Malala's work not yet done

A reader says brave schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai's campaign will be over when all girls get an education. Other topics: smoking bans, Yiddish and search engines.

A reader praises Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who addressed the UN. Andrew Burton / Getty Images / AFP

Malala Yousafzai addressed the United Nations on her 16th birthday (UN declares Malala Day, July 13).

A simple girl from Waziristan, shot by the Taliban for insisting on going to school, addressed the world body, and her composure and delivery were remarkable.

She spoke in English - a language not her own, yet most Pakistani leaders would not have done much better than her.

On reaching the UN General Assembly, she was received by Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, and accorded a welcome and respect generally reserved for heads of state. It was difficult for her slight frame to be seen by the august house, so she had to stand on a stool.

There was applause when she said that if she had a gun and the Taliban member who shot her stood in front of her, she would not shoot him.

I believe her revenge will come when all girls are educated.

Malala would not have lived without the intervention of Pakistan's armed forces, who transferred her by helicopter to a military hospital.

The UAE provided her with a plane on the instructions of the president, Sheikh Khalifa, and the British government provided its finest medical team.

Malala, I pray for your health, long life, education and continued contribution to the society.

And I hope that you win the Noble Peace Prize for which you are nominated.

Kanwar Hayat, Pakistan

Developers should go after landlords

The situation described in Anger as cooling is cut in bill row (July 11) seems to be typical.

I was unfortunate enough to be involved in a similar issue in 2011.

Back then, I suggested to the developer that instead of forcing tenants to do the debt-collecting for them, they should use the laws and judicial system already in place to recover the money direct from the landlords. K Murphy, Dubai

This is about the most underhanded thing I have ever heard of a developer doing to get fees paid.

Closing the beach or the car park may cause tenants to get upset, but no real harm is done.

But going after innocent tenants by turning off the air conditioning during the hottest month of the year - and during Ramadan - is something else.

People who have gone away for the summer will come home to find everything covered in mould, with their furniture and carpets ruined.

Those who are here could swelter and become sick. Who will be liable for those losses? What legal recourse do tenants have?

Name withheld by request

Smoking bans are not fully enforced

I refer to One year on ... mall cafe smoking ban catches on (July 12).

I have seen a lot of improvement, but some malls are still lagging behind.

I have seen people at Abu Dhabi's Mina Centre and Khalidya Mall who simply ignore all the rules and regulations and keep on smoking.

M Fernando, Abu Dhabi

Google pays for sharing its data

I am writing in reference to Michael Young's comment article Backlash inevitable as no one likes being spied upon (July 11).

The backlash against those who shared data with the US National Security Agency has begun.

Google use, measured by page views, is down 25 per cent in France and 14 per cent in Germany. Many people are switching to other search engines.

Zac McDonough, UK

Yiddish lessons are worth taking

I was glad to read Muslim Palestinians sign up for courses in Yiddish (July 12).

It is important that we learn about each other. I have studied Arabic and about Islam.

I hope these Palestinian students excel in their studies.

Tim Upham, UK

It is best to understand the culture and language you are living amid.

Many people in the Middle East study French, Spanish and so on, but nothing that is spoken in nearby communities.

Yiddish is also a language close to our own.

Aziza Al Busaidy, Dubai