LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Britain's Independent newspaperis to disappear from news stands next month after its Russianowner said the 29-year-old title would only publish online, inthe starkest sign yet of the pressures weighing on the newspaperindustry.
The paper launched by a group of journalists in 1986 withthe slogan "it is - are you?" has become Britain'shighest-profile casualty of the change in news reading habitsbrought about by the Internet.
From a peak of around 400,000 copies a day, circulation hasfallen to just over 40,000.
"This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows usto continue to invest in the high quality editorial content thatis attracting more and more readers to our online platforms,"said owner Evgeny Lebedev in a statement on Friday.
"The newspaper industry is changing, and that change isbeing driven by readers," he added. "They're showing us that thefuture is digital."
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison)
