the former prime minister being laid to rest and the current prime minister narendra modi saying thate of its most distinguished leaders today. let's speak to paranjoy guha thakurta, who is an author and political commentator. we will come onto the legacy and a short moment but first of all can you talk to us about manmohan singh's route into public life? he manmohan singh's route into public life?— public life? he came from a very humble _ public life? he came from a very humble background, . public life? he came from a i very humble background, very poor background, growing up in a place in west punjab in what is today pakistan. he walked for miles to go to school, a very good student. many years later he would remark that the reason he wore thick spectacles was because he had to study under the light of a lantern. his family, when the indian subcontinent was partitioned, they moved to the indian side, and then through sheer grit he studied and studied at two universities in the uk, oxford and cambridge, on a scholarship. he worked very hard and he was praised by some of britain's b

so the former prime minister being laid to rest, and the current prime minister narendra modi saying distinguished leaders today. airline passengers are being warned they could face further travel disruption today as thick fog, which led to dozens of cancellations and delays across uk airports yesterday, continues. our reporter simon jones has the latest. as the fog descended at heathrow airport, so did the gloom for the passengers caught up in the delays and cancellations it has been causing. hundreds of flights at several airports, including gatwick and glasgow, have been affected at one of the busiest times for travel during the festive break. at manchester, those returning to the uk after christmas abroad were relieved finally to touch down, even if it was much later than expected. we were an hour late boarding, then when we got on the plane, they said it was going to be another hour and a half, because they were queueing up at this end because of the fog. so otherwise we would have been flying around with no fuel. i think it was delayed by two hours or something like that, due t

pouring from a cross party lines, right from a cross party lines, right from the prime minister narendra modig one of its most distinguished leaders the cunner contribution he has made, notjust of the country but specifically to india's economy. but specifically to india's economy-— but specifically to india's economy. but specifically to india's econom . ., ., ~ ., economy. so often talked about as a quiet _ economy. so often talked about as a quiet politician, _ economy. so often talked about as a quiet politician, a - as a quiet politician, a different style from the bombastic and politicians we are used to.— are used to. 0h, absolutely, and that's— are used to. 0h, absolutely, and that's a _ are used to. 0h, absolutely, and that's a very _ are used to. 0h, absolutely, and that's a very important i and that's a very important point. he was always remembered for being quiet, for being soft spoken, for speaking very briefly, as well as someone who could take people along, build consensus as well. but this was also something that a lot of critics said was not working as a prime minister, beca

a 21—gun salute the ceremony included a 21—gun salute and was attended by india prime minister narendra modisingh�*s congress party as well as other politicians and foreign dignitaries. our correspondent, arunoday mukharji, was at the funeral and says people of all political affiliations attended. it was a massive affair as you can see just by the crowd and also the heavy police presence here it was a massive affair as you can see just by the crowd and also the heavy police presence here because there were leaders from various political parties to several politicians of opposition parties as well. that is testament to who the former prime minister was, serving as the leader of the country from 2040 2014. prior to that, known primarily for being the finance minister and crafting india's economic policy which liberalised the indian economy, opening it up and many say that was the time that india's economic growth story really began. that's what he is known for. an academic in, a scholarfirst and then a politician. that's why you see the kind of condolence messages that have been pouring in rig

in a tribute post on social media, current prime minister narendra modi called his predecessor "one ofecretary of state antony blinken also offered condolences on behalf of the us, referring to mr singh as "one of the greatest champions "of the us—india strategic partnership". for more on his life, sophie long reports. i'm joined now by kishore mahbubani, a singaporean diplomat who served as singapore's permanent representative to the united nations. very good to see you. tell us, what do you know of working with singh and his legacy? t with singh and his legacy? i fortunately certain his global advisory council with several people, so i would see him at once a yearfor several people, so i would see him at once a year for several years in a row, and there is no doubt that singh will go down as one of the greatest prime ministers india had because he carried out the fundamental u—turn that had to be taken to move india away from the old protectionist policies that locked up the indian economy and prevented the growth, and he was the first one to say let's liberalise, let's open up, and

