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Sunday 10 February 2013 29 Rabial I 1434 - Volume 17 Number 5606 Price: QR2
Venezuela QFA, Qatar Shell devalues urge public to currency break world record
Business | 26 Sport | 36
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Four killed in US blizzard National Sport New panel to Day is a holiday
DOHA: The Emiri Diwan has announced that the National Sport Day, which falls on monitor sports February 12 this year, shall be a public holiday for ministries, other government depart- ments, public institutions and authorities, Qatar Central clubs in Qatar Bank and banks operating under its supervision, Qatar Financial Markets Authority and Qatar Securities Company. Committee to issue licences QNA
DOHA: Qatar has set up a on grievances related to the clubs. Higher education panel new committee with wide The committee has been powers to organise and moni- authorised to decide on the gets new director tor Qatari sports clubs to merger of sports clubs or to dis- improve their performance and solve a club and set up a tempo- DOHA: The Minister of professionalism. rary board of directors. Education, Higher Education The decision has been viewed It also has the powers to dis- and Secretary General of the as an important step in Qatar’s band the board of directors of any Supreme Education Council preparations to host the FIFA sports club and appoint a tem- (SEC), H E Saad bin Ibrahim World Cup in 2022 and Doha’s porary board of directors, in line Al Mahmoud has issued a min- plans to make a fresh bid for the with the provisions of the law. isterial decision appointing Olympic Games in 2024. The committee can exclude Dr Khaled Mohammad The new committee has been members of the board of direc- Youssef Isa Al Horr as direc- set up under the directive of the tors who are found responsible tor of the Higher Education Heir Apparent and President of for any irregularities that led to Committee. the Qatar Olympic Committee, the merger or dissolving of a club A police officer shovels snow around his car in Boston, Massachusetts, yesterday, after a blizzard Before this, Dr Al Horr served H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al from a ban on having been nomi- dumped more than two feet of snow in the area. Up to three feet of snow fell in some parts of north- as the assistant director of SEC’s Thani. The panel has been given nated to the boards of directors of eastern United States as a winter storm stranded motorists and knocked out power to thousands. Higher Education Committee. judicial powers to investigate other clubs from the period speci- QNA Full report on page 18 complaints related to sports clubs, fied in Article (45) of the sports monitoring their performance and clubs law. The committee’s terms to take decisions even to dissolve a of reference also include taking club and close down its headquar- a decision to close a club head- ters. The panel will be chaired by quarters and its affiliates while Outlets selling counterfeit printer ink fined Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman deciding on the grievances. Al Thani, Secretary-General of The staff of the committee will the Qatar Olympic Committee, enjoy judicial powers to monitor DOHA: The Consumer selling counterfeit printer ink CPD recently seized about product on the case or the box in and Meshaal Nasser Al Khalifa is the clubs and issue necessary Protection Department (CPD) as a branded product. The 50,000 substandard and counter- a visible manner, the Department the vice-chairman. Khalil Ibrahim decisions to implement the pro- of the Ministry of Business fraud was detected during sur- feit electronics products from a said in a statement yesterday. Al Jaber, Mohammad Saad visions of the sports clubs law. and Trade has slapped fines on prise raids conducted by the warehouse in the Industrial Area Information regarding the Al Moghaisab and Ali Mohammad This will be subject to the deci- several computer shops that Department recently. The erring belonging to a leading company. possible health risks of using Al Tamimi are the other members. sion of the Public Prosecutor in were found selling counterfeit traders were referred to the secu- According to the consumer the product must be printed on The committee will be respon- agreement with the committee printer ink. rity departments concerned for protection law No 8 of 2008, sup- the case to protect the consum- sible for licensing and relocation chairman. The Department said yes- further action. pliers are required to display ers. The law also forbids false of sports clubs. It will also decide THE PENINSULA terday that the shops were In a similar crackdown, the the brand and components of a advertising. THE PENINSULA Horsemeat scandal widens LONDON: A Europe-wide food “This is a conspiracy against The Netherlands. Romania’s agri- fraud scandal over horsemeat the public. Selling a product culture ministry said yesterday sold as beef deepened yester- as beef and including a lot of that it would launch an inquiry day as Romania announced an horse in it is fraud,” said Owen into shipments of meat to France inquiry into the origin of the Paterson, the environment, food after French authorities said two meat and suspicions of criminal and rural affairs secretary after Romanian abattoirs were impli- activity mounted. the meeting. cated in the horsemeat scandal. Frozen foods giant Findus initi- British authorities have said “If it finds that the meat came ated legal action and said the con- they are testing to see whether from Romania and that the law tamination appeared to be “not the horsemeat contains a veteri- has been broken, the culprits will accidental”, while a French meat- nary drug that can be dangerous be punished,” the Romanian min- processing firm at the centre of to humans. Beef lasagne sold by istry said in a statement to AFP, the outrage also said it would sue Findus and two own brand meals adding however that the origin of its Romanian supplier. sold by pan-European supermar- the meat had not yet been proven. British authorities announced ket Aldi were found this week to Spanghero said it would sue the this week that Findus frozen beef contain up to 100 percent horse- Romanian supplier on the grounds lasagne was up to 100 percent meat. The meals were assembled that it mislabelled the horsemeat horsemeat, and equine meat has by French company Comigel using but refused to identify the sup- subsequently been found on the meat provided by Spanghero, a plier or any intermediaries. shelves in France and Sweden too. meat-processing company also Findus also initiated legal The consumption of horsemeat based in France. proceedings yesterday but did is particularly taboo in Britain, Spanghero in turn is said to not identify an alleged culprit whose food minister yesterday have obtained the meat from in a criminal complaint lodged hosted a crisis meeting of retail- an abattoir in Romania, via a against persons unknown with ers and officials amid growing Cypriot dealer who had subcon- the authorities in France. AFP public concern. tracted the deal to a trader in Photograph on page 18
