Snapchat blocks Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

Social media platform Snapchat has blocked access to Al Jazeera content in Saudi Arabia.

Snapchat said it was asked by the Saudi authorities to remove the Qatari-backed broadcaster's Discover Publisher Channel because it violated local laws.

Qatar is in an ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE.

The four countries cut ties with Qatar earlier this year, accusing the country of supporting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world's most restrictive media environments, according to human rights groups and media freedom advocates.

But the Saudi authorities have a particular dislike for Al Jazeera. At one point they had demanded Qatar's government shut it down altogether as one of 13 conditions to remove sanctions against the country.

Those conditions were later withdrawn.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest social media markets in the Middle East, boosted by a high rate of smart phone ownership.

That can sometimes place US-listed companies like Snapchat's parent Snap Inc in an awkward position, as local laws are far more restrictive than in many other markets.

"We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement.

I Brought Ghanaian Sounds And Slangs Into Nigerian Music – Mr Eazi

Rising singer, Oluwatosin Ajibade, aka Mr Eazi, has been in the eye of the storm lately over some statements he has been making.

During a recent radio interview, the singer had claimed that the practice of infusing Ghanaian sounds and slangs into Nigerian music was started by him. And that, other artistes in the country are now copying his ‘formula’ in order to have hit songs like him.

Immediately the video recording of the interview surfaced on the Internet, Nigerians lambasted him for making false claims.

The dust had yet to settle down on that incident before the controversial singer also claimed that he rejected an oil and gas job that would have fetched him $6,000 per month in order to pursue his music career. Meanwhile, some Nigerians shared pictures of Mr Eazi’s LinkedIn page, which showed that the singer only worked as an intern at Schlumberger for six months in 2010.

However, in a chat with Sunday Scoop, the singer stood by his words.

“The interview that caused this uproar was just me speaking my mind and saying things the way I see it from my perspective. It wasn’t meant to be an insult to any Nigerian artiste. You cannot deny that I brought a new vibe to the industry and I believe everybody can see that. Now, there are lots of Nigerian artistes who use Ghanaian words and melodies in their songs, but they’ve never been to Ghana. So how did they get to know about those words? There are a lot more songs out now that have that Ghanaian influence, and with all due respect, I can boldly say that started after my songs started gaining popularity.”

Asked to mention one artiste that has ‘copied’ his style, the dreadlocks-wearing singer said:

“I don’t have to mention anybody’s name. I am sure that those who are discerning know what I’m talking about.”

Speaking on the $6,000 job he allegedly turned down for music, Mr Eazi said:

“I turned down the job; I didn’t say I had started working there. I don’t think there is anything wrong with being an intern. I don’t have anything to gain by lying about such a thing.

The truth remains that I was offered a job by Schlumberger, but I decided not to take it, but rather concentrated on my career. And that is a decision I’ve never regretted till date.”