged robbr Mancio Dias was seized from his Mumbai-based girlfriend. It lists the names of several mid-level police officials with rows of figures racked against them. The names of several call girls have also been scribbled in adjoining columns. "The diary contains the names of Deputy Superintendent of Police Deu Benaulikar, Police Inspector Francis Corte, Police Sub Inspector Pravin Vast, among others. It also lists the bribes paid to them," Parrikar said at a press conference held Tuesday evening at the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP headquarters here.Last week, Home Minister Ravi Naik had acknowledged the existence of the diary and said the police were investigating the matter."The police will not spare any officer whose name features in the diary," Naik had told reporters.However, Parrikar alleged that the police were going slow on the probe against their colleagues.He also said that some of the officers named in the diary were now involved in the investigation of the rape case against Goa Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte's son Rohit. Rohit was Tuesday charged with allegedly raping a 14-year-old German girl. The victim's mother Fadela Fuchs had filed a police complaint Oct 2, but it was registered after 12 days at 12.10 p.m on Tuesday. Fuchs had claimed that the police "preferred her not to pursue the complaint". At the press conference, Parrikar also screened a three minute film, which showed Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and his wife in the company of people who were accused in a rioting case in March this year.Kamat countered Parrikar's claim by saying: "I have a photograph of Manohar Parrikar being given a bouquet of flowers by the same accused people."--Indo-Asian News Servicemaya/sh/jg379 Words15101418
2008-10-15 05:00:00
Banksy sale to pay for education
An early Banksy painting bought as a birthday surprise is sold to pay for its owner's children's education. ...
2008-10-15 03:03:15
Texas District Wins Prize for Schools - New York Times
Seattle Post IntelligencerTexas District Wins Prize for SchoolsNew York Times&ampnbsp;- 1 hour agoBy SAM DILLON The Brownsville Independent School District in Texas won what may be the nation&Atil...
2008-10-15 01:00:00
Arvind Adiga wins Booker Prize with 'shocking tale' of Indian poverty Lead
INT9International/Literature/BooksArvind Adiga wins Booker Prize with 'shocking tale' of Indian poverty LeadBy Dipankar De SarkarLondon, Oct 15 IANS Indian writer Aravind Adiga has won the 2008 Man Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards, for "The White Tiger" - his debut novel set against the backdrop of India's growing wealth gap.Adiga took the 50,000-pound $87,000-dollar prize for a book described by the chairman of the judges as revealing "the dark side of India" at a glittering ceremony Tuesday night in London's Guildhall attended by the literary who's who of the British capital.The 33-year-old former journalist said his book - the story of Balram Halwai, a village boy who becomes an entrepreneur through villainous means - aimed to highlight the needs of India's poor."It is a fact that for most of the poor people in India there are only two ways to go up - either through crime or through politics, which can be a variant of crime," Adiga, the fifth Indian-origin writer to win the prize, told the BBC."These people at the bottom have the same aspirations as the middle class - to make it in life, to become businessmen, to create business empires. They need to be given their legitimate needs - the schooling, the education, the health care - to achieve those dreams. If not, as I said, there are only two ways up: crime or politics."But Adiga said that although India has "an extreme divide between the rich and the poor" his book wasn't a social commentary."It's an attempt to dramatise this and get it into literature. It's meant to be a fun book and to engage its readers," said Adiga, who beat off competition from five other authors, including fellow Indian Amitav Ghosh, nominated for his "Sea of Poppies".Chairman of the judges Michael Portillo said Adiga - only the third debutant to win the award in its 40-year-history - won because judges felt that his book "shocked and entertained in equal measure.""The novel undertakes the extraordinarily difficult task of gaining and holding the reader's sympathy for a thoroughgoing villain. The book gains from dealing with pressing social issues and significant global developments with astonishing humour."The other shortlisted authors were Steve Toltz of Australia "A Fraction of the Whole", Sebastian Barry of Ireland "The Secret Scripture", and British writers Linda Grant and Philip Hensher "The Clothes on Their Backs" and "The Northern Clemency" respectively.Chennai-born Adiga is the third debut writer to win the award - after DBC Pierre in 2003 for his "Vernon God Little" and Arundhati Roy in 1997 for "The God of Small Things".He is the fifth Indian-origin author to win, joining V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai.Adiga, asked about winning the prize in the midst of a financial crisis, said: "India and China have come into their own and the fiction that comes from these countries should reflect the fact."What that means is writers from those countries need to be more critical in looking at those countries because they no longer need protection. As they step out into the world stage and potentially rule the world, it is even more important."Adiga dedicated the prize to New Delhi, where he has lived for many years."It's a city that I love and a city that's going to determine India's future and the future of a large part of the world. It's a book about Delhi, so I dedicate it to the people that made it happen," he said.--Indo-Asian News Servicedds/tb630 Words**15100819
2008-10-15 00:03:06
Goa education minister's son booked for raping German girl
NAT85National/Politics/CrimeGoa education minister's son booked for raping German girlPanaji, Oct 14 IANS Goa Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte's son Rohit, who was booked Tuesday for the rape of a 14-year-old German girl, eluded the police team that had gone to the minister's bungalow to arrest him. Superintendent of Police North Bosco George told mediapersons Tuesday evening that Education Minister Monseratte had also been made an abettor to the crime. "We have served a notice at Rohit's home, asking him to report to the Calangute police station as soon as possible," said George.The complaint, which was filed by the victim's mother Fadela Fuchs Oct 2, was registered after 12 days Tuesday at 12.10 p.m. Fuchs had claimed that the police "preferred her not to pursue the complaint". She claimed in her complaint that her 14-year-old daughter had been sexually and mentally abused by Monseratte's son Rohit. She had also claimed that the minister's wife had also approached her, asking her to drop the complaint against her 21-year-old son. Fuch's counsel Aires Roderigues was severely injured Monday night after he was assaulted by a group of masked attackers. Aires alleged at a crowded press conference Tuesday morning that Monseratte had masterminded the attack."Monseratte's friends and some other highly-placed persons have been calling me to drop Fuchs' brief. They had warned me that something like this would happen," claimed Aires who lost two fingers in the attack.The police have arrested three people in connection with the assault and all the three accused hail from Monseratte's constituency, Taleigao. Monseratte told the media that he was not involved in the attack on Aires, claiming that some political mastermind had planned the conspiracy. --Indo-Asian News Servicemaya/rd/dg311 Words*14102055
2008-10-14 13:06:17

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