
Letters to The Editor — July 28, 2025
It is unfortunate that the world does not seem to be moved by the fact that people of Gaza are facing acute starvation as a result of a genocidal war. Words such as 'humanity', 'conscience', 'empathy' and 'altruism' ring hollow in the context of collective global inaction. Aid airdrops without lifting the ground blockade of aid deliveries are only an eyewash and do not reverse the deepening crisis. The lack of disquiet is a reflection of the times we live in.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Donald Trump's record
Donald Trump's yearning for the Nobel Peace Prize is no secret. Yet, his record speaks more of ambition than achievement. In Ukraine, he hints at ending the war 'in 24 hours', but neither Kyiv nor Moscow trusts his intentions. In Gaza, his stance is even less persuasive — offering little beyond hollow statements, while giving Israel a carte blanche.
His 'credit' for an India-Pakistan détente lacks conviction, repeated more out of habit than belief. Frustrated, Mr. Trump turns to Africa and Southeast Asia to tout his role in conflict de-escalation, but even these claims lack depth. And no less is his singular pursuit to be reckoned as a pioneer in dismantling the global economic order.
R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
Sharp contrast
The narrative in the article, 'On a tight leash in Mumbai' (Magazine – 'Openpage', July 27), evoked no surprise, as the stray dog menace exists across India. Last year I had been to Tennessee, in the U.S. to visit my son. There are no street dogs there but only pet dogs. When they are taken out for a walk there is a proper leash. The owner has to pick up waste with a scoop, which is then transferred to a cover and placed in a waste bin that is marked for such waste. A lot is to be learnt from foreign countries.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
28 minutes ago
- Hans India
Trump says US has 'great' relationship with S. Korea after trade deal
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that the United States has a "great" relationship with South Korea, after Seoul and Washington reached a trade deal earlier this week following months of gruelling tariff negotiations. Trump made the remarks during a press availability, responding to a reporter's question about his anticipated summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which he said will take place at the White House in two weeks. "We have a great relationship with South Korea," Trump said tersely, reports Yonhap news agency. On Wednesday, Trump announced the trade deal, under which his administration agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on Korea to 15 percent from the proposed 25 percent in return for Korea's investment commitments and other pledges. He also said that his South Korean counterpart will visit the White House in two weeks. Seoul's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said later that talks are underway to coordinate and set a summit date. Meanwhile, the South Korean government reaffirmed that its trade deal with the United States does not include further opening of the country's rice market to American products. "The Korea-U.S. trade deal did not cover the rice issue," the finance, industry and agriculture ministries said in a joint press release. The announcement came after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the trade deal provides market access to American goods, including rice, which reiterated U.S. President Donald Trump's earlier claim on agricultural market access. On Thursday, the two countries struck an agreement under which the U.S. lowered its reciprocal tariff rate for South Korea to 15 percent from the initially proposed 25 percent in return for Seoul's pledge to invest US$350 billion in the world's largest economy and purchase $100 billion worth of American liquefied natural gas and other energy products over the next four years. The U.S. administration had reportedly pressured Seoul to further open up its rice and beef markets, raising issue with Korea's import ban on American beef products from cattle aged 30 months or older.


Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
Russia not worried over Trump's nuke submarines threat? Lawmaker urges ‘agreement' to stop World War 3 talks
A member of the Russian Parliament Duma said there are enough Russian nuclear submarines in the high seas to tackle two American subs dispatched by US President Donald Trump to counter Russia. "The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world's oceans is significantly higher than the American ones," a senior Russian lawmaker, Viktor Vodolatsky, was quoted as saying by TASS. He added that the submarines that US President Donald Trump ordered to be "redirected to the appropriate regions have long been under their [Russian nuclear submarines] control." "So, no response from the Russian Federation to the American leader's statement about the submarines is required," Vodolatsky said. Vodolatsky's statement came after Trump wrote on his Truth Social post that he had ordered the redeployment of US submarines "to appropriate regions" allegedly over "extremely provocative statements" by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is also the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. "Let the two US subs sail, they have been in the crosshairs for a long time now," the Russian lawmaker said. "A fundamental agreement that must be concluded between Russia and America so that the whole world calms down and stops talking about the beginning of World War III," he added. Meanwhile, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, Fyodor Lukyanov, said that Trump's nuclear submarine statement should not be taken seriously for now. "Trump, as we know, runs his own channel and reacts, so to speak, emotionally, humanely and spontaneously. I think that the armed forces, the naval forces of the United States read this with great surprise," Lukyanov told local private news channel RBC TV. "If this exchange of opinions continues, and Trump continues to be drawn into it, then, one way or another, he will probably have to take some action. In my opinion, so far this is only at the level of words," Lukyanov said. Following the American leader's statements, the Moscow Exchange index plummeted 2,709.26 points (0.99%) by 08:01 pm Moscow time (10:31 pm IST) on Friday. Earlier, responding to a media question over US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio's recent interview with Fox News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia agrees with the US administration that a direct military confrontation between Moscow and Washington must not happen. "While Europeans are hysterically pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO and preparing for potential conflict with Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently reaffirmed a responsible stance, explicitly stating that a direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia must be avoided," Lavrov said. "We wholeheartedly concur with this position. Such shared understanding has been facilitated through constructive Russian-American dialogue," Lavrov said.


Economic Times
28 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Slovenia becomes first EU nation to ban arms trade with Israel over Gaza war
Synopsis Slovenia has become the first EU nation to completely ban weapons trade with Israel, citing the Gaza conflict and the EU's inaction due to internal disagreements. Prime Minister Robert Golob's government emphasized the duty of responsible states to act amidst the humanitarian crisis. Slovenia had already ceased granting weapon export permits to Israel since October 2023. ANI Representative image. Slovenia has become the first European Union country to impose a complete ban on weapons trade with Israel, citing the ongoing war in Gaza, Al Jazeera embargo, which includes the import, export, and transit of weapons to and from Israel, was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob following a cabinet meeting on Thursday."Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel," the government said in a statement, according to Al further noted that the decision was made independently because the European Union was "unable to adopt concrete measures ... due to internal disagreements and disunity."Amid the devastating conflict in Gaza, where "people ... are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them," the government added it was the "duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others," Al Jazeera reported. Slovenia's government also stated that it had not granted any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023 due to the ongoing in July, Slovenia also became the first EU nation to ban two far-right Israeli ministers from entering its territory, declaring them persona non ministers were accused of inciting "extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians" with "their genocidal statements," according to Al June 2024, Slovenia joined Ireland, Norway, and Spain in recognising Palestinian statehood. The parliamentary decree came in response to mounting global condemnation of Israel's bombing campaign in other nations, including France, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have also indicated plans to recognise a Palestinian state, Israel has rejected such moves, calling them a reward for Hamas' October 7, 2023 Jazeera reported that Israel has been waging a nearly 22-month-long war in Gaza, which human rights groups and UN experts have compared to genocide. Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the campaign, and many more are at risk due to Israel's ongoing several countries including South Africa have filed cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of global outcry, the United States has remained a firm ally of Israel. US President Donald Trump has also warned that recognising Palestinian statehood would amount to rewarding Hamas, Al Jazeera added.