News agencies ponder about their future ....

In the face of tough challenges, news agencies worldwide will take a hard look at their future when they meet at the World Congress of News Agencies (WCNA) in the Spanish resort city of Estepona in October.
Among the growing concerns are the free content provided by Internet search engines as they compete to outdo each other and the question of corporate takeovers besetting private-run news agencies.
The safety of journalists also warrant immediate attention with the increasing number of media personnel killed in conflict areas around the world. More than 100 journalists have been killed so far this year.
The News Agencies World Council, an alliance of regional news agencies organisations, which met in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi last week, agreed on the issues to be addressed by the WCNA which last convened its meeting in Moscow three years ago.
"Nobody heard about the Internet before 1994 but today everybody is saying news is free, what then is our future? said WCNA secretary-general Uffe Sorensen. The 2nd WCNA would be held from Oct 24 to 28.
The tendency to monopolise major sports events by the ruling international body was another cause of concern.
In some instances, news agencies were not allowed to transmit photographs of a sports event until it was over, thus denying them of their obligation to provide fast service to subscribers.

View from a Moscow hotel room...

The sun is about to set as I look out of my hotel room here in Moscow at this moment. The time is 9.50pm. At another direction, the crowd at the famous Arbat Street was dwindling. The foreign ministry building with the year '1951' encypted on it stands majestically on my right. From this room 1511 of the Golden Ring Hotel, I can see clearly the big 'M' logo of the popular fast-food chain in the distant. I've seen the logo when I was in Beijing last two weeks. Globalisation! The cars on Moscow roads reflect the trend too. After six days in Russia for the News Agencies World Council Meeting, I'll be flying home tomorrow morning via Rome. Spasiva!

Olympic mood grips Russian Black Sea resort

SOCHI (Russia): From mayor to tourist guides, a feverish mood grips this Russian Black Sea resort with less than a month to go before the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games is announced.
Ask any of the 400,000 people here and united they stand on why their city should have the edge over the two other contenders -- Salzburg in Austria and PyeongChang in South Korea.
"Two years ago, when we placed our bid even Russians were laughing at us wondering whether we were crazy to host the Olympic Games," said Efim Bitenev, operations director of Sochi 2014 based here.
The opinion has now changed not only in Russia but the whole world.
"We're not just going in to participate. We hope to see you in the 2014 Winter Olympics," he told representatives of international news agencies who are gathered here for the News Agencies World Council meeting.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is scheduled to elect the host city when it meets in Guatemala on July 4. Sochi, Salzburg and PyeongChang were shortlisted by the IOC executive board on June 22 last year.
Like others here, journalist Natalia Nesterova hoped that Sochi, which receives some four million visitors a year, would get the Olympic honour as it could attract more people from all over the world.
English teacher and interpreter Inna Retrun, who has on numerous occasions acted as tourist guide, said she would not mind relating the colourful history of Sochi over and over again to first-time visitors.
Using the tagline "Gateway to the Future", the bid committee says Sochi, with its unique heritage, would provide the Olympic Movement with a gateway to a new region ready to welcome the world for the first time.
With pristine snowy peaks only 40 minutes away from temperate, sun-drenched beaches, Sochi guarantees that it could offer a once-in-lifetime Winter Olympic Games experience.
The mountain ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana, or the Red Meadow, where Russian President Vladimir Putin goes for skiing, would be the primary venue for outdoor sports while sea-front Sochi would host indoor games.
To support the bid, the Russian government has approved an unprecedented US$12 billion investment package to develop the Sochi region into a year-round, world-class resort destination with state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern accommodation.
Mayor Victor Kolodyazhny summed up the feelings of the city folks when he told the media representatives that Sochi was glad to welcome visitors.
"We do hope you like our city and the prospect of a great future here," said Kolodyazhny, a member of the Sochi 2014 supervisory board.