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Home | 2 Business | 14 Sport | 24 Qatar makes major Qatar stock index World No. 1 Djokovic strides in all areas gains 170.64 points all set to begin in 2015 past week season in Qatar The Peninsula Newspaper @PeninsulaQatar @peninsula_qatar FRIDAY 1 JANUARY 2016 • 21 Rabia I 1437 • Volume 20 Number 6662 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 New contracts Fire engulfs high-rise for rail projects hotel in Dubai DUBAI: A huge fire ripped through a luxury hotel yesterday, as people gathered to watch New Year’s Eve celebrations, injuring at least by mid-year 16 people, authorities said. The 63-storey building close to Burj Kha- lifa, the world’s tallest tower, was engulfed in flames across many floors as sirens wailed Qatar Rail to hold consultants’ meet and helicopters hovered overhead. Dubai Police Chief General Khamis Matar DOHA: Qatar Rail has started Qatar Rail is also studying ten- Al Mzeima said all the hotel’s residents had preparations to sign a slew of ders for additional services such been evacuated from the scene of the blaze. new contracts for the country’s as information technology and “Until the fire is put out, we will not have ambitious rail network compris- commercial services for use by information on what caused it,” he added. ing Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and passengers in the trains, at the “At least 14 people have been slightly the long-distance train. metro stations and in the light injured, along with one medium injury, and The first phase of the Doha trains in Lusail City. a heart attack case registered due to people Metro project is expected to be By 2030, all the three networks pushing” amid the smoke, the media office completed in the fourth quarter — Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and tweeted, adding no children were hurt. of 2019. Completion of the Lusail the long-distance rail — are A witness said the fire started at around Tram is scheduled for 2020. expected to be completed and 9.30pm and rapidly spread upwards across The current contracts with made part of a unified and inte- dozens of floors. The government tweeted consultants will end this July and grated transport network cover- that the fire erupted on the 20th floor and new contracts would be signed ing different parts of Qatar. affected only the outer facade of the building. for four years until June 2020, Al With completion of the first “Four firefighting teams have been deployed” Sharq reports. phase of Doha Metro and Lusail to fight the blaze, it added. Qatar Rail will hold a meeting Tram, Qatar Rail will offer Authorities had deployed thousands of with companies interested in bid- 600,000 passenger trips per day by security personnel to ensure visitors and res- ding for new contracts on January 2021. By then, 37 Metro stations idents enjoy the New Year’s festivities safely. 5 to explain the terms and condi- will be completed and there will “New Year’s celebrations will proceed tions of the tenders and answer be an average journey time of just according to schedule,” government spokes- queries, said the daily. three minutes between adjacent woman Mona Al Marri said on her Twitter Companies specialising in con- stations. F ire engulfs the Address Hotel near the Burj Khalifa in Dubai yesterday. account. sultation services will attend the The Metro network will be AGENCIES meeting, which would discuss the built over two phases and will scope of the services, project man- include four lines. Phase one cov- agement, supervision of construc- ers 80km across Doha, of which tion work, and management of 63km is underground. commercial affairs for eight con- The Lusail Tram network adds tracts for design and construction another 38km and an additional of phase one of Doha Metro that 37 stations. Completion of the Over 55,000 died in Syria last year: Monitor is under way. Lusail network is scheduled for Qatar Rail is expected to issue 2020. The first phase will see the BEIRUT: More than 55,000 peo- mented the deaths of 55,219 peo- Syrian pro-regime militiamen, ple, including over 76,000 civilians. tenders for Doha Metro facilities Red, Gold and Green Lines open- ple were killed in Syria in 2015, ple, of whom 13,249 were civilians, and 378 members of Lebanon’s More than 45,000 rebels and management and Lusail Tram in ing in 2019, with 37 stations and the country’s fifth year of war, including 2,574 children, it said. Hezbollah movement. over 95,000 regime forces have the first quarter of 2016. 