ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Wednesday 3 April 2013 22 Jumada I 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5658 Price: QR2 Yet another Al Gharafa milestone survive Al Nasr for Muntajat fightback Business | 17 Sport | 24 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Shareholders Emir meets Eritrean President Exclusive force Barwa to raise dividend We are proud of the AGM witnesses stormy scenes expatriate workers, who are our partners in BY MOBIN PANDIT veto to prevent a headcount. the development of the The tug of war between the The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh country. They will be DOHA: Infuriated by declara- shareholders — most of them small Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani with Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki at Emiri Diwan yesterday. The respected as long as they tion of a low dividend, share- investors — and the board of the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to boost them. holders of state-backed Barwa powerful state-backed listed entity abide by the country’s law. Real Estate Company, at their eventually ended in victory for the If they face any problem meeting here yesterday, lashed former as the board was forced to they should come to our out at the board and forced it to raise the dividend to QR1.5 per raise the payment. share from the original QR1. Spending could fall department, says Col The occasion was the ordinary A vote couldn’t, however, be Nasser Mohammed Al annual general meeting (AGM) prevented on another contentious after 2017: Kamal Israel launches air Sayed, Director of the convened to seek shareholders’ issue — of what the shareholders formal approval of the company’s said were fat bonuses proposed DOHA: The government’s budget Search and Follow-Up financials for 2012. Angry share- for the members of Barwa’s board spending is expected to stay at Department at the holders also struck down a pro- of directors. The shareholders about this year’s level until 2017, Ministry of Interior. posal of the board to dole out plush voted in favour of slashing the after which it could drop, the strike on Gaza bonuses worth QR2m to its mem- bonus amount of QR2m by three- Minister of Economy and Finance GAZA: Israel launched an air Palestinian rocket fire into its ter- Full Interview on bers and slashed the amount dras- fourths to merely QR500,000. H E Yousuf Hussein Kamal said. strike on the Palestinian Gaza ritory. Earlier, the Israeli military pages 4, 5 & 6 tically to a quarter — QR500,000. Interestingly, just about a week “The budget of course until the Strip yesterday, the first such said Palestinians launched three The AGM was stormy from the ago, the Ministry of Business and year 2015 or 2017 will be the same attack since an eight-day war in rockets at Israel. Two landed in word go, and as soon as the pro- Trade had announced with much level, but later on it could go down November, Hamas, the Islamist Gaza and one hit an open area in UN approves global posal about dividend disbursal of fanfare the launch of an electronic again because most of the infra- movement that controls the ter- southern Israel, causing no dam- QR1 per share (10 percent of the voting system for companies’ structure would be completed at ritory, and Israel’s military said. age or injuries. No Palestinian arms trade treaty face value) for 2012 was tabled, AGMs in close collaboration with that time,” said Kamal, at a meet- “Occupation planes bombarded group claimed responsibility for the shareholders began airing Barwa Real Estate. ing of Arab finance ministers and an open area in northern Gaza, the rockets. UNITED NATIONS: The UN their fury. And Barwa became its maiden central bankers in Dubai, accord- there were no wounded,” a state- General Assembly overwhelm- Amid a heated exchange, the user. The voters used a handheld ing to Reuters. Full story on page 17 ment from the Hamas Interior TANKS FIRE INTO SYRIA ingly approved yesterday the shareholders demanded that the device to cast their ballot. The Ministry said. An Israeli military Israeli tanks fired into Syria first treaty on global arms trade cash dividend amount be doubled AGM was held at Sharq Village PSG hold Barcelona spokeswoman confirmed there yesterday after shots were fired that seeks to regulate the $70bn to QR2 on the back of the com- and Spa. The chairman of the had been a strike in Gaza, but at troops in the occupied Golan international business in con- pany’s net profits of QR1.17bn — a board, Hitmi Ali Al Hitmi, later LONDON: Blaise Matuidi struck gave no further details. Heights, a military spokeswoman ventional arms, ranging from robust figure but marginally less told the meeting that the company with the last kick of the game to Israel and Hamas agreed