INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (12) vowed to respond forcefully to any future “terrorist attack” after days of escalating tensions with Pakistan.
In his address to the nation, Modi warned New Delhi would not accept “nuclear blackmail” if further conflict with Pakistan were to occur.
A weekend ceasefire between the two countries appeared to be holding this week, after four days of heavy fighting. Last week’s conflict involved jetfighters, missiles, drones and artillery attacks, marking the worst violence between the countries since 1999.
Global leaders, including UK foreign secretary David Lammy, said the current tense situation requires “sustained dialogue between both sides” to prevent further hostilities in the region.
The UK welcomed the ceasefire agreement last Saturday (10) and encouraged both countries to continue working towards deescalation. Urging both India and Pakistan to “sustain the ceasefire”, Lammy said he had chaired a COBRA meeting on the situation and that maintaining the truce was a priority.
“I know the images from India and Pakistan have been deeply worrying for many communities in Britain, and for those living and working in both countries,” the foreign secretary said. “Given our strong and close relationships with India and Pakistan, the UK stands ready to work with both sides to make lasting peace a reality.”
He said he had spoken to India’s external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, and Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
“My message to both was the same – ensure this ceasefire agreement is extended and sustained. Further conflict is in nobody’s interest,” he said.
Lammy also said the UK was working with the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and EU counterparts to support peace. Foreign Office teams were in touch with airlines and advising British nationals in the region.
“We value the contribution of British Pakistani and British Indian communities to this country, and their long and proud history of living here side by side,” he said.
The cross-border firing caused extensive damage to people’s homes
The ceasefire was announced last Saturday by US president Donald Trump. He said on Monday his country’s intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.
“We stopped a nuclear conflict... millions of people could have been killed. So, I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.
Top Indian and Pakistan military officials held briefings late last Sunday, with each side claiming the upper hand and warning they were ready to respond if there were fresh attacks.
“We have delivered on the promise that we made to our people”, said Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, calling it a “success on the battleground”.
“We have thus far exercised immense restraint and our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory,” said India’s Lieutenant General Rajiv Gha.
Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets, something New Delhi has not commented on.
People returned to Poonch earlier this week, a frontier town in Indian Kashmir and one of the worst-hit places.
But thousands of schools remained closed across Pakistani Kashmir as areas were cleared of debris from strikes and firing, said local official Naveed-Ul-Hassan Bukhari.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it hoped “India will prioritise regional stability and the well-being of its citizens over narrow, politically motivated jingoism”.
Modi, in a televised address to the nation on Monday, his first since hostilities began last Wednesday (7), said Pakistan has chosen to attack, rather than help it fight “terrorism”.
“If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.
The conflict followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, but Islamabad denied involvement.
However, before dawn last Wednesday, India launched a series of missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in Pakistani Kashmir.
Each side then accused the other of launching waves of aircraft and drone strikes, as well as missile and artillery bombardments that killed at least 60 people on both sides.
“If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” Modi said. “India will strike with precision and decisiveness against the terrorist groups thriving under the cover of nuclear blackmail.
“India’s stand is very clear. Terror and talks cannot go together... Terror and trade cannot go together... Water and blood cannot flow together.”
On Tuesday (13), the prime minister delivered another message to Islamabad from Adampur Air Base, just 100 km from the Pakistan border. “Operation Sindoor has now drawn a clear Lakshman rekha [red line] for Pakistan,” said Modi, who was wearing a Western Air Command cap with its trademark trident emblem.
“When our armed forces take the wind out of nuclear blackmail, our enemies understand the importance of Bharat mata ki jai,” he said with an S-400 missile defence system visible behind him.
The prime minister praised the military for their recent success in the fourday engagement known as Operation Sindoor, which resulted in the destruction of nine terrorist sites and damage to eight Pakistani military installations.
“What you have achieved is unprecedented, unimaginable and amazing,” Modi told the soldiers, who had greeted his surprise arrival with patriotic chants.
