ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Home | 4 Business | 17 Sport | 28 Cebu starts Qatar’s growth Stan Wawrinka Manila-Doha rate to remain dashes Djokovic direct flights 6.5 percent for dream to win twice a week. two years. French Open. MONDAY 8 JUNE 2015 • 21 Shaaban 1436 • Volume 20 Number 6455 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 PM attends QBA’s 10th anniversary celebrations Turkey’s ruling Tomato prices party loses majority in blow shoot up on to Erdogan ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Islamic- rooted ruling party lost its absolute parliamentary major- ity in legislative elections yes- supply crunch terday, dealing a severe blow to strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambition to Fall in imports and local output expand his powers. The Justice and Development DOHA: Soaring prices have So whatever quantities are Party (AKP) won the biggest made the tomatoes a luxury imported are put on the mar- share of the vote in the elections, purchase these days as some ket for immediate sale. Already, but well down on the almost 50 neighbourhood stores have been according to some dealers, percent it recorded in the previ- selling the vegetable between imports from Jordan, which is one ous 2011 polls. QR6 and QR8 a kg. of the largest exporters of toma- In a sensational result that And plum tomatoes, the favour- toes, are down due to the onset of shakes-up Turkey’s political land- ite of curry-makers, is rare to see the summer season. scape, the pro-Kurdish People’s except the European ones avail- “They are a luxury indeed,” sar- Democratic Party (HDP) easily able only in the shelves reserved castically commented an Asian surpassed the 10 percent barrier for elite customers in big shop- woman as she put some tomatoes needed to send MPs to parliament. ping complexes. in her shopping bag in a big out- Under Turkey’s proportional Some organic tomatoes from let yesterday. The high prices of representation system, this means Europe that earlier sold for QR11 tomatoes notwithstanding, their Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday launched the AKP will need to form a coali- a box of six, are now priced much quality is too bad. It is rare to a book documenting Qatar’s economic achievements over the past 10 years. The launch was made during tion for the first time since it first higher — in some cases for as sight a blood-red tomato these a ceremony organised by the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) celebrating their 10th anniversary at came to power in 2002. much as QR28. days and common to see ones that The AKP secured 41 percent of Sheraton Hotel. The Prime Minister congratulated the association and praised the private sector’s contribution. As for the common man’s toma- are yellowish or greenish red. the vote, followed by the Republican toes available almost everywhere, The Ministry of Economy and People’s Party on 25 percent, the their retail rate fixed by the gov- Commerce said yesterday that the Nationalist Movement Party on ernment at the Central Market price hike was caused by a short- 16.5 and the pro-Kurdish People’s yesterday was QR5.5 per kg. age in imported as well as locally Democratic Party (HDP) fourth In wholesale, the Jordanian produced tomatoes. The harvest on 12.5 percent, said official results tomato was available for QR35 season in Qatar ended last month. All projects on track: Emadi based on a 98 percent vote count. per eight-kg box, while those “According to media reports, Turnout was 86 percent. imported from Saudi Arabia nor- tomato prices are unstable in DOHA: Finance Minister holding a series of meetings with to the available resources, Al According to the official seat mally packaged in five-kg boxes, exporting countries and produc- H E Ali Sherif Al Emadi re- concerned government entities Sharq reported. projection, the AKP will have cost QR22 a box. tion has dropped due to seasonal affirmed yesterday that Qatar to prioritise future projects, with Earlier, addressing a work- 259 seats in the 550-seat parlia- The Ministry of Economy and factors. Reports from neighbour- will launch its all proposed a special emphasis on World Cup shop, the minister said the 2016 ment, the CHP 131, the MHP 82 Commerce has attributed the ing countries also suggest that projects as per the original 2022-related projects. The FIFA- budget, which will be effective and the HDP 78. price hike to a shortage of sup- huge quantities of tomato released plans. None of these projects focused projects will get a spe- from January, will be different The results wreck Erdogan’s ply in the local market. Some for sale were eaten by worms and will be delayed or deferred, he cial priority over the next seven in many ways. The 2016 budget dream of agreeing a new consti- retailers this newspaper spoke being sold at throwing prices due said. years. will be focusing not merely on the tution to switch Turkey from a to yesterday said tomatoes nor- to poor quality. So the prices of The Minister stressed that the Al Emadi said that the new allocations to various ministries parliamentary to a presidential mally became expensive within alternative products — imported implementation of state projects state budget for 2016 will witness and government departments as system that he had made a fun- the onset of summer since their tomatoes — have also gone up,” are in accordance with the plans an increase in public spending was the practice until the cur- damental issue in the campaign. growing season is winter. said a statement issued by the and programmes announced in compared to the current fiscal. rent fiscal, but will consider the The result was a triumph for Since it is a perishable vegeta- ministry in response to report the state budget. Funds would The size and pace of the imple- resources being generated by each the HDP. It was also a personal ble, unlike potatoes, onions and carried by Al Sharq yesterday. be allocated to the concerned mentation of mega projects will government entities and agen- victory for the party’s charismatic garlic that have long life, tomatoes Tomato prices in Qatar projects strictly in line with the increase in next fiscal. The gov- cies. The new budget will also be leader Selahattin Demirtas. “We, are not dumped in cold storages increased by up to 35 percent budget proposal. If needed, more ernment will hold consultation structured according to the glo- as the oppressed people of Turkey by importers in large quantities last month compared to the same funds would be allocated for the with various ministries and gov- bal standards set by international who want justice, peace and free- for sale after the season, espe- period last year. projects that are fast progessing, ernment agencies prior to prepar- financial agencies like IMF. dom, have achieved a tremendous cially during the hot summer THE PENINSULA the Minister said. ing the 2016 budgets. The public THE PENINSULA victory today,” he said. AFP months, dealers say. Continued on page 2 The Ministry of Finance is spending will be exactly matching Continued on page 3 See also page 7 Men caught drilling well illegally DOHA: The Ministry of Qatari, 55, back in high school Environment has initiated legal action against a con- DOHA: It’s never too late for which granted him permission 12,” he told Al Raya. But it would tractor and a resort owner Qatari Ahmad Albu Rashid to to continue under the Parallel not be the end yet for Ahmad’s for trying to drill an under- finish high school. Education System or evening education as he has plans to finish ground well near Al Khor Ahmad quit school in 1973 school. college. under cover of the night, with- and now at 55, he is enrolled in Through a crash program he “I am planning to join univer- out government permission. Grade 11 and about to graduate finished Grades 5 and 6 dur- sity and take up Economics and The Ministry inspectors next year. For him age is not a ing the academic year 2008-2009 Business Administration,” he said, spotted a drilling machine hindrance in pursuing his dream and moved to Middle School, adding he believes he will do well mounted on a truck digging at of acquiring good education. then to high school in Al Wakrah in university because of his good a resort near Al Khor city. After 35 years, he decided to Independent Secondary School in command in English having had The men at work were go back to school in 2008 and the 2013. education in Cambridge in the UK caught red-handed late night idea was supported by his family “I am in Grade 11 and near to in addition to taking courses in when drilling was being carried and friends, he said. He went to finish Secondary education. If I the British Council. out in the dark, the ministry the Supreme Education Council pass the exams I’ll move to Grade THE PENINSULA said in a statement yesterday. A patrolling team from the Environment Protection Department at the Ministry which passed by the resort late that night noticed the illegal Israeli warplanes hit Gaza Saudi strikes kill drilling. The machine operator failed to produce the permit for GAZA CITY: Israeli warplanes on Saturday evening struck open 45 in attack on drilling when he was asked to struck Gaza early yesterday for ground near the southern port of do so, said the ministry.