ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Home | 3 Business | 17 Sport | 28 Qatar’s aid to Qatar’s real American crisis-hit nations estate sector has Jordan Spieth has jumped 300 boosted private claims first US percent. sector loans Open golf title. TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2015 • 6 Ramadan 1436 • Volume 20 Number 6470 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Council for more study Emir hosts Iftar banquet on sponsorship law Members unhappy about some articles in draft law DOHA: The Advisory Council Affairs Committee of the Council, another employer, he should not yesterday expressed serious which studied the draft law, pro- be allowed to change jobs even if apprehensions about several posed forwarding its recommenda- he runs away, it said. articles in the draft law organis- tions to the government. On the contrary, as compensa- ing the exit, entry and residence The committee wants continua- tion, he should be forced to work of foreign workers and returned tion of the two-year ban on issuing with the employer for double the the draft for further study. of a new visa to expatriate workers period specified in the contract. The draft law was put to vote leaving Qatar after the cancella- If he has an open contract, after discussion during a regular tion of their work visa. he should be allowed to work session of the Council yesterday, The committee proposed that for another employer only after Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani hosted an Iftar banquet yesterday in honour of their excellencies and the majority of the members visas be issued to such workers ten years of work with the first members of the ruling family, dignitaries and prominent citizens at Al Wajbah Palace. voted against it. The Council’s only with the approval of their employer. And all this should chairman, Mohammed bin former employer, with some require approval from the authori- Mubarak Al Khulaifi, concluded exceptions. ties, said the committee. the discussion on the draft by The law should force companies Companies bringing workers saying that there was no need to recruiting workers from abroad from abroad to work on a project hurry in issuing the law, Al Sharq for specific projects to give a com- must be obliged to recruit edu- Ministry blacklists 807 firms reported. mitment that they will send them cated and well-trained workers. The Council also sought to back after the projects are com- They would be more effective and DOHA: The Ministry of Labour review samples of new job con- pleted, said the committee. would respect the rules and regu- and Social Affairs blacklisted Fewer labour complaints this year tracts and the procedures for The law should not allow expa- lations, it said. 807 companies for violation of protecting the rights of employ- triate workers to change jobs more Companies implementing gov- labour laws in the first half of DOHA: The number of labour complaints has fallen 21 percent ers and the needs of citizens and than twice, the committee said. ernment or private projects should this year. The ministry has so in the first half of this year compared to the same period the expatriates. If an expatriate worker delib- be forced to use advanced tech- far banned 3,913 companies — previous year, Mohamed Al Meer, Director of the Work Relation The members urged the bod- erately creates problems for the nology and equipment to speed up around five percent of the total Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, has told ies concerned at the Ministry of employer and does not com- work and reduce the number of number of companies registered Al Sharq. The drop is attributed to strict monitoring by the labour Interior to pay heed to their opin- ply with the contract to force foreign workers. in Qatar. department and awareness programmes. There were 3,388 labour ion on the draft law. the latter to end the contract Continued on page 2 The blacklisted companies complaints during the first half of this year, of which 2,322, or 70 The Internal and External or transfer his sponsorship to THE PENINSULA are barred from recruiting new percent, were amicably resolved at the ministry’s office, while 418 workers. were referred to courts. Most of the complaints were related to Mohamed Al Meer, Director of payment of salary, ticket allowance and leave allowance. Priority is the Work Relation Department given to solving disputes amicably. THE PENINSULA at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, told Al Sharq that laws. Companies are banned if the reforms and have opened bank Greece deal hope spurs global stocks the banned companies cannot bid they operate without opening an accounts for payment of salaries to for government tenders or apply office. The bans are lifted if the their workers. NEW YORK: Signs of a poten- confidence a Greek debt default 4,998.61 points while Frankfurt’s for warehouses. companies rectify their mistakes. A separate section has been tial breakthrough