Al Jazeera told to shut down in Egypt, signal cut

CAIRO/KUWAIT, (Reuters) – Qatar-based satellite  channel Al Jazeera was ordered by Egypt’s information ministry  today to shut down its operations in the country, and later  in the day its signal to some parts of the Middle East was cut.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in  Egypt demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s  authoritarian 30-year rule, in protests that have sent  shockwaves through the Arab world.
The news channel, which says it can reach 220 million  households in more than 100 countries, said in a message on its  broadcast that Egypt’s satellite Nilesat had cut off its  broadcasting signal.
That effectively took Al Jazeera off the air in some parts  of the Arab world, but other signals were still available.
“Dear viewers, Al Jazeera’s signal has been cut off on  Nilesat,” it broadcast via a signal visible in Kuwait, and gave  satellite frequencies on which the channel was still available.
Earlier, Egyptian authorities ordered it to stop operations  in Egypt, though correspondents were still reporting news by  telephone.
“The Information Minister ordered … suspension of  operations of Al Jazeera, cancelling of its licences and  withdrawing accreditation to all its staff as of today,” a  statement on Egypt’s official Mena news agency said.
Launched in Doha, Qatar, in 1996, Al Jazeera has more  than 400 reporters in over 60 countries, according to its  website.