Veteran BBC journalist Mark Tully, known as ‘voice of India’, passes away at 90
New Delhi: British journalist and broadcaster Mark Tully, widely regarded as the BBC’s “voice of India”, passed away on Sunday at the age of 90. He had been hospitalised for a week, news agency ANI reported.
Born in Kolkata, Tully moved to the United Kingdom in his early years before returning to India in 1965 for work. He joined the British Broadcasting Corporation as an administrative assistant and went on to become its bureau chief in New Delhi, a role he held for nearly two decades.
Over a long and influential career, Tully reported on some of the most defining moments in modern Indian history. His coverage included the wars between India and Pakistan, the Emergency imposed in 1975, communal riots, the Bhopal gas tragedy and Operation Blue Star.
In 1984, during Operation Blue Star ordered by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Tully and fellow journalist Satish Jacob were the only reporters to enter the Golden Temple complex and report on the presence of fortifications before the military action against Sikh militants.
Tully’s tenure in India also saw confrontations with authority. During the Emergency, the BBC was expelled from the country in 1975 after it refused to sign a government-mandated censorship agreement. Tully, who was then the BBC’s Delhi correspondent, was given just 24 hours to leave India.
Known for his deep understanding of Indian society and politics, Tully remained closely associated with the country long after his formal retirement, earning respect for his balanced reporting and long engagement with India’s public life.
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EAM Jaishankar meets EU's Costa, von der Leyen
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday hoped that summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top leadership of European Union will herald a "new chapter" in the two-way ties.
Jaishankar made the remarks after meeting European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The two top leaders of the 27-nation bloc will grace the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests on Monday. They will hold summit talks with PM Modi on Tuesday.
At the summit on Tuesday, India and the EU are set to announce the conclusion of the much-awaited free trade agreement, firm up a strategic defence partnership pact and a framework for mobility of Indian professionals.
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The two sides are also expected to unveil a set of new initiatives to broadbase the overall ties besides deliberating on the disruptions caused by the Trump administration's economic and security policies.
"Delighted to welcome President @EUCouncil Antonio Costa and President @EU_Commission @vonderleyen to India," Jaishankar said on social media.
"A great privilege to have them as Chief Guests for the 77th Republic Day celebrations. Confident that their upcoming discussions with Prime Minister @narendramodi will herald a new chapter in India-European Union relations," he added.
While von der Leyen landed in New Delhi on Saturday, Costa arrived here on Sunday.
India and the European Union are on the cusp of a "historic trade agreement" that would create a market comprising two billion people accounting for almost a quarter of the global GDP, von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20.
The relations between India and the EU have been on an upswing in the last few years.
The EU, as a bloc, is India's largest trading partner in goods. For financial year 2024-25, India's total trade in goods with the EU was worth about USD 136 billion, with exports around USD 76 billion, and imports at USD 60 billion.