Tunisian premier Protests as Indian Assad rejigs cabinet threatens to quit separatist is hanged as unrest continues
TUNIS: Tunisia’s prime min- NEW DELHI: A Kashmiri DAMASCUS: Syrian war- ister threatened to quit yester- separatist convicted of involve- planes raided rebel-held areas day and warned of chaos unless ment in a deadly 2001 attack on on the outskirts of Damascus key ministries held by fellow the Indian parliament was exe- yesterday in a bid to end a stale- Islamists go to independents in cuted yesterday in New Delhi mate in the country’s bloody a new government of non-parti- — triggering protests on both civil conflict, as President san technocrats. sides of the border in disputed Bashar Al Assad reshuffled his Hamadi Jebali said he would Kashmir. Hundreds of demon- cabinet. resign within days if he failed to strators rallied near the family The violence came as efforts form the new government, even home of Mohammed Afzal Guru for a political solution appeared as his Ennahda party rejected in northern Kashmir hours to founder, hours after Damascus a planned new cabinet and sev- after authorities said he had offered talks without precon- eral thousand party supporters been hanged. Similar protests ditions. The opposition had took to the streets to oppose were held across the frontier on demanded that Assad’s departure his plans. the Pakistani side. be the focus of any talks. See also page 15 See also page 21 See also page 15
SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2013 04 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME
Qatar Rail takes part in Middle East Rail meet DOHA: The Qatar Railways Development Company has participated in the 7th annual Middle East Rail 2013 Conference, held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Speaking at the conference, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Rail Engineer Saad Al Muhannadi gave a comprehensive presentation about Qatar Rail and the progress of the project. He said the integrated rail system, to be developed and managed by Qatar Rail, will be an essential part of Qatar’s urban infrastruc- ture and to be recognised as one of the most success- ful, safe and environmen- tally-friendly railways in the world. Al Muhannadi said the system will meet the increasing demand of growing population, and will give a huge momentum to the country’s modernisa- tion drive. On the progress of the project he said, “The delivery of the Qatar Rail Development Programme is progressing at a fast pace. It will not only provide the people of Qatar with an efficient and environmentally- friendly travel option but it will bring greater rec- ognition to Qatar within the global transportation industry.” He added that the project will be a catalyst of growth across the nation’s economic segments and will create countless investment and economic opportunities, in addition to becoming a platform for exchange of knowledge and development of expertise in manufacturing of loco- motives and other related fields. Topics being discussed include: creating revolu- tionary rail networks in the Middle East, how the Middle East operators increase ridership andin- novative ICT solutions for GCC railway projects. QNA SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2013 HOME www.thepeninsulaqatar.com 05 VCU-Q launches Graduate Incubator
DOHA: Virginia corporate social responsibility CSR programme, which aligns Commonwealth University (CSR) programmes. with the Qatar National Vision in Qatar (VCU-Q) recently “Our aim is to build a cul- 2030. Faisal Al Medaihki, Associate launched its Graduate Incubator ture around entrepreneurship,” Communication Manager at – the first industry sponsored explains Roger Griffiths, Director Maersk Oil Qatar, said that the design incubator in Qatar. of Entrepreneurship at VCU-Q. company is committed to support- The Incubator is part of “The Graduate Incubator will bring ing opportunities in which talent VCUQatar’s Young Entrepreneur local businesses and aspiring young and skills can be built locally. Series and fosters collaboration designers together to produce The Incubator provides a ded- between VCU-Q and Qatar’s lead- exceptional creative work and help icated space for students and ing businesses to build an entrepre- the graduates to develop the skills alumni to support and mentor neurial sector delivering real-world they need to eventually establish their entrepreneurial ambitions. design challenges within a world- their own businesses in design.” During their sponsorship, excep- class educational environment. One such industry partner is tional design graduates receive Housed at the Centre Maersk Oil Qatar. In the first mentorship, business planning for Research, Design and agreement under the initiative, guidance and technical training. Entrepreneurship, the Incubator Maersk has provided 12-month Sponsors provide real world is sponsored by companies that sponsorships to graphic design design projects and a starting commission design services and graduates Haneen Al Sharif and salary for the graduates who wish to help build local design Lama Abu Dheays. undergo a rigorous selection pro- capacity and seek to support The graduates will work on a cess to join the incubator. education, often through their variety of projects under Maersk’s THE PENINSULA UNITED DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (P.S.C.)
Note: Based on the Board of Directors’ latest resolutions Invitation to attend the Annual Ordinary and General Assembly Meeting Distinguished Shareholders,
The Board of Directors of United Development Company (P.S.C.) is pleased to invite you to attend the Company’s Annual Ordinary General Assembly Meeting, which will be held on Sunday 24th of February 2013 at 6:00 PM, at Al Wosail Ballroom, Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Doha. The Ordinary General Assembly will look into the below agenda.
In the event a quorum is not achieved, a second meeting will be held on Sunday the 3rd of March 2013 at 6:00 PM at the aforementioned location.
Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan Chairman
Agenda for the Annual Ordinary General Assembly Meeting