prime minister narendra modi has announced plans to send a person to the moon by 2040.rs are eagerly waiting a celestial event that happens once every 80 years involving a star system. researchers across the globe will be looking to the skies to catch a glimpse of it with the hope that it will allow them to study the star in more detail than ever before. earlier, i spoke to jane clark, vice chair of the cardiff astrological society. >> forecasting these things are like forecasting the weather on steroids. around the world we have all of these wonderful satellites and things with loads of data. this thing is 30,000 light years away. we have no data out there. >> this is a death star basically. so how is it that it can come back to life? >> almost. it is a pair of stars. most stars are in fact double stars. the sun is unusual in that regard. as you say, one is a dead star, no nuclear reaction. the gravity on a white dwarf is just beyond belief, one million times stronger than our gravity. if you were to stand on the surface, it's a tossup whether you would get crushed by

narendra modi's bjp—led national democratic alliance won the nation's general election, but with a muchan predicted. something very dramatic has happened here in the last two minutes, which is that president macron has dissolved parliament and there's going to be elections here in a month. france was gearing up for the summer olympics, but president emmanuel macron�*s decision to call a snap election gave the country something else to think about. supporters of far right political leader marine le pen hoped this might be her moment. but instead socialists did far better than expected. the resulting mess, parliamentary deadlock and a continuing political crisis was blamed on the french president. in the uk, weeks of speculation about when finally ended, when prime minister rishi sunak stepped into downing street to call a general election. earlier today, i spoke - with his majesty the king to request the dissolution of parliament _ the king has granted this request and we will have | a general election on 4thjuly. but even the weather seemed to foretell bad tidings for the conservatives.

in a tribute post on social media, current prime ministeer narendra modi called his predecessor "onetate anthony blinken also offered condolences on behalf of the us, referring to mr singh as "one of the greatest champions of the us—india strategic partnership". for more on his life, sophie long reports. almost bankrupt at the time manmohan singh entered party politics, india's image was to change, driven by a booming it sector, and much of this is put down to the liberalisation, the loosening of infamous bureaucratic controls introduced by manmohan singh after he became finance minister in 1991. he put the country on the path to achieving some of the fastest growth rates in the world. i, manmohan singh.. it also paved the way for him to become, in 2004, india's first sikh prime minister. he'll be remembered particularly for making the country talked about as an emerging economic giant. though much of india's1 billion—plus population was, in reality, largely untouched by the economic reforms, and poverty remained deep and pervasive and job creation a massive challenge. india now had

india's prime minister narendra modi said gukesh had inspired millions of young minds with his remarkable of the global nikon comedy wildlife awards has been announced. before getting to the winner, let's just take a look at a few notable mentions. it's so exciting. kingston tam took this photo of this awkward smiling frog. there you go. who knew he was smiling? hejust looks there you go. who knew he was smiling? he just looks like there you go. who knew he was smiling? hejust looks like a fry up to me, but hey ho, what do i know? —— ourfrog to me. and how about these adorable smooching owlets? two having a bit of a cheeky kiss, the other feeling a bit left out. i know the feeling, sweetheart. this squirrel gets in some reps with a bit of weight—lifting. strong muscles there, i like those biceps and triceps. work it, baby, work it. and then this — a mantis showing off a spot of flamenco. but the moment you've been waiting for — the winner. i know you have. here it is. milko marchetti took this hilarious photo of this squirrel stuck in a tree in podere pantaleone park in bagnacavallo, ital

