Families left suffering due to deadly risk

Families left suffering due to deadly risk

It was sad to hear about the oil tanker explosion in Pakistan that left so many dead (‘Pakistan marks grim Eid after oil tanker inferno kills 157’, Gulf News, June 27). I don’t know why people are unaware that this could be a deadly risk and that they should stay away from such accidents. We need to stop blaming everything on the government, because accidents like this are the individual’s responsibility to know what’s right and wrong. So many people died and left their family to suffer.

From Ms Nayana Patil

Sharjah

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Reckless behaviour

Ms Nayana Patil, you are exactly right. Motorway police personnel there also tried to stop people from going near the accident. They didn’t listen and then there were cigarettes. Someone had to light a cigarette while standing over 50 thousand litres of patrol? Where the tanker flipped, it was near a main highway, a very busy one. Plus there are villages all around that area.

From Ms Aisha Saqib

UAE

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Caution around accidents

The tanker that flipped had people collecting the oil that was leaking from the tanker. Suddenly, when the oil caught fire, the people had no chance to run. Rest in peace to those people.

From Mr Zeeshan Chughtai

Dubai

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People were unaware

It’s sad to know that 153 people were killed and hundreds injured. The people were unaware about the consequences of collecting the leaked petrol from the tanker. Lots of similar incidents have been reported in several countries and several people have lost their lives. Innocent lives have been lost. Strict security measures should be followed while transporting flammable liquids.

From Mr Eappen Elias

Dubai

Setting an example for us

One after another, the Al Maktoum family surprises me (‘How the Al Maktoum family celebrated Eid’, Gulf News, June 27). They followed the real spirit of Eid Al Fitr by sharing happiness and joy with family members. When others enjoyed their holidays abroad, they were setting a good example for us all by visiting relatives’ homes. It made this solemn occasion a time to spread the real meaning of love, serenity and spirituality. The rest of the world has many things to learn from the UAE rulers.

From Mr Sunny Joseph

Mala, India

Sneaking a peak

This cute child sneaking a cheeky peak at his Eidi when he was supposed to be praying shows that he does not understand the concept of money that much, but in his mind all he knows is that it’s all his (‘Facebook video: How much Eidi do you think he collected?’, Gulf News, June 26). His smile shows that he is already planning and deciding what to buy. It is happiness in his pocket. Eid is a beautiful celebration for all.

From Ms Nagma Siddiqi

Toronto, Canada

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Maintaining peace and unity

I read the responses in Gulf News of changing of name of the mosque in Abu Dhabi from ‘Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Mosque’ to ‘Mariam Um Eisa’, which is Arabic for ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus’ (‘Letters to the editor: We are diverse with the same values’, Gulf News, June 21). I agree that it was one of the best initiatives taken by the leader to bring unity among different religions in the UAE. The UAE is setting a good example for harmony, unity and humanity. I have much respect for this country and its rulers. Apart from this, the initiatives taken up by the rulers for helping people in Somalia and Yemen through different campaigns doubles my respect for this nation. I salute the leaders of this nation for the efforts they take to maintain unity and peace, not only in this country, but around the world.

From Ms Niranjana Anilkumar

Abu Dhabi

Rugby shambles

Many years ago I used to play rugby in Wales, UK on beautiful green grass pitches appropriately marked with touch lines, 25’s and centre lines (‘Gatland, Hansen clash over tactics in Auckland’, Gulf News, June 27). At last weekend’s match between New Zealand and the British and Irish Lions, the whole setting looked like one gigantic carnival yard sale with the pitch festooned with badges and private company advertisements.

The edge of the pitch provided another area to flash products and dazzle with jumping lights to attract attention away from the game. Then the teams appeared, also victims of a space auction with shirt badges and private company signs adorning all parts of their kit. It seems players are no longer proud to wear their national colours.

In my days there were 15 players in a rugby team, all of whom were fit enough to go the full 80 minutes. Saturday’s match droves of players trooped onto the pitch for the opening. Most looked ancient and grossly overweight as they stumbled into line. As the match developed among all the pretty areas and product adverts on the pitch, doctors and medics rushed onto the pitch at any opportunity to tend to a fallen player and, at the same time, to thrust drinks at every other exhausted survivor.

Regrettably, the game drifted into a series of head charges with the centres and wings seldom even touching the ball.

No, this was not a game to remember, but a drudgery to forget.

From Mr Andrew Wilkins

Dubai

Dangers of internet gaming

Internet gaming is a trend building up among youngsters. Children as young as five years old have started browsing the internet for games. They spend about six to seven hours a day, engrossed in these. Many a time, children play overrated games that involve the use of virtual violence. In such games, winning may mean mass murder. To go up to higher levels, players may need to master their skills at acts such as theft, which enlightens the gamers on newer, better techniques to do the same.

Young minds are like sponges. They are ready to absorb whatever they see and hear around them. If they are always occupied with such aggressive content, how are we assuring them a bright future? It is high time parents realise the need to monitor their children’s online activities. Unlike video games, online games also enable gamers to connect with other gamers online. This is a direct link to cybercrimes, wherein children may be probed to share sensitive information about themselves on the world-wide platform, not knowing the dangers that lurk behind their screens.

As responsible adults, parents should monitor the content used by their children and fix a time limit for gaming. They need to pull their children off their couches and show them the beauty that natures’ got in store, outside their homes. Outdoor games must be encouraged to get children back on track, before they fall for an addiction that the online world has to offer. After all, isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?

From Ms Parvathi Sreeraj

Dubai

The benchwarmers

Kudos to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and his team for creating a world record of 300 plus totals in One Day Internationals (ODI), that too in a short span of two decades (‘Rahane, Kohli star as India thrash West Indies’, Gulf News, June 27). No doubt our Men in Blue (MIB) have surpassed the record of Australia, but our winning percentage on such occasions is the lowest. Even Sri Lanka and Pakistan have a better winning percentage. With their present tour to the West Indies, Kohli could improve this winning percentage. Of course, if that is to be achieved, he should be bold enough to include dynamic players like Rishabh Pant, even at the cost of Yuvraj Singh, who seems to be struggling. Let us hope that our bench strength gets some opportunity to prove their worth in the team.

From Mr N. Mahadevan

Mylapore, India

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