ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Wednesday 28 May 2014 29 Rajab 1435 - Volume 19 Number 6079 Price: QR2 Vodafone to Li Na stunned launch 4G in first round on June 3 of French Open Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 29 died in No bail for three road mishaps Filipinos in last month DOHA: Some 29 people died in road accidents last month, up from barely 13 in the previous month of March, official figures espionage case show. Most deaths (9) occurred in the north of the country, followed by the Industrial Area (6), Madinat Manila denies wrongdoing Khalifa (4) and in the south of the country (also 4). DOHA: Three Filipinos fac- admitted the lawyer’s plea. According to figures released ing trial here in an espionage The trio faces charges of spy- by the Ministry of Development case are unlikely to get bail ing and passing on to some intel- Planning and Statistics for April over the next five months as a ligence officials in the Philippines, 2014, two deaths were caused in higher court conducting the sensitive defence-related and eco- Al Rayyan and Al Mamoura each. trial has adjourned the hearing nomic information about Qatar. A total of 161,000 traffic viola- to October 27. The three Filipinos were tions were detected in the month, Manila has, meanwhile, denied employed in Qatar and the main and of these, more than 2,000 involvement in spying activities accused has been here since 1993. related to jumping the red light. of the three overseas Filipino Meanwhile, the media in Most others were radar-related workers. the Philippines yesterday car- Gifts being distributed to a passenger at Hamad International Airport yesterday. violations, with their number The lawyer for the accused had ried reports of the country’s being an incredible 77,000. urged the Court of Appeals on Department (Ministry) of More traffic violations were Monday to release them on bail Foreign Affairs denying that the recorded in March, though, with on condition that they would not government was engaged in any All airlines move to new airport the total being 164,000. Of these, travel overseas. espionage. radar-related offences were The lawyer had gone in appeal “We categorically deny that we DOHA: A Qatar Airways flight first 10 flights from HIA were Municipality and Urban Planning 88,000. against the verdict of a lower are engaged in espionage,” foreign from Bahrain — QR 1113 — greeted with roses, dates and HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Contrary to general belief that court in the case, and the first affairs spokesman, Charles Jose touched down at the Hamad Qatari flags. Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani. not many driving licenses are hearing of the court was to be told reporters in a text message, International Airport (HIA) at They were also able to take ‘The new airport is well equipped being issued due to increasing held on Monday. reported the media in Manila. 9:10am yesterday, marking the advantage of the many new to support the massive develop- restrictions, some 9,562 people The lawyer argued in the court Jose said the Philippine gov- full opening of the new multi- services available at HIA, from ments in Qatar in different areas were issued licenses last month. on Monday that since the trio is ernment had raised this issue in billion airport. the free Wi-Fi to play areas for and the transfer of all airlines to Of these, a vast majority (6,825) in jail for the past five years they several high-level meetings with About 45,000 passengers used children, multiple quiet areas to the airport is a test for its capac- were the licenses issued for light be let out on bail, and a travel ban Qatari officials. the airport on the first day, who relax, and the amazing array of ity,” Al Sulaiti told the media. He vehicles, 1,907 for heavy, 125 for be imposed on them to ensure He did not provide the iden- were served by a team of 11,000 shopping and eating options. didn’t disclose the date for the offi- motorcycles and 705 for earth- that they don’t leave the country. tity of the three Filipinos, but said employees deployed at its wide The airlines that shifted opera- cial opening of the airport. moving and other equipment. But the judges turned down the the one sentenced to death was an ranging facilities, Qatar Airways tions to the new airport yester- Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, Chairman Almost an equal number of new plea and adjourned the hearing to employee of a state-owned com- CEO Akbar Al Baker told the day were British Airways, Cathay of the airport’s Steering Committee, vehicles were registered in April, October 27, local Arabic daily Al pany while the two others were media later. Pacific, Egyptair, Emirates, Gulf said that the third phase of con- the total being 9,131. Of these, 166 Raya reported yesterday. technicians in a military base. All 29 airlines operating daily Air, Jet Airways, MEA Middle East struction at HIA will begin next were motorcycles, two taxis, 237 A lower criminal court had ear- Meanwhile, another Court of from Doha have now moved from Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United year and will be completed within were trailers and as many as 459 lier sentenced the main accused Appeals hearing the Villaggio fire the Doha International Airport Airlines and Qatar Airways. the allotted cost. heavy equipment. to death, while sentenced his two case on Monday adjourned the (DIA) to the new aviation hub. The Prime Minister and The design for the third phase In March, too, almost a simi- accomplices to life imprisonment. trial to June 9, the daily reported. HIA marked the occasion by Interior Minister H E Abdullah is almost complete and tenders lar number (9,427) of new driv- The defence lawyer also urged The adjournment was due to distributing gifts to the pas- bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani will be invited early next year. er’s licenses was issued. Only the court not to enforce the ver- the fact that some key witnesses sengers to congratulate them inspected the operations at the Construction works in this phase seven percent of the licensees dict of the lower court, and ask in the case failed to turn up in on being part of this important airport yesterday, along with the will last for two years, he added. were Qatari. the prosecution to bring evidence the court. moment in Qatar’s aviation his- Minister of Transport HE Jassim THE PENINSULA THE PENINSULA against the accused. The court THE PENINSULA tory. Passengers departing on the bin Seif Al Sulaiti and Minister of Continued on page 2 Continued on page 6 Dealing a blow Racism on the Shops booked for selling rise in Britain ‘fake’ mobile phones LONDON: The proportion of Britons who admit to being DOHA: The Consumer of the mobile phone brand also racially prejudiced has risen since Protection Department at took part in the raids. the start of the millennium, rais- the Ministry of Economy and During the campaign that ing concerns that growing hostil- Commerce has booked sev- lasted one week, the Department ity to immigrants and widespread eral shops for selling mobile inspected 60 shops and 15 of them Islamophobia are setting race phones with misleading infor- were found violating the law. relations back 20 years. mation about the country of A significant quantity of mobile New data from NatCen’s British manufacturing. phones with altered manufactur- Social Attitudes survey shows that The mobile handsets belong- ing details were seized during the after years of increasing toler- ing to a reputed brand were campaign. ance, the percentage of people who being sold with claims that they Apparently new stickers were describe themselves as prejudiced were manufactured in Finland, put on the handsets showing against those of other races has despite the fact that the coun- that they were made in Finland, risen overall since 2001. The fig- try has stopped producing it, the instead of China. This involves ures reveal a nation geographically Department said in statement commercial fraud and violation divided, with London reporting the yesterday. The handsets were in of the law since the product speci- lowest levels of racial prejudice. fact made in China. fications and country of manu- The data shows a broad decline The Department launched facturing are important factors in the proportion of people who inspections after it received com- in deciding the price, said the said they were either very or a plaints from the public about the Department. little prejudiced against people of cheating. The authorised dealers THE PENINSULA other races — from a high of 38 percent in 1987 to an all-time low Getachew Molla (in blue) lands a punch on Jomah Arbabi Othman during their bantam class bout on day one of 25 percent in 2001. However, of the Doha Open Championships at Qatar Sports Club Indoor Hall yesterday. Molla won the 56kg class bout in 2002, there was a sharp rise. with a 3-0 card to advance to the final rounds to be held at the same venue today. The event is being staged For 12 years that upward trend by Qatar Boxing Federation. More pictures and story on page 25. ABDUL BASIT continued to a high of 38 percent Egypt extends vote by a day in 2011. The following year it fell to 26 percent before increasing CAIRO: Egypt’s presidential election was extended by a day yester- again in 2013.