Pakistan previously falsely claimed to have destroyed that particular base, including its S-400 missile launchers. Adampur is India’s second-largest air base, home to Rafale and MiG-29 squadrons. It has historical importance, having played crucial roles in the 1969 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.
The Pakistan army has widespread support in the country
Meanwhile, many in Indian Kashmir are demanding compensation for damages from cross-border firing.
Hundreds of villagers evacuated their homes as both countries targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones. Many returned to find their homes destroyed or roofless.
“Where will we go with our kids? We don’t have anywhere to live and anything to eat,” said Roshan Lal, from the village of Kot Maira in Akhnoor in India’s district of Jammu, about seven km (four miles) from the de facto border.
The shelling had left his home uninhabitable, the 47-year-old added.
“I want to ask Modi’s government for justice,” he said. “We need compensation for the damages.”
In the nearby village of Pahari Wala, farmer Karan Singh said he buried seven cattle in his field, while his family are living in makeshift shelters. “I left the village when the conflict began,” he said.
“We don’t have a place to stay.”
In Salamabad, a border village in the Kashmir Valley, shelling injured Badrudin Naik and his six-year-old son, but both returned home after five days.
“I am happy to return,” he said. “But my house is damaged. My two uncles’ houses were completely destroyed. We want permanent peace as it is we on the border who suffer more.”
Pakistan’s army said on Tuesday that more than 50 people were killed in military clashes with India.
India has said at least five military personnel and 16 civilians died.
Trump, meanwhile, said he promised to do a “lot of trade” with India and Pakistan, after which the countries agreed to a ceasefire, describing “the historic events that took place over the last few days”.
“We helped a lot, and we also helped with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it, let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.
“People have never really used trade the way I used it. By that, I can tell you, and all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re gonna stop’, and they have,” he US president said.
Trump links India’s high tariffs and trade barriers to new punitive measures.
He warned of an unspecified “penalty” over India’s defence and energy ties with Russia.
Trade talks between the US and India have stalled over market access disagreements.
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that imports from India will face a 25 per cent tariff. He also mentioned an unspecified "penalty" for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian weapons and energy.
The new tariffs will take effect on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country," Trump said.
Trump cites trade deficit
In another post, Trump wrote in all caps that the United States has a "massive" trade deficit with India.
He said India has "always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE."
Trump did not give details of the penalty he referred to for India’s trade with Russia.
Measures linked to Russia-Ukraine conflict
The announcement comes as the 79-year-old Republican has indicated plans to increase US pressure on Moscow to stop the fighting in Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was giving Russian president Vladimir Putin 10 days to change course in Ukraine or face unspecified punishment.
"We're going to put on tariffs and stuff," he said, but added, "I don't know if it's going to effect Russia because obviously he wants to keep the war going."
India, the world’s most populous country, was among the first major economies to start broader trade talks with Washington.
However, after six months, Trump’s wide-ranging demands and India’s reluctance to fully open its agricultural and dairy sectors have prevented a deal that would protect it from punitive tariffs.
On Tuesday, Trump had said India could face a 20–25 per cent rate since no trade deal had been finalised. The announced tariffs will significantly increase from the current 10 per cent baseline tariff on Indian shipments to the US.
Wider global tariff threats
Trump has aimed to reshape the global economy by using US economic power to pressure trading partners with tariffs and push foreign companies to move operations to the United States.
Talks are ongoing with the European Union, China, Canada and other major partners.
He has also warned that dozens of other countries could face higher tariffs from Friday unless they strike trade deals. Among them is Brazil, which Trump has threatened with 50 per cent import tariffs, partly to pressure the country to halt the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro on coup charges.
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Lord Meghnad Desai, who has died, aged 85, was one of the most erudite members of the House of Lords. But he carried his scholarship lightly and with an engaging sense of humour.
The Times noted he turned 85 on 10 July, only 19 days before his death on 29 July.
He was known as a distinguished economist who had taught at the London School of Economics, where he remained an emeritus professor after his retirement, but his knowledge of Bollywood films was also impressive.
