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ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Wednesday 10 April 2013 29 Jumada I 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5665 Price: QR2 QCB governor Real, Dortmund at Rome in Champions forum League semis Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Iran’s Bushehr N-plant Emir, PM meet Abbas worries Gulf states Powerful quake near facility triggers alarm BY MOBIN PANDIT Richter Scale struck close to the facility yesterday. DOHA: A little over three Tremor sparks “We are coordinating with the months after GCC leaders Centre in Bahrain,” Hussein Al expressed concern over Iran’s panic in Doha Qahtani, spokesman for the Saudi Bushehr nuclear power plant Meteorology and Environment posing a threat to their region DOHA: Several buildings Protection Authority, was quoted as it fell in a seismic zone, a pow- were evacuated in Qatar as saying by Al Yaum.com. erful quake hit the area around yesterday as tremors from “We are concerned and we have the facility yesterday, causing a 6.3 magnitude earthquake been talking about the danger fear in the entire region that in Iran’s Bushehr city made from the Bushehr plant in the felt its powerful aftereffects. hundreds panic here. eventuality of a quake for a long The plant is, though, safe — The aftershocks that time…It can cause huge damage as claimed by Tehran — and so reached Qatar around 2.55 to the region.” are the many multi-billion dollar pm lasted for about 30 sec- Colonel Ali Al Qahtani, from energy installations in the GCC onds. The strongest after- the Civil Defense department of states. The question being asked shocks were felt in the West Saudi Arabia’s eastern provinces, here, however, is how long can one Bay, home to Doha’s tallest said their operation room received expect it to resist tremors, located skyscrapers, with many resi- a large number of calls from panic- as it is in a sensitive seismic zone. dents of the area describing stricken people who said they The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Kuwait had raised the issue of the experience as ‘scary’. had felt strong aftereffects of the Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Emiri Diwan yes- the devastation the Bushehr plant THE PENINSULA tremor in neighbouring Iran. The terday. They discussed bilateral relations and the latest Arab Peace Initiative. could cause in the entire region if Full report on page 5 head of the Geology Department it were hit by a powerful tremor, at King Saud University, Dr at the last GCC Summit held in issue of the Bushehr plant that Abdullah Mohamed, said such Manama late last December. had recently begun operating. quakes as the one that hit Iran Emir to leave for Bahrain’s foreign minister, “The plant poses a grave threat yesterday had occurred in 2003, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al to the region’s safety and envi- 2006 and 2008. “But yesterday’s Third private firm to Ethiopia today Khalifa, with the GCC secretary- ronment. Iran has the right to was the most powerful one. It had general, Abdul Latif Al Zayani, use nuclear power but it must more intensity and that was why DOHA: The Emir H H Sheikh had said at a press conference abide by global safety stand- people in the GCC region felt its launch taxis in June Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is after the Summit that member- ards. We must keep our region aftereffects,” he said. to leave today for Addis Ababa, countries wanted a say in Iran’s safe from the Bushehr plant and According to him, all energy Ethiopia’s capital. The Emir will talks with the ‘Five Plus One’ to Iran’s nuclear programme,” Al installations in the area were safe DOHA: Petro Qatar, the third customers and improve the qual- hold talks with the Ethiopian raise the issue of the Bushehr Khalifa said. and if more aftereffects are felt, private company selected by ity of the taxi service,” he added. president focusing on bilateral plant and Tehran’s overall nuclear Meanwhile, media reports from they wouldn’t be as intense. Mowasalat to run taxis on a Al Khanji later told The ties and issues of mutual con- programme. Saudi Arabia suggest that a GCC- However, Aljazeera.com franchise basis, is expected to Peninsula that the third fran- cern. QNA He had earlier told London- wide agency based in Bahrain said that western diplomats launch its first fleet of 300 yel- chise company, Petro Qatar will based Arabic daily, Sharq Al and tasked with protecting the based in the GCC region have low-roofed cabs by June-end. start its services by June-end with Complaints against Awsat, in