QATAR | Page 28 SPORT | Page 12 Qatar federation to host INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2 – 10, 28 COMMENT 26, 27 More than 60 REGION 11 BUSINESS 1 – 6, 17 – 20 Asia Rugby 17,706.00 10,376.20 36.79 ARAB WORLD 11, 12 CLASSIFIED 7 – 17 exhibitors to attend +111.00 +63.32 -1.55 INTERNATIONAL 13 – 25 SPORTS 1 – 12 Championship +0.63% +0.61% -4.04% Cityscape Qatar Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 SUNDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10047 April 3, 2016 Jumada II 25, 1437 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Fire at under-construction shopping centre Ceiling set In brief QATAR | Health for parking PHCC set to open three new centres The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will open three new health centres at Rawdat Al charges Khail, Al Thumama and Umm Salal this year. All of them are expected The Ministry of Economy and tion after observing several cases where to start operations in June or July. Commerce has stressed that members of the public were charged Page 2 shopping malls should not impose or mandatory fees. The new rule was issued amend fees without its approval after the committee that sets a ceiling for fees and profi t margins carried out a PALESTINE | Reaction A fire broke out at the construction site of the Mall of Qatar yesterday. The Mall of Qatar is a 500,000-square-metre retail and he Ministry of Economy and comprehensive study. US is ‘concerned’ entertainment complex near the Al Rayyan stadium. It is expected to be Qatar’s largest shopping centre when it opens later Commerce (MEC) has issued a The new rule exempts motorists who this year. The fire was put out a few hours later and there were no injuries. The Ministry of Interior said in a tweet around 7.45pm Tfee structure to regulate parking leave the parking area within 30 minutes about Israeli action yesterday that Civil Defence personnel had “completely contained” the fire at the site. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil Page 2 and valet service charges at commercial after failing to fi nd a parking spot from The US is “concerned” about Israel’s complexes and souqs. any fees. demolition of Arab buildings in East As part of the move, MEC has fi xed a Commercial organisations and shop- Jerusalem and the West Bank, a ceiling for parking fees as well as regular ping malls that off er valet parking serv- State Department spokeswoman and VIP valet parking fees that commer- ices shall be responsible for the safety of has said. Page 12 cial complexes and souqs could collect the cars as well as any damage done to the from their customers. vehicles while in their possession. Qatar condemns Syrian In a release issued yesterday, the min- Malls and markets shall clearly display BELGIUM | Attacks istry stressed that shopping malls should a list of parking and valet parking fees Bomb-hit airport not impose or amend fees without its approved by the ministry at entrances. to reopen today approval in accordance with the nature The release issued by MEC, however, regime’s air raid on village of their activity and its requirements did not either specify the fee structure Brussels Airport said yesterday it as well as obtaining the approval of the or the ceiling it has set as part of the new would partially reopen today, 12 committee that sets the maximum rate initiative to protect consumers and im- days after it was hit by Islamic State Reuters ties agreement and related UN Secu- mine chances of reaching a political and profi t margin. prove the quality of services off ered to suicide blasts. Page 18 Doha rity Council resolutions,” the Foreign settlement to the Syrian crisis”. Malls and commercial complexes have the public. Ministry said in a statement. The Syrian Observatory for Human been given 60 days to comply with the Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy “This criminal shelling... refl ects Rights, a monitoring group, reported decree and avoid being subject to legal and Commerce has urged members of INDIA | Diplomacy atar yesterday warned that the regime’s policy in killing civil- that 33 people, including 12 children, accountability and penalties. the community to report any violation or Modi begins visit Syrian regime air strikes that ians... and threatens to torpedo” the died in air strikes on Thursday on Deir Shopping malls and commercial com- irregularity through the following com- Qkilled more than 30 people, ceasefi re and “international eff orts al-Assafi r, a town in the opposition plexes that already charge customers for munication channels: Call centre: 16001, to Saudi Arabia including children, in a town near to reach a political solution” to end stronghold