He admitted whistling songs from Guru Dutt movies in the corridors of the House of Lords.
His favourite song, he once said, when launching his autobiography, Rebellious Lord, was Mera Joota Hai Japani from the 1955 Raj Kapoor starrer, Shree 420.
That’s because deep down despite travelling and lecturing all over the world, he felt Indian, and the line that summed him up was, “phir bhi dil hai Hindustani”.
He had many books on economics and politics to his credit, among them Marx’s Revenge: The Resurgence of Capitalism and the Death of Statist Socialism, The Rediscovery of India, and The Poverty of Political Economy: How Economics Abandoned the Poor.
Desai (sixth from left) with Jo Johnson, Sajid Javid, Rami Ranger, David Cameron, Lady Kishwar Desai, guest statue sculptor Philip Jackson and Priti Patel
But he was also the author of Nehru's Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India. He had a wide range of interests and also wrote a crime thriller, Dead on Time.
He was born in Baroda and had his early education in India, but though he had an enjoyable enough spell in America, he chose to settle in the UK because he felt his spiritual home was the LSE.
“I have been to more than 50 countries to give lectures,” he said. “In America, I could have earned much more money, but being at the LSE was much more fun. Because I’m interested in many things I can talk to people about what they are interested in. Basically, I like reading and writing. I’ve been to three countries I consider my own – US, UK and India. I think I belong to all three in some form or another. Everybody has been nice to me. I have had a lovely life.”
On one occasion he said his greatest achievement was possibly raising money for the statue of Mahatma Gandhi that went up in 2015 in Parliament Square, facing the Palace of Westminster and not far from that of Winston Churchill.
He said: “I would say that Gandhi is relevant not just to Indians or British Indians – he is relevant to everybody. Gandhi is universal and still relevant as an alternative way of launching a struggle in a century that has continued to have violence. It’s astonishing what he achieved. Indians born here (in the UK) may know of Gandhi from their parents but they would only know a stylised bit of Gandhi. If, as a result of this statue, they are inspired to explore Gandhi more thoroughly and read about his life and look at what he did, that will be great. I hope lots and lots of schools come to look at the Gandhi statue and people carry on teaching a bit more about Gandhi because he is a fascinating, very complex character. You can criticise him quite a lot and there are a lot of critics there but on balance he is the most unique person of the 20th century.
Desai during the Mahatma Gandhi anniversary in Parliament Square on October 2, 2019
“Attenborough’s movie is a remarkable classic movie – the movie that more than anything else introduced Gandhi to the world. More people have learnt about Gandhi from the movie, especially people outside India, than anything else. Attenborough’s movie made Gandhi a much more known person round the world for a new generation. I don’t think any Indian would have been allowed to make a movie like that given the restrictions that the Indian government places on film making. You see they only want hagiographies.”
In Rebellious Lord, his autobiography published in 2020, he explained why he did not always do well in exams in India: “One of my problems was that I could not give the standard answer which was what got you the marks. I deviated from the straight and narrow and showed off my reading or tried some jokes. None of this helps you in an Indian examination where you have to display memory and rote learning.”
He said that “in early January 2004, I was at my desk in the House of Lords when I got a call. The call was from Delhi, asking me if I would accept the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, awarded to an expatriate Indian. I said, of course, I would. They must have thought that being left-wing, I might publicly refuse to accept an honour from a BJP-led coalition government, but any government elected by the Indian people was acceptable to me.
“So it was that within a couple of days, I was off to Delhi to receive my award. When I met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I was in for a pleasant surprise. After he gave me the award, I asked him, ‘Why did you choose me? I have criticised you so much.’ As in any conversation with that marvellous man, there was no immediate response. Then he smiled and said, ‘You criticise everybody.’ That reply made me happy, as I was particular about my non-partial standpoint.”
One of the abiding friendships he made while at Berkeley in America was with fellow economist Amartya Sen, who was later to win the Nobel Prize.
