No leader can enthral like a single World Cup goal can

Our readers have their say on the World Cup, cyber warfare and Trump

France players hold the World Cup trophy. Thomas Samson / AFP

I write in reference to the excellent coverage of the World Cup by Ian Hawkey, in particular World Cup winners France provide flair and panache to cast aside pragmatic image (July 16): the World Cup closing ceremonies were highly entertaining. In fact they seemed straight out of a Hollywood or Bollywood movie set. Your reports also highlighted the widespread involvement of people across the world in the final.

It just goes to show what a simple game of football can do to provoke joy, sorrow, emotion and patriotism across the nations of the world, when it is well-organised and promoted professionally by an organisation like Fifa.

No national leader in any country can whip up the same frenzy with, for instance, five per cent GDP growth, as one simple goal can in a World Cup football match.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Those in government should understand the internet

I refer to your article Cyber warfare: the dawn of a new era for which we are thoroughly ill-prepared (July 16): this is what happens when the people running governments simply do not understand internet technology and will not listen to the people who do. We must have digital natives manning our cyber defences or at least people who know what they're talking about.

Name withheld by request

Ultimately American voters will dictate Trump’s future

In reference to your article Trump poised for 2020 election run (July 16), this piece was a good read. In his recent visit to the UK, US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to run for a second term in office during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan. He also, in true Trump fashion, complimented Queen Elizabeth II on her beauty and elegance. Virtually all past American presidents have sought a second four-year term in the White House. But whether or not Mr Trump can fulfil his ambition is of course up to the American people to decide.

K Ragavan, Denver

The land of the free has seen a series of bad leaders

I write in reference to Gavin Esler's opinion piece Has Trump made Uncle Sam the embarrassing relative at a wedding? (July 16): decades of foreign intervention in the Middle East and elsewhere has not exactly endeared the US to the rest of the  world. Nor indeed has the Trump administration's cowardly response to Israel as it ramps up efforts to destroy all hope of Palestinian statehood. In my view, Donald Trump is just as bad as the many neoliberal US leaders who came before him.

Name withheld by request