I write to you in reference to Ruba Haza's article Carcass of Bryde's whale found off Sharjah coast (March 12).
Last week, the death of a pregnant sperm whale, whose carcass washed up on the Sardinian coast with 22 kilos of plastic in its stomach, rightly sparked discussions about plastic waste.
Every year, an estimated 8 billion kilograms of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans. In fact, we throw so much garbage into oceans and seas that plastic material is expected to outnumber fish in our waters by 2050.
This catastrophe must be prevented, let us save our oceans.
Marianna Wachelke, Oslo
Iran is putting the Lebanese economy in jeopardy again
I refer to Sunniva Rose's article The shadowy case of cheap Iranian steel flooding Lebanon (April 3). This is sadly unsurprising as Iran has a long history of furthering its grip on Lebanon via economic ties.
Not so long ago, criminality at the Lebanese Canadian Bank was uncovered during an investigation by the US authorities, which found that LCB and its management played a key role in facilitating money laundering for Hezbollah-controlled organisations across the globe.
In a report published in February 2011, the US Treasury said that LCB bank accounts were used “extensively by persons associated with international drug trafficking and money laundering” as a result of “management complicity.”
More must be done to stop these vile attempts at destabilising the country.
Name withheld by request
World leaders must act now to disarm the Syrian regime
I write to you in reference to Arthur MacMillan's report US, France and Britain vow to punish Assad if he uses chemical weapons again (April 5). It is quite disappointing to see that nothing has been done to sanction the regime of Bashar Al Assad.
The Syrian head of state has been using chemical weapons and heavy artillery against his very own people countless times for the past eight years. Though I am glad to see countries are finally taking a stance against these war crimes, I cannot help but wonder: why is the international community only acting now? This should have been done years ago.
While the US, France and Britain vowed to respond to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, a mere warning is not enough. World leaders must stand together against the brutality of Mr Al Assad’s government and dismantle Syria’s chemical arsenal for the sake of the Syrian people.
Ramachandran Nair, Muscat
Conservation efforts saved the Houbara from extinction
I write to you in reference to Nick Webster's article Houbara bird claws its way back from the brink of extinction (April 5).
The UAE’s conservation efforts to preserve local fauna have actually paid off. This is money well spent, congratulations to the UAE on saving the Houbara bird from extinction.
Shakila Mohammed, Al Ain