As a country, Pakistan is all about momentary triumphs followed by prolonged periods of adversity. This permeates all spheres of our lives, be it moments of brilliance on the cricket field or symbolic wins for democracy. Even the startup ecosystem is beholden to the same patterns where any good news is sandwiched between long bouts of gloom. Not so long ago, the ecosystem did get that solitary moment of joy when the news of Sadapay’s acquisition by Turkish unicorn Papara was confirmed. Finally, there was an exit event in the venture capital (VC)-funded space worthy of attention, though not without caveats.…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has criticised the country’s tax authorities for having a “reputation for corruption”, calling it the main reason why citizens don’t want to deal with it. In an interview with the Financial Times, he was critical of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), saying: “People don’t want to deal with the tax authority because of corruption, because of harassment, because of people asking for speed money, facilitation money.” He also warned that the forthcoming IMF bailout “will not be our last” if the government fails to significantly boost tax revenue, adding: “We do not have five years for our programme……
An elephant went on a rampage during a religious event in southern Sri Lanka, injuring 13 people, local media reported on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday night during the Ruhunu Kataragama Mahadevala procession, a major religious and cultural event held at Kataragama, in the Uva province, local English daily The Sri Lanka Mirror reported. The injured are being treated at the local hospital, and no one was critically injured, the police said. Elephant rampages during religious festivals are not uncommon in the country, mainly because of the loud noises made by the attendees. Authorities often urge people to avoid making loud…
Seven children were among 49 people who drowned in waters across Russia on Saturday as scorching heat blankets large swaths of the country, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said on Sunday. “A total of 65 incidents were registered on the country’s water bodies over the past 24 hours — 49 people died,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. That is 10 more drowning incidents than on the same day a year ago, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported. Over the past week, Russians braved some of the hottest weather seen in more than a century, with Moscow breaking a 1917…
Lashing rains in Nepal causing flash floods and landslides have killed at least 14 people across the country, with disaster teams searching for nine missing, police said on Sunday. Flooding in neighbouring India, as well as in downstream Bangladesh, has also caused widespread damage and impacted millions. “Police are working with other agencies and locals to find the missing people,” Nepalese police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP. Those killed and missing are in multiple locations. Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years.…
Entertainment (WWE) said in a post on social media platform X on Saturday. “John Cena announces retirement from in-ring competition, stating that WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas will be his last,” WWE said. According to a statement by WWE, John Cena had announced his retirement from in-ring competition after a legendary WWE career. Cena announced the surprise appearance at Money in the Bank in Toronto, Canada, and thanked the fans for their years of support, it said. The 16-time world champion revealed that the 2025 Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas would be his last, it added. He…
UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi on Sunday met Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Peshawar as he began a three-day visit that will focus on the problems of Afghan refugees, a UNHCR spokesperson said. Spokesperson Qaisar Afridi told Dawn.com that Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), met delegations of Afghan refugees who apprised him about their problems in Pakistan. “The UNHCR chief assured Afghan refugees that he would discuss with Pakistani officials about all issues of the refugees,” the spokesperson said. According to Afridi, the Afghan delegation comprised registered refugees and those who arrived in Pakistan after the…
The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 500,000 people facing “catastrophic” hunger, entered into its tenth month on Sunday while deadly air strikes continued. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the assault on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has so far killed 38,098 and injured 87,705, most of whom are women and children. The offensive has uprooted 90 per cent of Gaza’s population, destroyed much of its housing and other infrastructure, and left almost 500,000 people enduring “catastrophic” hunger, UN agencies say. With fighting raging across the Palestinian territory, fresh diplomatic efforts are underway to halt the…
PHILADELPHIA: An embattled US President Joe Biden faced escalating pressure on Sunday from fellow Democrats worried about his candidacy, which he aimed to ease with a pair of campaign stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Biden, 81, has faced growing calls to end his re-election campaign after a halting performance in a June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump, 78, raised questions about his ability to do the job for another four years. He has vowed to stay in the race, dismissing calls for him to drop out as “nonsense” in a fundraising email on Saturday. Democrats also suggested that Vice…
PARIS: A loose alliance of French left-wing parties thrown together for snap elections was on course on Sunday to become the biggest parliamentary bloc and beat the far right, according to shock projected results. The New Popular Front (NFP) was formed last month after President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections, bringing together socialists, greens, communists and the hard-left into one camp. Veteran presidential candidate Marine Le Pen‘s National Rally (RN) led the race after the June 30 first round, with opinion polls predicting that she would lead the biggest party in Parliament after Sunday’s run-off. But projections based on vote samples…
