ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Novak Djokovic eases into quarter-finals Sport | 27 Thursday 8 January 2015 • 17 Rabial I 1436 • Volume 19 Number 6304 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Doha International Book Fair opens Palestinians Flying Qatar join ICC despite US opposition UNITED NATIONS: The Palestinians formally joined the Airways to International Criminal Court yesterday in a move that would allow them to lodge war crimes complaints against Israel as of April, the United Nations and get cheaper the ICC said. The decision drew fresh oppo- sition from the United States, Fuel surcharge to be reduced which argued that the state of Palestine should not be allowed BY MOHAMMAD SHOEB aircraft, which is scheduled to to join the ICC as it is not “a sov- begin commercial operations ereign state”. DOHA: Flying with Qatar from February 15 on the Doha- UN Secretary-General Ban Airways (QA) may become Frankfurt route. The press con- Ki-moon accepted the request relatively cheaper soon as the ference was held at the Premium from the state of Palestine to join national carrier yesterday Terminal of Doha International the ICC and said the court will announced plans to reduce Airport, which was attended by be able as of April 1 to investi- fuel surcharge keeping in view over 150 local and international gate serious crimes committed on the significant fall in crude oil journalists. THE PENINSULA the Palestinian territories. Sidiki prices in global market. Continued on page 5 Kaba, the president of the assem- This was announced by the bly of state-parties to the ICC, QA Group Chief Executive The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al welcomed Palestine as the 123rd Akbar Al Baker in response to Black box-like Mahmoud and the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari touring the signatory of the Rome Statute, a question at a press conference 25th Doha International Book Fair which opened at QNCC yesterday. Report on page 4 ABDUL BASIT which governs the ICC. AFP held for the global launch of the system on trial QA’s world’s first Airbus A350 XWB. “As far as reduction in fuel DOHA: As part of efforts to prices is concerned there will be improving safety of passengers, no reduction in ticket fare (base Qatar Airways is looking for- fare), but there will be a reduc- ward to install a Black box-like tion in the fuel surcharge that we automatic electronic system Firm uncovers health insurance fraud charge on every passenger,” said that will help record the flight Al Baker. data on the ground without the DOHA: In a rare incident, a The fraud was unveiled during being taken in a car to a health medical tests for their patients. However, he did not announce interference of the pilot. company has reportedly zeroed investigations conducted by the service provider to complete their However, this is the first time a any figure and other details when “Qatar Airways (QA) is in on a secret network involv- company in collaboration with the transactions apparently for treat- secret network of this sort has the decision will be implemented. already making an experi- ing its staff misusing the health authorities concerned. ment and examinations that they reportedly been found misus- He further explained that ment (on a technology) with insurance system for their The company officials grew sus- have never undergone. The work- ing the health insurance scheme ticket prices will not come down a supplier, which will enable financial gains. picious of the foul play when they ers were also being given a share through fake medical tests and by the same percentage as the us to record flight data, from The network included repre- noticed an unusual increase in the of the dividends from the deal. surgeries. oil-price decline for the simple take-off to landing,” said QA sentative of a big company who monthly health insurance cost The company representative as The authorities concerned have reason because fuel costs account Group Chief Executive Akbar reportedly tied up with the agent of the labourers and other staff well as the workers in the net- taken action against the people for only a certain percentage of Al Baker. “We are working of a private health service pro- employed by the company. He also work were Asians, said the daily. involved in the fraud, said the the airline’s operating costs. closely with them to testing the vider and a group of expatriate discovered that a big number of The health service provider daily. According to industry stand- system whereby all the flight employees of the company. The workers had undergone expensive was found making huge profits The National Health Insurance ards, the fuel surcharge repre- data that are being recorded in modus operandi was to conduct surgeries and medical tests within by misusing the health insur- Company (NHIC) managing sents nearly one fifth of the total the Black-Box’s data recorder fake medical tests and surgeries a short period. ance system within the budget the National Health Insurance fare of a one-way ticket. is also received continuously on the company’s employees, Al The manager soon started a allocated for each employee, said Scheme (Seha) is currently pro- QA, being the global launch on the ground in our operation Sharq reports. secret investigation with the help the daily. viding insurance cover to the customer of the Airbus’ ultra centre during the flight.” All the three parties involved of the authorities concerned to There have been frequent com- citizens while the expatriates modern and fuel-efficient A350, THE PENINSULA in the fraud were found making find out the reasons. They found plaints about doctors and health are covered by private insurance has become the first carrier to Continued on page 5 financial gains out of the secret that at the end of every working facilities exploiting health insur- providers. receive the extra-wide-bodied deal, said the daily. day groups of employees were ance cover to conduct unnecessary THE PENINSULA Dense fog causes traffic jams Paris terror attack kills 12 PARIS: Hooded gunmen A police union official said the Muhammad (PBUH). Jihadists stormed the Paris offices of assailants, three in total, remained online repeatedly warned that the a satirical magazine known at liberty and there were fears magazine would pay for its ridicule. for lampooning Islam and of further attacks. The official There was no claim of respon- other religions yesterday, kill- described the scene in the offices sibility. However a witness quoted ing at least 12 people in the as carnage, with a further four by 20 Minutes daily newspaper most deadly militant attack on wounded fighting for their lives. said one of the assailants cried out French soil in decades. Tens of thousands joined before getting into his car: “Tell Police staged a huge manhunt impromptu rallies across France the media that it is Al Qaeda in for the attackers who escaped in memory of the victims and Yemen!” Supporters of Islamic after shooting dead some of support for freedom of expres- State and other jihadist groups France’s top cartoonists at the sion. The government declared hailed the attack on Internet sites. Charlie Hebdo weekly, as well the highest state of alert, tight- Governments throughout as two police officers. One of the ening security at transport hubs, Europe have expressed fear that Vehicles use fog lights at a busy Industrial Area street early yesterday. People woke up to another day of misty assailants was captured on video religious sites, media offices and fighters returning from Iraq or morning as various parts of Qatar were engulfed by dense fog. Low visibility caused traffic jams creating outside the building shouting department stores as the search Syria could launch attacks in problem for students and office-goers, who reached their destinations late. ABDUL BASIT “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Greatest) for the assailants got under way. their home countries and may as shots rang out. Another walked Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) now review their own security. over to a police officer lying is well known for courting con- “Today the French Republic as wounded on the street and shot troversy with satirical attacks on a whole was the target,” President him point-blank with an assault political and religious leaders of all Francois Hollande said in a prime- rifle, before the two calmly climbed faiths and has published numer- time evening TV address, declar- into a black car and drove off. ous cartoons ridiculing the Prophet ing a national day of mourning Customers to sue car dealers today. An amateur video broad- cast by French television stations DOHA: Some car owners who replace the old car with new ones settle the issue amicably. shows two hooded men all in black were sold repaired cars as new or provide any other kind of com- The customers said some of the outside the building. are planning to sue dealers and pensation agreed upon by both car dealers have refused to replace Paris prosecutor Francois their parent companies even as parties. The Ministry, in a press their old cars with new ones and Molins said the assailants killed the dealers are trying to set- release, said it has forced the vio- even didn’t agree to return their a man at the entrance of the tle the issue through suitable lating companies to find solutions money. They said they have building to force entry.