BBC News has announced cuts totaling £24m as part of a wider effort to save the BBC £700m a year.
Casualties include blockbuster global chat show Hard Talk, which has been axed.
Stephen Sackur, the presenter who is leaving the BBC, said the move was “frustrating” for the future of in-depth interviews, which “are often evaded by people in their own countries”. Those who are responsible bear the responsibility”.
The customized AsiaNet news service, which gets its announcements from Radio 1’s Newsbeat, will also be shut down.
The proposals would result in a net loss of 155 jobs. The savings of £24 million equate to 4% of the company’s news budget.
Other changes include production of BBC Radio 5 Live’s overnight programming moving to the BBC’s national and local teams.
The number of digital roles in time zones outside the UK will increase, with some roles in London closing and new roles opening in Sydney.
Deborah Turness, chief executive of BBC News, said that even after the savings, the department “will remain well-resourced compared with our competitors”.
But the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it feared the BBC would be damaged in the long term without urgent investment.
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said: “These latest cuts represent a significant step forward at a time when the UK needs greater pluralism and diversity in journalism, and at a time when trust in journalism is under attack at home and abroad. a devastating attack on journalism and journalism.
The company made no announcement about its global service, which has cut foreign language services including Chinese and Arabic.
The government currently contributes around a quarter of the World Service’s £366m budget, and the BBC has asked for an increase. It is understood a decision will be made by the end of October.
On Monday, the BBC Director-General Tim David warns The UK is grappling with an increase in “pure propaganda” from countries including Russia and China as services are cut.
