ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Thursday 24 April 2014 24 Jumadal II 1435 - Volume 19 Number 6045 Price: QR2 International Benzema puts Islamic profit Real in charge up 10.2pc against Bayern Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Qatar, Kenya ink deals No new MERS Rift among cases in Qatar DOHA: Amid a jump in the number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases in Saudi Arabia, the GCC states Supreme Council of Health (SCH) yesterday clarified that Qatar had had no new cases since November 2013. In a statement, the SCH said that it was constantly analysing healed: FM the risk of MERS and taking precautions to prevent it from spreading, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and No compromises made: Al Attiyah the World Health Organisation. High body temperature with DOHA: The Foreign Minister H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad breathing difficulty has been iden- H E Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al Al Thani during the Arab League tified as one symptom of MERS. Attiyah said yesterday that the Summit recently held in Kuwait. People displaying the symptom “Gulf differences” had come to “I cannot give an assessment are immediately isolated and an end and it was now up to the of the situation in Egypt but we tested at a specialised laboratory countries that had recalled their hope to see Egypt rising at all lev- of Hamad Medical Corporation. ambassadors from Doha to send els, which is extremely important The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during the signing of THE PENINSULA them back. for all of us in the Arab world,” agreements between Qatar and Kenya on economic, commercial and technical cooperation, investment and Speaking at a joint news confer- he said. taxation in Doha yesterday. ence with Kuwaiti First Deputy On the future of Qatari- Prime Minister and Foreign Egyptian relations in case presi- Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled dential candidate Abdul Fattah Al Al Hamd Al Sabah, Al Attiyah Sisi wins, Al Attiyah said Qatar said that the GCC deal was struck has been and will always be sup- Defendants in without the parties making any porting the choices of the Egyptian Hamas, PLO reach unity deal concessions. people, adding that Qatar will not blast case freed “The brothers in the GCC coun- deviate from this stance. GAZA/RAMALLAH: The with the Palestinians that had organisation and says Abbas’ tries have reached deals which On the reasons for the failure Gaza-based Islamist group been scheduled for last night in efforts to unify with the group show DOHA: The criminal court do not mean that concessions of the Arab League Observer Hamas and President Mahmoud Jerusalem. he is not serious about extending hearing the restaurant blast case were made by any party,” Qatar Mission to Syria, Al Attiyah said Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin the troubled negotiations. yesterday ordered the release of News Agency quoted the Foreign that there was sincere desire in Organisation (PLO) announced Netanyahu said in a statement: The talks, aimed at ending all four defendants, but imposed Minister as saying. resolving the Syrian crisis within a unity pact yesterday, deep- “Whoever chooses Hamas does its decades-old conflict with the a travel ban on them until the He said that the difference of the Arab countries, but the Syrian ening a crisis in US-brokered not want peace.” Palestinians and establishing a final verdict. opinion between Qatar and three regime didn’t cooperate with the peace talks with Israel. Israeli Channel 2 TV said Palestinian state in the West Bank The trial began yesterday in the GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, Arab League envoy. This was the The move envisions a unity gov- Netanyahu would convene an and Gaza, are scheduled to end on case over the explosion in February UAE and Bahrain — was over main reason behind the mission’s ernment within five weeks and emergency session of his secu- April 29. in a restaurant in a petrol station and the mechanism of the inter- failure. On Qatar’s support for a national elections six months later. rity cabinet today to discuss his Abbas said the pact would not near Landmark mall that killed 11 Gulf agreement hammered out in GCC Union, the Foreign Minister “This is the good news we tell response. interfere with peace efforts. people and injured 35. Riyadh on April 17 was “clear cut”. said that the matter was raised our people: the era of division Washington said it was disap- “There’s no contradiction at The four accused are an Asian Al Attiyah commended the in the beginning by Saudi Arabia, is over,” Hamas Prime Minister pointed by the deal, which State all between unity and talks, and working with Woqod as supervisor, Emir