I refer to the business article True grit helps Dubai settle down (May 30) which reported on many areas of economic progress over the past 18 months following the financial crisis. I think the UAE and especially Dubai have done an outstanding job in diversifying its economy away from an oil-based economy. True, there has been too much focus on real estate during the last decade or so but it had to be done this way in order to boost "brand Dubai".
It's my belief that the next decade should focus on making the UAE an IT centre of global relevance. Then, the decade after, a centre for biotech. In parallel, the UAE should start supporting green energy now and try leveraging the complementary forces among those industries.
Marcus Gattol, UK
Cheetah joins two abused lions
What is this? I've read about large cats being injured, first the two lions (Savage acts on noble beasts, May 29) and now the cheetah (Cheetah with broken paw found on street, May 30).
I don't have any idea who's responsible for this. The owner of those cats or loose border security? How did those cats get in here without interference?
Those cats should be living free. Do people have any idea how magnificent those creatures are? They don't deserve to be mistreated by people who hold them in captivity for pleasure and boasting rights.
I'm totally bothered about this situation. I do love animals because they can survive in the natural world, unlike us. Now I understand why humans are on the top of the food chain: we are an environmental threat.
ME, Abu Dhabi
Losing a Bugatti is not the point
The business article Big deposits curb supercar dreams (May 29) reported that a new banking requirement means that would-be car buyers have to put 20 per cent down on the price of a car in order to secure financing.
But the story somehow spins this into how those poor rich people will have to put more down in order to buy a Ferrari or a Bugatti.
Somehow, I don't think that's going to be a problem for the person who can afford a Bugatti, which your newspaper recently test-drove and noted that the cost for check-up maintenance is roughly the same as for a new mid-size Japanese car.
Even the story says later on that the effect of the new requirement will be felt mostly on the lower end of the car buyer market. Accordingly, people complaining about the new requirements were more likely to be found at a Kia dealership, not at a Lamborghini lounge.
But somehow, readers were treated to a photograph of a Bugatti Veyron and fed this red herring about "deferring supercar dreams".
Suleman Din, Abu Dhabi
Shocking story demands action
I refer to the news article Sisters aged 12 and 16 forced to sell sex (May 26). The story reported that the two sisters had been entrusted by their German father to a Chinese female friend in Dubai, LY, who forced them into prostitution.
I believe that journalism isn't only about reporting news as picked up in the press office of Dubai courts.
Such a horrific story can't be merely reported without an opinion or a call for action. How can we be led to believe that this is just another incident in an otherwise virtuous city?
How could we not be shocked, outraged, and intrigued as to why the father sent them to LY? We should demand that the authorities close down all façades that cover such activities, and be sympathetic to these helpless young women.
Just as with the headlines we read in tabloids about love and lust or statistics on drownings off Jumeirah Beach, we have become so blasé with what is happening in this city that we don't seem to care anymore.
Raja Haddad, Dubai
Recycling food waste for fertiliser
In reference to Hotels keep a lid on food waste (May 30), food waste is a big problem in Korea as well where new laws require that food waste be dried. The dried waste is then used for compost and fertiliser. Recycling of buffets could become a big business.
Donald Glass, Abu Dhabi
There'll always be a Marmite jar
I loved reading Michael Simkins's opinion article Love it or hate it, it's more than just Marmite to the British (May 30). With the world at war with itself from terror attacks to football scandals, it was a pleasure reading about the Britishness of the Brits. I myself hate Marmite, but then again, isn't that the very point, to be one side or the other?
Anwar Khan, Dubai