the ceremony included a 21—gun salute and was attended by india prime minister narendra modi, membersrs in georgia have formed a human chain in the capital, tbilisi, to mark a month of daily pro—europe demonstrations. similar rallies have been held in other towns and cities across the country. mass protests have gripped georgia since the increasingly authoritarian government said it would delay eu accession talks until 2028. opposition anger has been compounded since parliament chose a government loyalist as president. he is due to take office on sunday. the incumbent, salome zourabichvili, is refusing to step down, describing his election as illegitimate. a ukrainian official has told the bbc they hope a new year prisoner exchange with russia will happen " any day,�* although arrangements could fall through at the last minute. there have been just 10 exchanges this year, the lowest number since the full—scale invasion in 2022. ukraine doesn�*t publish numbers of prisoners of war being held by russia, but the total is thought to be over 8,000. will vernon reports. a christmas concert

prime minister narendra modi has previously announced plans to send a person to the moon by twenty—forty. hello there. there's going to be a lot of wet, windy and cold weather to come over the new year, but the focus today remains on this amber rain warning that we have from the met office. and within this area, there are already a number of severe flood warnings on rivers. it's been very wet in scotland, some snow melt adding to that as well. the rain turns more showery in mainland scotland. some wetter weather heads to the northern isles with snow in shetland, and this band of rain clears through southern scotland, northern ireland into england and wales. to the south it's dry. windier day though, particularly across this part of the country, but it is a south—westerly wind so it's lifting the temperatures to 11—12 degrees, except in the far north of scotland, where it's going to stay cold here. now, if you are going to be celebrating new year in wales and northern england, there's a good chance you're going to have some wet weather. that rain will be heavy over the hills and it may we

the indian prime minister, narendra modi, said he would be remembered as a genius who brought the tablaunparalleled rhythm. iamjoined i am joined now by a tabla musician who at the age of eight appeared in a commercial with him. the advertisement was iconic and i have seen it on social media, any people reposting it, tell us about your experience with zakir hussain? and why the advertisement became so big? namaste, thank you for having me. to speak about my legendary guru, my teacher, my mental or, zakir hussain, who we i feel blessed and honoured that i had an association that goes beyond four decades, i was very blessed to have met him when i was barely four or five years old. ever since then it has been such a wonderful journey, just being in his presence, absorbing all the musicality on stage, offstage, and i was also chosen for the tv commercial that was shot in india back in the late 80s. and it so happened that turned out to be one of the most phenomenal tv commissions in indian television history which also ran for the longest time. it ran for the longest times and as a student,

prime minister narendra modi has previously announced plans to send a person to the moon by twenty—fortyust beyond belief. it is a million times stronger as our gravity. it is really hard is worse if you are to stand on the service, it is a toss—up whether you get crushed by the remedy of fred ferris. it is a red giant. it is huge, full service of gravity is quite a week so it grabs me to fit which falls in. it gets blonde in a by this ultra—strong gravity it is so crash at the nuclear reaction start and it is like having the size of the earth. it is like having your worst nightmare go on around the surface, the size of the earth and this will burn very brightly for about a week. jane clark there. you stay with us, plenty more coming up right here on bbc news. hello there. the weather turning increasingly unsettled as we step into the new year. if you have plans on new year's eve, keep listening to this forecast because it's going to be dominated by this area of low pressure, particularly across the far north of the country. it's bringing increasingly wet and windy weather across scotlan

prime minister narendra modi has previously announced plans to send a person to the moon by 2040.tar known as t bor cor with the naked eye happensjust once every 80 years. the boost to its brightness comes from going "nova", releasing a huge burst of energy built up over the previous eight decades. astronomers now believe this rare celestial event may be imminent. earlier i spoke to jane clarke, vice—chair at cardiff astronomical society. the forecast of these things is like forecasting the weather on steroids, because, you know, around the earth, we've got all these wonderful weather satellites and things and loads and loads of data. this thing is 30,000 light—years away. we've got none of out there. 0k, we've got none of out there. ok, now this is a dead star, basically. so how is it... well, it is a parent star, almost. it is a pair of stars. most stars are double stars, the sun is unusual in that regard. these double stars, one as you say is a dead star, there's no nuclear reactions going on, this is called a white wall. the amount of gravity of the white wall is beyond belief

