News Broadcasting
BBC’s show ‘Newsnight’ turns 25
MUMBAI: On 30 January UK broadcaster BBC Two’s show Newsnight celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Over the past 25 years Newsnight has reported on major news stories from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Falklands War, US strikes on Libya and the current Iraq war.
At the time of launch the collaboration between the news and current affairs departments was a radical approach.
The programme aimed to give the team the time and opportunity to focus on stories in greater detail, but was not universally popular.
The launch date was put back after the management team failed to reach an agreement with the unions. Perhaps the most famous moment in the programme’s history is Jeremy Paxman’s interview with the then Home Secretary Michael Howard in which he asked the same question 12 times. The question was whether or not he had threatened to overrule the director general of the prison service.
The first Newsnight report on the fall of the Berlin Wall also caused a stir.
While Peter Snow hosted a discussion in East Germany, reporter Olenka Frenkiel turned up in the studio carrying a large chunk of the wall, the first proof for many that the symbol of division really was coming down.
More recent highlights include the Tony Blair tuition fees special in which the Prime Minister took questions from the studio audience, including 19-year-old medical student Julia Prague who forcefully told the PM exactly why she believed a dustman should fund her degree.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
