ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Tuesday 29 January 2013 17 Rabial I 1434 - Volume 17 Number 5594 Price: QR2 Hungary looks Sri Lanka pip to Qatar for Australia, clinch energy needs T20 series Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Medical tests Govt pushing for lower car prices at home only PM inaugurates Qatar Motor Show for citizens of DOHA: The government is monopolies,” said the Premier. 11 countries continuing with its efforts to Asked if the steps taken by the convince local car dealers to Ministry of Business and Trade, DOHA: The rule that foreign lower the prices of low- and which boasts a consumer rights workers must undergo a medical medium-priced vehicles and watchdog, to convince car deal- check-up in their home country bring them on par with the ers about price reduction were before they arrive here to take rates prevalent in some neigh- enough, the PM said: “I believe up jobs applies only to nationals bouring GCC states. the ministry has done enough in of 11 Asian and African states. The Prime Minister and that regard”. The Asian countries are Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh He, however, hinted that the Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al government had not given up on Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thani, yesterday said talks were its determination to tame the and Sri Lanka, while the African still on between the government dealers on the pricing issue and states are Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia and car dealers over the pricing said that efforts in this regard and Sudan. issue. would continue. All workers coming from these Car prices must be competi- In 2010, the PM had raised the countries, including unskilled tive here, as they are in the issue of low and medium-priced and semi-skilled workers and neighbouring GCC countries, cars being expensive here as com- professionals, must take medical reiterated the Premier, who had pared to other GCC states at his tests before travelling to Qatar. first called on the local dealers annual interaction with Qatari Nationals of other countries com- to lower car prices more than businessmen. ing here to work are exempt from two years ago. The Consumer Protection this rule. “The stand of the government Department (CPD) of the trade The rule is in place since is that it wants to end business ministry followed up on it and February 2011, but has not been fully implemented due to some technical difficulties, Dr Ibrahim Qatar-Oman JV to make buses Al Shaar, director of the Medical Commission, told The Peninsula DOHA: Qatar is a stakeholder in a key project that would be The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani inaugurating the 2013 yesterday. launched in Oman to manufacture passenger buses, the Prime The Commission conducts Qatar Motor Show at Doha Exhibition Centre yesterday. Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem health checks on newly arrived bin Jabor Al Thani, said yesterday. foreign workers to make sure that “There is an intention to open a plant for passenger buses, and held several meetings with car Some 120,000 people had vis- vintage and high-end luxury cars. they test negative for HIV, tuber- it has been agreed that this project will be transferred to Oman, dealers on the issue. ited last year’s car show, and the The PM lauded the show and culosis, hepatitis B and C to be with Qatar’s participation in it,” the Premier was quoted as saying The Premier was yesterday organisers expect a larger turnout described it as important and said entitled to a work visa. by Qatar News Agency yesterday. speaking to reporters after open- this year. it provided an opportunity to peo- “We have already started the Answering a question about Qatar’s plans to set up a car manufac- ing the 2013 Qatar Motor Show. This is the third year the ple to view and know about new tests in several countries, but cur- turing facility, the PM said there was no such plan at the moment. The event will be open to the pub- event is being held here. This cars and the latest automotive rently it is kind of optional. We THE PENINSULA lic from today until February 2 at year’s edition has six new technologies. are working with the Ministry the Doha Exhibition Centre. exhibitors, and on display are THE PENINSULA of Interior to strictly and fully implement the system, and this can be expected in less than a year,” said Al Shaar. Egypt erupts again Under the system, all new Iran launches recruits from the said countries must undergo medical tests in monkey into space Four Asians held their country that are similar to the check-up done by the Medical DUBAI: Iran said yesterday it Commission here. Only those who had launched a live monkey into clear the tests will be issued a visa space, seeking to show off mis- over hooch sale to work in Qatar. sile systems that have alarmed After their arrival in Qatar, the the West because the technol- workers must undergo a check-up ogy could potentially be used to DOHA: Four Asian runaway The police recovered several at the Medical Commission. deliver a nuclear warhead. workers who ran a money-spin- barrels containing the illicit liq- Continued on page 5 The Defence Ministry said ning illicit liquor brewing and uor and found a huge amount of THE PENINSULA the space launch of the monkey marketing racket in Al Khor cash at the place along with lap- coincided “with the days of” the have been arrested and turned tops and mobile phones. birthday of Prophet Mohammad over to the prosecution for During interrogation, the (PBUH), which was last week, but questioning and legal action. accused confessed to the crime. Today gave no date in a statement car- Law-enforcement officials It was also discovered that they ried by official news agency IRNA. busted the gang following a tip-off were runaway workers and com- The Peninsula The launch was “another giant from a Qatari citizen who com- plaints that they had run away includes an 8-page step” in space technology and plained that the stench of liquor had been lodged by their sponsors. supplement on biological research “which is the always hung in the air around The assistant director of the monopoly of a few countries”, the what turned out to be the hideout Northern Security Department, statement said. of the arrested foursome. Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Al The small grey monkey was A police party raided the place Shahwani, lauded the coopera- pictured strapped into a pad- after taking the necessary legal tion of citizens with the security ded seat and being loaded into Protesters stand on a police vehicle before they set it on fire in Cairo’s measures and discovered that departments and said it positively the Kavoshgar rocket dubbed Tahrir Square as thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in cit- the place was indeed being used reflected on the security and sta- “Pishgam” (Pioneer) which state ies along the Suez canal, defying a state of emergency imposed by to make illicit home-made liquor, bility of the country. media said reached a height of the Ministry of Interior said on THE PENINSULA President Mohammed Mursi to end days of violence that has killed at more than 120 kilometres. its website. Picture on page 5 least 51 people. See also page 9 REUTERS Qatar to issue riyal Half of Qatar’s population unaware of e-govt services bonds this year BY AZMAT HAROON are more likely to apply for and renew The report shows that on average, a to a drop in overall satisfaction rates DUBAI: Qatar plans to issue visas, health cards and residence permits household in Qatar owns three mobile for Internet use between 2010 and 2012. local currency sovereign bonds DOHA: Nearly half of the population in using the e-government services. phones, two computers and one smart- Notably, higher speed broadband connec- with three- and five-year matu- Qatar is not aware of the various elec- The biggest obstacle to universal ICT phone, and people are using technology to tions are found more among Qatari house- rities this year as part of efforts tronic government services while a mere penetration and usage in Qatar is wide- access the Internet in greater numbers. holds than expatriate ones. to build a yield curve for its 17 percent has actually used these serv- spread lack of the necessary skills among Other trends that emerged from the data “Qatar continues to make great headway debt market, an International ices in the last 12 months — a drop from parts of the population, particularly female show that broadband access is on the rise, toward a truly digital future for all of its Monetary Fund official said 20 percent in 2010, a study sponsored and older Qatari citizens, as well as semi- with 85 percent of households in Qatar people,” said Dr Hessa Al Jabar, ictQatar’s yesterday. by Qatar’s telecoms sector regulator skilled and unskilled expatriate workers. using a broadband connection, up from Secretary General. “They are going to issue three- suggests. The high cost of buying or renting com- 80 percent in 2010, and mobile broadband “While we are proud of our achieve- and five-year domestic govern- Less than a quarter of the population has puters and lack of access to technology are subscriptions, in particular, are on the rise.