ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Thursday 3 October 2013 27 Dhul-qa’da 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5841 Price: QR2 Oil prices rise Brilliant Bayern despite jump Munich crush in inventories Manchester City Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Qatar committed Qatar appoints to summer World Cup, says law firm for 2022 committee DOHA: Qatar is committed to staging the 2022 FIFA World Cup in summer but a switch labour review to winter would be managed with equal equanimity, the host organisation said yesterday. No forced labour in country: Experts FIFA Executive Committee is meeting in Zurich tomorrow to DOHA: Qatar has hired a workers who come here sign con- deliberate on the issue. reputed international law firm tracts and can change jobs, though “We bid for the FIFA World Cup to carry out an independent with employers’ consent. in summer because we saw the review of the recent allegations “Forced labour is when you opportunity to present solutions of forced labour in the country. force someone to work against for players and fans in our country, The Ministry of Labour and his or her will,” said a lawyer, and others with similar climates, to Social Affairs said yesterday it requesting anonymity. Diplomatic enjoy the outdoors in cool, safe and has commissioned DLA Piper, a circles said Qatar has made the comfortable conditions in the sum- leading international law firm, to right move by appointing a glo- mer months,” Qatar 2022 Supreme undertake an independent review bal law firm to probe the allega- Committee said yesterday. of the allegations. tions. “It shows Qatar has taken “We committed significant time “The firm has been asked to con- the criticism seriously and wants and resources toward proving duct a review of the accusations that such accusations are not that we could host the tourna- and report on their veracity to the repeated in future. It is a posi- ment in summer in cool, com- Ministry,” Adviser (International tive development considering that fortable and safe conditions,” the Relations) at the Ministry said. major development projects are statement added. Ali Ahmed Al Kholeifi told being launched here to host the “If the international football Qatar News Agency (QNA) 2022 FIFA event,” said an Asian community reaches a consensus that once the law firm submits diplomat. to move the event to an alternate its report, the Ministry would He said that honestly speak- Federal employees protest against the government shutdown at the US Capitol in Washington, yesterday. date, we are able to accommodate decide on an appropriate course ing the labour situation in Qatar that change,” it said. of action. isn’t alarming as the system is “This would not affect our plan- “Qatar takes its interna- responsive. “You have so many ning and preparation. Our com- tional obligations very seriously,” mechanisms to seek redress in US shutdown chaos spreads mitment to cooling technologies Kholeifi said. a labour dispute or a worker’s will continue, for without it certain “Recently, there have been a woes. There is the labor depart- WASHINGTON: Cancellations itineraries after finding popular ship from the 18th century docked parts of the world will be denied number of allegations of failure ment, the National Human Rights and delays caused by the federal sites from the Statue of Liberty in Boston Harbour that serves as the right to host such events.” to enforce certain international Committee and finally, the foreign government shutdown spread to the Lincoln Memorial closed. one of the city’s major attractions. “Qatar already has one cooled conventions on the treatment office. He said the Nepalese ambas- across the United States yester- “We’re really disappointed. Normally buzzing with tourists, stadium at Al Sadd Sports Club, of workers, most notably, the sador in whose name the contro- day, ruining dream vacations, We spent a lot of days waiting the site was nearly abandoned retrofitted in 2008. FIFA’s inspec- Convention on Forced Labor. versy was created by sections of upending carefully laid wedding for tickets so we just want to go yesterday, except for a handful of tion team visited this stadium The official was referring to the western media had already plans and complicating the lives inside the statue,” said Gaelle people looking lost and dismayed and experienced the cooling,” the UN International Labor denied those comments. “However, of millions of people. Masse, a tourist from Paris who as they gawked at a sign explain- the statement said. “In 2010, we Organization (ILO) Convention if the outcome of the unfortunate From blood drives to daycare was startled to discover the ing the closure. constructed a prototype carbon- on Forced Labor Qatar signed row is positive we would welcome programmes, musical perform- Statue of Liberty was