News Broadcasting
BBC S.Asia editor gets MBE for Iraq war coverage
MUMBAI: BBC’s South Asia Bureau Chief Paul Danahar has been given one of Britain’s most prestigious awards, the MBE, for services to journalism. The award honours Danahar for his work as BBC’s Baghdad Bureau Chief during the Iraq war where he led a small team of BBC journalists, including correspondent Rageh Omaar. His team had been among the few who stayed on in Baghdad throughout the war to report on the conflict. Danahar had also covered the war for the newsmagazine ‘Outlook’.
Paul Danahar
Speaking about the award Danahar said, “I’m pleased to accept this award on behalf of the BBC team because I think it recognises the importance of journalists being on both sides of conflicts like the Iraq war.”
BBC News World News Editor Jonathan Baker, on hearing the news, congratulated Danahar saying, “no-one deserves this more than he (Paul) does. His leadership in difficult and dangerous circumstances was outstanding. They (The team) all demonstrated great resilience, professionalism and courage throughout, and it is fantastic to see their efforts recognised and rewarded in this way. Many congratulations to Paul and his team.”
Paul Danahar is, at present, based in India as BBC’s first-ever South Asia Editor. He will shoulder editorial responsibility for BBC’s entire news operation in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan and central Asia.
Danahar’s earlier experience in South Asia includes his stint in BBC as a senior world affairs producer in Delhi between 1996-2000. During that time he covered all the major news in the region, from the Kargil conflict, the coup in Pakistan to the Orrissa cyclone and the Bangladesh floods. He also travelled extensively in Afghanistan during the Taliban era. Danahar then spent two years working for the BBC in Africa, which included coverage of events in Sierra Lone, the Congo, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Immediately after the 9/11 attacks Danahar was deployed to work with BBC correspondents – Rageh Omaar and John Simpson, in the run up to the fall of Kabul to American-led forces. He returned to Delhi to take up his present position as Bureau Editor in August 2002.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 to spotlight India’s global rise
PM Modi keynotes two-day event on 27–28 February in New Delhi with ministers, diplomats and icons.
MUMBAI: India’s rise isn’t just making headlines, it’s headlining its own summit, and this time the guest list reads like a global power playlist. News18 Network will host the Rising Bharat Summit 2026, a high-powered thought-leadership forum anchored around the theme “Spotlighting Bharat’s Rise: Driven by Strength Within.” The two-day event kicks off on 27 February 2026 at 10:00 AM in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, business leaders, strategists, innovators, and cultural icons for conversations that aim to define India’s confident, self-assured role on the world stage.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for discussions on economic momentum, geopolitical positioning, and long-term aspirations for the decade ahead.
The ministerial lineup includes Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Communications & Development of North Eastern Region), and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Global diplomacy and strategic voices feature former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo, ex-UK Chief of defence staff general Sir Nick Carter, former US commerce secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, and ambassadors from Norway (May-Elin Stener), Germany (Philipp Ackermann), and Sweden (Jan Thesleff).
Industry, innovation, and economic perspectives come from veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems Founder & CEO Dr Vishal Sikka, and Deeptech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
Defence, technology, and thought leadership include Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar, Apple expert Patrick McGee, military aviation historian Tom Cooper, and defence scholar Adrian Fontanellaz.
Culture, sports, and popular influence bring actor-MP Kangana Ranaut, Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PR Sreejesh, cricketers Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mithali Raj, plus film stars Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
Broadcast live across News18 Network channels, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, and streaming platforms from 10:00 am on both days, the summit aims to move beyond headlines and shape deeper narratives around policy, leadership, and innovation at a decisive moment for India’s global trajectory.
In a world watching Bharat’s next moves, this gathering isn’t just talk, it’s the opening scene of a story that’s already rewriting the script.
