BUSINESS | 17 SPORT | 21 Qatar & UK to boost Aussies fight ties in healthcare back after sector Elgar heroics Friday 23 March 2018 | 6 Rajab I 1439 www.thepeninsula.qa Volume 23 | Number 7474 | 2 Riyals Freedom to roam with Bill Protection! Terms & conditions apply Qatar provides full support Emir holds discussion with CEO of Royal Dutch Shell to persons with disabilities THE PENINSULA The Prime Minister the level of services offered to honoured a number this category. DOHA: Prime Minister and The Minister of Culture and Interior Minister H E Sheikh of Their Excellencies Sports said all the sports facil- Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa the Ministers for ities in Qatar are designed to Al Thani attended yesterday the their contributions accommodate persons with dis- closing ceremony of Qatar and support to the abilities, adding that the Ministry Autism Families Association started to allocate compre- (QAFA), held under the slogan activities of Qatar hensive sports facilities for the “Together We Make Difference”. Autism Families disabled, and to provide spe- The Prime Minister hon- Association (QAFA). cialised trainers and the latest oured a number of Their Excel- equipment. The Ministry is also lencies the Ministers for their developing a number of estab- contributions and support to the Dr Al Nuaimi reiterated lishments in Qatar Club and Al activities of the Association. Qatar’s increasing attention to Ahli club to accommodate larger Talking to QNA, on the side- persons with disabilities of all numbers of persons with disa- lines of the ceremony, the Min- categories, especially those with bilities. He said that there is ister of Administrative Devel- autism. He said there is direct great cooperation between the opment, Labor and Social Affairs, guidance from the Prime Min- Ministry and the Qatar Olympic H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al ister on the need to take into Committee (QOC) to provide all Nuaimi and Minister of Culture account these categories, and sorts of support to prepare and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem overcome all the difficulties Olympian athletes and increase Al Ali reiterated Qatar’s increasing before them and provide all their number and participation importance given to persons with support to them. in international competitions. disabilities of all categories, espe- The Minister praised the role During the event Chairman of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday at his office in Al Bahr Palace with Chief cially those with autism. They played by QAFA in integrating QAFA, Fatima Al Shaheen Al Sulaiti, Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, Ben van Beurden, who called to greet His Highness on the confirmed that there are direc- them in the society and raising handed over a commemorative occasion of his visit to Qatar. The meeting dealt with aspects of cooperation and means to promote them. tives to provide the needed awareness on their capabilities shield to the Prime Minister and support to all the activities and by extending help and support Interior Minister for his unlimited events which work to integrate to them and their families con- and remarkable contribution and persons with disabilities, espe- firming the Ministry’s full support to autism families and the cially those with autism into support to the association in all activities of the Association. Agricultural society, and to raise awareness of its contributions and participa- QCB raises deposit their potential and abilities. tions which works on elevating CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 production to cover interest rate to 1.75% 50% of needs QNA QNA lending rate for banks operating in Qatar. QCB’s decision to raise DOHA: The Central Bank of interest rates in line with the DOHA: The sixth edition of Qatar (QCB) announced decision of the US Federal Reserve, Qatar International Agricul- yesterday that it has raised its announced on Wednesday, to tural Exhibition (Agritech) QCB Deposit Rate (QCBDR) by raise interest rates by 25 basis concluded at Doha Exhibition 25 basis points to 1.75%., based points in a move that coincided and Convention Center, on local and international with market estimates and ana- yesterday. The Minister of economic data. lysts. US Federal Reserve said it Municipality and Environment The central bank said in a had raised its key interest rate H E Mohammed bin Abdullah statement obtained by Qatar to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, this Al Rumaihi honoured the News Agency that it had main- is the first increase in the US sponsors and the companies tained the QCB lending Rate interest rate this year after three participating the event (QCBLR) at its current level of increases approved by the US including Qatari farms and 5.00% and QCB Repurchase Central Bank last year 2017. livestock breeders. rate (Repo) at its current level The Qatari riyal has been The Minister stressed on Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with Ministers of 2.50%. The price of repo linked to the US dollar at a fixed the importance of achieving and officials at the closing