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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised the selection criteria — carrying several controversial points — for the 2025-26 domestic season, which begins with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy on Aug 29. According to a PCB document seen by Dawn, “players of the regional teams will be selected while considering their past performances in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, National T20, President’s Trophy and Cup (Grade-I), Pakistan U-19, National U-19 (2024-25) and also their performance in Regional Inter-District (2025-26) competitions.” Last season, all 18 teams from 16 regions competed in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, with weaker sides such as Larkana, Dera Murad Jamali,…

CHENGDU: Pakistan’s snooker hopes were dashed at the World Games as Mohammad Asif suffered consecutive defeats in the semi-final and bronze medal match, despite producing a breathtaking 141 clearance here at the Civil Aviation Flight Univer­sity’s Tianfu Cam­pus Gymnasium on Wednesday. Asif, aiming for a podium finish as an independence day gift for Pakistan, first fell to China’s Xiao Guodong in the semi-finals. Guodong — who won the Wuhan Open title last year — dominated the encounter, securing a commanding 2-0 victory. The 36-year-old home player sealed the first frame emphatically 80-0, featuring a 58-break, and clinched the second frame…

Vladimir Vladimirov | E+ | Getty ImagesMore older student loan borrowers are struggling to pay their monthly bill, as the Trump administration ramps up its collection efforts.Nearly 1 in 5 — or roughly 18% — of student loan borrowers who are 50 and older became “seriously delinquent,” or 90 days or more late on their payments, in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The rate for that age group was closer to 10% in 2019.For comparison, closer to 8% of student loan borrowers between the ages of 18 and 29 became seriously delinquent during…

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record with a clearance of 6.29 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, the 13th time he has set a new world mark as he continues to defy gravity. The double-Olympic champion maintained his tradition of improving on his previous record by one centimetre, with his second attempt at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial overhauling the mark he set in Stockholm in June. Duplantis had looked a little off his best form, missing his first attempt at 6.11 and, after Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis retired having failed twice at…

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation has been directed by a government committee to engage with the federal ministry of finance to discuss the feasibility of the national side’s participation in the FIH Pro League. The committee, headed by the Prime Minister’s advisor on Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) Rana Sanaullah was constituted by the premier after the PHF reached out to the government for PKR350 million as funds to ensure Pakistan feature in the competition. Pakistan were invited by the FIH to participate in the Pro League following the withdrawal of Nations Cup winners New Zealand due to financial constraints. The committee…

CHENGDU: Pakistani snooker star Mohammad Asif maintained his flawless run at the World Games, defeating Britain’s Zac Cosker 2-0 on Tuesday to advance to the semi-finals here at the Civil Aviation Flight University’s Tianfu Campus Gymnasium. The four-time IBSF title holder, who triumphed in Bahrain just last month, asserted his dominance from the outset of the first frame. Asif showcased a masterful combination of precise potting, highlighted by a 51-break, and tactical safety play, securing the frame 79-15. The 42-year-old was even more clinical in the second frame, applying relentless pressure to win 81-39 and seal a comprehensive victory. “This…

TAROUBA: An inspired Jayden Seales led the West Indies to a crushing 202-run victory over Pakistan in the third and deciding one-day international in Trinidad on Tuesday. The fast bowler blew away the Pakistan top order en route to figures of 6-18 as the tourists were bundled out for just 92 in a chase of 295 to win. The Windies had reached 294-6 in their 50 overs batting first, powered by captain Shai Hope’s brilliant unbeaten hundred. The Caribbean side sealed a much-needed first ODI series win against Pakistan since 1991, after being swept aside 3-0 and 5-0 in Test…

People shop at a supermarket in Rockville, Maryland, on July 18, 2025.Sha Hanting | China News Service | VCG | Getty ImagesSocial Security beneficiaries may see a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment in 2026, according to new estimates from policy experts, based on the latest government inflation data.That projected increase would be higher than the 2.5% adjustment beneficiaries saw in 2025.Social Security implements a cost-of-living adjustment every year to adjust benefits for inflation. The Social Security Administration typically announces the official change for the upcoming year in October.New estimates from both Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst, and…

Spencer Platt | Getty ImagesInflation held steady in July as price declines for staples like groceries and gasoline helped offset price increases for consumers.However, there were worrying signs under the surface, including evidence that Trump administration policies are stoking inflation for certain goods and services, economists said. Those effects will likely become more pronounced later this year, they said.”Tariff and immigration policy fingerprints are all over the report,” Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s, said.”The tariff and immigration effects aren’t screaming at us, but they’re certainly speaking very loudly and over the next couple months they’ll start yelling,” Zandi said.The…

For the first time, the total cost of college this year is nearing or crossing the $100,000 threshold at several institutions in the U.S. Although the price tags are shocking, few families pay the full tab. As of the 2024-25 academic year, the amount families actually spent on education costs was closer to $31,000, on average, according to Sallie Mae’s annual How America Pays for College report.In most cases, parent income and savings cover about half of college costs, Sallie Mae found. Free money from scholarships and grants accounts for more than a quarter of the costs and student loans make up most of the rest.”You really…