ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Friday 28 December 2012 15 Safar 1434 - Volume 17 Number 5562 Price: QR2 Europe markets Michael Clarke rise after hammers festive break Sri Lanka Business | 13 Sport | 21 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Foreign activists enter Gaza Setback for Mursi Common job as minister quits CAIRO: An Islamist minister quit Egypt’s government yes- terday, the second cabinet res- ignation this week, as President contracts for Mohammed Mursi tries to shore up his authority. In a move that may pre-empt a planned reshuffle, parliamen- tary affairs minister Mohamed maids likely Mahsoub announced he was quit- ting because he disagreed with the slow pace of reform. GCC studying Saudi proposal Communications Minister Hany Mahmoud quit earlier this week, DOHA: The GCC countries are despite the minimum wage for citing his inability to adapt to the discussing a proposal, sponsored Filipina maids having been raised government’s “working culture”. by Saudi Arabia, for having a to QR1,500 recently, the demand Earlier, a Christian member of common job contract for house- for them has been going up. Egypt’s upper house of parliament, maids, with Qatar suggesting Manpower agencies here Nadia Henry, quit a day after the that the contract include privi- are suffering because despite Islamist-dominated chamber took leges like end-of-service ben- the growing demand, visas for over legislative authority under the efits, in line with international Filipina maids are not being new constitution. The resigna- labour laws. issued anymore. tions come ahead of a promised According to Qatar’s Ministry Families prefer Filipinas as cabinet reshuffle. Cabinet sources of Labour, a maid’s job contract maids because they are good at A delegation of pro-Palestinian activists, mainly French and Egyptian, flash the victory sign and wave the said as many as eight cabinet should not only entitle her to ter- childcare, hygienic and speak Palestinian flag as they arrive in the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing yesterday. Mission ‘Welcome to members from second-tier min- minal benefits like gratuity if she English. The second preference Palestine’ aims to denounce the blockade of the Palestinian territory that was imposed in June 2006. The delega- istries might go next week. has spent a year or more working is for Indonesian maids. “Many Full report on page 4 tion is to stay in the territory until January 1. The visitors brought drugs, surgical supplies and French textbooks. with a household, but also specify families aren’t happy about the working hours and annual leave. decision to ban the recruitment “These are the basic rights of of Filipina maids,” the daily said, a worker as enshrined in inter- citing sources in the recruitment national labour laws,” the labour business. ministry has said while expressing In fact, manpower agencies its opinion on the Saudi proposal to in the Philippines have stopped Vegetables sold for a song at new market have a job contract for maids that recruiting maids for Qatar, Saudi BY SANAULLAH is common to the six GCC states. Arabia and Kuwait, said the daily. Central Market. For example, a as compared to this new market,” and each of them has been allot- Riyadh, it appears, has for- Citing sources in the recruit- seven-kilo box of cucumber was said the Qatari, who didn’t want ted a stall on the condition that warded a sample contract to ment business, the daily added DOHA: Vegetables fresh from selling for an incredible QR11. his name in print. their stall must operate on all the labour ministry here for its that people were not keen to try Qatari farms were available lit- Tomato, the demand for which Middle and lower-end restau- the three days a week the mar- comments. maids from new markets like erally at throwaway prices at the is quite high since it is used not rateurs are sure to patronise the ket will be open. Qatar has also suggested that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kenya and exclusive market for local pro- only in salads but also in nearly all new market because of the fresh Hassad Food Company has the current practice of having Ghana, among other countries. duce that was formally opened curry preparations in most Arab produce and the lucrative prices, set up two stalls at the market three parties to a maid’s contract When contacted for comment, near Umm Salal yesterday. and Asian homes, was being sold said a stall operator. exclusively selling imported fruits — the maid, her employer and the the Philippines embassy here More than 20 vegetables — literally for a song — a seven-kilo There are 22 stalls, all