Is this the right time to invest in new cars?

A reader wonders whether buying a used car is a better option. Other topics: life in the UAE, freelancers, murder, pesticides

A reader wonders whether buying a used car is a better option this time. Pawan Singh / The National

I'm not sure if I concur with using the holy month to entice people to spend money they don't have (Ramadan begins for new car buyers, May 24).

Debt is never an easy matter and the holy month’s purpose is peace and harmony with family and friends. At the same time business must continue and I see a swing towards the used car market for more affordable deals.

Let’s face it, a car is a liability as it depreciates in value year after year in addition to the cash outflow for maintenance, insurance, fuel and repairs. I think leasing is a better option.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai

Life becoming very hard

In reference to your story Parents stretched as UAE firms cut education allowances (May 25), our family income has decreased since the 2009 crash as school fees, insurance and flights are no longer offered.

School fees have increased and travel/ holidays are a luxury. It’s definitely more difficult to live here now.

Jane Carter, Dubai

Basic expenses are becoming far more than earnings, resulting in people struggling to make ends meet.

Increasing financial burdens are forcing many people to send their families home.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

Freelancers can’t solve problem

I refer to the news report UAE companies turn to freelancers to keep costs in check (May 25). The downside of turning to flexible labour markets to fill roles is that freelancers who are good at what they do get offered permanent positions elsewhere, leaving companies with only a pool of mediocre freelancers to choose from.

Peter Moyse, South Korea

Isn’t this against the law? My understanding is that you can only work for the company that is sponsoring you. I am confused.

Nesim Majzoub, Dubai

A heartbreaking incident

I can't imagine what this lovely young boy might have gone through (Family of murdered boy call for execution of killer, May 24). The person who committed this crime is a monster who really deserves to be executed as an example to others with a criminal bent of mind.

I offer my deepest condolences to the boy’s parents, sisters and other members of the family. May Allah grant the family the strength and patience to deal with this loss, and may the soul of the boy rest in paradise.

He will live in the hearts of his family.

Meanwhile, I thank the authorities who strive to make sure that the country remains a safe place to live.

Heidi Faisal Maceo, Dubai

Introducing amber alerts to raise the alarm when a child goes missing is a good idea (Amber alerts can protect our children, May 25).

In the United States, people get automatic alerts on their phones if there is an amber alert in their area, with the child’s description and other necessary information.Amber alerts have saved many lives.

Cassandra Ali, US

Harmful effects of insecticide

Professor Edward O Wilson, the author of the book Half Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life (Book review: Edward O Wilson's plan to save the planet, May 11), appears to be unaware of the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in agriculture.

These chemicals are persistent, are mobile in soil and leach into groundwater and run-off to surface water, killing non-target invertebrates on a massive scale. It is no surprise the insectivores are in steep decline.

Henk Tennekes, Dubai