www.thepeninsulaqatar.com BUSINESS | 15 SPORT | 22 Rolls-Royce Al Arabi stun cuts dividend Lekhwiya for first time in QSL SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016 • 4 Jumada I 1437 • Volume 20 • Number 6705 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar Emir discusses Some driving Syria with Erdogan schools call QNA ISTANBUL: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani dis- for fee hike cussed the latest regional and international developments with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip rising costs for housing and fuels, Erdogan yesterday. which constitute a significant por- They focused on developments Most of the driving tion of their monthly variable costs in Syria and agreed on the need for schools The Peninsula are adversely impacting their a political resolution to the crisis businesses. that maintains the unity of Syr- spoke to said that “We have not increased our fees ian land. the rising costs for for more than two years, but due to The meeting took place at some recent developments expanses Yilidiz Presidential Palace where housing and fuels, have increased further and things the two leaders had a working which constitute a are becoming increasingly difficult lunch and reviewed bilateral coop- to manage,” said Mohammed Al Zain eration and the means to enhance significant portion Ibrahim, Executive Manager of Gulf them. of their monthly Driving School. They discussed cooperation in variable costs, are Ibrahim added: “It’s not only the economic, investment and mil- about higher fuel prices. Even the itary field. adversely impacting rents of accommodation facilities The delegation accompany- their businesses that we take on lease for housing ing the Emir attended the meeting. our staff and prices of spare parts On the Turkish side, members of and maintenance costs of vehicles the cabinet participated in the have gone up significantly.” discussions. He said that finding qualified Later, the Emir met with By Mohammed Shoeb trainers with valid GCC license has Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet The Peninsula also become difficult as the authori- Davutoglu. ties have made rules more stringent. They discussed bilateral rela- He explained that according to tions and means to enhance them the new rules a trainer must have in all fields. DOHA: Some leading driving earned a Senior Secondary School Upon his arrival at Istanbul schools in Qatar are calling for Certificate (12th pass), and she/he is Ataturk Airport, the Emir was an increase in their fees to “adjust also required to go through driving received by Turkish Minister of with their rising overheads and fall- and signal tests irrespective of the Energy and Natural Resources ing profit margins” citing several, years of driving experience. This Berat Albayrak, Qatar’s Ambassa- including the recent hike in fuel is mandatory for even for drivers dor to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak prices and higher rentals for housing. having GCC license, except for GCC Al Shafi and a number of senior Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Most of the driving schools The nationals. Turkish officials and embassy Peninsula spoke to said that the →Continued on page 2 Yilidiz Presidential Palace in Istanbul, yesterday. members. World powers agree to end Syria hostilities but doubts remain AFP implement a nationwide cessation and hard-to-reach areas”. The deal said Julien Barnes-Dacey, of the Euro- “In many ways this Munich meet- A senior Russian foreign affairs of hostilities to begin in a target of went further than expected, with pean Council on Foreign Relations. ing was thrust to the fore by the official appeared to support the one week’s time,” said US Secretary Lavrov talking about “direct contacts He highlighted the fact that the situation in Aleppo, and yet the condi- doubts, saying he was “not very opti- of State John Kerry after extended between the Russian and US military” Islamic State group (IS) and Al Qaeda tions of the agreement do not seem to mistic” about a ceasefire. MUNICH: World powers yesterday talks co-hosted by Russian Foreign on the ground. affiliate Al Nusra would not be cov- apply to Aleppo,” said Barnes-Dacey. “Despite the agreement, Russia agreed an ambitious plan to cease Minister Sergei Lavrov. But Kerry said they were under ered by the “cessation of hostilities”. “Talking about Nusra works in will continue its anti-terrorist mili- hostilities in war-racked Syria, but The International Syria Support “no illusions” about the difficulty of The failure to include Al Nusra the Russians’ favour since so many tary operation,” Vladimir Djabarov, the Munich deal left out the Islamic Group also agreed that “sustained implementing the agreement. Ana- was particularly important, Barnes- rebel groups have ties to Nusra. This vice-president of Russia’s foreign State (IS) group and Al Qaeda’s local delivery” of aid will begin