ceremony of Qatar Autism Families Association (QAFA), yesterday. agreements is the central bank rate since 1980. food security, noting that the difficult summer conditions might not enable a 100-percent production of the local needs. He Qatar continues support in maintained however, that agri- Kahramaa aims to cut electricity cultural production could combatting human trafficking increase by multiples, rising from 20-30 percent to 50 percent of local market needs. THE PENINSULA and water consumption The Minister said that the sixth SANAULLAH ATAULLAH the inaugural ceremony of edition of the exhibition gained DOHA: The Minister of Administrative Development, THE PENINSULA the Carnival. more prominence due to the Labor and Social Affairs, H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al “Under Qatar Devel- interest of the Emir H H Sheikh Nuaimi, who is also chairman of National Committee for opment Strategy 2018-22, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Combatting Human Trafficking honoured participants DOHA: Qatar General Elec- Tarsheed program targets the Prime Minister and Interior in the two workshops on combatting human trafficking. tricity and Water Corpo- to reduce per-capita elec- Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin The award ceremony took place in the closing of ration (Kahramaa) opened tricity and water con- Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani in the workshop to support the capacity of national judicial yesterday the “Second sumption to eight percent the agricultural sector and food and prosecutorial agencies in combating human traf- Tarsheed Carnival” under its and 15 percent respec- security. ficking and the other workshop on identifying human Tarsheed program that tively,” said Al Hammadi. The Minister expressed trafficking to journalists and media personnel and media targets to reduce per-capita He said that the target his satisfaction at the out- students, reported QNA. electricity and water will help to save money, comes of the exhibition for all Speaking at the event, Head of the Human Rights consumption to eight reduce gas consumption the participants. His Excellency Department in the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Faisal percent and 15 percent, and carbon emission added that all participating bin Abdullah Al Henzab, who is also Deputy chairman of respectively during next five allowing Qatar to pursue companies met with one National Committee for Combatting Human Trafficking, years. The opening of the Second Tarsheed Carnival at the Paris Agreement on another and gained an said that Qatar continues its support in the field of com- The event that began Kahramaa Awareness Park yesterday. Climate Change. Many important outlet by being part batting human trafficking which is related to the State’s yesterday at Kahramaa PIC: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA steps are being taken to of this year’s event. His Excel- international agenda, and is important to the global Awareness Park (KAP) achieve the target lency noted that there were community. aims at creating awareness conscious generation”. The rationalisation of electricity including adopting latest plenty of deals made between It is not limited only to Qatar and the region alone, and about the conservation of Carnival will continue until and water consumption, technologies to make businessmen and farmers, it is not limited only to human trafficking, however it works electricity and water. March 29. The Carnival is said Abdulaziz Ahmed Al electric appliances more highlighting that foreign com- on promoting and protecting labor rights, starting with the The event is being hosting school students in Hammadi, Director of Kah- energy efficient and panies also benefitted greatly great developments achieved by Qatar on this matter in organised by Kahramaa’s morning from from 8am to ramaa’s Energy Efficiency installation of low-flow from participating as their rep- the recent years through the technical cooperation with National Program for Con- 2pm and general public and Rationalization taps to save the water, resentatives met with those in the International Labor Organisation, he said. servation and Energy Effi- from 4pm to 10pm. Department while said Al Hammadi. touch with the agricultural ciency (Tarsheed) under a The event aims at edu- speaking with the media sector as a whole and got all CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 theme “to create a cating people about persons on the sideline of CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 the information they needed. 02 HOME FRIDAY 23 MARCH 2018 Speaker of Advisory Council, Foreign Minister meets French counterpart delegation leave for Geneva QNA DOHA: Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud and his accompanying dele- PARIS: Qatar’s Deputy Prime gation yesterday afternoon left Doha for Geneva to partic- Minister and Minister of Foreign ipate in the 138th General Assembly of the Inter-Parlia- Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin mentary Union (IPU) and associated meetings during the Abdulrahman Al Thani met here period March 24 to 28.