Spotlight on the Judiciary!
The Shrien Dewani trial is now under way and it will receive maximum media coverage after the ‘failed’ verdict delivered at the Oscar Pistorius proceedings (‘Millionaire pleads ‘not guilty’ of killing bride in South Africa,’ Gulf News, October 7). A near three-year wait to bring the UK resident to face charges is now finally gaining momentum. The suspected mastermind behind the senseless killing of his bride on their honeymoon is one more case of gender abuse where South Africa’s judiciary will come under the microscope after the recent ‘let-offs’. This especially as the Pistorius trial raised ire among many women who felt betrayed by a system that has failed them.
Ironically, the verdict delivered in the Pistorius trial presided by a female judge, was one that took many people by surprise. In a sensible gender switch, a male judge overseeing this inquest should hopefully calm trial followers and the many women who will watch this episode unfurl!
From Mr A. R. Modak
Johannesburg, South Africa
Another innocent life
It’s really sad that an innocent man who came to help the Muslims that are suffering at the hands of Daesh had to pay the price of his country’s foreign policy (‘Britons mourn Henning, ‘national hero’ killed by Daesh,’ Gulf News, October 5). My friends who knew him personally said he was a very friendly and helpful person. What’s funny is that the Daesh courts found him not guilty. He was innocent even to them, but he was executed due to UK’s refusal to stop airstrikes on Iraq and refusal of ransom money.
From Mr No’man Nasser
Dubai
Facebook comment
Young at heart
This is a very well written piece of truth combined with humour about the fears attached to aging (‘Ageing — embrace it or dread it?,’ Gulf News, October 6)! Yes, we all age, but we look our age when we feel our age. The writer clearly says: “Can we not just embrace our lines and wobbles...” I agree completely. Age is just a concept of time and does not necessarily have to change our attitude.
At 43 years old, I feel younger than ever. And yes, I look much younger than my age and the secret is ‘feeling young makes one look young’. I think it helps that I practice yoga and meditation. I will not say I sport the same physique I did when I was newly married, but with two children aged 17 and 12, I am not much worried on that aspect.
I learnt early in life that there is no need to be focussed so much on age. Spending more time with my children, playing sports and games with them and laughing with them makes me younger every day. The best way to stay and look young is to laugh a lot. Most of our frown lines are due to those frequent frowns we sport, and I think that most of them were probably unnecessary. Smile through the ups and downs of life is what I firmly believe in. I have seen a lot of ups and downs, and I visualise them as waves in the sea. The sea is all about waves and I feel that life is similar. So let age pass us by and let’s instead just focus on how young we feel and yet how experienced we are. We must age gracefully, but always remain young at heart.
From Ms Naina Nair
Bengaluru, India
No choice back then
I hate to break it to you, but Britain was bankrupt at the end of World War II (‘UK must take lead in recognising Palestine,’ Gulf News, October 5). The US called the shots. We just followed their orders. We were still paying off our war debts to the US in the 1960’s. Some friend the US is that became rich off the back of another’s dilemma.
From Ms Gayle Marina McMurdock Smith
Dubai
Facebook comment
Instinctual
I didn’t know that the authorities had to urge parents to keep a close eye on their children (‘Parents urged to keep a close eye on children,’ Gulf News, October 5). I mean, are our children more important to us or are the consequences from the authorities? What are parents up to these days? Parenting doesn’t come with a manual, it is instinctual. Even animals protect their young ones.
I have seen some parents that are very careless with the safety of their children, and I think no amount of knowledge will be enough to change them. I think that only incidents can, unfortunately. Children are the most vulnerable demographic of a society and that is why parents and responsible adults should be extra careful in protecting them.
One thing we can educate people in is to be vigilant of any child in danger, even if they are not yours. I don’t think people should be so hesitant to help in the right manner.
From Mr Mahnaaz Shaikh
UAE
Support the parents
I recently had a premature baby who was born a few weeks before he was due and we weren’t expecting that (‘Incubator baby survives harrowing ordeal,’ Gulf News, October 6). You cannot imagine how stressful it can be and the feeling you get when you see your little one struggling to make his way up.
I read these stories in the newspapers more frequently, and I feel really sorry for the parents having to cope with the expenses as well. I think it will be good to waive these expenses for limited income families, especially those who don’t have an insurance plan that covers these expenses. If parents have to cope with the stress of going through these difficult times, caring about their baby and as well as the expenses, I think it is just over their head. These families need to be looked after in order to avoid these heartbreaking stories. I just cannot bear to read these stories any more. Hope they will find generous people to help them going through these difficult times.
From Mr Jamal
Dubai
Website comment
Help them
May our good Lord bless this little one and continue to bless her with healing. May He touch the hearts of those who can afford to extend help financially, so that her parents can pass through this difficult time.
From Ms Jen A.
Ras Al Khaimah
Website comment
Insurance coverage
I would have thought that their medical expenses would have been covered. I thought that there would be insurance for such things. So sad that I was wrong.
From Ms Stacie Linebaugh
UAE
Facebook comment
Pay it forward
This could be solved very quickly if we all just donate Dh100 and spread the word to 10 of our friends. This is all it would take to help this lovely baby and her family.
From Mr Furrukh Rao
UAE
Facebook comment
Complications
As somebody who had to deal with my medical insurance plan, I can say that it can be very tricky. Regardless of how good the mother’s insurance is, this does not extend to the baby once he or she is born. This means that all expenses, including vaccines, are paid for by the parents. You can never be prepared for such complications because we cannot make insurance for ourselves. If we are lucky enough, we are provided by our employer with insurance, and I find that even the best insurance has a lot of twist and turns. I wish the family the best of luck and lots of health.
From Ms Ioana Askar
Dubai
Facebook comment
Cleaning up India
The Clean India campaign is a real opportunity for all Indians and we should be a part of it (‘Is a clean India on the anvil?,’ Gulf News, October 7). It is an excellent opportunity to actually look around us and realise just how unnecessary it is to throw away so much stuff and how much of it could have been reused or repaired. It is high time for us to practically cut down the amount of trash that we produce drastically.
We could keep a cloth bag with us every time we step out of our home, instead of using polythene grocery bags. We can easily drink our juice at the vendor’s place, instead of buying a bottle and throwing it on the road. Rather than taking parcels from hotels, we can eat there only or bring our own reusable containers.
Our responsibility to clean up our land does not end with sweeping up our neighbourhood only. It starts with making wise choices to reduce the large amount of trash we create in the first place and it ends with making sure that the trash we create gets disposed off responsibly.
From Mr Hemang Dash Dubai
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