As this motion is using historical data, we may not have the record of the original ordering, in which case signatories are listed alphabetically.
That this House congratulates the BBC World Service on its successful launch of BBC Persian Television on 14 January 2009, bringing high-quality accurate and impartial news, information and analysis on television from a global perspective to audiences in Iran, Afghanistan and beyond; recognises that the BBC has a distinguished history of broadcasting in Persian over 68 years with audiences that regard it as one of the most trusted, impartial and objective international radio news providers in the Persian-speaking world; applauds the BBC's decision to augment news with programmes on arts, culture, science, technology and sport in order to attract a diverse audience; notes that the channel will offer a vital opportunity for Persian speakers to debate and discuss major global issues; and further notes that in the same month the BBC's first specialist language television channel, BBC Arabic, which has made a substantial impact on the local television news market, was extended from 12 to 24 hours a day offering Arabic speakers round-the-clock news on television to supplement the existing radio and online services.