The world must not stand idle as conflict continues to rip Syria apart

Our readers have their say about Syria, mental health and cricket

TOPSHOT - Sara al-Abdullah, a volunteer caring for 24 orphaned children reportedly linked with foreign fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group, holds two of them at a camp in the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa, on September 26, 2019. The Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria have repeatedly called for their foreign detainees to be repatriated, but this has largely been met with resistance, except in the rare case of dozens of orphans. / AFP / Delil SOULEIMAN

Volunteer Sara al-Abdullah with orphaned children at a camp in the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa. Delil Souleiman / AFP

I refer to Janine di Giovanni's opinion piece As the Syrian Civil War drags on, the world must not turn its back on it (October 7): the civil unrest in Syria is leading to one of the worst man-made calamities of the century. The conflict has already claimed the lives of half a million innocent civilians in the past eight years and has forced one third of all Syrians to flee the country.

Those remaining on Syrian soil await their turn to become the victims of a wider regional conflict, in which their country has become a convenient arena.

Syrians had been leading normal lives before the war and now they are suffering greatly. The violence has caused immense stress and psychological damage to the younger generation, especially small children.

War brings agony beyond belief to ordinary people as the world watches on, helplessly witnessing yet another humanitarian crisis.

The question is: can the world afford to sit idle anymore?

Ramachandran Nair, Muscat

We need better insurance coverage for mental health treatment in UAE

I write to you in reference to Justin Thomas's op-ed Treating depression as a person is a good way to recover from the mental health problem (October 7).

We need to make mental health treatments more affordable in Dubai and the UAE as a whole.

There is still a lack of understanding and a lot of stigma surrounding mental health. Doctors’ fees are always too high and insurance plans do not always cover them.

I struggled for months and used my credit card one too many times, just so I could pull myself out of depression.

Arjun Mangol Kanoth, Dubai

Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja played an impressive game

I write to you in reference to your article Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja guide India to huge win over South Africa in first Test (October 6).

I was really happy to read this piece. India won the first Test match against South Africa at Visakapatnam with a 203 runs lead, a laudable score. Jadeja and Shami are the star bowlers of this victory.

Spinner Ravichander Ashwin took one wicket and his test wickets totalled 350, together with Muthiah Muralidharan of Sri Lanka.

What an amazing game it was. Kudos to Jadeja, Shami and Ravichander Ashwin.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru