ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER QNB Group’s net profit jumps to QR10.5bn Business | 17 Wednesday 14 January 2015 • 23 Rabial I 1436 • Volume 19 Number 6310 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Qatar Stars vs Bayern Munich Charlie Hebdo Free Net connection for Prophet cover draws ire 10,000 workers soon PARIS: Charlie Hebdo’s new cover of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has drawn 25 computer rooms to be set up in labour compounds ire from Muslims all over the world. BY SACHIN KUMAR The ministry yesterday signed Foundation (QF) and CH2M HILL The front page of the French a number of Memoranda of International BV (CH2M). As per satirical newspaper — its first DOHA: At least 10,000 migrant Understandings (MoUs) with the MoUs, these institutions will since many of its staff were slain workers are likely to get free five employers and the Sheikh seek to include provisions with in a terrorist attack last week Internet with the first phase Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani their contractors to provide ICT that killed 12 people — was widely of implementation of ‘Better Humanitarian Services (RAF), facilities for migrant workers taken up by media in Western Connections Programme’ of the the Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) “We are delighted to see a lot nations and in Latin America. Ministry of Information and and Microsoft Qatar. of enthusiasm from a growing But Egypt’s state-sponsored Communication Technology The employers will set up number of public and private Islamic authority, Dar al-Ifta, (ictQatar). rooms and Microsoft Qatar organisations in Qatar joining the quickly denounced it as “an unjus- The ministry, with the help of will provide the software, while Better Connections programme, tified provocation against the feel- other stakeholders, is expected charity organisations will help broaden its scope and increase ings of 1.5 billion Muslims”. to set up 25 computer rooms at in training and provide other the number of migrant work- Tabnak, a conservative online labour compounds across Qatar kind of required support. The ers who will benefit,” said Reem outlet in Iran stormed that in the next three to six months. contractors who signed MoUs Al Mansoori, Digital Society “Charlie Hebdo has again insulted These rooms will be equipped include HBK Contracting, Bin Department Executive Director the Prophet”. Major media in with computers, Internet and Omran Trading & Contracting, at ictQATAR at the MoU signing many Arab, and some African and other supporting infrastructure, Joannou & Paraskevaides, Larsen ceremony. “Today’s MoUs show Asian countries as well as Turkey, where the workers will be able to & Toubro (L&T) and the China the commitment from all of us to did not show the cover because use these devices to get informa- Harbour Engineering. They will achieving digital inclusion across many devout Muslims view any tion and communicate with their set up a total of 25 computer our migrant labour force through depiction of their prophet as for- friends and family members. rooms at their sites. improving their ICT skills and bidden. AFP The programme has evoked The ministry also inked MoUs their lives as a whole,” she added. Qatar Stars’ goalkeeper Claude Amin leaps to catch the ball while See also pages 10 & 11 positive response from employers with the Supreme Committee for Continued on page 2 Bayern Munich’s forward Robert Lewandowski (right) runs past during and charity organisations. Delivery & Legacy (SC), Qatar THE PENINSULA a friendly at the Lekhwiya Stadium in Doha yesterday. Bayern beat the Oil prices plunge Qatar Stars 4-1. See also page 28 BAHER AMIN to new lows NEW YORK: Oil prices slipped toward nearly six-year lows House in Mesaimeer sold for QR7.62bn as property deals soar yesterday after Opec officials underscored the cartel’s resolve DOHA: Qatar’s real estate sec- in Al Rayyan Municipality. The watchers told The Peninsula. were also sold at high prices in name in print told The Peninsula. to not cut output despite a sup- tor opened the New Year with 1,335,806 square metre property Of late, the market is witness- these areas. “The FIFA-related “There is still a huge demand ply glut and plunging prices. record transaction deals. The was sold for QR7.62bn. ing increasing interest in the projects have started picking up for open land along the main US benchmark West Texas combined value of the real estate The past week’s transaction residential complexes. The com- in the suburbs of Doha. Investors roads of North Doha. The land Intermediate fell 18 cents to set- transaction in the first week of value is arguably the biggest plexes that had 400 to 500 resi- are showing increasing interest in prices in areas like Al Kheesa tle at $45.89 a barrel on the New 2015, beginning January 4, hit a weekly value in Qatar’s recent dential units were sold for very these areas. However, land prices, and Al Duhail have touched their York Mercantile Exchange, its record high of QR9.55bn, com- history. With the country’s FIFA- high prices in the past week in which have gone up in exponential peaks due to better infrastructure lowest close since March 11, 2009. pared to QR1.41bn registered in focussed projects picking up, the northern part of Qatar. This rates over the past few months facilities and development of new In London, Brent crude, finished the previous week. Qatar’s real estate transaction has pushed the land prices up in have almost stabilised recently commercial streets,” he said. at $46.59 a barrel, down 84 cents The biggest deal was the sale value is projected to grow by an these areas. except in a few areas,” a property Continued on page 5 from Monday. AFP of a huge house at Mesaimeer average 25 percent in 2015, market Some commercial complexes evaluator, who doesn’t want his THE PENINSULA See also page 17 WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY 2015 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME Qatar construction specifications for safer roads, buildings soon DOHA: The Ministry of the highest level of quality and in terms of quality and cost, he recognition. Environment is making final safety in buildings and roads and added. He said by 2017 the specifica- preparations for issuing Qatar improve their performance and Al Kuwari allayed fears that tions will become international Construction Specifications efficiency,” a local Arabic daily implementation of the new speci- with the issuance of the Qatar (QCS) 2014, a senior official has quoted Al Kuwari as saying. fications could lead to an increase Construction International said. An important element of the in the cost of construction mate- Specification 2017 for hot areas. Dr Mohammed bin Saif Al new specifications is the technical rials. The purpose of QCS 2014 is Until then QCS will be on vogue Kuwari, Assistant Undersecretary requirements for concrete compo- to improve quality, not to increase and upgraded in collaboration with FROM LEFT: Dr Yacoob Ahmed Al Sharah, Assistant Secretary-General, for Laboratories and Specifications nents that have taken into account cost, he said. authorities concerned. Arabisation Centre for Medical Science, Kuwait, and Ahmed Abdulla Al at the ministry, said the new speci- the environment and seeks to The issuance of the ministe- The first edition of the unified Khulaifi, Assistant Secretary-General, Administrative Affairs, Supreme fications will be mandatory for all resist earthquakes and winds and rial decision will be followed by GCC guidelines for construction Council of Health at the workshop yesterday. government and private sector save energy. an awareness campaign to famil- will be launched this December projects three months after issu- A special chapter has been iarise companies with the new and the Qatari specifications will ance of the ministerial decision. included to improve the safety of specifications. be one of the main references for QCS 2014 will make roads railways, said Al Kuwari. Al Kuwari said the ministry will the code, he said. 5,000 words added and buildings safer by improv- Many firms producing ready soon sign an MoU with American The Qatari specifications ing their quality standards. “The mix concrete have applied the Society for Testing and Materials authority is hosting a two-day new specifications are an urgent specifications on a trial basis in for putting the Qatari construc- meeting for the GCC specifications requirement for the people and the some road and building projects tion code at its database. This will authorities to prepare a GCC con- to Arabic medical nation because they can achieve and found the results excellent help the code gain international struction code. THE PENINSULA science vocabulary DOHA: To introduce more Dr Yacoob Ahmed Al Sharah, Migrant workers to become digital champions words to the medical science Assistant Secretary-General, vocabulary in Arabic, more ACMLS, share experience and than 5,000 new words were work at the centre. translated in 2014. He said only Bahrain and Saudi The Arabisation Centre for Arabia in the region teach medi- Medical Science (ACMLS) has cal science in Arabic. translated about 64,000 words In Saudi Arabia, 50 percent since 2009, and some medical of medical science is taught in journals translated into Arabic Arabic, and 10 percent in Bahrain were showcased during a work- while other GCC countries teach shop at the Supreme Council of the subjects in English. Health (SCH) yesterday. ACMLS has published medical It was conducted by ACMLS to textbooks in Arabic and a series introduce its work to nearly 100 of health education publications professionals involved with work for intellectuals. related to medical science. It also publishes Arabisation “It’s a good opportunity to share of Medicine magazine, its mouth- FROM LEFT: Naim Yazbeck, Country Manager, Microsoft Qatar, Reem Al Mansoori, ICT and Society Executive Director, ictQatar, Dr Mohamed Salah information.