ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Thursday 4 April 2013 23 Jumada I 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5659 Price: QR2 Hassad buys Ruthless Real Indian basmati ease to rice firm 3-0 win Business | 21 Sport | 32 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Emir meets Canadian minister OPINION Cabinet okays Influence of Iran, Brotherhood draft health on GCC states here is confu- Tsion insurance law among Gulf citizens about the role of Iran Govt to pay premiums of Qataris and its inter- Khalid Al Sayed vention in EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DOHA: The State Cabinet membership of a representative their domes- yesterday ratified the draft of Qatar 2022 supreme commit- tic affairs, law on mandatory health tee to the National Committee for and the role of Muslim insurance and referred it to Occupational Safety and Health Brotherhood, or what is called the Advisory Council for its established by cabinet Decree No. political Islam, which is domi- recommendations. (16) of the year 2011. nating the Arab Spring states. The law will facilitate imple- With the uprising in Syria mentation of the proposed Other cabinet decisions in its third year, it is clear for national health insurance scheme Other decisions of the meet- any observer that Iran has that will cover all citizens and ing include: Approving the draft spread its security and intel- expatriates, including visitors to bids regulation for Public Works ligence influence in the Gulf. the country. Authority. Recently, the Saudi Ministry The first phase of the manda- Approving the draft of Interior disclosed that it tory health insurance scheme is Memorandum of Understanding has busted an Iranian spy net- expected to be implemented by (MoU) in the field of urban plan- work comprising of 16 Saudis the end of this year. The Cabinet ning and infrastructure between and two others from Iran and ratified the draft law at its regu- Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality Lebanon. Similarly, Bahrain lar weekly meeting chaired by and Urban Planning and South The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird at the Emiri revealed the arrest of a ter- the Prime Minister and Foreign Korea’s Ministry of Transport Diwan in Doha yesterday. They reviewed bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. rorist cell which was planning Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin and Land and Maritime. to form an armed opposition Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani. The law Approving the entry into force force under the name “Al will lay down rules and regulations of the provisions of Law No (24) Emam Army” with the aim of for licensed healthcare providers as of the year 2002 on retirement attacking military bases in the well as the institutions authorised and pensions for Qatari work- country. to provide health insurance. ers at the Thani bin Abdullah’s Media freedom centre criticised Kuwaiti political thinker According to the draft law, Foundation for Humanitarian Dr Abdullah Al Nafisi said health insurance will be obligatory Services (RAF). DOHA: Hav i ng be come a lau g h- have a role to play locally and linked to freedom of expres- last week that Iran has plans and include mandatory health Taking the necessary meas- ing stock for taking up issues regionally like similar centres else- sion. “We guess Dr Mohamed Al to train Shia youth in the insurance services in addition to ures to ratify the Memorandum related to freedom of expression where. There is a similar centre in Jaidah’s arrest has something to Gulf states. According to preventive, curative, rehabilitative of Understanding (MoU) between in places like Syria and Sudan Kuwait and it regularly publishes do with freedom of speech. But him, Tehran is planning to and medical examinations serv- the governments of Qatar and and turning a blind eye to such reports on media freedom in the the DCMF hasn’t uttered a word take these youth to Sada in ices against payment of health Algeria on cooperation in the field issues closer home, the Doha region,” said a prominent Qatari and not even enquired why he Yemen from where they will insurance premiums. of oil and gas. Centre for Media Freedom journalist asking not be named was detained,” said the Qatari be transferred to four Eritrean The government will pay pre- The cabinet also discussed the (DCMF) eventually says it is due to the sensitivity of the issue. journalist. In a column late last islands which are rented and miums on behalf of Qatari citi- following issues and took the nec- busy publishing a report on According to him, a famous fel- month, prominent Qatari jour- used as military training cent- zens. A company called National essary decisions: media