ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Monday 24 December 2012 11 Safar 1434 - Volume 17 Number 5558 Price: QR2 Qatari bourse Tendulkar index loses retires 19.62 points from ODIs Business | 18 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Emir gets message from Sudan President GCC ministers Health officials discuss economy ahead of summit MANAMA: Foreign minis- call for strict ters of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states met here yester- day to discuss economic integra- tion on the eve of the annual GCC summit, a diplomatic source said. HIV screening The Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will head to Manama today to partici- pate in the 33rd GCC Supreme Visitors to Thailand under watch Council Summit. The Heir Apparent will be accompanied DOHA: As seven fresh cases that global trends over the past by a high-level official delegation. of AIDS were detected in decade showed a decline in the The foreign ministers meeting Qatar last year that included spread of the deadly disease. was held behind closed doors and a Qatari, health officials have Notwithstanding the small per- focused on “the complementary recommended that younger centage of HIV patients in Qatar nature of the six members”, whose people who frequently visit and a near-absent threat, the overall GDP in 2011 amounted to countries like Thailand should seminar underscored the need to $1.371 trillion, the source said. be checked for early detection set up a national committee to In 2003, the GCC states of the HIV virus. fight the killer disease and curb launched a symbolic customs A seminar held on the deadly its spread. union which has been beset with disease by the Supreme Council It was suggested that anti- problems, failing to meet its tar- of Health (SCH) yesterday also HIV awareness must start from get date of 2005, with the tran- came up with the recommenda- school by making it part of sition period extended. And a tion that a national committee be the school curricula, and focus monetary union announced in set up to create public awareness should simultaneously be put on 2009 with the aim of creating a about AIDS. youth clubs. The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani received a written message from Sudanese President Omar common currency has also failed The panel, it was suggested, The panel would also be tasked Hassan Al Bashir pertaining to bilateral cooperation and ways to boost them. The message was handed to materialise, with just Bahrain, should encourage early mar- with taking care of the HIV over to the Emir by Director-General of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Lt Gen. Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia riage among the youth so they infected and make sure that they signing up to it. QNA/AFP Mohamed Atta Al Mawla Abbas at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. do not get involved in immoral remain part of social mainstream relationships and fall prey to because if they are neglected they the deadly virus. could turn revengeful and spread It was additionally recom- the deadly virus. mended that those who apply to An expert, Mamoon Mabeed, renew health cards should also be from the Social Rehabilitation made to undergo tests for HIV. Centre, told the symposium that Rents may drive inflation in 2013 Health officials said the seven Arab countries were falling prey new AIDS cases discovered last to the killer HIV virus in a big DOHA: Planning officials yes- and the upward curve is to con- swing factor in forecasts of con- percent to a year. Considering year take the total number of way as the disease had been terday warned that house rents tinue, the General Secretariat of sumer price inflation for 2013, the 12-month moving average, HIV-infected persons presently in spreading alarmingly. could soar in 2013 due to rising Development Planning (GSDP) the agency said, and added that the population is once again on a Qatar to 98. From 1985 till date He said an incredible half-a- expatriate population and push said yesterday. due to the surging rents inflation rising trajectory, according to the some 261 AIDS cases have been million people in the Arab world the cost of living up. It added that for nearly four is now put at 3.5 percent for the planning agency. detected. were inflicted by AIDS and that An idea of the rapid popula- years, since 2009, rents were low, year, marginally higher than the The rise was so much that by HIV positive persons account only 13 percent of them had tion increase can be had from the having climbed down from the projections made in June. November of this year the popula- for a meager 0.02 percent of the access to treatment. fact that in the latter half of this shockingly peak levels that were A larger population and the tion had risen to 1.85 million. country’s population, which is a Another expert, Dr Allauddin year alone some 130,000 newly- witnessed during 2006 and 2008. demand it places on rental accom- To meet the demands created by negligible percentage and does Alwan, director of the World recruited workers have arrived in “That phase has ended this year,” modation and other non-tradable an expanding population, service not pose any serious threat to Health Organisation (WHO), the country and the trend is likely the GSDP said. services are likely to add to con- activity expanded in the first half, Qatar, a senior Hamad Medical Middle East, said that the prob- to remain upward. An upward curve is in witness sumer price inflation in 2013, but with most sub-sectors growing at Corporation (HMC) official, Dr lem was that people don’t come It is not surprising, then, that now. As a solace, however, the risks of a rapid acceleration are seven to nine percent, the GSDP Abdul Latif Al Khaal, said. forward for medical check-ups so rents have already surged 2.2 planning agency pointed out that low, reiterated the GSDP. said in ‘Qatar Economic Outlook The seminar was organised those with HIV virus cannot be percent during the period (in risks of a repeat of the sharp rent The country’s population was 2012-2013’ released yesterday. to mark the International AIDS treated. just a few months from May increases of 2006-08 were remote. 1.72 million by the middle of THE PENINSULA Day. Al Khaal, however, added THE PENINSULA and June to October this year) Rents are likely to be a major this year recording a rise of six See also page 18 Egyptians back Qatar launches ‘Muntajat’ new constitution Qatari makes waves DOHA: Qatar has announced the launch of a single corporate entity which would hold exclusive rights to purchase, market, in referendum distribute and sell it’s chemical and petrochemical products to the global market. The launch of “Muntajat” or Qatar Chemical CAIRO: An Islamist-backed with debut novel and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company QJSC Egyptian constitution won yesterday marks an important milestone in diversifying Qatar’s approval in a referendum, rival BY MOHAMMED IQBAL control of the British empire. exports portfolio, which is set to take its chemical and petro- camps said yesterday, after a vote “But I have a taken a lot of chemical products to 120 countries through 36 global outlets, the opposition said would sow freedom in developing the plot, including seven regional hubs. Full report on page 17 deep social divisions in the Arab DOHA: Three editions of the intertwining it with the life and world’s most populous nation. first novel in a year — this is customs of the Arabian tribes Hotel cancels controversial show The Islamist Muslim a real feat for a debutant nov- in that era,” said Al Mahmoud. Brotherhood, which propelled elist, especially in a region The name of the novel is DOHA: A luxury hotel that was to hold a show on Christmas President Mohammed Mursi to where fiction writing is still in related to the central character Day of two controversial Ukrainian women disc jockeys (DJs), power in a June election, said an its infancy. Erhama bin Jabir, a controversial called Duo Diamonds, has announced the cancellation of the unofficial tally showed 64 percent Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud, a tribal hero, known for his bravery show and is now looking for “substitute” DJs. The decision comes of voters backed the charter after Qatari writer with a passion for and war skills. An adventurous after a report in The Peninsula on Sunday. In a brief email to this two rounds of voting that ended history and journalism, is happy seafarer, Erhama owned a small newspaper, the hotel’s public relations department said that the with a final ballot on Saturday. that his first novel in Arabic, Al fleet of war boats and engaged in hotel “has cancelled the event, and will be finding a replacement An opposition official said their Qursan (The Pirate) has evoked relentless battles with warring shortly.” This newspaper had reported that Duo Diamonds are unofficial count showed the result an encouraging response among tribes. “The British called him known for semi-nude photo shoots for some of erotic men’s maga- was a “yes” vote, while party readers across the Gulf region “The Pirate” and painted him in zines published from the West. spokesmen said there had been a and even in other Arab coun- bad colours. However, they were series of abuses during the voting.