Restrictions affecting animal circuses
The great circus show is going to end and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will do its last performance in May (‘Curtains for ‘Greatest show on Earth’, Gulf News, January 16). The circus is all time live entertainment, which I have cherished in my childhood days. I recall going to see the circus when I was in grade three in the 1970s.
There is a lot of excitement in the air when a circus team moves into town. It is amazing to see the clowns, dangerous acrobatic manoeuvres, elephant shows and wild animal shows, which are still vivid in my mind. The circus parade is interesting as well. In India, too, as years pass by, more and more restrictions are imposed on exhibiting wild animals. This will result in the closure of the remaining circuses, too.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
All children do it!
Every child tries to cover up their wrong doings in cute ways (‘Facebook live: Little girl gets busted while eating chocolate!’, Gulf News, January 16). Remember the children who said that batman drew on the mirror and the other one who said that Barbie forced her 100 times to paint her nails? These are just cute little things. Real lies are the ones that politicians tell you. This really isn’t a big deal.
From Ms Ana Fatima
UAE
Facebook comment
Not cute to lie
It’s a cute video, true, but we should also teach our babies in a cute way to not tell a lie. It’s not cute to lie.
From Ms Annette Medenilla
UAE
Facebook comment
Knowing right and wrong
I tend to agree that children need to be taught in these situations the moral repercussions of lying. It’s at these young ages where they are beginning to understand what is right and wrong. It may be cute, but they need to be remorseful for lying and stealing. This little girl is just showing crocodile tears – anything to get out of trouble.
From Mr George Lamb
UAE
Facebook comment
Use the sun!
I completely agree with Ivano Iannelli in the video and I can’t understand why the sun, the biggest resource we have and it’s free, isn’t utilised more (‘Facebook live: Ivano Iannelli, CEO of Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence drives an electric car and lives in a solar powered house’, Gulf News, January 17). Every home should be powered by solar, geothermal and other heat sources. It’s ridiculous that we have almost 365 days of sunshine, but we’re still throwing out a huge carbon foot print. All of which takes a back seat over profit.
From Mr Sam Clarke
UAE
Facebook comment
The bellicose posture of Israel
The non-participation of Israel in the recently held Paris peace conference shows in clear terms that it is not for any kind of peaceful solution to the problem (‘Palestinian state only solution: Paris meeting’, Gulf News, January 16). The conference was actively attended by 72 nations in which the French president took a major role. Israel’s consistent refusal in solving the issue abundantly proves that it is a rogue nation, which has conquered illegally parts of another country with impunity. The formation of an independent Palestine is the one and only solution, which will establish peace in the war-torn region.
From Mr Thomas Matthew Parackel
Kerala, India
Lack of sympathy
The French President Francois Hollande warned Trump of destabilising the region further at the Paris meeting. What I find most terrifying about Trump’s supporters is that I get a distinct feeling of apathy, where they just want him to wave his magic wand and solve these extremely complicated issues so long as it doesn’t affect them directly. Just because they don’t want to deal with it anymore, they are willing to go to extreme measures. There is a distinct lack of sympathy for those suffering from the various crises around the world. What everyone is worried about are these massive blanket decisions that show a lack of patience and severe consequences for the innocent people involved. We’re all a little scared.
From Ms Jo Ann Wong
UAE
Production cut and oil price trajectory
Oil prices are again showing volatility in prices after a steady surge in the first two weeks of the New Year. This time, too, the weaker export data emerging from China, the second largest economy in the world, has attributed to one of the major causes for lower demand of the commodity. Another concern is the rising production output at the US oil facilities, which already reached 8.95 million barrels per day (bpd) and expected to increase further with the imminent new oil production policy of US President Donald Trump. The US holds a strategic position in the prices of international oil prices on two counts – its volume of production and nature of domestic consumption. If sanctions are imposed on Iran again by Trump, the demand and supply equation in the region will further collapse.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and non-Opec members committed a production cut of 1.8 million bpd and the same move could bring desired results in the market. The largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia expressed their willingness to have a further production cut to boost the prices to new heights. At the same time, no countries can hold the production at less than the optimum level for more than six months in anticipation of price improvement. The price of oil should be well above $70 USD (Dh257) per barrel by the second half of the year. It all depends on Trump and China.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
Symbols matter
After the recent fight between the father and son of the Samajwadi party in the Indian northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the present Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav retains his symbol cycle for the forthcoming election from the Elections Commission (EC) is the latest dramatic development from Indian politics (‘Akhilesh rides away with Samajwadi Party on ‘bicycle’, Gulf News, January 17). His father and founder of the Samajwadi party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is going to fight for the symbol. In India, apart from dynasty politics, symbols also play an important role to retaining power.
Politics is only opportunism to retain power without the motive of serving people. We will have to wait and see if the former chief minister will succeed in his motto of bringing back his symbol.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Planetary colonisation
Not in its current state, but I’ll respect those first inhabitants that choose to go to Mars for the colony (‘Human colony on Mars ‘in our lifetime’, Gulf News, September 29). I hope everything will run smoothly for them so that it could be our first planet colonisation of many.
From Mr Myles Sant-Cassia
Oxford, UK
Facebook comment
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.