laws in the GCC. low Qatari journalist and author, nalist, Khalid Al Jaber, quoting ers by Iran. The youth will be Company for Health Insurance The letter of the Tax Appeal Modelled after ‘Reporters Abdulaziz Al Mehmoud, was some- New York-based Human Rights trained by Iranian revolution- will be established and will be Committee on the report of the Without Borders’, critics of the time ago prevented from entering Watch, said that the authorities ary guards there to destabilize responsible for implementa- Committee’s work during the Centre say it is nowhere close to the UAE and the DCMF didn’t say in the GCC states had pursued, the Gulf region. Dr Nafisi said tion and management of the period from July 1 - to December the France-based media freedom a word about him. prosecuted and jailed activists the regime in Bahrain would health insurance scheme under 31, 2012; The letter of Qatar’s watchdog and lacks a clear vision More recently, late last who called for political reforms have almost fallen had the the supervision of the Supreme Standing Committee of the about what its objectives and ide- February, a Qatari medical doc- and freedom of the press. Al Jazeera Shield forces not Council of Health. Population on its annual report als, if at all, are. tor was detained at Dubai air- THE PENINSULA intervened. Continued on page 7 The Cabinet also approved the for 2012. THE PENINSULA “The DCMF doesn’t seem to port apparently because of issues Continued on page 7 Fire at Sidra parking lot Journalist’s bounty on Assad’s head Average monthly pay DOHA: A in banks is QR30,250 famous Aljazeera Arabic channel’s news reader has DOHA: The average monthly half that of the banking industry. announced a prize salary in the country’s bank- The financial services providers of $1m for any- ing and financial services sec- had a slightly lower average of one who brings tor was QR23,750 in 2011, more QR15,000. her the head of than three times the national The QSA figures show that the Syrian President Bashar Al average, figures released by the insurance industry’s pay actually Assad, Al Sharq reports. Qada national statistics agency show. marginally declined in 2011 over Owais’s (pictured) announce- Since the average was the previous year, from QR15,833 ment is a tit for tat for a busi- QR19,416 in 2010, rising over 20 to QR15,333, while that of the nessman close to Al Assad who percent the next year, it can be financial services sector improved recently announced that anyone assumed that the salaries in the to QR15,000 from QR12,083. who catches a correspondent of sector might have improved fur- There were 19 banks, 14 insur- Al Jazeera or Al Arabia TV net- ther in 2012. ance providers and 72 financial works will be given away a prize Banks were the highest pay- services companies (including of $50,000. Owais has covered masters, with their monthly real estate developers and stock the Syrian crisis in Alleppo, the average salary being QR30,250 in brokers) in the country in 2010, daily said. THE PENINSULA 2011, data released by the Qatar totalling 105. Their number grew Statistics Authority (QSA) yes- marginally to 109 the next year Qaradawi’s fatwa terday suggest. (in 2011) as two new insurance Smoke rising from the underground parking lot of Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha after a fire, Insurance companies ranked firms and two financial services on IPO subscription yesterday, in a picture by Tamador Mohammed Al Sulaiti, published on the website of The DailyQ, a student second but their average monthly providers sprang up. pay — QR15,333 — was almost THE PENINSULA publication of Northwestern University in Qatar. There was no report of casualty. Report on page 4 DOHA: Prominent Islamic scholar Dr Yousuf Al Qaradawi has issued an edict (fatwa) urging fellow Islamic clerics and senior members of man- UAE Islamists’ trial slammed N Korea okays strike on US agement of Islamic banks and Dubai’s new airport to open on October 27 financial services companies DUBAI: Seven international human SEOUL: North Korea dramatically DUBAI: Dubai’s new international air- operations into Dubai World Central, to encourage Qatari citizens to rights groups yesterday criticised escalated its warlike rhetoric yesterday, port, which started cargo operations in Dubai Airports said in a statement. actively subscribe to the mega a “secret” trial in the United Arab warning that it had authorised plans for 2010, will open its long-delayed passen- Dubai World Central is designed even- initial public offering (IPO) Emirates of 94 Islamist dissidents, say- nuclear strikes on targets in the United ger terminal on October 27 with two tually to cater to 160 million passengers, to be launched by the state- ing refusal to open it up to the public States.