PTCL brings country at par with global telecom sector
KARACHI (Staff Reporter ):   Zaman Gulzar, EVP PTCL for Sindh and Balochistan said that PTCL did its level best to bring Pakistan at par with international standard in Telecommunication sector. Along with Director, Abdur Rehman, General Manager, Rao Abdul Ghaffar, and others he met with the members of KATI.  At this occasion, Zaman Gulzar said that PTCL is continuously trying to provide better services and since, this institution is privatised, its efficiency is going better with the passage of time and PTCL connections which took months, now possible in hours. He said that this is an era of wireless and internet and PTCL is providing better services to its consumers.
And in areas where complaints are receiving, network is being further improved. A new service of PTCL Evo BTS is planned to provide in 100 more cities of the country and hoped that speed of internet would be exceeded from 30 mega bytes.
President All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Mian Zahid Hussain has appreciated the efforts of Zaman Gulzar and said that since Zaman Gulzar has taken over charge as EVP, telephone complaints have been reduced in Korangi Industrial Area and telecommunication sector has shown significant improvement.
Acting President KATI, Hasham A. Razzak, Vice President, Faraz-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Zubair Chhaya, Chairman Telecommunication Standing Committee-KATI, Shahid Jawed Qureshi, Niaz Ahmed, Usama Abbas Khan Niazi, Umer Rehan and others were also present at the occasion.

LHC reserves decision on Railways regularisation case
LAHORE  (Staff Reporter ):  The Lahore High Court on Friday reserved decision on petitions moved by Pakistan Railways employees seeking regularising their contract services. Abid Hussain and other petitioners submitted through their counsels that they were working in the department for 18 years on the contract basis but despite that their services were not being regularised. They contended that non-regularising their services were creating disappointment among the employees due to which the performance of the department was affecting. They pointed out that at least 20 thousands posts were still vacant in the department, and some quarters were planning to fill them on political basis.
On a court query, a law officer of the Railways confirmed in the court that the petitioner employees were working in the department for the 18 years.
The court recorded the contentions of all sides and reserved the judgment.

Oil prices slip on profit-taking
SINGAPORE (AFP): Oil prices eased on profit-taking in thin Asian trade Friday following gains in New York that were fuelled by upbeat sentiment over the US Federal Reserve's decision to begin easing its massive stimulus programme. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery, was down 20 cents at $98.84 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for February eased 41 cents to $109.88. "We are seeing small pullbacks in both the WTI and Brent contracts as they hit resistance levels following overnights gains," Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, told AFP.
"The volumes that are being traded right now are about one quarter of what we usually see on a normal day, so investors aren't likely to be too worried about this short-term dip in thin trading," he said.
WTI for January rose 97 cents in New York trade Thursday, while Brent climbed 66 cents in London, as investors read the Fed's decision to cut its monthly asset purchases by $10 billion to $75 billion from January as a sign of its confidence in the economy.
The move was accompanied by a pledge to continue with its ultra-low interest rates even after achieving its goal of bringing unemployment to below 6.5 percent.
"The commitment from the Fed to keep its key interest rates low had lifted confidence, garnering support for crude oil prices," Singapore-based Phillip Futures said in a note.
Investors had been concerned that a wind-down of the stimulus would hit oil demand outside the United States. The scaling back of the programme sends the greenback higher, and in turn makes dollar-priced oil more expensive to people using other currencies.

Dry fruit prices keep going up
ISLAMABAD (APP): The prices of dry fruits are increasing in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Prices of dry fruits including almond, Pine-nut and pistachio are skyrocketing as these things are the peak selling items in winter. The dry fruits are now beyond the reach of a common man. Pine-nut (chilgoza) is being sold in the city market at Rs 2,500 to 3,000 per kilogram, pistachio with and without shell at Rs 1,200 and 1,800 per kg, respectively, variety of almond at Rs 350, Rs 470 and Rs 560 per kg, walnuts at Rs 300 to 350 per kg, grams at Rs 170 to 200 per kg, variety of kernel at Rs 750, Rs 850 and Rs 950 per kg, dried dates at Rs 200 to Rs 250 per kg and peanuts at Rs 200 per kg.
According to a dry fruit dealer Shahid Rana, the shift in the weather conditions had not augmented the sale of dry fruits as compared to last years. The increase in the prices is due to heavy transport charges and export of dry fruits is also another factor, he explained.
A citizen Ali Hasan added that the shopkeepers are charging public at exorbitant rates. He demanded the authority to evolve a mechanism to control the prices of such items. A dry fruit vendor said that with the fall of temperature in city demand for dry fruits had sharply increased and prices had shoot up. He said dry fruit dealers store the dry fruits, which cause the shortage of the commodities in the market and thereby leads to increase in prices.

LCCI inks MoU with Alibaba.com
LAHORE (APP): As part of its strategy to help businesses embrace the exciting journey into the world of e-commerce, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday inked a MoU with leading global e-commerce platform Alibaba.com. LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari inked the MoU on behalf of the chamber while Eric Sin, Senior Development Manager Global Suppliers Development, represented Alibaba.com. The memorandum of understanding will serve all LCCI members besides facilitating and increasing international trade using e-commerce. Through this collaboration, members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry will have an opportunity to create a virtual catalogue of their products free of charge.
This will give them maximum global exposure and allow them to expand and manage their business.
LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari said "The new liaison will generate an exciting and innovative opportunity for the chamber's members to trade with a global client base.
"For the first time, the Lahore chamber will leverage Alibaba.com's platform to offer businesses a unique opportunity to create new market prospects and to sell their products and services to businesses worldwide. This is a giant leap that will open doors to new markets for our members," the LCCI president said.
Alibaba.com has 36 million registered users from more than 240 countries and regions and showcases 2.8 million supplier storefronts.
Mr Eric Sin, Senior Development Manager Global Suppliers Development for Alibaba.com, said: "We believe the future of e-commerce is very strong. We are pleased to work with the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to bring our proven e- commerce platform to their members, giving businesses the opportunity to trade with the world."