Internet service provider Livedoor Co. was set to start distributing news articles Monday from Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite TV channel known for airing messages purportedly coming from a global terrorist network, sources said.
Livedoor has concluded an exclusive contract with Al-Jazeera for the online news distribution, becoming the first Japanese Internet portal operator to provide articles from the Arab satellite news channel, the sources said.
Livedoor will translate several English-language articles by Al-Jazeera into Japanese each day but has no plans to provide the broadcaster's video footage.
Al-Jazeera gained worldwide attention by airing footage of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
The contract is Livedoor's latest effort to bolster its news-providing services and attract more people to its Web site.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.