Dear Sir,

The number of executions around the world  increased by more than 50% in 2015, according to  a report of Amnesty International.  
As the world continues to condemn the rise in number of executions, it should be noted that there has been no major reduction  in terror-related violence  or crimes. Why is it so?
As far as death penalty is concerned, the judicial systems in different countries follow different rules and standards.
But if the executions are part of efforts to bring the crime rate down, the latest findings indicate that they are not  having the desired results.
Unjust killings, meanwhile, continue with civil wars and conflicts in several states, claiming hundreds of lives every day and those responsible for such barbaric acts often get endorsements from leaders of more stable countries.   

Ramachandran Nair, (Address supplied)

Asia’s ‘powerful’ businesswomen

Dear Sir,

The State Bank of India’s chairman and managing director, Arundhati Bhatttacharya, ranks second on Forbes’ list of Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen 2016, featuring trailblazing women from China, Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and New Zealand.
Also on the list, besides Arundhati, is Chanda Kochhar who occupies the coveted position of India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank Ltd.
The pivotal role played by both Arundhati and Chanda Kochhar in leading SBI and ICICI Bank has no parallel. In India, they created a record of sorts that women can excel men in the banking sector.
Kudos to all the eight women from India and we all expect the numbers to swell in the coming years.

Kalyan M, (e-mail  address supplied)

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