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ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Tuesday 15 January 2013 3 Rabial I 1434 - Volume 17 Number 5580 Price: QR2 First of its South Africa kind barge secure named series win Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 PM meets Macedonia’s Deputy PM Denial of air Taliban open tickets, wages top workers’ office in Doha complaints DOHA: Employers not giv- ing air tickets to workers to visit their home countries dur- ing vacations, denial of end- for peace bid of-service benefits to those leaving the country for good and delays in salary transfers were some of the major woes Move follows Obama-Karzai talks reported by aggrieved work- ers to the Labour Ministry DOHA: In a significant politi- pressing ahead with his re-elec- in 2012. cal development that may have tion pledge to continue winding The Labour Relations a positive impact on efforts down the war, while preparing Department (LRD) of the to bring peace in trouble-torn Kabul to prevent a slide back into Ministry of Labour received Afghanistan, the Taliban move- chaos and a Taliban resurgence some 6,000 worker complaints ment has decided to set up a once most Nato forces are gone last year. bureau in Doha. by the end of next year. The ministry said it resolved The government of Qatar, while Back in Doha, the foreign min- 4,500 of these woes amicably, welcoming the move yesterday istry source was quoted as say- accounting for 85 percent of the said it hoped the bureau would ing by QNA, Qatar’s official news total complaints lodged with it. help facilitate efforts to ensure agency, “The State of Qatar is And the remaining ones that security and peace between keen on supporting any effort did not concern the labour rela- Taliban and other parties involved that will establish comprehensive tions department were referred in Afghanistan. and lasting peace in Afghanistan to courts, said the Head of the An official source at Qatar’s and help achieve unity among its department, Saleh Saed Al Shawi. Foreign Ministry told Qatar people”. He said a majority of work- News Agency (QNA) late last ers’ woes that were reported to evening that the decision to Peace Council his department in 2012 related set up the bureau followed the The official reiterated that to not getting tickets from their release of a joint statement at both Obama and Karzai had employers, denial of end-of- serv- The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani with Deputy the White House in Washington voiced their support for setting ice benefits and delays in salary Prime Minister of Macedonia, Musa Xhaferi, in Doha yesterday. Talks dealt with bilateral ties and means of by US President Barack Obama up the Taliban bureau in Doha transfers. and his Afghanistan counterpart in the statement they released developing them. Workers can lodge complaints Hamid Karzai. earlier. with the branches of the depart- Obama and Karzai said in “Both presidents said that ment in the Industrial Area, Al the joint statement issued later the bureau will help advance Muntaza and Al Khor. However, yesterday that they supported peace talks between the Afghan job contracts are being attested opening an office in Doha for Supreme Peace Council and the Doing business to be made easier at all the branches of the depart- negotiations between the Kabul Taliban.” ment, including ones at Al regime and authorised represent- The Peace Council was estab- Muntaza, Industrial Area, Al atives of the Taliban. lished late in 2010 with 68 mem- DOHA: Doing business in of the Qatar National Vision 2030. A high-level legal committee Wakra, Al Ruwais and Al Khor. After a meeting with Karzai, bers who include intellectuals, Qatar will be much easier once a The draft reflects the minis- has prepared the draft law in The legal working age starts Obama said Nato troops would scholars and community elders, law, the draft of which is ready, try’s keenness to modernise the consultation with experts at the from 16 but persons below 18 speed up transfer of lead security some of them being women. The comes into force soon. The pro- existing legislation in order to ministry. are considered minors, so special responsibility to Afghan forces Council was set up at the behest posed law would considerably simplify and facilitate the proc- The committee was set up permission is required from the this spring, in a sign the pace of of President Karzai to hold peace simplify the formalities for set- ess of setting up commercial with members of law-related Ministry of Labor if people above United States troop withdrawals talks with the Taliban. ting up businesses here, says the companies. institutions, including the 16 but below 18 are to be engaged could quicken, according to wire The Qatari foreign ministry Ministry of Business and Trade. The minister said in a state- Trade Ministry, the Ministry of in work. agency reports trickling from source said that both the presi- The Minister of Business and ment yesterday that the draft Economy and Finance, Ministry The working hours for such Washington. dents have also asked the State of Trade, H E Sheikh Jassim bin takes into consideration inter- of Justice, Qatar Central Bank, workers are also specified by The crucial round of talks, the Qatar to facilitate peace efforts in Abdul Aziz Al Thani said the national standards on the basis the Qatar Financial Markets the ministry and these must be reports added, is expected to help Afghanistan. ministry has completed a draft of which countries are classified Authority, the Cabinet’s General between sunrise and sunset, Al determine how fast the US with- They have also called on the of commercial companies law in terms of ease of starting and Secretariat and the Emiri Diwan, Shawi told local Arabic daily Al draws its troops from Afghanistan armed opposition in Afghanistan which meets the requirements of doing business, explaining that in addition to some experts from Raya in an interview published and if it leaves a residual force to join the peace process, QNA the political, economic and social it will contribute to improving other institutions. The draft law yesterday. after 2014. said. changes that have taken place Qatar’s rank and will attract consists of 340 articles and 13 THE PENINSULA Obama faces the challenge of THE PENINSULA here and is in line with the goals more foreign investment. chapters. THE PENINSULA Continued on page 6 Attiyah cruises in Dakar New US tax law puts Qatar in Souq Khalid to be a quandary razed for rail project DOHA: Qatar faces a huge dilemma over complying with a BY FAZEENA SALEEM Not only this souq, but build- new US law that asks countries ings behind it and clusters of across the world to report finan- DOHA: Souq Khalid located other buildings in localities like cial assets of American compa- near what once was Crazy Najma, Old Airport and Al Sadd, nies, citizens and green card Roundabout is being vacated among others, are earmarked holders for taxation purposes. and might soon be razed to for demolition for the ambitious The legislation reportedly also make way for the upcoming rail project. requires countries to deduct integrated railway project. A few buildings in Najma have, taxes on the income of US com- The complex, a ground-plus- in fact, been partially demol- panies, nationals as well as resi- one structure, is more than 20 ished and some others have been dents that exceeds a certain years old and has more than 60 vacated and are awaiting the civic threshold and report directly shops and offices. bulldozers. to the internal revenue service They have been served evic- Souq Khalid, aside from hav- (IRS) of the US. tion notices by the Ministry ing two famous restaurants The question of compliance of Municipality and Urban and a pharmacy above which poses a number of key challenges Planning. But most of the occu- several medical practition- and risks to Qatar and other pants, hugely shocked since ers have their clinics, has shops GCC states and they have begun Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah competes in the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally in Alijilan, Argentina, yesterday. they must look for alternative and offices of travel agencies actively coordinating among commercial space which is hard and construction companies, themselves to be better equipped to find at an affordable rent, among others. to conform. say they will wait until elec- “The money we recently spent The Foreign Account Tax tricity and water supplies are on interiors will go waste,” rued a Compliance Act (FATCA), in a Some schools exempted from holiday rule disconnected. shopkeeper. Other occupants, too, nutshell, aims at improving tax January 11 was the deadline have similar tales to tell. compliance and brings within DOHA: The Supreme unified academic calendar. from July 25 to September 5. given by the civic ministry for “We have not found any alter- its ambit those American com- Education Council (SEC) has The mid-term holidays will be All schools in the country must eviction but so far only a few native place yet, so will be here panies and individuals as well announced the mid-term and from February 10 to February 21 comply with the unified holi- occupants have left the complex. until the electricity is discon- as residents who have financial annual holidays for private and while the annual summer holidays day schedule, in line with the There are others who say they nected.