International
BBC World Service to cut 130 roles to save £6m in 2025/26
As part of the changes the BBC would decommission eight podcasts and radio programmes: Africa Daily, The Forum, The Cultural Frontline, The Explanation, Business Matters… and Over to You.
BBC World Service will cut a net 130 jobs, including in the UK, as it battles to save £6m in the year ahead.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced an extra £32.6m for the BBC World Service for 2025/26 in November.
But the BBC said that despite this “welcome uplift”, previous licence-fee freezes, global inflation “and the need for ongoing digital and technological upkeep have meant savings are necessary”.
It added that it is competing against international news organisations with much bigger budgets meaning “increased competition for staff, platforms and frequencies, and audiences”.
The £6m savings needed for the next financial year will largely be met by the net reduction of 130 roles.
The BBC said these will include closing posts across the BBC World Service in the UK and internationally and in BBC Monitoring, which reports and analyses news from around the world and will also see a reinvestment “in strategically important skills”.
There will also be “changes to the commissioning mix” on World Service English and a reshaping of some World Service Language teams to become more digitally-focused.
According to the National Union of Journalists, the BBC aims to meet its targets for the cuts through voluntary redundancies wherever possible.
BBC World Service English controller John Zilkha wrote in an email to staff that as part of the changes the BBC would decommission eight podcasts and radio programmes: Africa Daily, The Forum, The Cultural Frontline, The Explanation, Business Matters, the 1530 World Business Report, Pick of The World and Over to You.
Another show, Science in Action, will be closed and replaced with Inside Science. Zilkha said a new monthly audience feedback programme will be commissioned.
Jonathan Munro, global director and deputy chief executive of BBC News, said: “While the result of the latest grant-in-aid funding settlement means we are able to maintain all of our existing language services, we were clear it would not stave off difficult decisions in order to remain globally competitive and meet our savings requirements.
“These changes will ensure we operate effectively with the resource we have, creating the most impact for audiences internationally.”
The BBC said its commitment to high-quality journalism across its 42 language services is “undiminished”.
NUJ general secretary Laura Davison said the plans are “yet another blow to journalists at the BBC.
Proposals will see the loss of talented and experienced journalists committed to the unrivalled journalism produced by the World Service and relied upon by countries globally.
“The freezing of the licence fee has had a profound impact still felt acutely today; we need a commitment from government to provide long-term sustainable funding that allows the provision by teams including over 40 language services to thrive.
“It is wrong journalists are once more bearing the brunt of changes at a time when the BBC’s journalism and soft power is needed more than ever. As we support members impacted by cuts, we urge the BBC to engage meaningfully with us to do all it can to protect jobs.”
The BBC joins several UK and US broadcasters announcing job cuts in January including CNN, NBC News and London Live. Other news organisations cutting roles include the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Dotdash Meredith, Huffpost and DC Thomson.
The last round of cuts affecting journalists at the BBC was announced in October, with 185 jobs expected to go across the news and current affairs department including through the end of the interview programme Hardtalk, tech show Click and the Asian Network’s bespoke news service.
▪︎Press Gazette
The UK Government has announced the appointment of Mr Peter Vowles as the next British High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mr Vowles succeeds Dr Richard Montgomery CMG and is expected to take up his post in Abuja in September 2026. Dr Montgomery remains in post until that time.
Mr Vowles brings extensive diplomatic and development experience to the role, having served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2023 to 2026 and previously as Ambassador to Myanmar from 2021 to 2022. He has held senior leadership positions across the FCDO and its predecessor department DFID, including as Transformation Director and Director for Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories.
Earlier in his career, Mr Vowles worked in international development across South Asia, Central Africa and East Africa, including postings in Bangladesh, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. He began his career in Zimbabwe, where he worked in education and development.
Peter Vowles said:
“I am honoured to be appointed as British High Commissioner to Nigeria. Nigeria is a country of immense importance to the United Kingdom, and I look forward to working closely with Nigerian partners to strengthen our relationship across trade, development and security.”
Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby has captured global attention with her vibrant new portrait of former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, unveiled as the first official joint painting of the couple for the Obama Presidential Center.
The artwork, titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, was revealed in a heartfelt video shared by the Obamas on social media. In the post, Michelle Obama expressed deep honor at commissioning the piece, praising Akunyili Crosby’s “artistic brilliance” and the way she infused “life and joy” into the composition.
“It was great joining @NjidekaAkunyiliCrosby — a gifted Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist — to unveil our first portrait together,” Barack Obama wrote. “This piece reflects so many chapters of Michelle and my story, and we’re thrilled that it will be on display in the Hope and Change lobby at the Obama Presidential Center starting this Juneteenth.”
Akunyili Crosby, daughter of the late Dora Akunyili — Nigeria’s renowned former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) — is known for her distinctive collage-style works that blend painting, photo transfers, and personal narratives. The portrait incorporates symbolic elements from the Obamas’ lives, including references to Michelle’s childhood home, a Harvard Law Review volume, and cultural touches like Stevie Wonder’s album.
The painting will greet visitors when the Obama Presidential Center opens to the public on Juneteenth (June 19, 2026) in Chicago’s South Side. Reactions have been largely positive, with many celebrating the representation of Black excellence and the artist’s Nigerian-American heritage, though some online commentators noted the work’s richly detailed, layered style.
This commission marks a significant milestone for Akunyili Crosby, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient, further elevating African diaspora voices in major American cultural institutions.
International
UK PM announces ban on social media for under-16s
The ban will “include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X” but not messaging services such as WhatsApp, the government said.
•UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Children under 16 will be banned from using social media in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday, saying such platforms were making youngsters “unhappy”.
Some children’s charities welcomed the sweeping change, which is likely to trigger a major fight with US tech giants, but others warned it could make teenagers less safe online.
Starmer, likely to face a leadership challenge in the coming weeks, said social media sites were exposing children to content that is “dangerous” and “designed to be addictive”.
The ban will “include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X” but not messaging services such as WhatsApp, the government said.
Some young people gave a mixed response to the move.
“I think it’s a good thing, to be honest, because I don’t even remember what age I was when I got Instagram, but it was just way too early,” student Connie Skitt, 19, told AFP in Buxton, central England.
“You’re making friends with people you don’t know. It’s like, not that safe.”But 18-year-old tour guide Tom Warvell expressed concerns that 16 was “a little bit high”, arguing younger teens were “a better age to focus on”.
“Times have changed so it is important for people to still be able to use it.”
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