RIYADH — The Al-Jazeera office in the Kingdom is to be closed down soon, Al-Hayat newspaper reported Monday. A local source at the channel said the decision to close down the Qatari satellite channel provider would be implemented within the next few days. The official said all the Saudi writers have been prevented from working for Qatari media. The Saudi move to close down Al-Jazeera came in the wake of a directive from the Ministry of Culture and Information asking Saudi journalists working for Qatari newspapers to quit their jobs immediately. The official said Saudi writers and journalists would be prevented from contributing to audio-visual and electronic media in Qatar. — SG