to said, in a further spillover of the light weapons to battle tanks and than the 2011 profits of QR1.41bn. had managed to cut administrative hand Paris St Germain a 2-2 home an Egyptian-mediated truce in Syrian civil war. “Shots were fired warships. There were 155 votes The shareholders called for a vote costs by 51 percent last year, and draw with Barcelona while Bayern November, after eight days of at an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) in favour, three against and 22 on their demand, but sensing that 50 percent job nationalisation had Munich overcame Juventus 2-0 fighting, in which 170 Palestinians patrol on the border. No injuries or abstentions. The Iranian, Syrian they would have their way, Qatari been achieved in senior manage- in yesterday’s Champions League and six Israelis were killed. Israel damage was caused. In response, and North Korean delegations cast Diar, which holds a majority stake ment positions. THE PENINSULA quarter-final first legs. launched the 2012 offensive IDF forces returned precise fire at the sole votes against the treaty. in Barwa Real Estate, used its See also page 17 Full report on page 28 with the declared aim of ending the source.” REUTERS Full story on page 10 WEDNESDAY 3 APRIL 2013 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME Deadline extended for No data on autism cases changing old Volunteers, parents of children with disabilities fly balloons to mark World Autism Awareness Day number plates DOHA: The deadline for BY RAYNALD C RIVERA changing the old number plates of vehicles with the new ones DOHA: The extent of preva- has been extended to the end of lence of autism in Qatar is this month, a local Arabic daily unknown due to lack of reliable reported yesterday. data as people don’t disclose their With an earlier deadline ending disabilities because of social, eco- on April 1, many people had called nomic and cultural barriers. on the Traffic Department to “It is very difficult to say how allow more time for vehicle owners many people have this kind of to change their old number plates. condition in Qatar simply because The Department had warned that the statistics are not accurate. those who fail to comply with the There are lots of social, economic deadline could face fines. Majority and cultural barriers that face of the vehicles already have the persons with disabilities so many new number plates but there are times they don’t disclose their dis- many still using number plates in abilities to statistics authorities, the old format. The new format however, we know 67 million peo- contains only the internationally ple in the world have autism and used numerals, that are origi- about 10 percent have disabilities nally Arabic and are easily vis- in Qatar,” Ahmed Habib, Head ible from a distance. The Traffic of Communications Awareness Department’s garages in Madinat and Outreach of Qatar Assistive Khalifa and Duhail have been Technology Center (Mada), told receiving an average 150 to 200 The Peninsula yesterday. vehicles a day but their number Mada led the observance of has increased over the past one the sixth annual World Autism week, said the daily. Awareness Day (WAAD) yester- day at Souq Waqif. CMC seeks panel to Every year, April 2 is marked as WAAD after December 18, monitor tents’ safety 2007, when the United Nations DOHA: An ordinary meet- General Assembly adopted reso- ing of the Central Municipal lution 62/139, proposed by Qatar. Council (CMC) yesterday called Yesterday, Mada volunteers on the authorities to set up a along with parents of children Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada) led the observance of the sixth annual World Autism Awareness Day at Souq Waqif, yesterday. special committee to moni- with disabilities gave away blue SALIM MATRAMKOT tor tents being set up on resi- balloons and conducted infor- dential premises to ensure that mation campaign on autism and be part of the world much more work on its own; it needs support we are not aware of them. One in challenges. It is an online group they meet safety requirements. what Mada can offer to help those widely and get round the barriers from family and healthcare and every 88 children around the world within Facebook in which those Several incidents of fire occur- with the condition. autism creates,” said Mada CEO education providers that’s why has autism and that’s roughly the parents can talk to each other ring in such tents have prompted Autism is a lifelong develop- David Banes. in Mada we work with different same here,” said Banes. share, their experiences on things the civic body to come out with mental disability characterised Among the wide range of assis- entities in Qatar to provide peo- Recognising the importance that work for their children as the new proposal.