News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera to launch documentary channel on 1 January
MUMBAI: Middle East broadcaster Al Jazeera Network has announced that it will launch its documentary channel on 1 January.
The broadcaster is looking at the channel to champion the promotion of documentary culture in the Arabic world and beyond. From its unique position, Al Jazeera Documentary will pay particular attention to the Middle East with a special focus on the cultural diversity of its societies.
As the first service of its kind in the region, Al Jazeera Documentary will broadcast programmes focussed on different aspects of human activity including social, political, cultural, scientific, historical, and environmental.
The channel, which will broadcast in Arabic, will sponsor talent and work in partnership with the documentary industry and filmmakers across the world to develop programmes.
Al Jazeera Network DG Wadah Khanfar said, “Building on the spirit of Al Jazeera, the Documentary Channel will focus on under-reported stories in the region and elsewhere. It will open a new window on the human experience wherever it might be, and provide another avenue for mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. As a natural evolutionary step for the Network, the Documentary Channel will extend the vision and mission of Al Jazeera and complement what we have accomplished over the last ten years.”
Al Jazeera Documentary will present the other side of reality, the side that transcends the immediacy of news coverage and digs deep into the heart of human stories. Its informative and educational approach will be driven by hope and the broader human horizon focusing on issues that are usually marginalised and ignored.
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.
