KATUNAYAKE: Blind women from India and Pakistan brushed aside political tensions on Sunday, shaking hands in neutral Sri Lanka at a cricket tournament for the visually impaired. At what organizers describe as the world&rsquo;s first blind women&rsquo;s T20 tournament, players from the two South Asian neighbours showed they had sporting vision even if they lacked sight -- unlike their regular national teams.&nbsp; Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. India&rsquo;s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September, since then neither side has shown signs of making up. That animosity spread to the women&#39;s sides who declined any greeting at the recent T20 World Cup and also to Sunday&#39;s men&#39;s Rising Stars Asia Cup tie in Doha. India&rsquo;s blind players were expected to mirror the conduct of their sighted teams when there was no handshake after the toss, but at the end of the match both sides warmly greeted each other. The two sides, who travelled to the venue together in the same bus, not only shook hands but also exchanged generous compliments. India won by eight wickets in just 10.2 overs after Pakistan were restricted to 135 for eight in their 20 overs at the Free Trade Zone grounds in Katunayake, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Colombo. Pakistan skipper Nimra Rafique congratulated India on their comprehensive victory, while her Indian counterpart TC Deepika said Pakistan had played well. The teams applauded one another loudly but neither set of players was permitted to talk to the press. Biggest opportunityThere were hardly any spectators but the match was shown live on Sri Lanka&#39;s national television, Rupavahini. Blind Sri Lankan officials hosting the tournament &ldquo;watched&rdquo; the match on YouTube by listening to the commentary. Indian team manager Shika Shetty told AFP before the match that the tournament was opening up opportunities for more women. &ldquo;This is the first-ever World Cup for blind women... I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for our entire visually impaired girls,&rdquo; said Shetty, who is not blind. &ldquo;Maybe many girls with disabilities will come out from their villages. Maybe they will come for studies, maybe they will come for the sport. So it is helpful for other girls too.&quot; Blind cricket relies on a sharp ear, as players must detect a white plastic ball -- the size of a tennis ball -- filled with ball bearings that rattle as it moves. Pakistan coach Tahir Mehmood Butt, also speaking before the game, said the launch of women&#39;s blind cricket had created new opportunities for young players in Pakistan. &ldquo;For the totally blind, if they have good hearing, they can become good cricketers,&rdquo; Tahir told AFP. Each team must field at least four completely blind players, three who can see up to two metres, and four partially sighted players able to see up to about six metres. Totally blind batters may have a partially sighted runner. Bowling is underarm, unlike in the traditional game. Four other nations - Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the US -- are competing in the tournament which began in India and moved to Sri Lanka for the final stages. The final is scheduled for next Sunday in Colombo.

Pakistan's captain Nimra Rafique (3R) shakes hands with India's players

Cricket

Blind women cricketers from India and Pakistan set aside political tensions at the world’s first blind women’s T20 tournament in Sri Lanka, promoting sportsmanship and opening new opportunities for visually impaired girls across South Asia.

Blind women cricketers from India, Pakistan show spirit with handshakes

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ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised downward South Asia&rsquo;s economic growth outlook for 2025, projecting the region&rsquo;s GDP to expand by 5.9 percent, down from earlier estimates, mainly due to the expected impact of US tariff hikes. Growth is forecast to pick up slightly to 6.0 percent in 2026. According to the Asian Development Outlook September 2025, India faces the steepest tariff increases among developing Asian economies, prompting a downgrade in its growth forecast to 6.5 percent for FY2025, from 6.7 percent in April.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1974048904183529641&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=a3dc7417e63b247519ad498fedce9e960a070e32&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1974048904183529641"></iframe></div></div>The United States imposed a 25 percent reciprocal tariff on Indian exports from August 7, with a further increase to 50 percent later that month, which is expected to hit key export sectors such as textiles, jewelry, and chemicals. Afghanistan&rsquo;s growth projections have been reduced to 1.8 percent in FY2025 and 1.7 percent in FY2026 amid declining aid and fiscal constraints, while Bhutan&rsquo;s outlook has also been lowered to 8.1 percent due to delays in a major hydroelectric power project. For Pakistan, the FY2026 growth outlook remains unchanged, with the country slightly exceeding expectations in FY2025. Bangladesh and Nepal are expected to face slower growth next year, affected by US tariffs and domestic political instability respectively. The ADB report also noted easing inflation across South Asia, thanks to improved agricultural output and favorable weather conditions. The inflation forecast for 2025 has been lowered to 3.7 percent, down by 1.2 percentage points from April, though it is expected to rise to 4.7 percent in 2026 due to normalizing food prices and currency depreciation in some countries.

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Growth is likely to pick up slightly to 6.0 percent in 2026, the bank says.

Articles tagged with "South Asia"

Blind women cricketers from India, Pakistan show spirit with handshakes

ADB forecasts South Asia’s GDP to slow down in 2025