of Eastern Ghouta. parking shall refrain from collecting any e-mail: [email protected], account of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damascus could “torpedo” a fragile the country’s fi ve-year war, said the The United States said on Thurs- additional fees without approval from the the ministry on social networking sites: Modi arrived in Saudi Arabia ceasefi re in the country. statement, carried by the offi cial Qa- day it was “appalled” by the Syrian ministry once the decree comes into ef- Twitter @MEC_QATAR yesterday where he will discuss “Qatar expresses its strong con- tar News Agency (QNA). government air strikes and France ac- fect, the release said. “All other malls and - Instagram MEC_QATAR. The ap- energy, security, and trade co- demnation and concern over the mas- Qatar urged the Security Council cused the Syrian regime of violating commercial complexes shall also refrain plication of the Ministry of Economy and operation with leaders of the sacre by Syrian regime forces target- to “assume its responsibilities to end the ceasefi re and trying to undermine from imposing any fees on their visitors Commerce on smart phones available on world’s largest crude exporter. ing civilians in Deir al-Assafi r... in a these crimes, protect the Syrian peo- eff orts by the international commu- before obtaining the ministry’s approval.” iPhone and Android devices MEC_QA- Page 21 violation of the cessation of hostili- ple, and prevent (attempts to) under- nity to resolve the confl ict. The ministry said it issued the regula- TAR Gulf Times 2 Sunday, April 3, 2016 QATAR FM meets Canada’s Governor-General Civil Defence contains fi re at under-construction mall n the second fi re inci- dent in the country in Iless than 24 hours, a blaze broke out in a section of the upcoming Mall of Qa- tar near Rayyan Sports Club yesterday afternoon. The fi re was put out a few hours later and there were no injuries. Confi rming this, the Ministry of Interior said in a tweet around 7.45pm that Civil Defence personnel had “completely contained” the fi re at the site. On Friday evening, a huge fi re had broken out in a por- tion of the Caravan restau- rant complex near the Jabr bin Ahmed intersection along C-Ring Road. The blaze was brought under Plumes of smoke emanating from the aff ected portion of the under-construction Mall of HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani meeting the Governor General of Canada David control after nearly two- Qatar yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil Johnston on Friday. They discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between Qatar and Canada to a and-a-half hours. strategic level. They also discussed regional and international issues, particularly Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Though the reason for was apparently going on in the smoke, which seem- number of fi re engines and the fi re at the Mall of Qatar full swing. One end of the ingly hindered their vis- water tankers were engaged construction site was not Doha Metro’s Green Line is ibility. Personnel from the in the fi re-fi ghting opera- known, it is learnt that it in the immediate vicinity of Civil Defence and Lekhwiya tions and the fi re was put Ministry marks occurred in the afternoon the mall. managed to take each of the out some three hours after it when hundreds of labour- Sources said there were workers to safety. began, they added. World Autism ers were deployed there. reports of some workers un- Some ambulances were Mall of Qatar has set an Marginal drop in population Awareness Day The fi re seemed to erupt at able to move out for a while also spotted at the site, ac- opening date of August 23, the ground level where work owing to the intensity of cording to eyewitnesses. A according to earlier reports. By Ramesh Mathew was 2,545,603 at the end of population fi gures revealed The Ministry of Economy Staff Reporter February this year, it fell by that it was back in 2010 that and Commerce marked the around .73% to 2,527,000 the country had last experi- World Autism Awareness on March 31, the MDPS enced a similar fall in popu- day by illuminating the atar’s population data show. In 2015, the lation between February ministry’s building with remained above the corresponding fi gures for and March. blue light in solidarity with PHCC to open three new Q2.5mn level in March February and March were Since 2000, the popula- the international campaign but saw a marginal fall from 2,346,800 and 2,342,725, tion growth was the high- carried out by ‘Autism Speaks the previous month, ac- respectively, a marginal est in 2005 (21.79%), 2008 Organisation’. Dedicating cording to fi gures released drop of .17%.