Threat-Hit Iranian TV Channel Resumes London Broadcasts

 The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
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Threat-Hit Iranian TV Channel Resumes London Broadcasts

 The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)

Private network Iran International TV said Monday that it was broadcasting again from London having shut down its studios earlier this year due to threats it blamed on Tehran.

The station had been giving extensive coverage to anti-government demonstrations that erupted in Iran last year, and said two of its senior journalists received death threats in response to their reporting.

Acting upon police advice, it closed its base in the UK capital in February, but said in a statement on Monday that "Iran International TV has begun broadcasting from its new London studios".

"This resumption marks a return to London for Iran's most-watched news channel after broadcasting was temporarily moved to the United States earlier this year because of the credible, state-sponsored threats against its staff," it added.

London's Metropolitan Police last year installed concrete barriers outside the old studios in Chiswick, west London, to prevent any attack by vehicle and warned of "imminent and credible threats" to the lives of the channel's journalists.

The decision to close came after the arrest of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, who was charged with terror offences having been seen photographing and filming the exterior of the studios.

The Persian-language network's general manager Mahmood Enayat celebrated Monday's news, saying "it is great to be back broadcasting from London".

"Britain is the home of free speech. Resuming our broadcast from here is a statement that we will not be deterred from serving the Iranian people with independent, uncensored news," he added.

The channel will now broadcast from a secure site in north London, supported "by the guidance and expertise of the Metropolitan Police."

Iran International TV employed around 100 journalists in London while a similar number work for the station in Washington, serving a global audience of 30-40 million Farsi speakers.



At Least 20 Injured after Driver Hits Group of People in Munich

Emergency services attend the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday Feb. 13, 2025. (Christoph Trost/dpa via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday Feb. 13, 2025. (Christoph Trost/dpa via AP)
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At Least 20 Injured after Driver Hits Group of People in Munich

Emergency services attend the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday Feb. 13, 2025. (Christoph Trost/dpa via AP)
Emergency services attend the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday Feb. 13, 2025. (Christoph Trost/dpa via AP)

A driver drove a vehicle into a group of people in Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 20 people, authorities said.
Authorities didn't provide details about the incident near downtown Munich which took place around 10:30 a.m., including whether the people were hit deliberately.
Police said on social platform X that the driver was “secured” at the scene and no longer poses any danger. A damaged Mini could be seen at the scene, The Associated Press reported.
The fire service said at least 20 people were injured, some of them seriously, German news agency dpa reported.
Mayor Dieter Reiter said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident. He said that children were among those injured.
A demonstration by the service workers' union ver.di was taking place at the time of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether demonstrators were among the injured.
The Bavarian capital will see heavy security in the coming days because the three-day Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials, opens on Friday.