Flight and light
Sir — The adage, ‘moth to a flame’, may take on a whole new meaning. Researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have found that insects are not actually attracted to light, especially from artificial sources. Instead, they keep their backs to it as they assume the light is the sky. This disorients them into forming orbits around the artificial light that they cannot escape. This disorientation is, in turn, driving them to extinction. The adage, ‘moth to a flame’, places the blame on insects for being attracted to the flame and thus getting singed. Whereas, in reality, it is humans who are to blame.
Liza Banerjee, Calcutta
Speed kills
Sir — It is appalling that an inebriated teenager driving a high-end car hit and killed two young software professionals in Pune. The police should take strict action against the teenager despite his age. Arresting the boy’s father and the staff of the pub who had served alcohol to the underaged accused is not enough. A fair enquiry and trial should be carried out to bring the guilty parties to book.
Dileep D. Anand, Alleppey, Kerala
Sir — A 17-year-old boy who did not possess a driving licence mowed down two people while driving a Porsche. Sports cars manufactured by Porsche can pick up speed in seconds. Such cars are often found on busy city roads. The traffic police should take action against drivers breaking the speed limit.
Basudeb Dutta, Nadia
Sir — The rich are usually well-connected and always find ways to save their children from suffering the consequences of their actions without any remorse towards or sympathy for the victims. Public outrage and media coverage have brought the Pune incident to light; many other such accidents go unnoticed. One hopes that the boy responsible for the accident will receive adequate punishment and compensation be paid to the victims’ families.
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bengaluru
Sir — The parental oversight that led to a 17-year-old teen recklessly killing two people is shocking. The loss that the families of the deceased are facing is irreparable. Such crimes can be checked by meting out exemplary punishment to the culprits.
Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana
Sir — A 17-year-old boy from Pune was granted bail, asked to write an essay, and assist the police for 15 days after killing two people in a car crash. This leniency seems to have been influenced by the affluence of his family. Judgments like this make citizens question the impartiality of the judiciary — can the rich really get away with murder?
Jayanthy Subramaniam, Mumbai
Sir — The youth who fatally killed two people in Pune while driving a Porsche in an inebriated state will not get his licence till he is 25 years old. This is neither believable nor enough. If he could easily bypass the checks for underage drinking and driving once, what is the guarantee that he cannot do it again?
Hemachandra Basappa, Bengaluru
Hasty move
Sir — The decision of the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to call for early polls might not lead to success for him (“Test ahead”, May 28). After 14 years of Tory rule, British citizens are looking for a change. Sunak’s efforts to salvage his party’s reputation have not amounted to much. India, meanwhile, has been able to secure stronger ties with the British government and must continue to do so after the next prime minister of the United Kingdom is elected.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — Rishi Sunak’s resolve to call for snap elections months before they were due is nothing but a political gamble. He wishes to leverage some of the recent positive developments, such as a drop in inflation, the expected results from an anti-immigration policy, and a spike in economic growth. However, this tactic might not work as Sunak’s party has become tremendously unpopular after its disastrous stint in power for over a decade. The Labour Party, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, might make a spectacular comeback.
M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Deadly tremor
Sir — A deadly landslide created havoc in Papua New Guinea burying around 2,000 people under debris. The mountainous province of Enga has been destroyed completely. The Indian government has granted $1 million as immediate assistance. Other countries, too, should help restore normalcy in Papua New Guinea.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Novel remedy
Sir — Chinese scientists have used a single injection in lab mice to repress asthma symptoms for at least a year (“From lab mice, hint of a single jab for long-term relief from asthma”, May 28). The immunologist, Men Ping, and his colleagues made the discovery using cancer treatments against asthma. This holds out the promise of long-term relief for millions of patients.
D.P. Bhattacharya, Calcutta
