With bus fees, please consider parents!

S chool bus service providers often increase bus fees without reasonable consideration (‘Parents irked as school bus fees increased again’, Gulf News, February 27). Parents are caught in a bind and are held in a “take it or leave it” situation. Families utilise the school bus service for various reasons. They may not be able to accompany their child to school because of work commitments or because there is no able-bodied adult available. I hope service providers will consider the hardships that parents face when they raise their fees. From Ms Megna Rajagopal UAE Facebook comment

Changes happened

N ot just the increase of bus fees, but when the school bus company change their rules of charging only one way, no one told us and kept charging us two ways even though my son used the bus service only one way. Now they are not ready to refund. From Ms Diaa Thombre UAE Facebook comment

Girl guides set example

T he salutary act of the Sharjah Girl Guides sets a glorious example of philanthropy (‘Sharjah Girl Guides raise Dh23,000 by selling cookies’, Gulf News, February 26). They collected Dh23,000 for orphans by selling cookies. The venture was indeed successful and has set an example for others to follow. It perfectly aligns with the UAE’s Year of Giving. One expects all other such humanitarian units to follow suit and do their part in alleviating the sufferings of the needy and the marginalised. From Mr Thomas Matthew Parackel Muvattupuzha, India

Children must be watched

T he twin brothers drowning in a washing machine was a tragic incident (‘3-year-old twin brothers drown in washing machine’, Gulf News, February 27). It happened in the absence of their mother who left them to fetch detergent powder.

The parents should not leave their children alone. Anything can happen by playing in a washing machine if it is open. Many cases have been reported in the UAE of children falling from balconies. Children must be watched.

I pray for the twin brothers and the grieving family members. From Mr K. Ragavan Bengaluru, India

Try to have sympathy

P lease don’t judge the parents, you have no idea of their situation and why the poor mother had no other choice but to leave her sons on their own. Just imagine what they are going through now. All the support and sympathy for the poor family is required now. From Ms Ludmila Chekhomova Manama, Bahrain Facebook comment

We can’t judge

I agree with Ms Ludmila Chekhomova. We judge without knowing the circumstances. They must be devastated. I hope they can reconcile with the situation soon. From Ms Sarim Khan Dubai Facebook comment

Don’t leave children alone!

T he end doesn’t justify the means! This mother did not choose a better option. By the way, we are not being judgemental. Leaving children alone for many minutes? Yes, children will be children, but three years old? You don’t leave a three year old all alone in the house. If you don’t have anybody to look after them, it’s better bring them along. Better yet, make your laundry once you can find a responsible person to look after them while you are gone. From Ms Ma Rissa UAE Facebook comment

Children are mischievous

G oodness, this is so sad! I am so sorry for their loss! May the little boys rest in peace. We can’t blame the parents all the time. They can never be there every second to watch them, certainly this was an accident. Young children can be mischievous at times! We never know what will happen to our children the next minute even if we keep an eye on them all the time. From Ms Cassandra Sandra UAE Facebook comment

Security checks

B ank officials over the phone verify and get all the confidential information from the customer (‘Man shocked as Dh6.5m vanishes from bank account’, Gulf News, February 25). Who knows if they pass this information on to anyone and could breach security. This verification over the phone should be stopped immediately, I don’t trust it. From Mr Mujtaba UAE Facebook comment

Use Emirates ID

M any crimes like this are now on the rise due to the misuse of identification around the world. They should put in place a foolproof method for identity. I wonder if the personnel are checking the authentication of the card holder while transacting the business. From Mr Govind Nayak Dubai Facebook comment

A massive transfer

I t’s scary! Though it’s the fault of the thieves, the banks should have more tools to identify strange transactions. How easily the crooks transferred such a huge amount! From Mr Azhar Khan UAE Facebook comment

Disappointing results

A yyan Ali, the infamous Pakistani model, has succeeded in evading the law and hurriedly exited Pakistan following the Chief Justice’s order to annex her name from the Exit Control List. The sight of her cheerfully showing off victory signs on board an aircraft resounds the reminiscence of the cruel injustice system that is so prevalent and powerfully ingrained in Pakistan. An ordinary middle-class Pakistani would be more fearful and worried with the way justice is exercised and that it is always reserved for the rich and powerful.

She was caught red-handed and indicted for attempting to smuggle foreign currency out of Pakistan when an honest and dutiful customs office reported her to the authorities. Later, she was further indicted as an accomplice to murder for the customs official who was investigating her case.

The case was always in the political limelight as it involved senior members from the Pakistan’s People Party. Her indictments were so clear and powerful that one was hopeful of seeing justice served. However, the nation’s expectations were made a mockery of. From Mr Bilal Farooq Abu Dhabi

The outside world

S tephen Carter’s opinion piece in Gulf News rightly expressed a concern of a lot of people from the preceding generation and extremely few that the current generation have (‘Stop staring at your phones’, Gulf News, February 25). Reading these comments, two things came to mind. First, how one of my professors called the current generation smartphone zombies, who have ears closed to the sounds of the world around them. Second, how someone mentioned in an address to a gathering the importance of taking off those earplugs and smiling at a stranger, who may be needing that smile to feel motivated. I agree with that as well. I confess to listening to music (at a low volume) while walking across campus by myself. But I always try to say “hello” or smile when I see someone I know. Just as social media has been accused over the time of reducing social interactions in real life and reducing it to virtual reality, I guess every upgrade in a smartphone does exactly that. From what I’ve been through, those real-time moments you have and share make more of a difference in the world around you, not just commenting and retweeting. From Ms Maria Vincent Los Angeles, US

Editor’s note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@ gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet to us @GNReaders.