closed. “Italy is not the only state with neutral stadium which utilised in 2007. it,” said the diplomat. ances to research projects, the Thousands of tourists with money problems,” Paliero said, renewable energy-powered cool- According to the ILO, forced Contacted for comment on the disruptions caused by the political prepaid tickets to visit Alcatraz rubbing his thumb and forefin- ing technologies, which FIFA’s labour includes people coerced labour ministry appointing a law stalemate in Washington sparked Island, the famed prison site in gers together. inspection team also visited.” into jobs which they cannot leave, firm to review the allegations, a growing frustrations and left peo- San Francisco Bay, were unable At Great Smoky Mountains “We are currently in a period trapped in debt bondage, trafficked senior NHRC official said he and ple scrambling to make alterna- to tour the former penitentiary. National Park in Tennessee, of research and development to for sexual exploitation and even his organisation would not like to tive plans. In Boston, Italian tourist park staff said nearly 30 wed- implement these environmen- born into slavery. It covers work- be dragged into the row. “It’s a Scores of weddings planned Federico Paliero and his girlfriend dings scheduled for the next two tally-friendly cooling technologies ers in the construction and domes- sensitive issue and we don’t want at national parks and monu- Claudia Costato peered through weeks are threatened by the shut- on a larger scale in our stadiums, tic sectors. Legal circles here said to get involved,” said the official. ments around the country were a closed metal gate to catch a down, which also sent hundreds of training pitches, fan zones and the sponsorship system in Qatar is THE PENINSULA moved or postponed, and vaca- glimpse of the USS Constitution, a campers packing. REUTERS public areas for the 2022 FIFA not akin to forced labour because See also page 5 tioners hustled to change their wooden, three-masted US Navy See also page 11 World Cup.” THE PENINSULA Safe Subaru More bodies found in Kenya mall 30pc share in projects NAIROBI: Bodies have been retrieved from Kenya’s Westgate a boon for Qatari firms mall following a brutal siege by Islamist gunmen, police said yes- terday, as the extremists warned DOHA: Battling lean days and building industry insider said it was “rivers of blood” would flow in watching helplessly as international still to be seen how the government’s fresh attacks. Kenya’s President firms bag mega construction con- decision would be implemented. Uhuru Kenyatta has said a for- tracts, it is a dream come true for “We must wait for detailed regula- mal inquiry will be launched into Qatari contracting companies as tions. It is still doubtful how smaller apparent security lapses during they have now been promised 30 contracting companies would be made the deadly assault last week on percent share in giant development to take part in the projects and benefit the shopping complex, in which at projects. since they don’t have adequate capital least 67 were killed, with 39 more The government is making it man- base,” said the insider. listed as missing. Shopkeepers datory for all global companies bag- The Chamber, representative body have complained their stores in ging mega infrastructure development of the private sector, yesterday said it the upmarket centre have been work to share at least 30 percent of had been lobbying the government to completely looted. the contract with local entities. issue the above diktat for more than Full report on page 11 A majority of Qatari contract- four years. ing companies are in no position to “We urged the government in May Russian embassy bid for giant projects. “So they have 2009 to ask international companies Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries, known as Subaru, unveils its new ‘EyeSight’ safety driv- been just looking helplessly at for- bagging mega contracts to procure at attacked in Libya ing technology with built-in stereo cameras to prevent collisions, in Tokyo yesterday. The technol- eign firms walking away with lucra- least 30 percent of services and mate- ogy detects vehicles, pedestrians and other objects in front of the vehicle and activates the brakes tive contracts,” said a senior Qatar rials required for a project locally,” TRIPOLI/MOSCOW: Russia’s automatically to avoid accidents. Chamber official. “So finally they have said the Chamber’s chairman, Sheikh embassy in the Libyan capital an opportunity to share the fruits of Khalifa bin Jassem Al Thani. of Tripoli came under fire yes- development that is taking place in He told Al Sharq, with the above terday and a group of people preparation for the 2022 FIFA event,” decision, local contracting firms would tried to force their way into the said Nasser Al Mir. benefit in many ways.