“I was 24 and he was 31,” recalled Desai. “I had, of course, heard his name while I was a student in Bombay. People talked about this young Indian whom his Cambridge teachers – Joan Robinson and Nicholas Kaldor, authors whose books we read – were praising very highly. Amartya was visiting Berkeley in my second year. I went to hear him at a seminar he was giving in the economics department. The original venue was too small for all the people who had come to listen so it was moved to a much larger hall on the campus. I was thrilled when I heard him speak. The topic was about peasant behaviour in developing countries. It was technical but also full of insights into the political economy of the problem. Dale Jorgenson played the part of the acerbic critic and Amartya stood up to him easily. We met up afterwards and then many times during the year he was there. Amartya was there with (his then wife) Nabaneeta, who had a literary background and became a famous Bengali author subsequently. We got on very well and have done so ever since.
“Amartya is a great person. I guess he is my longest acquaintance among Indian economists, because I met Amartya in Berkeley in 1964. He’s a nice man, a very nice man. I think I think he’s slightly cross with me because I’m much softer on (Narendra) Modi than he is. But then you know, I’m me. And he is he. But I don’t think those things are serious for either.”
Desai had three children with his first wife, Gail Wilson, an LSE colleague whom he married in 1970. He met his second wife, Kishwar Ahluwalia, a literary editor, in India when he was working on the Dilip Kumar biography, The couple married in London in 2004.
Desai with Amartya Sen (right)
Desai has talked of his love of Bollywood films.
“I began to be taken to see movies at the age of four,” he said. “I could never understand people who try to intellectualise films. All the critics who wrote about films intellectually hated Hindi films. And I loved them. To this day I love ordinary, commercial Hindi films. I like Guru Dutt because he made commercial films which had content.
“The thing about Guru Dutt is he is thought to be one of those amazing art film directors because most people have only seen Kaagaz Ke Phool. I myself did not like it very much. I still don’t. I think it is a badly made film, very, very confused.
“When he started Guru Dutt had a slight racy reputation. When he appeared in Aar Paar as a hero, the Times of India wrote a very angry review that he was bringing values down, singing love songs in a dingy garage with a heroine. There was Guru Dutt putting forward as hero a car repair man who had been a criminal. People were shocked that the hero was no longer a noble hero.
“He made Mrs & Mrs 55 which is a fantastic film. He actually discovered that Madhubala had a flair for comedy.
“In Mrs & Mrs 55 – I remember seeing it at the National Film Theatre in London –there is a little episode where Kumkum, who plays the hero’s sister-in-law, tells this girl Madhubala that, yes her husband beats her up but that’s not bad, you know, husband do beat up wives – you could see the frisson of disappointment in all the trendies who had come to see the great Guru Dutt. They hadn’t realised he was very much a conservative.
“Then, he made Pyaasa – and Pyaasa just hit me like a ton of bricks. It was basically Devdas, made beautifully, written by Abrar Alvi, music by S D Burman, that redeemed his reputation as a serious film maker.
“Then Chaudhvin Ka Chand is another absolutely fantastic film. It is one of the greatest ‘Muslim socials’ ever, something an entire Muslim family could see.
“Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam is another great film – wow! What a beautiful, beautiful film, made with great understanding of Bengali society. He trained with Uday Shankar, the dancer, in Calcutta. He married Geeta Roy who became Geeta Dutt. He was a man of great sensitivity.
“I was at Ramnarain Ruia College in Matuna, studying BA economics. I can tell you Aar Paar in 1954 made an impact absolutely. Once you have experienced life, you become a bit cynical and you can distance yourself whereas, when you are young, films have an immediate impact on your sexual and ethical consciousness. I am a fan of all Hindi films of the 1940s and 1950s. I am an Indian until the 1950s and then later I came to England and eventually became a ‘Brit’.
“One day I will write a story about the cinema houses I frequented in Bombay: Arora at King’s Circle; Chitra and Broadway near Dadar; and Surya and Bharat Mata near Parel. I still believe, not because I was young then, that that was the golden age of Hindi cinema.”
