BBC asks UN to condemn Iran allegations

8 December 2025

BBC asks UN to condemn Iran allegations

In a formal filing to the United Nations over the targeting of BBC News Persian staff and their families, the BBC World Service has expressed deep concern over Iran’s new and extreme language used in relation to BBC News Persian. It has urged the UN experts to condemn Iran’s conduct towards the BBC and Iran’s attempts to frame independent journalism as a form of “terrorism” and “warfare”.

In September 2025, Iran responded to the UN urgent appeal filed in June by the BBC World Service where the BBC raised concern with the escalation of harassment, targeting and threats towards the BBC News Persian staff – and their families in Iran – in the wake of the service’s reporting on the Iran-Israel conflict. The BBC also had urged the UN to take action after the publication of the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament in July this year about Iran’s transnational repression. The “Iran” report confirmed that in the previous 12-18 months there was an escalation of physical threats and consistent targeting of the UK-based Persian-language media organisations, whom Iran perceives as “deeply undermining of the Iranian regime”; that BBC News Persian was a “prominent target” of transnational repression from Iran; and that there was a “high risk of physical attacks” in the UK.

In its response to the UN, Iran justified its ongoing, unlawful actions towards BBC journalists. Using extreme language regarding the BBC for the first time in an official filing with the UN, Iran accused BBC News Persian in “media warfare”, “trying to target the security of the country by influencing the beliefs, culture, politics and behaviour of society”. Making unfounded allegations against BBC News Persian and its reporting, Iran called on the UN rapporteurs to “evaluate” the work of Western media such as the BBC as “media terrorism”. Iran’s response also marks the first time its government has officially acknowledged that legal action has been taken against BBC News Persian staff in Iran. Before this admission, attempts to obtain information on this from the judiciary in Iran have failed.

Tarik Kafala, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, BBC World Service, said: “The extreme, highly alarming language the Islamic Republic of Iran has used in an official government filings with the UN demonstrates the Iranian authorities’ attitude towards independent journalism and our reporting of the country. We are deeply concerned that, instead of putting an end to the harassment and threats to our staff and their families in Iran, with this language Iran signals new forms of targeting them, now justifying their persecution with counter-terrorism and national security laws. We condemn these actions.”

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, added: “The UN must condemn the escalating intimidation and persecution of media workers by the Iranian state. Journalists at BBC Persian are paying a huge personal price simply for doing their job. It takes enormous courage and the deepest sense of duty for a journalist to continue pursuing the truth in the face of relentless state repression. The NUJ stands in solidarity with journalists under threat and demands an end to the Iranian state’s campaign against press freedom and journalists’ rights.”

Counsel for the BBC World Service has today filed with the UN a submission, expressing alarm over the extreme language used by the Islamic Republic of Iran in relation to the BBC’s reporting and over Iran’s attempt to justify the ongoing unlawful actions towards BBC staff and their families. The submission urges the UN experts to condemn Iran’s conduct towards the BBC and Iran’s attempts to frame independent journalism as a form of terrorism and warfare. The BBC calls on the UN experts to request further information from Iran about the legal action against the BBC. It urges them to directly raise concern with Iran about efforts to characterise BBC journalism as “media terrorism” or “soft war” and about abusing national security and counter-terrorism laws to target and harass journalists and their families.

The BBC World Service has engaged with the UN over the protection of its Iranian journalists and their families since 2017, after Iran launched a national security criminal investigation into 152 BBC staff and former staff, along with an asset freeze against all of their assets in Iran, including those owned jointly with family members. Since then, a number of BBC News Persian journalists have been convicted in absentia in Iran for their reporting.

BBC News Persian is part of the BBC World Service.

ABC International puts sport front and centre in 2026

24 November 2025

ABC International puts sport front and centre in 2026

ABC International has announced an exciting slate of sports-focused programming for 2026, placing sport at the heart of its audience growth strategy for Asia and the Pacific.

At a livestreamed event in Sydney titled The Power of Sport, ABC International’s Head Claire M. Gorman outlined ambitious plans, including ongoing investment in high quality sports content for the ABC’s international screen, audio and digital platforms.

WATCH EVENT LIVESTREAM HERE

According to Gorman: “Today is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the power of sport to build audiences and promote inclusion and equality. ABC International will continue to place sport at the heart of what we do, with exciting new content and programs coming in 2026.”

In addition to premium content, Gorman reaffirmed ABC International’s commitment to developing sports media programs in the Indo-Pacific region via its media development unit, ABC International Development (ABCID), which runs the successful programs Women in News and Sport (WINS) and Commentary and Mobile Journalism Program (CAMP).

Gorman said: “WINS turns ten in 2026 and over the decade, it has backed hundreds of women across Asia and the Pacific to succeed in sports media through targeted mentoring, training and networking. CAMP also creates digital storytelling opportunities on our platforms for women, First Nations Broadcasters and other under-represented voices across the Indo-Pacific.”

ABC INTERNATIONAL’S 2026 SLATE SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS

In 2026, ABC Australia will be the international home to leading Australian sports, including the AFLand AFLW (men and women’s Australian Football Leagues), the Melbourne Cup and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Also returning is weekly fan favourite That Pacific Sports Show with Tiana Penitani-Gray and Sam Wykes and Paul Kennedy’s popular series Play On.

Premiering on ABC Australia in 2026 is inspiring new AFL documentary Playing on a Prayer, which accompanies two young Muslim players as they try to get drafted into the AFL league.

ABC Radio Australia takes NRL to the Pacific and Timor-Leste in 2026 while weekly sports talk programs Fresh Off The Field and Nesian Footy will also return, featuring popular presenters Sam Wykes and Tinirau Arona.

