People from across the world seeking news from the UAE’s state media outlet can now access information in five more languages. On Sunday, Wam launched an upgrade of their services that provides content in Sinhala, Malayalam, Indonesian, Bengali and Pashto. About 551 million people across the world speak these languages. Wam is now available in 18 languages and the latest upgrade is part of the National Media Council's aim to reach a wider audience. Wam wants to expand its readership to spread the UAE’s message of coexistence between different nationalities and religions. "The addition of these new languages is in line with our vision and ambition to develop the UAE’s media sector and strengthen its regional and international position, in light of the changes witnessed by the global media sector,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council. “We aim, by offering news services in 18 languages, to create new communication channels to reach out to more people around the world, reflecting our values and national interests." He said the circumstances facing the world because of the coronavirus pandemic required "protecting knowledge and fighting false news". The addition of the five languages will support cultural diversity and reinforce the UAE’s cultural pluralism, he said. "We are continuing to improve our services, under the framework of our strategic plans to create new channels and tools to reach out to larger segments of the public, providing top-quality content while reinforcing the stature of the UAE, which has become an influential regional and international player," he said.