Desai with wife Kishwar
Desai has made many speeches in the House of Lords, which he joined in 1991, the first Asian man to be given a peerage in contemporary times. He was then a member of the Labour party.
In his maiden speech on 19 June 1991, he spoke of the decline of British manufacturing: “I well recall that as a child I thought that it was axiomatic that British manufacturing was the best. Of course, I learned the lesson under somewhat advantageous circumstances for British manufacturers, for in those days Japanese or German manufacturers were synonyms for shoddy goods. I never thought then that I should rise so many years later on my first occasion in this House to speak on the manufacturing industry in this country.”
He switched to education: “I was surprised when I first heard many years ago before I touched the shores of this country that there is widespread here a kind of contempt for education, a glorification of the untaught genius—someone who cannot read a book but who can innovate. If that was ever true, that time is past. Innovation is no longer the privilege of the single, lonely person. It is a corporate activity which requires sustained investment in high-powered scientific and technical knowledge.
“We must raise the general level of education and knowledge in this country and continue to invest in the education and training of everyone from age five onwards. We must not drop people at 16 or 19. Let us make sure that there is no conflict between basic research and applied research. Basic research is extremely important to innovation. There is no false dichotomy between basic science and applied science. Unless we invest much more in education—primary, secondary and tertiary—and in research and development, we shall not be able to have the sustained foundation that we require for manufacturing.”
Last year he spoke in the Lords about the Palestinian problem: “The Israel- Palestine problem, or the Israel-Hamas problem, did not start in October 2023; it started in November 1917, and we still have it. Some here may remember Arthur Koestler, who was a communist and then became an ex-communist and was one of the few people who worked on a kibbutz in the 1920s. He said that: ‘One nation solemnly promised to a second nation the country of a third.’
“That was very much the message. Before Palestine had fallen from the Ottoman Empire, it was signed over to welcome Jews from all over Europe and America to come and make a nation.
“It is a fact—I have been reading lots of books about this—that at no stage did we say that the Palestinians had any claim on the territory where they had been living for several centuries. That is the dilemma: two communities of very ancient origin can claim, truthfully and simultaneously, that it is their country and no one else’s. It has taken 100 years to prove who is right, and neither group is. We have to solve this problem because for a long time, not just since October 2023, there has been a lot of killing and damage done to both communities, carried out with a passion that is quite surprising. Obviously, being an atheist, I blame religion for this. The children of Abraham have quarrelled with each other now for about 2,000 years. After all, anti-Semitism was not invented recently; it was invented by the Christians, and the rest we know.
Desai said, “Everybody has been nice to me. I have had a lovely life.”
“We need to think about how to stop the Israel-Palestine war right now, as soon as possible, and then about how to rehouse the refugees scattered throughout Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and all those places, as well as people who are being thrown out of Gaza, the West Bank and everywhere else.”
His voice will be missed not only in the Lords but the wider British Asian community where he was a familiar figure at book launches and political and cultural functions.
Desai said he has never faced racism: “Everybody has been nice to me. I have had a lovely life.”
Lord Meghnad Desai, the British Indian economist, author, and peer in the House of Lords, has died at the age of 85, sources close to the family confirmed on Tuesday (29).
Desai is understood to have passed away in hospital in Gurugram, India, following a health complication. His death was confirmed by family contacts in London.
Born in Gujarat, Desai was a prominent figure in UK academic and political circles, known for his work in economics and his efforts to strengthen ties between the United Kingdom and India.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi led tributes, describing Desai as a "distinguished thinker, writer and economist".
“Anguished by the passing away of Shri Meghnad Desai Ji,” Modi wrote on social media. “He always remained connected to India and Indian culture. He also played a role in deepening India-UK ties. Will fondly recall our discussions, where he shared his valuable insights. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.”
A recipient of India’s Padma Bhushan award, Desai served as a professor of economics at the London School of Economics from 1965 to 2003. He joined the Labour Party in 1971 and was appointed to the House of Lords in June 1991.
