£90m grant for World Service

BBC World Service broadcasts will benefit from a £90 million UK government grant – less than a year after the body revealed cuts to jobs and services.

Thirteen months ago ministers announced responsibility for funding the World Service would move from the Foreign Office to the BBC.

Following the decision, the corporation unveiled plans to close five of its 32 World Service language services and axe up to 650 jobs over three years.

But now the Department of International Development, one of two Whitehall departments to have its budget protected, have unveiled a five-year deal with the BBC World Service Trust.