Unjustified violence
The brutal assault on the three sisters in London is in no way justifiable (‘London hammer attack accused admits to ‘having a temper’, Gulf News, October 14). The fact that he rained down blows on their heads with a claw hammer is sufficient to prove that he intended to kill them. It is nothing short of a miracle that these women survived, given the severity of the crime. However, it is a pity that the accused was not offered help in the initial stages that ultimately transformed him into a criminal. If only he was given counselling and allowed to complete his education, I think he would not have had to rob people and attack them to support himself. It is very sad that his victims had to pay a price for his troubled past. They did not deserve to be beaten up so savagely in the middle of the night and left for dead just because of their decent financial status. Also, the hotels in central London should beef up their security to ensure that nobody else will have to endure what these sisters have been put through. He deserves no leniency for his crime and should not be spared from the full force of the law.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
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Tragic loss
I offer my sympathies to the family that is suffering from the loss of their son after his brother accidentally hit him with their car (‘Boy killed after being run over by brother,’ Gulf News, October 14). The authorities should make the presence of parking sensors, which cost only Dh100, mandatory on every vehicle to avoid such accidents from happening on a frequent basis!
From Mr Addy
Dubai
Website comment
Long living guilt
Such incidents are becoming prominent and this is actually the second incident to occur in the UAE within the past 30 days. The authorities should make a rule for cars to be backed into parking spots in garages in order to avoid such deadly risks. It would avoid a long life of inescapable guilt.
From Mr Khurram
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Website comment
Intriguing proposal
It is very surprising to note that the most sacrosanct and traditional institution of marriage is being commercialised to the core by people who look for spouses online, like the wealthy woman in the report (‘Wealthy Saudi businesswoman’s Twitter search for loving husband,’ Gulf News, October 13). In traditional families, marriage is still viewed as a pure bond between two individuals who agree to spend their life together in both happiness and sorrow. This way, before marriage is solemnised, the two families gather as much information as possible to avoid any mistakes. That’s why I think that this particular case raises a few questions. What do all the people who have replied to her ‘proposal’ know about this woman, other than that she has a lot of wealth? If this woman had no wealth, would they have still married her? Tomorrow, if she loses all her wealth, would they continue with their marriage? Well, whatever the answers may be, one thing is for sure: it would be very interesting for a psychologist to study the profile and behaviour of all those people who responded to her ‘marriage invitation’.
From Ms Suhas Inamdar
Dubai
Greed prevails
The world has a number of greedy people who always run towards every shiny thing, regardless of the background of the story. Firstly, the advertisement seems like a joke and made by someone just passing time, by merely seeing the reaction of people. Secondly, the interested and greedy people should at least find out the reason for her divorce.
From Mr Mumtaz Hussain
Dubai
Website comment
Need to do screenings
When it comes to disease control for infections like ebola, I think we find it hard to understand that when a sheep sneezes in New Zealand or a cow goes cross-eyed in Brazil, meat imports here in the UAE are almost immediately banned (‘Is UAE prepared to repel Ebola entry?,’ Gulf News, October 14). Yet, airlines continue to fly to most African destinations, well aware that the passengers may have been travelling from an area where the disease is prevalent, before arriving at the airport. The incubation period is considered to be two weeks, leaving the infected people with sufficient time to travel before evidence of the disease is detected. Why is screening not being carried out now? Why must we wait for the first ebola case to infect us before any preventive measures are taken? Some people worry about getting ill and being deported — well, such diseases can kill even before you can obtain your exit visa!
From Mr Louie Tedesco
Dubai
Website comment
Quick to throw out
If only people understood the devastating effects of wasting food — maybe they wouldn’t be throwing it around like it was dirt (‘Food wastage: What’s on your plate?,’ Gulf News, October 14). I have come across so many instances where people literally threw away entire plates of food just because they didn’t like the taste of it. People seem to have the unreasonable notion of throwing away food if it has dropped on the floor, too. Yes, sometimes it’s fine if the floor is dirty, but at times it’s not so — we can simply clean our food with a tissue.
From Ms Sumera Malek
UAE
Facebook comment
Relative situations
Although the content of the community report gives a good message that food should not be wasted, the core reason why people around the world go hungry is not because of wasted food. It has nothing to do with food not being available for them on a first come, first serve basis. People go hungry because of poverty and they are not able to procure the food that is required by them. The poverty in their country is to blame for mismanagement by the authorities who are in charge of the country. Often due to corruption, these sad instances of starvation take place and it slowly kills the poorest in the country.
From Mr Suresh Balakrishnan
UAE
Facebook comment
Speedy recovery
When I read this story and heard about Off The Cuff writer Sudra Subramaniam’s breast cancer diagnosis, I found myself grieving (‘Defeat Voldemort, keep the Potter in you alive,’ Gulf News, October 12). I read the this segment regularly, and it has made me feel like the regular writers in this section are my friends. So, I felt the intense pain and fear that the writer must have undergone when diagnosed with breast cancer. Here’s wishing her a speedy recovery.
From Ms Sunita Nair
UAE
Needs to be solved
The resumed attacks at the India-Pakistan border bring me nothing but frustration (‘Islamabad seeks UN intervention,’ Gulf News, October 13). Pakistan’s resumed attack was expected by India. Pakistan says that they want the United Nations (UN) to observe and decide as to who violated the ceasefire first. I believe that Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain as such. Nevertheless, a composite dialogue and bilateral talks between the two countries cannot be ignored or dodged. It is imperative for the betterment of the people in Kashmir and for the peace of the valley, that both countries carry out discussions and find a permanent solution, without third party intervention. It is clear that every time there is political turmoil, the ‘Kashmir card’ is used to divert attention away from domestic issues. Pakistan and India should deal with their problems internally and not come to the border and fight with their neighbours. The Kashmir issue is a perennial problem for India. The loss of lives in both countries is tragic.
From Mr Jaykumar S.
UAE
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