Lord Rami Ranger, a fellow peer, described Desai as “a pillar of the community who worked tirelessly and made significant contributions to many worthy causes, including the Gandhi Memorial Statue at Parliament, which I collaborated on with him.”
“He will be greatly missed. We pray for a place in heaven for the departed soul and strength for his family during this difficult time,” Ranger said. (Agencies)
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During Trump’s first term, Khan opposed the US travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries, which led to a war of words. (Photo: Getty Images)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan again during a news conference in Scotland alongside British prime minister Keir Starmer, who described Khan as his "friend".
When asked by a reporter if he planned to visit London in September during his state visit, Trump said yes but added: "I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job."
"The mayor of London... a nasty person," he said.
Starmer responded: "He's a friend of mine, actually."
Trump repeated his criticism, saying: "I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London."
Trump and Khan have had a history of public disputes. In January, on the eve of Trump’s return to the White House, Khan wrote an article warning of western "reactionary populists" as a "century-defining challenge" for progressives.
During Trump’s first term, Khan opposed the US travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries, which led to a war of words. Trump accused Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when elected in 2016, of doing a "very bad job on terrorism" and called him a "stone cold loser" and "very dumb".
In a podcast recorded before Trump’s re-election on November 5, 2024, Khan accused Trump of targeting him because of his ethnicity and religion, saying: "He's come for me because of, let's be frank, my ethnicity and my religion."
However, in an interview with AFP in December, Khan said the American people had "spoken loudly and clearly" and added, "we have got to respect the outcome of the presidential elections".
Later on Monday, a spokesperson for Khan said the mayor was "delighted that president Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world".
"He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer," the spokesperson added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Deshmukh is now the fourth Indian woman to become a Grandmaster, after Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali.
TEENAGED Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh achieved a major milestone by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup after defeating compatriot Koneru Humpy in a tie-break on Monday.
The 19-year-old from Nagpur not only secured the prestigious title but also became a Grandmaster, an achievement that seemed unlikely at the start of the tournament.
The final was decided in tiebreakers after the two classical games played on Saturday and Sunday ended in draws. In the rapid games, Humpy faltered under pressure while Deshmukh held her nerve. Despite having won almost everything else in her career, the World Cup title once again eluded Humpy.
Deshmukh's determination on Monday earned her the bonus of the Grandmaster title, awarded to the winner of this event. She is now the fourth Indian woman to become a Grandmaster, after Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali. Humpy became a Grandmaster in 2002, three years before Deshmukh was born.
With this victory, Deshmukh became the 88th Grandmaster from India. Her performance in the event showed her potential to achieve further success.
In the opening tiebreaker, Deshmukh put continuous pressure on Humpy. Playing from a Petroff defence, she reached an isolated queen pawn middle game and sacrificed a pawn to offer Humpy better prospects. However, Humpy returned the favour with time running out and soon faced a position where she had a rook, bishop and pawn against Deshmukh's queen. The position remained close to equal and Humpy drew the game comfortably.
In the return game, Humpy chose the Catalan opening. Deshmukh, well prepared, equalised quickly. Humpy sacrificed a pawn early but the queen-and-rook endgame led to a draw. On the 40th move, Humpy attempted to break through with a pawn sacrifice but the resulting rook-and-pawn endgame still looked drawn. However, she ran short of time again and blundered, giving Deshmukh a theoretically winning position. The game swung between a draw and a win for Deshmukh, but she eventually prevailed.
After the victory against an opponent twice her age, Deshmukh was emotional.
"I need time to process it (win). I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way because before this (tournament) I didn't even have one (GM) norm, and now I am the Grandmaster," she said.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand praised the teenager’s triumph. "Congratulations to @Divyadeshmukh05 on winning the World Cup. Becoming GM and a spot in the candidates. Amazing battle of nerves. @humpy_koneru played a very good event and showed a commendable fighting spirit. The great champion she is! It was a great celebration of Indian chess, particularly Women's chess," Anand wrote on X.