Dear Sir,

Further to the letters, “Wax-coating on apples” (Gulf Times, July 25) and “Apple worries unfounded” (Gulf Times, July 26),  the best course, in my opinion,  is to be a little cautious. There are different views about waxed apples, with some saying they are harmless and others considering them dangerous.
My advice: Wash the apples thoroughly before eating them. Wash them in water mixed with vinegar, if you can. Also, you may use a paper towel to wipe the apple after washing. And please don’t eat the skin of the apples if you find it coated with too much wax and look very shiny. In fact check before you eat many of the fruits. Wax, we know, is being used for preservation purposes and cold storage. I understand some of the apples we buy could be more than one year old, though they would look fresh. But I don’t know whether it is true.
Apples do have natural wax coating on their surface. The whitish kind of powder that sticks to your palms is the natural wax on the surface of apple. But when you scratch an artificially-waxed apple, you will see a thin layer peeling off.
It could be a better idea to buy the dull apples that are fresh, without any kind of artificial coating.

T P Rasheed
PO Box 766
Doha

Naval conflicts

Dear Sir,

The dispute over the South China Sea could end in a deadly naval duel. The US relies on its carrier fleet for power projection. Because an aircraft carrier is so big and capable, they would be considered high priority targets by a new generation of ultra sophisticated ship-killing missiles.
The advent of supersonic anti-carrier missiles is the asymmetric game changer in naval warfare.
New technologies can render all existing weapons vulnerable. Nato warships currently have no effective defence against ballistic missile attacks.
In any future naval battle, aircraft carriers will be targeted with Mach 10 missiles that can in fewer than 12 minutes cover a range of 2,000km.
A US naval institute report reveals that the Chinese Dong Fen 21 missile has the capability to destroy any super-carrier. The Russian Sunburn also has the capability to sink aircraft carriers.
Electronic warfare will play a critical and pivotal role in future naval conflicts.

Farouk Araie
farouk.araie@telkomsa.net