Hundreds of lifejackets in rows
I t is painful to read the news on the 2,500 lifejackets worn by refugees in their attempt to cross from Turkey to the Greek Islands (‘Facebook picture: Ground reality of the refugee crisis’, Gulf News, September 21). The lifejackets were on display in London, UK and it coincided with the UN summit on the refugee rehabilitation discussion.
I feel this should have been displayed at the UN before the meeting and directed towards all the statesmen to look at the same in silence for a few minutes to infer that these are fellow human beings who were deprived of a life.
World leaders must ask themselves what would their position be if this had happened to their own countrymen? Would they not plead to the UN for help? Would they like it if the fellow nations did not come forward to extend their hands as brothers and sisters? Why do we have human rights activists all over the world if these atrocities cannot be dealt with its due seriousness. I am sure someone somewhere would have taken a decision to cause this misery to these civilians and those beings are never spoken about much in the media and in the UN summits. Why would a unified body like the UN take so long to discuss and act on something where the tragedies have already occurred? Politics and diplomacy should not come in the way of humanity, and I hope the UN hails humanity above politics and diplomatic fabrics. From Mr Binu Prasad Abu Dhabi
Shocked!
I ’m really surprised that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are getting a divorce (‘Brangelina: What happens next?’, Gulf News, September 22). They are both my favourite actor and actress. I hope they find their way to bring back their relationship. From Ms Maridel Labid UAE Facebook comment
Sad for the children
I , too, am actually a little surprised by this. They seemed to be kindred souls. All those children, all the charity work they did together and always taking vacations as a family. I always thought she might be difficult to deal with, but he seemed to like it. It’s sad for the children. From Mr Osman Iqbal Dubai Facebook comment
Inspirational couple
T he couple was one of the best. They were an inspiration to others. I hope this isn’t true! From Ms Fatima Suhail Sharjah Facebook comment
I don’t think so!
W hat do you mean they were an inspirational couple? The only thing they had was money. From Ms Purnima Kamal Al Deen UAE Facebook comment
They were honourable
N o, Ms Purnima Kamal Al Deen, they also adopted children, which is considered honourable to lots of people. From Ms Joyce Maravilla Wilson Dubai Facebook comment
No big deal
I t’s very common in Hollywood for couples to file for divorce. There are many broken star couples in Hollywood, so I don’t think this is a big deal. It’s not new and it’s not a special thing. From Ms Mariam Fatima Rizwan Dubai Facebook comment
Reinforce police in Delhi
I t is really painful to know about the stabbing of a woman by a stalker in New Delhi, India (‘Delhi woman brutally stabbed to death’, Gulf News, September 21). After the spate of rape cases, the present trend is the actions of these stalkers in our country. Though our police force does act swiftly to arrest the culprits, it is the political leaders who twist and turn the events to gain petty political points. It would be nice if the politicians acted with some accountability to give total support to the police forces, who despite their depleted strength, toil day and night not only in protecting the political leaders, but also the common man. From Mr N. Mahadevan Mylapore, India
Risking lives
I totally agree that cyclists are causing drivers stress because I myself have faced problems with the people riding bicycles (‘Letters to the editor: Often drivers are blamed’, Gulf News, September 21). It is not only common in the areas mentioned, but also to be seen in areas in Sharjah. I stay in Abu Shagara in Sharjah near the park and there are a lot of people using bicycles in our area, especially delivery boys for the restaurants, grocery stores and working in shops in our area. What I have seen is that they appear suddenly from nowhere in front of our cars. Many times I have barely missed hitting them, especially when in reverse or turning into lanes. In the night it is very difficult to see them as their cycles do not have lights. They have been instructed by the municipality to wear the reflective jackets as it can be seen during the night, but none of these cyclists adhere to the rules. I have not seen a single cyclist in our area wearing a jacket. They ride in the opposite direction on one-way roads putting their lives at risk. Sometimes they ride on the footpaths causing problems to pedestrians. There should be strict punishment given for such errant cyclists as it is only then that they will learn. Such errant cyclists are not only putting their own life at risk, but also risking the lives of the people driving. From Mr Ajeet Kumar S. Pillai Dubai
Where’s the accountability?
I t is really painful to know that careless and drunk driving, especially by elite and their children, is costing precious lives in India with no repercussions. The recent incident in Chennai, India takes the cake as it has not only taken the life of the sole breadwinner, but even hurt another eight auto drivers and damaged their vehicles. We are confident that this is not going to be the last as time and again similar accidents have taken place and the culprits continue to escape the clutches of our law, which has many loopholes. Until and unless there are stricter laws and the culprits are punished immediately, we will have to face such gruesome accidents and loss of precious life and property. From Mr N. Viswanathan Virugambakkam, India
End the violence!
I nternational Day of Peace was celebrated on September 21st and this year the UN devoted this day to strengthen the ideas of peace both within and among all nations and people (Community report in-depth: And the world will be as one ...’, Gulf News, September 20). The present scenario urges all countries to remain in peace and harmony among all nations. Can we dream of a world without conflict, violence or war? This planet has seen two world wars, which resulted in destruction of life and property. Interpretations of religious ideologies led to killing of innocent people and this paved the path for terrorism. Terrorism is the main threat to humanity and we have seen this in different forms in almost all countries. All countries should unite against it.
The recent nuclear missile test by North Korea was provocative and a threat to neighbouring countries like China, South Korea and Japan. Instead of increasing nuclear arsenal, all countries should opt for nuclear disarmament for world peace. We have seen the ongoing wars where thousands of people have lost their lives and many more have become refugees. Families have been displaced and children orphaned. The dispute between nuclear power countries in Asia, India and Pakistan should be resolved by dialogue.
War and terrorism will not help in any way. We need a world with no conflicts and where people can live in peace and harmony. Let us hope for a world full of laughter, love and compassion far away from hatred towards mankind. From Mr Eappen Elias Dubai
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