Wednesday, May 1, 2013

‘Switch to Windows Phone’ app helps you find your favorite Android apps on Windows Phone

Microsoft has been asking users of other platforms to switch to Windows Phone for a long time now but so far the biggest hurdle has been the lack of a good quality apps on the platform. Or at least that’s what it seems like. Things aren’t that bad in reality, though, and there are Windows Phone versions of several of the popular apps out there right now.
To bring this to everyone’s notice, Microsoft has now released a new app for Android, called Switch to Windows Phone, which scans your Android phone for all the installed apps and then shows you which ones are available on the Window Phone Store. After that, you can choose to save the list on your SkyDrive account and later if you happen to purchase a Windows Phone, you can download the companion app, which will download this list and then help you find those apps on the Windows Phone Store.
The app currently only shows direct matches but it would be better if Microsoft tweaked the app to show alternatives as well, so even if there isn’t a Windows Phone version of a particular Android app you could still download something similar and get the job done. Also, the app should be made available in more regions, which at present, it isn’t.

ICH Agreement Annulled by CCP

ICH agreement annulled by CCPThe Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) in a bench comprising Chairperson Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan, Member Dr. Joseph Wilson and Member Shehzad Ansar passed an order to annulled the International Clearing House (ICH) Agreement by the 14 LDI operators. The order also imposed a huge penalty of 7.5 percent of annual turnover of each LDI for violation of Sec 4 of the Competition Act, 2010. The penalty amounts to billions of rupees as only the penalty of Rs 8.309 billion, Rs 534 million and Rs 189 million has been imposed on PTCL, WorldCall and Telecard respectively.
The penalty amount was based on the data provided by Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) which states that number of incoming international calls in September 2012, before establishment of ICH, was 1.9 billion minutes which reduced to 579 million as in February 2013.
Despite decrease in the number of incoming calls by 70 percent, the estimated revenue of LDI Operators for the month of September 2012 before ICH was $8.37 million which elevated to $59 million in October 2012 and currently stands at $34 Million in February 2013 marking an increase of 308 percent in Post ICH period. The main reason of increase in Revenue was that incoming call charges were increased to 8.8 cents/minutes from rates around 2 cents/minute pre ICH.
The order states that the monthly APC received/ receivable by the PTA, has decreased from $24.33 million to $16.78 million in the month of February 2013 (Decrease of 31 percent).
The Bench said that the ICH agreement was the reason for reduction in incoming calls, causing an inequality and disrupting the healthy competitive environment of the market. It had also been the reason by FCC had ordered US telecom operators to stop payments to Pakistani LDI operators. LDI operators have been directed not to enter any such agreement in the future again and restore the competitive environment amongst each other that existed prior to implementation of the ICH Agreement.
For failure to comply with the earlier order passed by the Commission requiring the LDI operators to seek clearance if at any point of time they intend to enter into ICH arrangement, a penalty of Rs 1,000,000 (one million) has been imposed on all the LDI Operators… For any loss resulting from illegal gains received by LDI Operations under the ICH Agreement, the aggrieved parties can claim compensation from the LDI Operators before the court of competent jurisdiction in pursuance of this Order.
The LDI operators pleaded during the proceedings that that they entered into the ICH Agreement on the directives of the Ministry of Information Technology (MOIT) and PTA.
However, in view of the settled principle of law that a policy directive cannot override or prevail expressed provisions of the statute passed by the legislature, the Bench held that no protection or immunity can be sought from the application of the Competition Act by the undertakings under the umbrella of such a policy directive

Raheela Khan has been named a 2013 Yale World Fellow

Raheela KhanPakistani national and Doha Bank executive Raheela Khanhas been named a 2013 Yale World Fellow, announced Yale University President Richard C. Levin. Raheela Khan is Assistant Manager of Treasury and Investments for Doha Bank, a major Qatari financial institution. A Pakistani national born and raised in Dubai, Khan currently manages a portfolio in excess of US$600 million. She is an experienced and knowledgeable professional with a deep understanding of the financial markets of Pakistan, UAE and Qatar.
Previously, Khan was instrumental in transforming the investment culture in Pakistan through senior leadership roles at institutions such as the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange. She did this by introducing new financial products to the Pakistani market and convincing local institutions there to adopt cutting-edge international investment strategies thereby developing her domestic financial markets, which Khan believes have immense untapped potential.
In addition to her post graduate business education, Khan has attended the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Program at Said Business School, University of Oxford in 2012. Along with her professional interests, she is also passionate about social welfare and has launched a number of charitable programs in Pakistan.
Raheela Khan is among 16 World Fellows selected this year, from a pool of about 2,500 applicants. This year’s cohort brings the total number of Yale World Fellows since the program’s inception in 2002 to 238 Fellows, representing 81 countries.
The Yale World Fellows Program is the University’s signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale’s ongoing commitment to internationalization. Each year, the University invites a group of exemplary mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training.
This year’s World Fellows include an Egyptian diplomat, a Dutch documentary filmmaker, a managing editor with The Economist Group in London, and an advocate for transparency in the Nigerian oil sector.
“The Yale World Fellows Program consistently attracts outstanding talent,” said World Fellows program director Michael Cappello, professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine. “The 16 individuals selected this year are each poised to become even more effective change-makers in their societies and around the world. This unique leadership training opportunity will no doubt inspire their many future contributions to the global community.”