this week, lysts were sceptical the deal would Dacey said, since the group is active in effectively gives the green light for the affairs commission told the TASS branch, leaving analysts to doubt its with a new UN task force meet- stop the bloodshed. Aleppo and surrounding regions, and Syrian government and its allies to news agency. viability. ing in Geneva to start pushing for “It is ambitious and yet very tenu- many of the more “moderate” rebels carry on military action while paying The 17 countries agreed “to much greater access to “besieged ous... there are huge question marks,” have links with it. lip service to the agreement.” →See also page 3&4 British rider Cavendish wins Tour of Qatar Dr Hamad Al Kuwari named ‘Man of the Arab Heritage’ The Peninsula Ambassador of Qatar for France, the United States, the Unesco and the UN. Speaking to QNA after landing the award that was announced in DOHA: Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Abu Dhabi by the Arab Center for Al Kuwari, the former minister of Tourism Media (ACTM), Al Kuwari culture, arts and heritage has been said the recognition is not only an named ‘Man of the Arab Heritage’ honour but also a responsibility and for 2016 by the Arab Centre for Tour- trust that requires carrying on not ism Media (ACTM) in recognition of only at the domestic and Arab levels his efforts to preserve Arab history but the global one in general. and heritage. He said that such recognition Winning the 2016 Arab herit- stresses to the world Qatar’s keen- age personality of the year award ness on heritage, which is one of the is a recognition of Qatar’s efforts in noble responsibilities of Unesco, par- protecting and preserving heritage, ticularly during the current situation according to Dr Al Kuwari. in the Arab countries such as Syria, He is the Qatari candidate for Iraq, Yemen and Libya, which makes the secretary general position at heritage a victim that is subject to the United Nations Educational, destruction and looting. Scientific and Cultural Organiza- He also said that he shares the tion (Unesco). Al Kuwari has been responsibility in saving the history Riders in action on the fifth and final day of Tour of Qatar at the picturesque Doha Corniche yesterday. British rider Mark Cavendish won the Minister for Culture, Arts and and heritage of Qatar. And Arab her- the title. Pic: Salim M/The Peninsula →See also Page 23 Heritage of Qatar for more than itage is main tourist attraction of the seven years. He was previously the region. 02 SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016 HOME Texas A&M at Qatar hosts Foreign Minister in Munich talks Liberal Arts Conference The Peninsula The event served as a rich opportunity in Qatar for schol- ars in the social sciences, arts and humanities to engage with col- DOHA: Texas A&M University at leagues from around the world and Qatar hosted its Fourth Annual Lib- to stimulate research and learn- eral Arts International Conference 31 ing efforts. Jan. to 2 Feb. at the Hamad bin Khal- Conference speaker and ifa University (HBKU) Student Center attendee Dr. Amy Hodges from in Education City. the Writing Centre at MIT/Singa- This year’s conference featured pore University of Technology and 70 papers from institutions in 15 Design said: different countries on six conti- “I enjoyed the LAIC, not only nents, and included 40 speakers because of the connections I made from Qatar. with people in my own field, but The Liberal Arts Program also because of the diversity of at Texas A&M at Qatar hosts the thoughtful perspectives from peo- conference each year to explore a ple in different fields that made wide variety of regional and glo- me think about my own research bal topics from a multidisciplinary in a new way. Every discus- perspective. sion I attended was rigorous and The three-day conference, inspiring, and I came away from “Crossing Disciplines, Crossing Bor- the conference impressed by the ders,” featured lectures, trips to Souq quality of the presentations, the Waqif and Mathaf: Arab Museum hospitality shown by Texas A&M of Modern Art, and seven parallel at Qatar and HBKU, and the collab- Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel sessions consisting of 20 panel dis- orations that I’m sure will produce cussions. Collaborations from past innovative solutions to common Al Jubeir and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) conferences have led to several aca- problems that we face across the in Munich, Germany. demic articles and two books. disciplines.” New approach to Most driving schools GHG emissions Majority feel passionate will help reduce charge QR3,400 carbon footprint about their work: Survey for full course The Peninsula Continued from page 1 gear) QR3,900 (manual gear) for full Over half of those polled (57.9%) ‘agreed’ that this was true and course,” said the official requesting were generally happy with the work another 11.8% ‘strongly agreed’.