No Pakistan Cricket Team In '28 Olympics: Report. India To Qualify Due To...

In a major blow, Pakistan men's cricket team is likely to not qualify for the upcoming Olympics that is set to take place in 2028 in Los Angeles. As per a report, the International Cricket Council, the apex ruling body of the sport, has decided to go with the regional qualifying format, which will see teams like Pakistan and New Zealand missing out on the event as cricket makes it return to Olympics after a long gap of 128 years.

As per the report, number 1 ranked men's team in Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa will earn an automatic qualification for the tournament along with hosts USA, who would represent the Americas.

"India and Australia to be awarded spots from Asia and Oceania respectively based on the ICC rankings. The International Olympic Committee favours regional qualifying to ensure all parts of the world are represented at the Games so it is a truly global event," said The Guardian in a report.

With USA set to qualify on the basis of being the hosts, West Indies' chances are also dim. "That would have implications for West Indian islands hoping to compete," the report further stated.

A total of six teams will be selected for the event. While qualification for five spots has been finalised, the process for the sixth team is yet to be determined, said the report.

Cricket's much-hyped return to the Olympics at LA Games will take shape at the Fairgrounds Stadium in the city of Pomena -- about 50km from Los Angeles -- from July 12 with the medal matches scheduled on July 20 and 29, 2028.

A total of six teams each in men's and women's sections and 180 players will compete in the T20 format in the quadrennial showpiece, which hosted cricket for the first and only time in 1900.

There are no matches scheduled on July 14 and 21 and most of the the matchdays will be double headers, according to the competition schedule released by the organisers.

The only time the gentleman's game was played at the Olympics was in Paris way back in 1900. Only two teams, Great Britain and France, competed in a two-day match with the former winning the gold medal.

With a total of 90 athlete quotas allocated in the men's and women's sections, the 12 competing teams can name 15-member squads.

Cricket's growing popularity can be gauged from the fact that three venues in the United States -- Grand Prairie, Lauderhill, and New York -- organised several matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by USA and the West Indies.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had approved cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash as five new sports to feature at the 2028 Games.

(With PTI Inputs)

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"Ridiculously High": Hyderabad School's Rs 2.5 Lakh Fee For Nursery Goes Viral

A photo showing the fee structure of a private school in Hyderabad went viral on social media as it mentions that the annual fee for the nursery is Rs 2,51,000. Anuradha Tiwari, founder of the Dharma Party of India, shared the fee structure in a post on X (formerly Twitter), which sparked debate over educational affordability and transparency for middle-income families in India.

Class- Nursery
Fees - Rs 2,51,000/-

Now, learning ABCD will cost you Rs 21,000 per month.

What are these schools even teaching to justify such a ridiculously high fee? pic.twitter.com/DkWOVC28Qs

— Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) July 30, 2025

"Now, learning ABCD will cost you Rs 21,000 per month. What are these schools even teaching to justify such a ridiculously high fee," she wrote in the caption.

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As per the school's fee structure, the fee for pre-primary I and II is Rs 2,42,700 annually. Meanwhile, the fee for classes 1 and 2 is Rs 2,91,460 annually.

Some netizens have expressed frustration over the high fees, questioning the logic behind such charges for early education. Meanwhile, some suggested simply avoiding such institutions.

"If one cannot afford the fees, don't send your kids to this school. Simple and straight," a user said.

"This entire process has become a sort of scam. Certain things need to be regulated effectively," another said.

"India needs to reform its education policy because the Board exams are easy, and competitive exams are hard, so then comes private coaching, and because of the private coaching, India's education fees and inflation are very high. A large number of people go to private coaching institutes, and private coaching institutes do as they want and increase the fees as per their own wish," a third user commented.

Nasr School hasn't responded to the online criticism.

Also Read | Maharashtra Woman Duped For Rs 1 Lakh In Currency Exchange Fraud: Cops

Recently, Ashish Singhal, co-founder of CoinSwitch and Lemonn, discussed a similar issue of rising school fees for primary classes as he highlighted a report which stated that the fees are increasing by 10-30% every year, outpacing middle-class income growth.

