BBC World Service is expanding in Afghanistan with the launch of a TV news programme for the country’s Uzbek-speaking audience. The BBC Uzbek news bulletins will be broadcast on Arezo TV between 18.00 and 18.10 local time, Monday to Friday.  The launch is part of the biggest expansion of the World Service since the 1940s.

Broadcast from the BBC’s headquarters in London, the 10-minute programme is presented by the BBC Uzbek journalists, Firuz Rahimi and Luiza Iskandariy.  The hard-hitting, dynamic programme will bring interviews, in-depth reporting and analysis of the day’s key international, regional and Afghan developments, delivered by the BBC Uzbek teams in London and Northern Afghanistan, in collaboration with the BBC Afghan service, BBC Persian – and supported by the rest of the BBC’s global newsgathering network.

The Uzbek TV Editor, Diloram Ibrahimova, commented: “This is an exciting time for us as we expand our presence in Afghanistan.  Content from the BBC Uzbek newsgathering team in the country will add a regional dimension to our international news bulletin, to make it relevant to the country’s Uzbek-speakers.  We are looking forward to making an impact on Afghanistan’s media scene by serving this very special audience with the BBC’s reporting on current affairs, business, sport and culture.  We will do our best to attract young and female audiences.”