an interview that the environment is urging Iran to expressed deep concern about Al Million and Alijarah, the an initial fleet of 300 taxis and GCC states were working jointly give it a detailed report on the the safety of the Bushehr plant. other two companies that are add another 200 by the end of denial of tickets at the global level to put diplo- Bushehr power plant after a pow- THE PENINSULA operating a fleet of 500 taxis each, this year. This will take the total matic pressure on Iran on the erful tremor measuring 6.3 on the Continued on page 5 have been granted permission by number of private sector taxis to DOHA: The Ministry of Labour Mowasalat to add another 150 1,800. over the past three months taxis each to their fleet. He said Karwa had no imme- received more than 2,000 com- More aftershocks likely Page 5 The two companies yesterday diate plans to reduce its fleet of plaints from workers about Quake hits near Iran’s N-site, 32 dead signed formal agreements with taxis to allow more space to pri- their employers’ not providing Page 6 Mowasalat. vate operators. air tickets. Hamad Al Emadi, CEO of “On the contrary we are add- There were 2,115 complaints — Alijarah, and Abdul Khader ing more vehicles to our fleet. the largest number — related to Mydeen, Managing Director of However, we may reduce the denial of air tickets, followed by Al Million, signed the deals with numbers in future, if there is a late payment of salaries — 1,908, Nasser Al Khanji, Strategy and need, based on an analysis of the said a report posted on the web- Business Development Director market and the supply-demand site of the Ministry. of Mowasalat. factor. “We want to provide qual- The Labour Department at Al Emadi, meanwhile con- ity taxi service but we also want the Ministry also received 1,845 firmed reports that Alijarah was to make our services financially complaints about denial of end going ahead with plans to take viable,” said Al Khanji. of service bonus, 1,765 related to over Petro Qatar. According to statistics released leave allowances, and 42 regard- By the end of this year, Qatar by the company, Karwa taxis ing overtime allowances. will have 1,800 taxis operated by transported 12,000,000 passen- The Department solved 1,717 the three private companies, that gers (assuming that a single jour- labour disputes amicably and will add to the 2,000 plus Karwa ney carried two passengers) and at least 236 complaints were cabs, Al Khanji told a press 11,000,000 people used its public referred to the court. conference. buses last year. Some 88,473 work contracts The franchise firms were ini- For the future, the company were endorsed during the three tially allowed to operate a maxi- sees an effective combination of months and 33,358 contracts have mum 500 taxis each. public mobility beginning from been registered at all branches Mowasalat’s permission to short to medium range foot walks, of the Department (Al Ruwais, expand their fleet is based on the smaller public transport modes on Al Muntaza, Industrial Area, Al performance of the two compa- smaller roads, and linking them Wakra and Al Khor). nies, said Al Khanji. with bus stops, bus rapid transit, The Department also endorsed Employees of Qatar Airways gather outside their office building in Doha after earthquake tremors were felt in “We are keen to promote and metro, train and water taxis. 7,378 documents for recruit- the afternoon yesterday. More pictures on page 5 (SHAIVAL DALAL) healthy competition in the indus- THE PENINSULA ment of new workers, 87,853 try, provide more options to Picture on page 3 job contracts and 440 experi- ence certificates. Professions of 1,218 people were also changed. THE PENINSULA High price of Qatar history books upsets parents Egypt plans to DOHA: Several private schools 10 costs QR126 and the workbook prices are going to be reduced. along with the prices of other and 3) was around QR600,” said change charter have made it compulsory for is priced at QR54. So we have asked our students textbooks. an Indian parent in a letter sent their students to buy textbooks Most schools had been relying to pay the money in advance. Some concerned parents say to The Peninsula. CAIRO: Egypt’s Islamist-led for the newly introduced sub- on photocopies to teach the sub- We cannot place orders without that the prices of Qatar History He appealed to the SEC to government has asked inde- ject — Qatar History, but many ject in view of the high prices of knowing how many students are books alone come to more than 50 reduce the prices saying they are pendent legal experts to propose expatriate parents are upset the books.