Bahrain on Monday announced that it had closed a new pan-Arab news channel, owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, which had vowed to practise “objective” journalism.
The al Arab News Channel, launched on February 1, was on air for only a few hours before reverting to promotional material while trying to resolve “technical and administrative” issues.
“It has been decided to halt the activities of al Arab, the channel not having received the necessary permits,” a statement from the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority said on Monday.
Shortly after its launch on February 1, programming was interrupted after al Arab broadcast an interview with an opposition politician in Bahrain.
The interview with a Shia opponent of the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers sparked criticism in the pro-government Bahraini daily Akhbar al-Khaleej.
The newspaper said it learnt that al Arab was taken off the air for “not adhering to the norms prevalent in Gulf countries”.
