MUMBAI: BBC World has been recognised with a special award for excellence in news at the Hot Bird TV Awards, the pan European ceremony to recognise the best in satellite broadcasting.

The award for excellence in news was presented in recognition of the high quality of BBC World programming and was collected on 12 December in Turin, Italy by Jeff Hazell, the channel's director of distribution and business development, states the release.

The annual event was organised by the satellite operator Eutelsat, with all winners selected by an independent judging panel comprising journalists from newspapers and magzines around Europe, informs an official release.

BBC World editorial director Sian Kevill said: "It's been at an extraordinarily challenging year in terms of international news, with the tsunami, the London bombings, the US hurricanes and the Pakistani earthquakes in addition to the ongoing situation in Iraq. BBC World's output has been exemplary in terms of breaking and explaining these stories to a global audience and this award recognises the outstanding journalism synonymous with the channel in 2005."

It is the fourth time in eight year that the BBC's international news and information channel has received a trophy at the ceremony. BBC World was named best news channel in Europe in 1998, 2003 and 2004, and these three wins meant that it was not eligible to enter the category again in 2005.