in talks could be averted at the end of the DAX 30 also gained 3.81 percent Blacklisting of companies does Al Meer said ongoing reforms in opened at the ministry to imple- between Greece and official month. to stand to 11,460.50 points. not impact the future prospects of labour laws were having a positive ment the Wage Protection System creditors sparked a huge rally in The latest plan included key The Athens Composite Index their workers; the ban is aimed at impact on the condition of work- (WPS), and training is being given European equity markets and a concessions from Athens on rocketed 9.0 percent. securing the rights of the workers, ers. Reforms related to salary to officials. new record in the US yesterday. pensions and defence spending, The Nasdaq jumped 0.72 per- Al Meer said. payment and accommodation for The WPS is being implemented The gains were biggest in although creditors say more move- cent to 5,153.97. The Dow Jones There are about 45,000 com- labourers were having a significant in association with Qatar Central Europe, where relief and hope ment is needed on tax provisions. Industrial Average gained 0.58 panies registered in Qatar, and impact, he said. Bank and other banks operating greeted an eleventh-hour reform In Europe, the CAC 40 in Paris percent to 18,119.78. bans can be imposed for reasons The ministry has found that in Qatar. Continued on page 2 plan from Greece that raised jumped 3.81 percent to close at AFP other than violation of labour most companies are adapting to THE PENINSULA Israel, Palestinians get war crimes rap GENEVA: UN investigators Gaza Strip, dominated by the RAMADAN said yesterday that Israel and Islamist Hamas movement, caus- TIMING Palestinian militant groups ing widespread destruction of committed grave abuses of homes and schools. Today’s Iftar: international humanitarian Hamas and other militant law during the 2014 Gaza con- groups launched thousands of 06:30pm flict that may amount to war rockets and mortar bombs out Tomorrow’s Imsak: crimes. of the enclave into Israel. 03:05am They called on all sides to “The (UN) commission cooperate with the International was able to gather substantial Criminal Court (ICC), which has information pointing to seri- opened a separate preliminary ous violations of international investigation. The Palestinian humanitarian law and interna- Authority is expected to make tional human rights law by Israel its first formal submission to the and by Palestinian armed groups. Hague-based court this week. In some cases, these violations A ceasefire last August ended may amount to war crimes,” the 50 days of fighting between Gaza independent investigators said in militants and Israel, in which a report issued yesterday, follow- Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Mansour is greeted by supporters after being released in Berlin yesterday. health officials said more than ing a year-long inquiry. 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civil- The investigators urged Israel ians, were killed. Israel put the to carry out credible domestic number of its dead at 67 soldiers investigations of senior political Germany frees Al Jazeera journalist and six civilians. and military officials, if crimes Israeli air strikes and shelling were substantiated. Ramadan hammered the densely populated REUTERS BERLIN: German authorities Adlouni, adding that all charges seek his extradition and had QUIZ yesterday released Al Jazeera had been dropped against ordered Mansour’s release, citing Answer a Simple Question journalist Ahmed Mansour, two 52-year-old Mansour, one of the both “legal aspects and possible Win a Gold Coin everyday days after detaining him at the best known TV journalists in the political-diplomatic concerns”, See page 15 request of his native Egypt in a Arabic world. without detailing them. move that sparked outrage from Al Jazeera’s acting director Mansour, an Egyptian-British Taliban attack Afghan parliament rights groups. general Mostefa Souag said a dual national, was controversially “I’m free, I’m free, I’m free,” “mistake” had been rectified with arrested on Saturday at a Berlin KABUL: Taliban militants launched a brazen assault on the Mansour exclaimed outside the Mansour’s release. airport, where he had been due Afghan parliament yesterday, triggering gunfire and explosions and Berlin prison, greeted by dozens “We hope that this will be a les- to fly to Doha. He had been sen- sending lawmakers scurrying for cover in an attack that killed two of cheering supporters. “Thanks son to the Egyptian authorities tenced last year by an Egyptian civilians, including a child. to people around the world who that the rest of the world values court in absentia to 15 years The raid came as the Afghan president’s nominee for the crucial post supported me in the last days!” freedom of the press,” he said in in prison on torture and other of defence minister was to be introduced in parliament and ended two “We welcome this decision by a statement.