The new pan-Arab news channel Alarab has stopped broadcasting regular programmes hours after its first transmission from Bahrain.

The channel, owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, said on its Twitter account that broadcasting has "stopped for technical and administrative reasons and that it will be back soon."

Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority (IAA) media director Yousef Mohammed said that progamming at Al-Arab satellite channel has been temporarily suspended for administrative and technical purposes.

The Information Affairs Authority continues to work alongside Al-Arab’s management team in order to swiftly resolve the matter, which is expected to see broadcasting resume shortly, he was quoted as saying in a BNA report.

The website of Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper said the suspension was "related to the failure of those in charge to abide by the prevailing norms in the Gulf, including the neutrality of media positions and staying away from anything that could negatively impact the spirit of Gulf unity".

That appeared to refer to the interview the channel boradcast with Marzouq, an aide to Sheikh Ali Salman, the detained secretary-general of Bahrain's main opposition movement. It was broadcast after the channel officially went on the air on Sunday.

A source familiar with the affairs of the news channel said Bahraini officials had delivered the suspension order on a visit to the station over issues of "journalistic neutrality".

The channel took to the air at 1300 GMT on Sunday. - TradeArabia News Service and Reuters