In a LinkedIn post, Mr Singhal claimed that school expenses now consume nearly 19% of household income, and parents are even taking EMIs for kindergarten fees.

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Cop Makes Mumbai Woman Wear Seat Belt, It Saves Her Life 15 Minutes Later

A couple survived a serious accident in the city thanks to a traffic policeman who had asked them to wear a seatbelt only fifteen minutes earlier.

The small act of vigilance earned constable Pravin Kshirsagar gratitude of the couple and a pat on the back from the Mumbai police commissioner.

Kshirsagar stopped Gautam Rohra and his wife on Saturday when their car reached the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), and pointed out that Rohra's wife was not wearing a seatbelt. She promptly put it on.

Later, as the couple were driving towards Andheri in heavy rain, Rohra lost control of the car while going down a slope.

The vehicle overturned twice and suffered significant damage, but both Gautam and his wife escaped with minor injuries as they were wearing seatbelts.

The couple later visited the BKC traffic outpost to thank constable Kshirsagar and his colleagues.

Gautam Rohra also shared the incident on social media, praising the Mumbai traffic police for their vigilance and life-saving intervention.

Police commissioner Deven Bharti too praised the constable in a post on X.

"Proud of PC Pravin Kshirsagar's timely intervention, his small yet crucial reminder helped save a life," the commissioner wrote.

"This accident is yet another stark reminder of how something as simple as wearing a seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death!" Bharti said.

Mumbai Traffic police tweeted, "We Don't Just Fine, We Also Ensure You Remain Fine! All it took was a seatbelt and PC Pravin Kshirsagar's small advice to save a life from a horrific accident."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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3 Reasons Why Bihar Roll Revision Can't Be Discussed In Parliament: Sources

There will be no discussion on Bihar voter list revision in Parliament despite the Opposition's demand, the government has indicated, underscoring a reason cited by former Speaker Balaram Jakhar, sources have said. 

The Opposition, which has been sticking to its demand for a discussion on Bihar's SIR, had raised the issue again today, and the row had delayed the discussion on Operation Sindoor.

The Opposition wanted a concrete assurance from the government that it would discuss the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls immediately after the special discussion on Operation Sindoor ends. 

At the time, the government had accused the Opposition of cheating. 

Later, at 2 pm, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said if the rules allow and the Speaker is ready and it is decided in the Business Advisory Committee, the government was ready to discuss any topic. 

Because the government did not directly say it would discuss the issue of Bihar SIR, or refuse it, the Opposition found the assurance sufficient and the discussion on Operation Sindoor started in the Lok Sabha.

Government sources, however, made it clear that the voter list revision -- being run by the Election Commission in Bihar -- cannot be discussed in Parliament. 

About this, three arguments are being considered by the government, sources said.

The first is that the campaign being run by the Central Election Commission is not an election reform. Rather, it is an administrative step and the Election Commission has been taking such steps from time to time.

The second reason is that even if a discussion is held in both the houses of Parliament on the intensive revision of the voter list, there is no one to answer the questions that the Opposition could raise. 

The Election Commission cannot come to the House to present its side, sources pointed out. And although the Law Ministry is the nodal ministry for the Election Commission, it generally looks after only administrative work, and does not interfere in policy matters.

The third reason the government gave is that there are many such institutions which do not have a mechanism to present their side before the Parliament. In such situations, there cannot be a discussion about those institutions, sources said.

Government sources recounted an earlier instance when there had been a demand to discuss the functioning of the Election Commission. 

In 1986, then Speaker Balram Jakhar had said comprehensive election reforms can be discussed in Parliament, but it is not possible to discuss administrative processes and decisions.

The government is now of the view that the Bihar voter list revision cannot be discussed due to these reasons.

The Opposition, however, is very aggressive on this issue and wait is on for the government's formal arguments.

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