Redmine

Hello,
I want to write a new plugin which has a lot in common with the existing "News" module (which I also need in my application). In other words I want to have 2 different streams of News in the same application, the existing standard one and an other one, with some specific customizations. Is there an easy way to "duplicate" an existing module and/or convert it into a plugin that can then be further customized and integrated in the application?
Thanks for your help!