Well deserved acknowledgement
Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world has an interesting mix of politicians, academics and entertainers. It also surprisingly includes Afghani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who single-handedly tackled the Taliban, getting shot in the process and a Bollywood star who stands out as a real ‘game changer’ - Aamir Khan. However, Khan’s social consciousness in tackling issues in Indian society that even some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) would not dare to discuss, such as rape, dowry and child marriages, was probably the determining factor in his finding a position on the prestigious list. The list is a great tribute to a hundred diverse people who are helping to shape a brave new world through massive challenges, ensuring equality, providing great opportunities for governments and NGOs to partner up and through their sterling work.
From Mr A. R. Modak
Johannesburg
Stop playing games
The fighting must stop, this is insane (‘Syrian army seizes strategic town,’ April 25). No arms should be supplied to anyone. The West and Saudi Arabia must stop the regime change game and Bashar Al Assad must exit to give the new generation a chance. The people of Syria need peace not bombs. Propelling the country back to the Stone Ages will be in no one’s best interest.
From Mr Mish
Dubai
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Everyone is equal
Those who do not know who the Kurds are will say exactly what the report says, and ask them to go to India, Pakistan, the Soviet Union or Armenia and establish their state far away (‘Kurdish Arab Idol singer sparks controversy,’ Gulf News, April 25). Kurds respect all nationalities and existed in this region thousands years ago. They have rights, just like others, as all people are the same. There should be love and peace for all, without racism.
From Mr Heder
Dubai
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Nonsensical rule
Does this rule apply to using my car’s wiper fluid too (‘Sharjah authorities to regulate car washing,’ Gulf News, April 25)? How come one bucket of water, used to clean five to six cars is considered wasting water when using around 50 to 60 gallons in a manual car wash is acceptable? Doesn’t really make sense to me. It’s better to just keep dusting the car and get it serviced once every three months, or maybe polish it once a year. That would work out cheaper and is more environmentally friendly.
From Mr Karthik
Dubai
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Unfair
I think this is a little unfair to those car owners who wash their own cars with a damp cloth. There is no water to spill on the ground, so there should be no reason to object.
From Mr H. Qureshi
Sharjah
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Affordable practice
If this ban is only being put in place to save water then I don’t think it is fruitful, as these cleaners wash the whole car using just one bucket of water. This is the most economic way to do this as it helps get a car washed and allows the poor workers to get some extra money through their hard work. I hope the authorities rethink this law in favour of these poor fellows.
From a Reader
Dubai
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Car washes waste more water
The poor car washers only use a small amount of water to wash a car and do not use any kind of chemicals or soaps which might be harmful to the environment. At the same time, in some authorised service centres they use huge quantities of water and liquid soaps to wash the vehicles.
From Mr Renjith
Sharjah
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