num- (fruits are not grown in Qatar) manpower agency that recruits denied that Qatar had stopped some of different varieties — box for QR15. bered, at the newly-opened so that those visiting the market her — be done away with, and that issuing visas for Filipina maids, were available at the stalls at “It’s unbelievable,” said a Qatari market, called Al Mazrouah to buy vegetables need not go to it should have only two parties — and said they were still processing such unbelievably low prices customer, of the prices, as he Yard, which has been built by the Central Market to buy fruits, the maid and her employer. requests to hire Filipina maids. that the stall operators said they snapped up large quantities of the Ministry of Environment officials said. As for wages, it has been sug- Asked if the number of requests were confident they would give fresh vegetables, which he said in collaboration with Hassad The market will function on gested that the matter be left to to hire Filipina maids had gone the Central Market a run for its he hoped would last in his large Food Company, and is run by Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays each country to determine based down recently, Consul Gilbert money. household for a week. the latter. from 7am to 7pm, and the farms on local conditions. Segara said evasively: “We don’t The rates of nearly all the vege- He said he wouldn’t be visit- There are 22 farmhouses in have to bring their produce to the Meanwhile, local Arabic daily have data”. tables were 30 to 40 percent lower ing the Central Market any more. the country that grow vegetables market latest by 6.30am. Al Arab reported yesterday that THE PENINSULA than the prices prevailing at the “The prices there are quite high (mainly from October to June), Continued on page 3 Pakistan beat India PSG team due in Doha today for Asian crown DOHA: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will travel to Doha today DOHA: Pakistan dethroned glitter of the nine-goal thriller. for its 10-day winter training defending champions India 5-4 Korean umpire Yun Shin Dong camp and a football friendly to win Asian Champions Trophy decision to first award a penalty match with local team Lekhwiya. hockey title at Al Rayyan stroke to India and then reverse The visiting team will tomor- Stadium yesterday. the decision after consulting the row start its training drill at A brace from Muhammad third umpire raised a few eyebrows. Aspire Complex from 10 am to Waqas (8th and 56th minute) The decision which came with 6pm. This schedule will continue and goals from Shafqat Rasool three minutes left for the final up to January 1, according to the (42) Rashid Mehmood (48) and hooter did not go well with the itinerary posted on the French Muhammad Ateeq (64) helped Indian team which walked away, club’s website. Pakistan to avenge their loss to but returned after spending two On January 2, PSG will play India in the first edition of the minutes on the bench to play the a friendly match with two-time championship held in China. remaining minutes of the match. Qatar Stars League champions India’s goals came from S V Pakistan stood their ground to Lekhwiya at Jassim bin Hamad Sunil (9), VR Raghunath (20), repulse the Indian attacks in the Stadium in Al Sadd from 5.30pm Gurwinder Chandi (55) and last two minutes, after the inter- onwards. Rupinder Pal Singh (59). ruption to win the title much to The French club will resume The controversy-ridden final the delight of the large number of its training schedule on January The Pakistan team celebrates their 5-4 win over India at the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament at Al which saw the teams playing fast Pakistan fans. 3 and conclude the camp on attacking hockey was marred by THE PENINSULA January 5 and head back home Rayyan Stadium yesterday. SALIM MATRAMKOT a late decision which robbed some See also pages 3 & 23 to play Arras FC at Stade de l’Epopee on January 6 in the Coupe de France – Round of 64. PSG are currently leading French Ligue 1 with 38 points on the basis of a better goal difference of +24. Olympique Lyonnais and Bahrain-bound Qatar set for Egypt friendly today Olympique de Marseille also have 38 points each from 19 game DOHA: Qatar take on Egypt in Doha on Wednesday. Qatar are to win (the Gulf Cup). If we win, for the Gulf Cup title’. Meanwhile, side hosts Bahrain, Oman and PSG and Lyon have won 11, in a friendly today with an eye one of eight sides competing for that will help improve the players’ the Egypt national football team the UAE in Group A of the 2013 drawn five and lost three each, on next month’s Gulf Cup, the the Gulf Cup title.