Research shaping the world in Masdar City
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which ended on January 23, was a turning point in the Middle East and it gave guidelines to the world for how to work towards sustainable energy (‘Bio-energy research facility in Abu Dhabi’, Gulf News, January 20). The global climate agreement at COP21 underlines the importance of renewable energy and how it affects the environment. Now countries should take initiatives to attain this. It is estimated that more than 1.3 billion people across the globe don’t have access to reliable electricity and this in turn will affect their health, education and well-being – putting communities deeper into poverty.
The UAE authorities have set an example for the world by setting up solar plants in the UAE, which indicates the country’s commitments towards clean and green energy. It’s exciting to know that the world’s first bio-energy research facility using desert land and seawater irrigation will be operational in Masdar City very soon!
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Dubai tackling challenges
It is very encouraging to hear that Dubai is targeting a 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2030. This and much more needs to be done if Dubai is to become one of the world’s most sustainable cities. Presumably, the 30 per cent reduction has been planned under the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and if so, this is an excellent idea. Energy consumption reductions are easy to plan, but they have proven to be incredibly hard to achieve, especially under scenarios where Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and wealth increases are targeted at the same time.
Given that Dubai’s energy demand has historically been growing and is still projected in the near future to grow between six to nine per cent per year, this makes a reduction of 30 per cent increasingly challenging, but not impossible.
From Mr Volker Soppelsa
UAE
Dangerous to neighbours
This lion could take a few children’s lives while on the run (‘Wild pets cause uproar among animal lovers’, Gulf News, January 23). These animals are too dangerous for the community. So please do the right thing and don’t keep them in our neighbourhoods as pets.
From Mr Rahmat Mohammad
Dubai
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Can we release the lion?
Why send the captured lion to the zoo (‘Rescued lioness moved to Dubai Zoo’, Gulf News, January 23)? She should be sent back to Africa to be in the wild where she belongs in the first place. This is injustice, starting from keeping her in a house as a pet to sending her to spend the rest of her life in a zoo.
From Ms Layal Watfeh
UAE
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She could die
I understand your comments, Ms Layal Watfeh, but unfortunately she wasn’t born in the wild and it is not possible to actually put her back like that. She would die. She doesn’t know how to hunt, but a sanctuary would be great for her.
From Ms Anne Lyse Zaepffel
UAE
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Terrorist movement can be stopped
The US began enforcing new visa rules on some travellers who have visited or who have dual nationality with states considered seedbeds of terrorism; that is Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan (‘New visa rules for some Europeans to visit US’, Gulf News, January 23). This will be the case even if the traveller is from a country in the US visa waiver program — the 40 nations seen as friends of the US whose citizens can visit freely. Homeland Security said duel nationals and travellers who had visited the four targeted countries would still be eligible for visas if they apply for them properly. Members of allied forces who fought alongside US troops in Iraq will be exempted from the new rules. The US is the only country who is checking the movements of the travellers very closely and stopping them in the airport irrespective of their cast, creed and nationality. If all the countries have unified rules, the movements of terrorists can be stopped.
From Mr Sunny Joseph Mala
Kerala, India
Improving futures
The initiative of the famous search engine, Google’s, free internet and WiFi access on Mumbai, India trains is laudable (‘Mumbai train users log on as Google WiFi kicks in’, Gulf News, January 23). Google also intends to extend many stations and villages for internet facilities. This was implemented as per the promise of its CEO, Sundar Pichai in his recent visit to India. Already, Indians are acknowledged globally on their IT expertise. Now with the new internet access to all places, Indians will have better global accessibility in the future.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
What made Team India excel
No doubt that Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the coolest and most successful captain India has had till now. However, he has enjoyed the fruits of the seeds sowed by the aggressive former captain Sourav Ganguly, who turned the Indian docile players into tigers on the field. To me, he is the captain who put the ever aggressive and sledging Aussies in their place. Who can forget his captaincy when he dethroned Steve Waugh’s streak of 16 wins and to top it with a historic series win in 2001? No doubt the success percentage may belong to Dhoni, but to me, Ganguly is the man who changed the fortune of Indian cricket.
From Ms Janaki Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Companies don’t care
I thought I was the only one seeing this — almost all food items have sugar and the manufacturing companies don’t care at all (‘Bitter truth of sugar in your kids’ food’, Gulf News, January 19). The levels of obesity among children has increased, just look around and see. Now the next thing that needs to be researched is the abnormal fat levels in processed foods. It’s quite alarming!
From Mr Alexander S. Nkugwa
UAE
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Praying for peace
I hope this was the last attack on a school (‘Pakistan Taliban commander vows more school attacks in video’, Gulf News, January 19). Hopefully, these terrorists will not get the chance to attack again.
From Mr Faisal Khan
Sharjah
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100 per cent solar
Good move by the Sharjah authorities to move toward light-emitting diode (LED) lights (‘LED street lights to save power in Sharjah’, Gulf News, January 21). They can also save more by fixing a solar panel on each light. I noticed this done in Iraq. Most streets in Iraq are now powered with solar lights in the country. It was a project by the US military and Iraqi government, but they couldn’t finish the project due to some issues that I think we are well aware of. However, the UAE can do it for sure! Even in the remotest of places.
From Mr Abdullah A.
UAE
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He’ll go free later
Punishment should be harsh because this billionaire needs to pay for not only murder, but for the way he killed that innocent man (‘‘SUV murderer’ gets 39 years jail’, Gulf News, January 22). Now the fear is that he will use his money and power in jail and live a comfortable life anyway - we all know how honest our jail system is in India.
I assure you, he will be out soon once his combatants of top lawyers go into appeal and some corruption in the judicial system suspends his sentence. Then, the case will go on for ages and by the time the case comes on board, the witnesses would have changed their minds or disappeared. A classic example is the Salman Khan case.
From Mr Shahid Qureshi
Dubai
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Corruption sometimes wins
Those billions are useless if he really stays for life in jail, but in India it doesn’t happen to rich people.
From Mr Adil H. M.
UAE
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Not optimistic
We know he is getting out soon. I we believe anything else, then we are kidding ourselves.
From Ms Audrey Fonseca
Dubai
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Defaming Islam, too
These monasteries proudly framed the letters from the Holy Prophet [PBUH], giving them protection under ancient Islamic rule (‘Daesh reduces 1,400-year-old Christian monastery to rubble’, Gulf News, January 21). Daesh is a disease created to destroy and defame Islam.
From Mr Mughis Naqvi
UAE
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This is against Islam Shame on Daesh, it’s very sad. Even Jesus is an Islam’s prophet. They don’t have respect for God’s prophets, whether it be Moses, Jesus or Mohammad [PBUH].
The Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] in his lifetime, didn’t hurt anyone or anything. These Daesh terrorists who claim to be Muslim are not following the peaceful teachings of Mohammad [PBUH], not at all.
They are fake, they are criminals and murderers.
From Mr Jameel Baig
UAE
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Killing humanity
Killing one innocent person is equal to killing the whole of humanity. Saving one person’s life is equal to saving all of humanity. Don’t think about the one person only – think about humanity.
From Mr Salim Haider
Lucknow, India
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