BBC World Service’s flagship arts show heads to Rome

31 October 2025

BBC World Service’s flagship arts show heads to Rome

The BBC World Service is bringing its flagship arts and culture programme, The Arts Hour on Tour, to Rome. The show, featuring live performances and interviews with leading creatives from the Italian capital, will be recorded on Wednesday 19 November 2025.

To discuss Italy’s – and Rome’s – cultural scene of today, the BBC’s Nikki Bedi will be joined on stage in front of an audience by a lineup of guests including director, filmmaker and composer, Margherita Vicario; singer-songwriter, Levante; rapper and singer Mecna; film writer and director, Paolo Strippoli; and stand-up comedian, Luca Ravenna.

Genre-defying music sensation and filmmaker, Margherita Vicario, will discuss the inspiration for her debut feature film Gloria!, which won her three David di Donatello awards this year. As director, co-writer and co-composer, Margherita Vicario blends classical and modern pop music in a story with a fresh feminist slant, hailed by critics at the 2024 Berlinale as “pop-fuelled period rebellion” and a “girl-power makeover”.

Live music performance will come from magnetic singer-songwriter Levante, whose raw emotional storytelling pulses with vulnerability and poetic grit. Born in Sicily and later rooted in Turin, Levante creates music that combines the emotional depth of her southern heritage with the urban edge of her northern experience, contrasting landscapes that also echo through her work as a novelist.

And there is live music from Mecna, rapper and singer-songwriter whose introspective lyrics and atmospheric soundscapes challenge the stereotypes of hip hop and R&B in Italy. As a headlining festival act, with chart topping singles and ten studio albums, often featuring his own graphic design, he is proud of making ‘Sad rap’, that he describes as “a way to understand the world”.

Film writer and director Paolo Strippoli’s visionary approach to horror has captivated audiences across Europe and beyond, in A Classic Horror Story and his visceral Piove (It’s Raining). His newly released film, La Valle Dei Sorrisi (The Holy Boy), which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, is a psychological, religious horror fable.

The Rome edition of The Arts Hour on Tour will bring live stand-up performance from comedian Luca Ravenna, whose cerebral humour has carved a unique path through Italian comedy. With sold-out tours across Italy and appearances on major platforms such as Netflix and Comedy Central, stand-up specials like Rodrigo Live and Luca Ravenna Live @, and his viral podcast Cachemire with co-host Edoardo Ferrario, Ravenna has become a defining voice of his comedic generation.

Recorded in English for the BBC World Service, The Arts Hour on Tour visits cities all over the world to explore their hottest cultural trends. By talking to the artists who live and work there, the programme promotes cultural exchange across the world.

Presenter Nikki Bedi says: “We are beyond excited to visit Rome for The Arts Hour on Tour. With its rich historic and cultural heritage, and abundance of art, Italy has so much to showcase. I’m certain it will be a jam-packed programme full of cultural delights. We look forward to recording with local talent in front of a live audience.”

The show will also be broadcast on BBC World Service to millions of listeners worldwide.

France 24 joins Rogers TV offer in Canada

31 October 2025

France 24 joins Rogers TV offer in Canada

Through to a new distribution agreement with ROGERS, a leading Canadian communications and entertainment company, France 24 continues its expansion in North America with a significant increase in its distribution in Canada.

France 24 in English is now available in the ‘Total TV’, ‘Popular’, ‘Ultimate’, and ‘International News’ packages of ROGERS, Canada’s leading pay-TV operator.

France 24 in French is also strengthening its presence in the Canadian market through ROGERS’ French-language offer, available on cable and OTT.

Thanks to this new agreement, France 24 is now accessible in 1.1 million Canadian pay-TV households, reaching 980,000 households for the English-language channel and 140,000 households for the French channel.

FRANCE 24 – Climate Warriors: Women Taking the Lead

31 October 2025

FRANCE 24 – Climate Warriors: Women Taking the Lead

As the COP30 climate talks approach this November in Belém, Brazil, The 51%, France 24‘s flagship programme on women’s rights, shines a spotlight on the women at the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis — a struggle that continues to affect women and children disproportionately.

According to the United Nations, climate change could push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty by 2025 — 16 million more than the number of men and boys.

In this episode, Annette Young speaks to French climate activist Camille Étienne, often described as the ‘French Greta Thunberg’, as she and her all-female team prepare to sail to Brazil for this crucial summit. The France 24 team also meets Vanda Witoto, an Indigenous climate activist from the Brazilian Amazon, and Binta Wane in Senegal, who is turning rubbish dumps into thriving vegetable gardens.

‘The 51% – Climate Warriors: Women Taking the Lead’ will also be accessible via france24.com

France Médias Monde renews JTI certification

31 October 2025

France Médias Monde renews JTI certification

After being among the first French media groups to receive this recognition in 2023, France Médias Monde has renewed its Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification.

Developed as an international ISO standard, the JTI is an initiative by Reporters Without Borders that promotes free and independent information worldwide. It evaluates news organizations against criteria covering editorial reliability, ethical and professional principles, and transparency. The certification process—based on a questionnaire of nearly 200 items—assesses areas such as editorial organization (ethical framework, newsroom independence, protection of sources, content accuracy, transparency toward audiences, among others), funding sources, governance independence, legal structure, and social management practices.

All of France Médias Monde’s responses are publicly available on the JTI platform (jti-app.com) in a transparency report. This report has undergone an external audit, valid for two years, conducted by the independent third-party organisation Deloitte, which certified its accuracy and confirmed France Médias Monde’s compliance with JTI ethical and professional standards.

In an international context increasingly marked by information manipulation, disinformation, and threats to press freedom, the renewal of this certification reaffirms the status and vital role of France Médias Monde’s media outlets in delivering free, independent, verified, and balanced information to global audiences, in French and 20 other languages.