75km of revenue lines. including over 2,500 children, a As in previous years, the dead A total of 1,214 fighters from been killed. The second tender for opera- The Red Line will offer a very monitor said yesterday. were mostly combatants, includ- other countries, including Iraq, Another 40,121 jihadists have tion and maintenance of Doha convenient and reliable alterna- The total number of dead since ing 7,798 rebels and over 16,000 Iran and Afghanistan, died bat- been killed in fighting and air Metro and Lusail Tram would be tive to driving within the heart of the beginning of the conflict jihadists from the Islamic State tling for the regime. strikes, including by a US-led offered in the second quarter of Doha City. A trip from the airport reached more than 260,000, the group, Al Qaeda-affiliate Al Nusra The observatory said it had coalition and Russian warplanes. this year. to Lusail, where the venue for the Britain-based Syrian Observatory Front and associated organisa- recorded the deaths of an addi- The conflict began with peace- This will be followed by another 2022 FIFA World Cup opening for Human Rights said, though tions. tional 274 people whose identities ful anti-government protests but tender for maintenance and oper- and final matches will be located, the number of those killed last The observatory also docu- could not be established. descended into a brutal civil war ation of the facilities associated would take some 36 minutes. year was lower than 76,021 who mented the deaths of 17,686 Since the war began in March after a regime crackdown on dis- with the long-distance rail. It will died in 2014. regime forces, including over 2011, the observatory has docu- sent. link all the GCC states. THE PENINSULA In 2015, the monitor docu- 8,800 troops, more than 7,000 mented the deaths of 260,758 peo- AFP Ringing in 2016 Snow halts hundreds of flights in Istanbul ISTANBUL: Hundreds of flights on the last day of the year. domes of mosques and the hills by attractive for residents making were cancelled yesterday from The heavy snowfall left the the Bosphorus. their way around the metropolis Istanbul’s two main airports historic capital of the Ottoman Tourists flocked to take pic- or travelling for the New Year. after the city was hit by a pictur- Empire veiled under a curtain tures of the city at its most win- National carrier Turkish Air- esque but troublesome snowfall of white with snow covering the try. But conditions were far less lines said it had cancelled 265 domestic and international flights from Ataturk Airport and 37 at Sabiha Gokcen airport on the Asian side of the city. Private carrier Pegasus Air- lines cancelled 34 flights in and out of Sabiha Gokcen. Istanbul had a thick covering of snow by early morning, while almost 12 inches fell in some parts of the city, causing disruptions to transport services and the closure of several roads. All ferry services across the Bosphorus which bisects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul were cancelled, city authorities said, warning citizens against non-essential travel. Schools have been shut down in more than 20 provinces across Turkey, Dogan news agency added. Authorities in Istanbul, who were heavily criticised over a slow response to a heavy snow- fall in February, mobilised 5,450 workers to deal with the situation and laid down almost 12 tonnes of salt. The snowfall is expected to last until noon today. See also page 4 A partygoer wears a 2016-themed hat while ringing in the New Year at Sydney Harbour in Australia. See also page 8 Aircraft on the tarmac at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul yesterday. AFP FRIDAY 1 JANUARY 2016 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME PM visits Independent schools Qatar makes major achievements in 2015 Labour law revised, new laws in health, education sectors DOHA: Year 2015 was vibrant transferred to private insurance lection of four historical build- for Qatar with a multitude of providers from June, according to ings converted into museums, major diplomatic, political, eco- the SCH. was launched in October. The nomic and cultural events, activi- In a major breakthrough in 100-year-old Heritage Houses ties and achievements. health education, Qatar Uni- — Bin Jelmood House, Com- Major amendments to labour versity opened its College of pany House, Mohamed Bin Jas- and residency laws and new leg- Medicine. The college will offer sim House and Radwani House islations in the health and edu- a six-year programme, leading to in Msheireb Downtown Doha — cation sectors were among the a Doctor of Medicine degree. Of have been restored and converted highlights of the year. the pioneering batch of 83 stu- into culturally significant muse- The much-awaited new law dents pursuing the programme, ums containing artefacts that give regulating entry, exit and resi- 55 percent are Qataris. them their distinct identity.

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