MUMBAI: Preparations have begun to create and launch the new English language website for Al Jazeera International headquartered in Doha. The company has signed an agreement with internet software developer and content management system provider iHorizons to build the interactive website.

Set to launch next year to coincide with the launch of the new channel, Al Jazeera International’s website will be continuously updated to provide users around the globe with the latest developments in world news, covering all sides of the story from all parts of the world. The site will reflect the channel’s commitment to revolutionising viewer choice and their emphasis on global viewer interaction.

Powered by iHorizons content management technologies, which enable various working teams to create, edit and publish text, images and audio/video clips through an easy-to-use interface, Al Jazeera International’s new website will include many different services, such as polls, discussion groups and a newsletter.

Talking on the contract award Al Jazeera International editor-in-chief for web and new media services Russell Merryman said, “We look forward to establishing what I am convinced will be one of the best English language online news services available. We will provide web users around the world with a fresh perspective on global news characterised by up-to-the-minute accurate, impartial and objective reporting.”

iHorizons CEO Mohamad Takriti said, "We aim to provide users of the Al Jazeera International website with a unique experience, whereby we adopt the best available technologies to suit the Al Jazeera International’s unique news and current affairs offering. This will be one of our most interesting projects. This agreement comes after many years of cooperation between Al Jazeera and iHorizons, where iHorizons has been providing the technical and infrastructural service to run the existing Arabic website, Al Jazeera Net, which is the most popular Arabic website on the Internet".