Alarab News Channel today announced that Laila Al Sheikhly is to join the channel’s news team. She will anchor one of the channel’s news programmes and brings with her nearly 25 years of experience in broadcast journalism.

Laila joins the upcoming Alarab from Al Jazeera and will form part of a near-300 strong team bringing the region’s freshest news channel to air later this year, it was stated.

“To be part of a new channel is a great opportunity; to be part of a new channel with the clear vision and the professional standards of Alarab is an opportunity too good to miss,” said Ms Sheikhly. “I hope I can bring a style to the channel which touches the audience and wins us a loyal group of followers.”

[ Also Read: Randi Zuckerberg – Sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg – to Host Radio Show ]

Alarab is positioned as a brand new style of news programming, designed to give a new generation of news watchers what they need. Alarab aims to bring its viewers news from around the world which impacts their lives, and set it in the context of the region’s history and politics.

The all-Arabic channel will include extensive news programming as well as regular news roundups, travel and the channel’s deal with Bloomberg will enable it to bring business people the very latest information they need.

[ Also Read: Academy Presents Top Arab Films from Dubai Film Festival ]

Laila Al Sheikhly (pictured above) started her career in journalism in 1990 in Washington as a newscaster with ANA. In 1994 she moved to BBC Arabia to become its first female presenter and her list of firsts continued in 1996 when she because the first Arab female to host a political programme when she did so with MBC in 1996. She spent seven years at Abu Dhabi television from 1999 to 2006 when she joined Al Jazeera in 2006.

Alarab is a future Arabic-language news channel. The channel is owned by Saudi prince and entrepreneur Al-Waleed bin Talal. It is based in Manama, Bahrain.