of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah adding that Qatar was one of the Ismail Haniyah said to loud Department spokesman Jen Psaki we’re committed to establishing an Arab expatriate from Qatar Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah for first countries to support this idea. applause at a Palestinian news said “could seriously complicate a just peace based on a two-state Gas Company, and a baker and an sponsoring the Riyadh agreement. “Qatar will always be support- conference also attended by rep- our efforts — not just our efforts solution,” he said in a statement accountant at Istanbul restaurant, On Qatar’s view of the situation ing any idea that brings us closer resentatives of the PLO. but the efforts of the parties to following the deal. where the explosion occurred. in Egypt, the Foreign Minister to our brothers in the GCC,” he Israel said after the announce- extend their negotiations.” Qatari Foreign Minister H E All the defendants were present said that Qatar was keen on the said. ment that Abbas had chosen Along with the United States Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah at the hearing. Some of the victims stability and prosperity of that Continued on page 4 Hamas over peace, and cancelled and the European Union, Israel congratulated Haniyah. who suffered injuries in the blast country, as explained by the Emir THE PENINSULA a session of US-brokered talks views Hamas as a terrorist REUTERS also attended the court’s session. The defendants’ lawyers appealed to the court to set the four free until the final verdict. Largest reading session They broke down when the court ordered their release, at the end Lawmakers fail of the hearing, Al Sharq reported. They are charged with negli- to elect Lebanon gence causing the death of more than three people, endangering the lives of people and damaging president property. BEIRUT: Lebanese parliamen- The first accused — the Woqod tarians failed to elect a new supervisor — is charged with neg- president yesterday in a first ligence in discharging his duty round of voting deadlocked by because he failed to notify the domestic rifts and the war in company to stop gas supply to the Syria. restaurant until its renovation Leading candidate Samir work was finished. The second Geagea, a former warlord who accused, who was in charge of the spent 11 years in prison after renovation work, is accused of con- Lebanon’s civil war, fell short of necting the restaurant equipment the required two-thirds support in to new gas pipes without inspect- a vote to agree on a successor to ing the site and ensuring that ren- President Michel Suleiman. ovation work was over. The third Geagea won 48 of the votes accused — the baker — did not cast by 124 deputies. His total switch off the gas oven, and the was eclipsed by 52 blank papers fourth accused did not make sure submitted by political opponents that the oven was properly closed. determined to block his campaign As a result, gas leaked from the but who have yet to rally behind More than 1,350 students aged between five and ten from Independent schools across Qatar set a Guinness record for the ‘Largest reading session’, oven and was apparently ignited any rival candidate. in Arabic, at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday. Report on page 3 by an electrical spark. “It’s clear that no one has built THE PENINSULA a consensus around him,” said former army chief Michel Aoun and prominent March 8 politi- cian, who has made no secret of Ashghal faulted for Salwa underpass flooding his own presidential ambitions but has yet to launch a campaign. Geagea was backed by the DOHA: The committee that with the other bodies concerned. had been caught in the deluge. linked with the end point, said Al Gharafa vs El Jaish March 14 coalition which supports investigated the flooding of The expert panel was set up by The committee found that the the committee. rebels fighting Syrian President two Salwa road tunnels follow- the Prime Minister and Interior inundation was caused by the Explaining the cause of the Bashar Al Assad but opposed by ing the heavy rains on March Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah lack of a final collection point flooding, Ashghal earlier said March 8 parliamentarians led 26 released its report yester- bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani for rain water and surface water that the Salwa Road drainage by Hezbollah, which is fighting day, holding the Public Works on March 27 through a ministe- on the highway. This led to an network was used to receive and in Syria for Assad against Sunni Authority (Ashghal) and Salwa rial decision. overloading of the sewage net- store surface water inside the EXHIBITIONTODAY’S GAME EDITION OF Muslim rebels and foreign jihadis.