Channel in Bahrain Goes Silent After Giving Opposition Airtime

The television network Al Arab appeared well equipped to muscle its way into the Middle East’s crowded market of satellite news channels: top talent, backing from a fabulously rich Saudi prince and permission to broadcast from the island kingdom of Bahrain. But less than a day after it began, the channel suspended broadcasting, apparently forced to stop by the authorities in Bahrain after it gave airtime to an opposition leader who criticized a recent government decision.