and the ceremony included a 21—gun salute and was attended by india prime minister narendra modi, members party as well as other politicians and foreign dignitaries. 0ur correspondent, arunoday mukharji, was at the funeral and says people of all political affiliations attended. people are now starting to disperse. it was a massive affair you can see. they were leaders from various political parties. and opposition parties as well. that is testament to who the former prime minister was. priorto who the former prime minister was. prior to being prime minister he was known for being the finance minister who led the finance minister who led the liberalisation of economic policies. he is known for being an academic a scholar and then an academic a scholar and then a politician. that's why you see the kind of condolences that have been pouring in right from various political parties including the prime minister who said that today india is mourning one of its most distinguished leaders. condolence messages continue to pour rain we've seen dignitaries and politicians and ordinary citizens and va

the ceremony included a 21—gun salute and was attended by india prime minister narendra modi, membersaries. mihir sharma is an economist in kolkata. he shared his thoughts on manmohan singh�*s legacy. he ensured, essentially, that we open to the economy in 1991, as finance minister. he, as prime minister in the period between 2004 and 2014, ensured that we revised our international orientation to become more westward leaning by pushing through a very controversial at the time nuclear deal with the us, and that sort of normalised india's nuclear programme, and repaired you relations with the us. in many ways, the india that we see now, which is quite outward looking, very integrated into the world economy and quite confident, is the one he began to build a 1991 as finance minister and continued as prime minister. ~ . minister and continued as prime minister. ~ ,, ,, , , minister. what about his belief in political _ minister. what about his belief in political consensus, - in political consensus, something he talked about a lot? do you feel those kinds of sentiments have changed in the

prime minister narendra modi has previously announced plans to send a person to the moon by 2040.n international airport in south korea will remain closed for another week as the investigation into sunday's plane crash continues. officials say they've now identified most of the 179 people who died in thejeju air crash. south korea has also ordered a complete review of airline safety procedures after what's being called the country's worst plane crash in decades. we're expecting to hear from jeju air in a few hours at a news conference and we will bring you the latest on bbc news. that is the last newsday for 2024. that is the last newsday for 202a. thank you forjoining me this year. i look forward to another year ahead. see you at the same time tomorrow. hello there. there's going to be a lot of wet, windy and cold weather to come over the new year, but the focus today remains on this amber rain warning that we have from the met office. and within this area, there are already a number of severe flood warnings on rivers. it's been very wet in scotland, some snow melt adding to that

the current prime minister, narendra modi, said his wisdom and humility were always visible to all.w is waheguru pal sidhu, professor at the center for global affairs at new york university. how do you think you will be remembered in india? he was certainly india's _ remembered in india? he was certainly india's most - remembered in india? he was | certainly india's most educated technocrats can perhaps most transformative finance minister tra nsformative finance minister and transformative finance minister and prime minister. many people remember his tenure from 2004 to 2014 as prime minister but i think his more impactful time was his time as finance minister to the then prime minister in the very early 19905. , ., ~ , ., , 19905. yes, walk us through his economic impact _ 19905. yes, walk us through his economic impact on _ 19905. yes, walk us through his economic impact on the - 19905. yes, walk us through his| economic impact on the country. he really had a hand, didn't he, in modernising the country and bringing the economy to what we see today. absolutely. there were _ what w

the ceremony included a 21—gun salute and was attended by india prime minister narendra modi, memberses. our correspondent, arunoday mukharji, was at the funeral and says people of all political affiliations attended. this is where he was cremated with full state honours a short while back, people are slowly starting to disperse. it was a massive affair as you can see by the heavy police presence because there were leaders from all of the political parties. including the prime minister to several politicians of opposition parties as well. that is testament to who the former prime minister was, serving as the leader of the country from 2004 to 2014. but prior to that, known primarily for being the finance minister 1991 and changing the economic policy opening it up to foreign investment. that was the time when the economic growth story began and that's what he is known for. scholar first then politician. that is why you see the kind of condolence messages that have been pouring in right from various political parties, including the prime minister who said india including the prime mini