ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Thursday 5 September 2013 29 Shawwal 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5813 Price: QR2 Oryx GTL Zimbabwe achieves safety take lead on benchmark second day Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Municipalities Emir meets Turkish envoy OPINION Syria: From set to decide military action to political building colours solution wonder if we will ever see light at the end of the Move to ensure colour uniformity I Syrian tunnel DOHA: The Cabinet yester- parks, schools and hospitals all after all day approved a draft law which, need municipal approval. these kill- once put in force, would author- And the 1985 law makes it man- ings of ise the municipalities to decide datory for an engineer or a con- women the colour of the exteriors of all tractor hired to carry out such and chil- buildings — including the pri- alterations to make sure that the dren, with vately-owned ones. building owner does have the civic death the The existing law permits build- clearance for the purpose. toll cross- Khalid Al Sayed ing owners to choose the colour of The punishments provided for ing 110,000 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF a building’s exteriors out of three in this legislation for non-compli- and refu- or four specified colours, and seek ance of civic rules, including the gees numbering at over two approval from the municipality of usage of a building (whether resi- million scattered in camps in the area later. dential, commercial or industrial) neighbouring countries. The The law was issued way back are lighter — fines up to QR200 human loss is in addition to in 1985, and amendments were to QR500 per sq m of encroached the massive destruction of introduced to some articles of the land. The new draft law is expected infrastructure and heritage legislation four years ago, in 2009. to make the punitive provisions The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presenting the Sash of Merit to the outgoing Turkish of a country known for its The new draft law seeks to tougher to deter non-compliance Ambassador Emre Yunt at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. diversity of faith. make further amendments to of municipal regulations. During the past two weeks, some provisions of the 1985 legis- According to the 1985 legisla- we have been hearing about lation, Qatar News Agency (QNA) tion, an owner can carry out main- military strikes against the reported yesterday. tenance work and do minor repairs Syrian regime by US and The proposed amendments vide in a building periodically provided some Western countries after the new draft law largely pertain the type of repair figures on the US Senate okays Syria strikes the alleged use of chemical to authorising the municipalities list of those that are approved by weapons by the regime forces to decide the colour of exteriors the civic minister. WASHINGTON: The US The compromise is more limited The full Senate is expected to which killed 1,429 people, 426 of all types of buildings in their Sources told this newspaper Senate Foreign Relations than US President Barack Obama’s vote on the resolution next week. of them children. Statements jurisdiction. The other purpose that the new draft legislation that Committee approved a resolu- original proposal but meets the The House of Representatives also from US President Barack of the amendment is to make aims to authorise the municipali- tion yesterday authorising a administration’s goal of punishing must approve the measure. Obama and French President stricter provisions to punish ties to decide the colour of the limited US military intervention Syria for what the US says is the Obama and administration offi- Francois Hollande show that non-compliance — those who do exteriors of buildings might be in Syria, setting the stage for a use of chemical weapons on Syrian cials have pushed Congress to act a military strike is now inevi- not follow a building’s design as aimed at ensuring colour uniform- debate in the full Senate next civilians, killing over 1,400. quickly, saying US national secu- table, though will be limited. approved by the civic authorities, ity zone-wise in cities and remote week on the use of military force. The authorisation still faces rity and international credibility The tone of their state- or encroach on government land. areas of the country for beauty. The committee voted 10-7 in significant resistance in Congress, is at stake in the decision whether ments shows that a broader Making alterations in a build- Sources say that since the draft favour of a compromise resolution where many lawmakers fear it to use force in Syria to punish military action against the ing, carrying out repairs or ren- has already been approved by the that sets a 60-day limit on any could lead to a prolonged US mili- President Bashar Al Assad’s gov- regime is unlikely, as the US ovations, and encroaching on Cabinet it could be expected to see engagement in Syria and bars the tary involvement in Syria’s civil ernment for chemical weapons is not seeking to overthrow government land meant for public the light of day soon. use of US troops on the ground for war and spark an escalation of use. REUTERS the regime of Bashar Al amenities such as roads and public THE PENINSULA combat operations. regional violence. See also page 10 Assad. Continued on page 7 Eight private Not many families keen on hiring European maids schools to BY FAZEENA SALEEM here,” was the standard answer new markets as the Philippines have no plans to get maids from They said a straight no when of most manpower agencies this and Indonesia, the two major the new countries and get stuck prodded to hazard a guess. DOHA: More than three newspaper contacted to know domestic manpower exporting in the absence of demand. “We don’t know the reason open this year months have lapsed since the how the recruitment of domes- countries, raised the minimum According to them, Bangladesh and we don’t want to guess. All government allowed local man- tics from the five new countries wages of their nationals coming is the only country so far for we can say is no one wants a DOHA: Eight new private power agencies to recruit maids that were opened up last May here to work as maids. whose women there is some European maid,” an agency offi- schools and five private kinder- from Bosnia and Macedonia, was going on. Several manpower agen- demand in the domestic sector. cial said, visibly irritated. gartens are expected to open but no family has so far shown Bosnia and Macedonia were cies said they were willing to Asked what possibly could The answer to the enigmatic during the new academic year interest in hiring a European among the countries that got bring maids from Bosnia and be the reason for families here question was provided by sources which begins on September 10, maid, enquiries made with at the approval which also included Macedonia, but they haven’t so not willing to hire Bosnian and in the Qatari community which according to Al Sharq. least 10 agencies suggest. Bangladesh, Vietnam and far because no family has asked Macedonian maids, officials of relies heavily on domestic work- A statement issued by the “There is no demand for Cambodia. for one. manpower agencies said they ers. THE PENINSULA Supreme Education Council (SEC) Bosnian and Macedonian maids The government opened up the Recruiting agencies say they had no idea. Continued on page 7 yesterday put the total number of Independent and private schools in the country at 349. This figure does not include the kindergar- Protests in Bahrain tens. SEC said yesterday that it had completed all preparations for Ministerial panel to curb visa trade the new academic year. DOHA: A powerful inter-ministerial committee has been set up to A total of 17 catering companies look into the causes and sources of the thriving illegal visa trade have been selected to serve food at and curb it with an iron hand. Independent school canteens. The panel, set up in collaboration with the anti-human trafficking They were selected from 41 watchdog — Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking applicants based on a rigorous (QFCHT) — will also help the victims of the thriving illegal trade in process that started in May this work visas. year, SEC said. A list of dishes The panel has on it representatives from the Ministry of Labour and proposed for school canteens along Social Affairs, Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the prices has been circulated that of Economy and Commerce, besides QFCHT officials, local Arabic to the catering companies. daily Al Watan reported yesterday. The committee has been working The school canteens have been for a while and the idea is to protect the rights of foreign workers. monitored by a committee com- THE PENINSULA prising representatives from the SEC, Supreme Council of Health and the Ministry of Municipality New airport to operate from early next year and Urban Planning. The committee will conduct DOHA: The New Doha International Airport (Hamad surprise visits to the canteens International) will begin operating from early next year, Qatar to ensure that the catering com- Airways’ CEO, Akbar Al Baker, said yesterday. panies comply with the health He said when the plans to open the new airport would be announced, regulations. An average of 20 Qatar’s Airways would also announce further expansion of its network.