Global economic power shifting towards China: George Soros

By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,

Toronto : Noted financier and philanthropist George Soros said here Monday that Beijing was tightening its grip on the world economy and global economic power was shifting away from the US to China.

Accepting the Globalist of the Year award from the Canadian International Council here, Soros drew a parallel between the decline of Britain after World War II and that of the US today and said: "There is a really remarkable, rapid shift of power and influence from the United States to China."

However, he was unsparing of Chinese economic policies, including its devalued currency, to manipulates trade in its favour.

These policies, he said, are hindering the global economic recovery.

Impressing upon Beijing to change these policies, he said: "China has risen very rapidly by looking out for its own interests. They have now got to accept responsibility for world order and the interests of other people as well."

The financier was equally critical of the Obama administration's role in the global recovery, adding that the US president's decision to pump an additional $600 billion into the financial system will have "harmful side-effects" for the recovery process.

"History shows that it gives rise to asset bubbles and it disrupts the foreign-exchange markets," said the Hungarian-born financier and author of the book "The Alchemy of Finance".

Perhaps hinting at the currency and trade wars at the just finished G20 summit, he said: "The world order as we know it is turning into disorder. The G20 looked like the new central area of cooperation, and it actually did perform at the initial conference, but ever since then opinions have been pulling it apart and in Seoul I think that process was taken a step further."

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)

For Muslim women Eid means more work

By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net

‘Usually I work the whole day and there is always no time for me to go out of the kitchen on the day of Eid’, said Mumtaz Begum when asked about how she celebrates Eid. She is 38 years old and mother of three children and is living in Sonapur, Guwahati, Assam. Her husband remains out the house whole day to meet family and friends and she has to look after the guests on the day of Eid. What adds misery to Mumtaz is that even her house maid will not there to help her as the maid takes leave to celebrate Eid with her family. Among the guests who visit the family, Mumtaz said, are mostly her husband’s friends, family members and neighbours. Apart from these she also entertains a lot of first time guests looking for a good meal that Mumtaz loves to provide to the marginalized community of her village.

Sahana Parvin, an MBA working in a corporate house in Guwahati too has hardly any time for herself. She says, ‘I came back from office at 6 PM on the day before Eid. I am tired and still spent most of the time in the evening and at night making sweets and other delicacies for the next day Eid celebration. I hardly get time to take proper rest and will get no time to meet friends on the day of Eid as I will be busy in the kitchen.

A Muslim family on Tuesday in Guwahati, Assam enjoys a laugh while preparing a dish for Eid.

Most of the celebrations in Muslim culture don’t represent women’s participation. The pictures of Eid celebration reported in media mainly are the joyful moment of men wishing each other in the Idgah field or young boys hugging each other or men offering prayers but unfortunately women don’t figure in such representations. The mosques and other religious places are decorated for the Eid celebration but without any women contributations.

Arzuman Ara, from Shillong who donated mattress worth Rupees 3000 for a Idgah field for people to offer Eid prayer comfortably regrets that no woman will be praying over this mattresses though she feels blessed that people will use the mattresses for prayers. She says, ‘we are forced to accept the patriarchal system that look down upon women’s participation in celebration and confine them in the domain of household chores. Although we want a change but it will take time to see more women participating in celebration outside the domain of the household or the kitchen. Awareness among women, cooperation from men and a change in the social outlook is essential to provide little space to women to celebrate the festive mood’, she added. Idgahs in this region have no space for women folk to come and offer prayers.

Women are also entitled to share a joyful moment on the day of Eid. Many women feels that men should be little considerate of their female counter parts and cooperate to share the household chores such that the joy of Eid becomes more joyful for all, not only of men.

http://twocircles.net/2010nov17/muslim_women_eid_means_more_work.html

Rise in trafficking of children in northeast

By IANS,

New Delhi: Trafficking of children, including minor girls, saw a rise in India's northeastern region over the period of 2008-09, Minister of state for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath informed the Rajya Sabha Monday.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), six such cases were reported in the region until September this year.

"As per the NCRB data, the number of cases registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, in the northeastern region increased from 32 in 2008 to 43 in 2009," Tirath said.

As per the data, Assam saw the biggest rise, from 27 cases in 2008 to 37 cases in 2009.

"Funds have been released for establishing 18 anti-human trafficking units (ATHUs) in the northeastern states," she said.

"The ministry is implementing the 'Ujjawala' scheme under which financial assistance is provided for prevention of trafficking and rescue and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation," Tirath said.

Under the Ujjawala scheme 21 projects have been sanctioned in the northeastern states, she added.

http://twocircles.net/2010nov15/rise_trafficking_children_northeast.html

Chinese overtake Indians as largest student group in US

By Arun Kumar, IANS,

Washington: The Chinese with an over 18 percent student population have overtaken Indians as the largest group of foreigners pursuing higher education in the United States, according to a new report published Monday.

The number of international students at colleges and universities in the US increased by three per cent to a record 690,923 during the 2009-10 academic year, according to the annual "Open Doors" report by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

This year's growth was primarily driven by a 30 percent increase in Chinese student enrolment in the US, taking their total to 128,000 students, or more than 18 percent of the total international student population, making China the leading country to send its students here.

Students from India increased by two per cent, a lower rate than in previous years, to a total of nearly 105,000. Indian students represent 15 per cent of all international students in US higher education, making them the second largest international group after China, the report said.

"The United States continues to host more international students than any other country in the world," said Allan Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education.

Together, the top three sending countries - China, India and South Korea - comprise nearly half (44 per cent) of the total international enrolments in US higher education.

Canada, Taiwan and Japan each represent close to four per cent of the total international student population, with these top six places of origin comprising 56 per cent.

Among the other leading places of origin, the most notable decline was seen in students from Japan, with a 15 percent decline following a 14 percent drop the previous year. Japan is at number 6 this year.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

http://twocircles.net/2010nov15/chinese_overtake_indians_largest_student_group_us.html