Iconic London Paper Goes Free After 182 Years

The Evening Standard, London's 182-year-old afternoon newspaper, will become a freesheet later this month in an attempt to pump up the struggling title's circulation. The Standard, purchased by Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev last year for the fire-sale price of one pound, loses $16 million a year and may fire staff to stay afloat. The move to free distribution comes after Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. closed its own London freesheet, citing unsustainable costs.