News

Convoluted intrigues of venture capital funding

In the world of startups, attention spans are usually short-lived, just like the apps they build out. One day, you’d be a star, getting media attention left right and centre, speaking at conferences and being named in the Forbes 30 under 30. The following month, you could be facing legal proceedings on charges of fraud. Yet, one company has managed to keep everyone hooked for close to two years

A page from the reform book

A long time ago, Deng Xiaoping termed the reform he helped initiate as China’s second revolution. “The reform we are now carrying out is very daring. But if we do not carry it out, it will be hard for us to make progress. Reform is China’s second revolution,” he is quoted to have said during his talk with Mr Susumu Nikaido, Vice-President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, in 1985. “I

Pakistan mulls lifting ban on livestock export

Pakistan is likely to lift the ban on the commercial export of sheep and goats imposed more than a decade back, mainly responding to the demand from Gulf countries. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) has finalised the summary in this regard and sought permission from the federal cabinet to undo the decision taken in 2009. The Executive Committee of the Special Invest

Sri Lanka approves controversial foreign debt deal

Sri Lanka’s new government has approved a controversial restructure of $14.7 billion in foreign commercial credit tentatively agreed by its predecessor, the finance ministry said on Saturday. Former leader Ranil Wickremesinghe annou­nc­ed a deal with international sovereign bondholders and the China Development Bank just two days before he lost presidential elections last month. The new left

Industries struggle as energy costs soar

Despite hopes of economic recovery following the IMF’s $7 billion bailout package, several industrial sectors are either shutting down units or reducing production due to the soaring costs of power and gas, which have hit production hard, leading to closures and job cuts in key industries. However, stakeholders have expressed mixed views about the impact on employment. A drop in local cement sa