News Broadcasting
Actor Preity Zinta to pen column for BBC website
MUMBAI: Entertainment takes pride of place. Even on the “Old Aunty.”
Come 2 February and Bollywood glam doll Preity Zinta will be joining the BBC as a columnist for it’s website www.bbcnews.com/southasia.
Actor Preity Zinta
That the top Bollywood actor who’s stared in hits like Dil Chahta Hai, Koi… Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Naa Ho gets much higher billing than a heavyweight line up of some of South Asia’s most respected commentators including best selling author Ahmed Rashid, renowned economist Kaushik Basu and leading sports writer Rohit Brijnath, says a lot.
Zinta will write on a varied range of topics and will not be restricting herself to topics relating to the film industry only. She has been quoted in a company release as saying, “This column is something very interesting and a totally new experience for me. It is also a good platform to air my views on a variety of subjects as I am a pretty outspoken person,”
In her first column which will be available at www.bbcnews.com/southasia from 2 February, she looks at the changing face of Bollywood and the films to watch out for in 2004. “It is going to be an exciting year because our young filmmakers are challenging the old order. They are instrumental in sculpting Bollywood’s new, changing face,” she says. Zinta will be donating her fee as a columnist for the BBC to a charity she supports in Punjab.
Said bbcnews.com/southasia editor Bernard Gabony, “She (Zinta) completes what we think is the most impressive team of columnists writing on South Asian affairs anywhere on the Internet.”
Ahmed Rashid
BBCnews.com has been repeatedly voted the best news website in the world. It is run by a large team of journalists in London and also has a network of correspondents across India. Along with Zinta the site also boasts of best selling author Ahmed Rashid. Another writer the BBC has is Kaushik Basu, who analyses India’s prospects in the global economy. Basu is Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics and Director of Program on Comparative Economic Development at Cornell University in US.
Completing the new BBC line up is Rohit Brijnath, one of India’s best known sports writers who has been covering sport for 17 years. He has covered the Olympic Games, Asian Games, World Cup cricket, grand slam tennis events and numerous cricket tours. Brijnath, who is known for his breezy writing style and frank views, will be writing on sports and sporting personalities in the subcontinent.
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.
