The media has a vital role in fighting terror

Readers discuss how to keep pets safe. Other topics: role of media, rental costs, university students, small business and abandoned cars.

Readers discuss the precautions required to keep their pets safe. Reem Mohammed / The National

The media has a vital role to play in directing our attention, especially at a time when humanity everywhere faces growing challenges that include terrorism, radicalism, militancy and other difficult social issues.

The media is the best tool to spread awareness and provide insight about what is happening in the world, making us aware of our rights and our human values.

It also has a responsibility to uncover social problems such as poverty, violence, corruption, bribery, human rights abuses, rape, discrimination and honour killings.

In the process, the media’s primary responsibility is to stand by truth and truth alone.

Excellent reporting can stop the dispersion of distorted ideas about religion and deny a platform to extremists who preach hate and violence.

To do all this, the media needs to throw more light on the cardinal principals of humanity, as voiced by scholars, sages and religious figures: tolerance, forgiveness, compassion and basic human virtues.

Shiben Krishan Raina, India

Cats ought to be kept safe

After reading your article, Pet cats in Abu Dhabi being rounded up by pest control companies, vet says (July 13), my reaction was that this is terrible.

Why can’t people keep their cats indoors? I would never let my cat outside and especially here. It is way too risky.

Selina Masoumi, Dubai

Is it appropriate to let your cats out in this heat? What about the dangers they face on the roads?

Daniella How, Dubai

Where are the rents dropping?

With regard to your news story, Abu Dhabi, Dubai home prices and rents continue falling (July 11), can you please let us know in which parts of Abu Dhabi the rents are falling?

Our rent was increased just two days ago.

Name withheld by request

I've been informally monitoring rent prices for around a year now. It's true that rents do not seem to be increasing but I would say they are not decreasing either.

They appear to be stable, with very minimal decreases on certain type of units.

Firas Barqawi, Abu Dhabi

Students' views cause concern

In your article about university standards (Ministry of Education places three universities on probation, July 13), I notice one criticism by students is that "the faculty were not providing proper study guidelines, resulting in poor exam performances".

It seems to be that the most useful lesson these students could learn would be to take responsibility for their own learning.

Name withheld by request

The part of this article that made the biggest impression on me was how the students’ biggest concerns are about the lack of parking and the canteen, rather than the substandard level of education they have been receiving.

Louise Phillips, Abu Dhabi

Do more to aid small business

With regard to your story about the soaring patent, trademark, design and copyright fees (Small businesses likely to suffer as Gulf countries raise intellectual property fees, July 13), small to medium enterprises are the backbone of any diversified economy.

The GCC states are trying to achieve this, with varying levels of success.

While efforts are being made in some quarters, I've often thought that one of the impediments has been the focus on major projects and initiatives, which has the end result of setting back the development of a range of smaller businesses working in the non-government and non-oil sector of the economy.

Name withheld by request

Dubai is succeeding in diversifying its economy but the cost of doing business here is certainly getting higher.

Ziad Sunna, Dubai

More work to do on clearing cars

I commend Abu Dhabi for removing all these derelict cars (Abu Dhabi impounds more than 700 abandoned vehicles, July 13).

I would call for all the abandoned cars in International City Phase 2 in Dubai to also be removed by the authorities.

Michael Tresp, Dubai