I refer to your article Court acquits Indian former minister over huge telecoms scandal (December 21). All of the accused in the biggest graft case in India's history were set free because the prosecution was said to have been unable to prove its case. The court ruled there was no bribery, pilferage or money laundering involved in the $5 billion graft operation. The nation was put through the intense trauma of declining values and the government led by Manmohan Singh ultimately lost the 2014 elections. India's international image also suffered during that phase. And yet the court has since ruled that the entire case was based on "rumour, gossip and speculation". The BJP party had made the G2 corruption case their major plank in the 2014 election. Their acquittal means the reputation of the Congress party has been restored and redeemed. How was so much frenzy generated against corruption on a case that had no merits at all?
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
UN Jerusalem vote must pave the way for more discussion
In reference to your article How countries voted on Jerusalem's status at the General Assembly (December 22), the recent dramatic vote at the UN General Assembly on Jerusalem's status in favour of the Palestinians was a welcome move. Most of the Muslim countries showed their solidarity. Nonetheless, Israelis and Palestinians should continue to pursue a comprehensive dialogue for the sake of regional peace.
K Ragavan, India
The irony is that despite so many lengthy reports and enforcement agency investigations, the verdict came in a matter of minutes, much to the joy of those under trial. And just like that, such a huge alleged scam, which generated so many headlines at the time, is gone with the wind. I wonder if the government will submit an appeal to the supreme court.
Name withheld by request
Stray cats must be neutered for their sake and ours
While there are no official statistics on the number of stray cats and the cat over-population rates in the UAE, many veterinarians and clinics are doing their part to ensure that the problem doesn’t continue to grow by implementing trap-neuter-release procedures for those willing to help. TNR involves spaying or neutering street cats and then clipping their ears to mark them sterilised. This is the only method that is proven to be humane in controlling cat overpopulation.
The entire procedure takes about five minutes for male cats and a maximum of 20 minutes for females. The cats are even given pain medication right after surgery to ensure they are as comfortable as possible before they’re on their own.
The Australian Veterinary Hospital in Abu Dhabi is one of several facilities taking a strong stance in resolving the over-population of street cats since balancing out the mating behaviour of feral cats would significantly save more of their lives. There has been a dramatic increase in the feral cat population in Abu Dhabi since 2014 by as much as 34 per cent. We must continue to tackle this problem for their sake and ours.
Yasmeen El Mallah, Abu Dhabi
