Media regulator Ofcom revokes RT's licence to broadcast in the UK
March 18, 2022, 4:44 pm

Media regulator Ofcom revokes RT's licence to broadcast in the UK

Flag of United Kingdom (File photo: Pixabay)

The Euronews reported, Britain's media regulator Ofcom has revoked the broadcasting licence for Russia's state-backed RT news channel.

Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, said: "Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high."

Ofcom is currently investigating 29 complaints about impartiality in RT's news and current affairs coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The channel has previously been fined £200,000 (€237,000) for breaches of impartiality rules.

Ofcom said in a statement: "We have done so on the basis that we do not consider RT’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast licence."

It added that it took into consideration a range of different factors when making their own decision about the licence: including RT’s Russian state funding and Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

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Ofcom said: "We also note new laws in Russia which effectively criminalise any independent journalism that departs from the Russian state’s own news narrative, in particular in relation to the invasion of Ukraine."

"We consider that given these constraints it appears impossible for RT to comply with the due impartiality rules of our Broadcasting Code in the circumstances."

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The channel was already blocked by YouTube and off-air in the UK due to EU sanctions against it.

Source: euronews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”