(Update) Al Jazeera accuses Egypt of blocking the channel

Something's going on with Al Jazeera's signal in parts of Egypt. Namely, the channel is being jammed, according to the Guardian.

Al Jazeera says it has been blocked since July with programming between 7 a.m. and midnight going dark.

More from the Guardian's report:

Al-Jazeera believes the blocking of its signal in Egypt is part of a concerted campaign to close it down, which includes the arrest of reporters and cameraman working for the broadcaster in Cairo.

The Egyptian government hit back, saying if al-Jazeera had any evidence that the government was blocking its services, it should make a formal complaint to Cairo.

It also denied targeting the station, and accused it of stoking anti-government sentiment with pro-Muslim Brotherhood policies.

"We have had hundreds of claims that they are inciting people, they are misleading them and fabricating reports. They put cameras in Tahrir Square and exaggerated the number of protestors; they invited biased guests on and insult millions of Egyptian people. They support the Muslim Brotherhood … they should judge themselves before they make these claims," said a spokeswoman at the Egyptian embassy in London.

It's apparently the worst of times to be a journalist in Egypt. Ibrahim Essa, a well-known TV journalist in the country, recently penned an op-ed for the New York Times in which he said "my fate is to face death because of what I write and what I say."

Update: Associated Press reports: "An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered Al-Jazeera’s local affiliate to stop broadcasting along with three other stations known for their coverage of Islamist protests, saying that they had operated illegally, the state news agency said." Government officials in Egypt have dubbed Al Jazeera "harmful to Egyptian national security."

@eScarry