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BBC World Service launches on FM in Baghdad, Basra
MUMBAI: In the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Basra locals can now hear BBC World Service in FM as well as on short wave and medium wave frequencies.
BBC World Service is the first international broadcaster to broadcast 24 hours a day in Arabic on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The new FM frequencies are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra in Arabic.
In Basra, the World Service can also be heard in English on FM on 88.0 MHz. Director BBC World Service and Global News Mark Byford said, “BBC World Service has a high standing in Iraq. In recent years Iraqis depended on international radio for their news after satellite dishes were banned. BBC World Service is widely listened to and respected across the Arab world and boosted its short wave and medium wave transmissions to Iraq at the start of the war”.
“Now for the first time the people of Baghdad and Basra can listen to BBC World Service on FM. This is a historic development and we plan to extend FM to other major Iraqi cities”.
Throughout the war, BBC Arabic broadcast continuous rolling news and introduced special programmes for Iraqis, including live discussions and Lifeline programmes supported by BBC World Service Trust, the charitable arm of BBC World Service, broadcasting life-saving information.
A team of four BBC Arabic reporters are currently in Iraq to report for BBC Arabic. Another BBC Arabic producer is in Baghdad leading a team of local journalists to extend the Trust’s Lifeline programmes. BBC Arabic is also available on FM in Amman (Jordan) reaching Jerusalem and other West Bank centres, in Ajloun (Jordan) for Damascus, northern Jordan, southern Lebanon, and northern Israel, in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Khartoum and Wad Madani in Sudan. In Afghanistan, BBC World Service has initiated a similar programme to bring high quality FM to the country.
Two years after the Taliban provoked international outrage by destroying a pair of huge Buddha statues in Bamian, central Afghanistan, BBC World Service recently erected Afghanistan’s first solar powered FM transmitter there. Conventional transmitters also broadcast BBC World Service in FM to Afghans in Kabul, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.
In rural areas of Iraq people will continue to hear BBC World Service on short wave and medium wave.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
