On March 26 2004 the last transmission of the BBC World Service programme East Asia Today was broadcast.

This decision follows a review of our services to Asia against a background of the events and issues emanating from the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.

The BBC World Service has decided to divert the programme's substantial budget to increase its investment significantly in the Arabic, Indonesian and Urdu Services, and to strengthen the audibility of programmes in these key languages.

The BBC World Service remains committed to coverage of this region both for our listeners worldwide, and for our radio audiences in the region; ensuring the major stories emanating from East Asia receive proper prominence in our programmes.

The East Asia Today slot will be filled by our news and current affairs programme, World Briefing, which serves the rest of the world at that time.

World Briefing in the Asian evening, and The World Today, which has large audiences in the morning, will use existing reporters and resources from the region to ensure that audiences get a good mix of world and regional news when they tune in at early mornings or late evenings.