India

Financial Times owner Pearson has sold its 13.85 per cent stake in India's daily business newspaper Business Standard, according to the Guardian. Pearson has decided to give up its shares in the newspaper four years after it became the first foreign company to make a major investment in an Indian business title. The two papers had collaborated for more than a decade before Pearson bought the stake...

Shareholders of Kasturi and Sons Ltd, the publisher of the Hindu newspaper, are believed to be in talks with Australia’s Fairfax Media Ltd for a possible sale of a minority stake in the Chennai-based company, a first for the 130-year-old, family-owned group, says a report in Mint. Some details: The financial details of Kasturi and Sons could not be obtained as it is an unlisted and closely held...

Kasturi and Sons Ltd are believed to be in talks to sell a minority stake to Australia's Fairfax Media Ltd, the Mint paper said on Wednesday, citing sources close to the Indian firm. The paper cited sources close to Kasturi shareholders as saying discussions were on to sell a stake. Under Indian law, the maximum foreign holding permissible is a stake of up to 26 percent. The family-owned Indian...

The Supreme Court has questioned the bona fides of Vijay Shekar, journalist, and the Zee television channel in conducting a “cash for warrant” sting operation, in which an Ahmedabad magistrate issued warrants against the then President, the then Chief Justice of India and two others, according to a report in the Hindu. A Bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices RV Raveendran and...

The National Herald founded 70 years ago by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on Tuesday published its last editorial as it "temporarily suspended" operations, acording to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). The Congress party, which finances the paper, is reportedly considering the feasibility of relaunching the newspaper with modern technology. The editorial department of the English...

A labour court has awarded a compensation of about Rs 5 million ($125,000) to an American journalist sacked by the Associated Press (AP) in New Delhi. Assistant Labour Commissioner AV Premnath, designated the Competent Authority, ruled that Laurinda Keys Long was very much covered by Indian laws because AP had a base in this country. Laurinda Keys’ lawyer Suman Doval told Indo-Asian News Service...

Network 18 and Marathi newspaper Lokmat have launched a regional news channel, says a CNN-IBN report. Bits from the promo news item: Speaking about the new venture CNN-IBN’s Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “Our aim with IBN Lokmat was to build truly a world class regional channel that will fulfill the aspirations of the people of Maharashtra but more importantly will become a sort of bridge...

The Chameli Devi Jain Award 2007-08 for Outstanding Woman Mediaperson has been bestowed upon Rupashree Nanda for her journalistic compassion, courage, and innovative style. Nanda, an investigative reporter with CNN-IBN was the top contender among a host of senior women journalists, all of whom have been appreciated for their contribution to Indian journalism. The award, which is given by by the...

Journalists and newspaper employees Thursday held a demonstration outside UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's residence in New Delhi to demand interim relief under the wage boards set for them, the Press Trust of India (PTI0 has reported. The demonstration was held under the banner of the Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees Organisations, which also sought "proper" functioning of the...

CNN-IBN's Rupashree Nanda has been given the Chameli Devi Award for Outstanding Woman Mediaperson for 2007. Rupashree was selected from a field of 20 entries from all over the country. The jury consisting of Alok Mehta, Editor, Outlook and President of the Editors Guild of India, Sachidananda Murthy, Editor of the Week and Secretary General of the Guild, and Coomi Kapoor, Contributing Editor, the...