Qatar's state-funded broadcaster Al-Jazeera on Sunday announced a fresh round of job cuts with around 500 positions being lost, most of them at the network's Doha headquarters. On top of existing losses of 700 jobs following an announcement earlier this year that Al-Jazeera America is to close, it means the broadcaster is set to shed more than 20 percent of its global workforce. In total, the job cuts will reduce Al-Jazeera's staff numbers from around 5,200 to 4,000.
The cuts come at a time when gas and oil-rich Qatar is readjusting its spending priorities as it grapples with the global slump in energy prices.