News Broadcasting
BBC’s 70th anniversary celebration includes live broadcast from India
MUMBAI: The 70th anniversary of the BBC World Service includes a three-hour broadcast of live entertainment and performances from musicians in India, Senegal, Great Britain, Afghanistan and Mexico. On Thursday 19 December, the actual birthday, BBC World Service will present the day’s programmes live from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
In Mumbai, the global party celebrations on 15 December, will be led by the well-known Indian musicians Trilok Gurtu and Adnan Sami. The party will be broadcast live from the five venues across the world on Red FM radio channel (India) and the BBC World Service. The acquisition of this programme by Living Media’s Red FM channel marks the introduction of a novel concept wherein Indian listeners can be part of a global broadcast.
BBC World Service Director, English Networks and News Phil Harding said: “Seventy years ago a switch was thrown on a new wireless transmitter in Northamptonshire and messages were beamed to Canada, Australia and other parts of the Empire. As part of the 70th anniversary programmes BBC World Service plans an ambitious concert for listeners around the world with live links to five centres,” in an official statement.
“It is an example of the way BBC World Service, which now has a global audience of 150 million and an internet presence in 43 languages, continues to stretch itself and to embrace the future,” Harding was quoted as saying in the official press release.
Among the major special broadcasts that BBC Worldwide service has scheduled for the week:
a World Service 70th Birthday Lecture delivered by UN secretary general, Kofi Annan;
a World Service Global Party , a special live concert taking place in five countries across four continents;
and a day of special programming on the birthday itself presented from the site of the World Service’s first re-broadcast – the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
UN secretary general Kofi Annan had delivered a 70th birthday lecture from the United Nations building in New York and answered questions from listeners around the world on 11 December to begin the fortnight of special programmes.
Similar to the one being planned in Mumbai’s Oberoi Towers Hotel, another huge party will be hosted at Bush House, London, by DJs John Peel and Emma B. Senegalese superstar Youssou N’dour and Mercury Music award winner Ms Dynamite are slated to perform.
In Dakar, Baaba Maal tops the bill. Afghan musicians will play in Kabul and enable their countrymen to enjoy a musical revival after years of music being banned during the Taliban regime.
In Mexico, the eight-piece semi-acoustic tropi-punk bank, Los de Abajo will perform.
On Thursday 19 December, the actual birthday, BBC World Service will present the day’s programmes live from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
Presenters Heather Payton (Outlook) and Ben Malor (Africa Live) will introduce 14 hours of programmes, from dawn to dusk, and read listeners’ e-mails.
Once an hour A Day in the Life of the World will highlight people connected to the BBC worldwide, including an engineer who services a transmitter in the mid-Atlantic.
The other highlights in the fortnight of celebration include:
a special edition of Pick of the World;
an extended Newshour with a daily in-depth interview with a key international figure;
and new analysis of significant world events in From Our Own Correspondent by BBC correspondents who covered the stories at the time including Kate Adie, Mark Tully, Brian Barron and Mike Wooldridge.
Listeners’ Tales, a series of short vox pops with celebrities and listeners whose lives have been affected by the BBC World Service, will be broadcast throughout December 19.
This is London, throughout the week of Monday 16 December, will examine key moments in the life of the BBC World Service over the last 70 years.
The other programmes will explore the birth of the Empire Service (as the BBC World Service then was); the story of the Arabic Service; the Cold War days; and the BBC World Service since 9/11.
The votes cast by listeners around the world will determine The World’s Top 10 records and will be announced by Steve Wright on Saturday 21 December in Wright Round the World.
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.
