IPS-English MEDIA-UAE: WAM and IPS to boost cooperation Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:47:42 -0700 From: WAM Service Att.Editors: The following item is from the Emirates News Agency (WAM) ABU DHABI, Apr. 4 (WAM) - Director General of Emirates News Agency (WAM) Ibrahim Al Abed and Director General of Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency Mario Lubetkin discussed today ways to develop and boost media and news exchange cooperation between the two agencies. At a visit yesterday to WAM headquarters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital city of Abu Dhabi, Lubetkin toured the different departments of the agency. Lubetkin said cooperation between the two media agencies dates as far back as 1985. He further stressed the two agencies are keen on activating their previously signed agreements on news flow and transmission and on conducting training courses for journalists, editors and photographers working at IPS and WAM. "WAM news are relayed via IPS website in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Swahili to over 1,000 newspapers and 2,000 broadcast stations and TV channels worldwide," added Lubetkin. The IPS Director General, who is an Italian-Uruguayan journalist, unveiled plans by IPS to organize a conference in Venice in November 2007 on the role of media corporations in boosting the dialogue among civilizations. He expressed hopes WAM would participate in the forthcoming gathering. WAM news service, which covers most salient daily events and activities in the UAE and Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council states, is being transmitted to the world's media. Inter Press Service (IPS) was set up in 1964 as a non-profit international cooperative of journalists. IPS' broadened objectives are, according to its mission statement, "to cover news from the Third World, give a voice to the voiceless, promote information on development issues, and help create a better balance and flow of international news." The flagship World Service of IPS presently covers over 150 countries. The service is produced in Arabic, English and Spanish, with selected stories translated into French, German, Finnish, Dutch, Swedish, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai, Mandarin, Nepali and Kiswahili. According to Lubetkin, IPS news portal (website) received 25 million visits in March 2007. (WAM) (WAM)