Taiwan News, an English-language newspaper that has been published in Taiwan since 1949, will be available online-only starting Friday, the Central News Agency reported yesterday.

"The unthinkable is finally upon us," said Taiwan News' President Jack Wong during a press conference explaining the daily had taken the lead in the country by being the first digital-only newspaper.

Photo source: Central News Agency
Wong said the new site will be launched today under the name Taiwan News Multimedia Newspaper and it will include "previously impossible integration of text, color images, and sound in a digital multimedia format."

The company will also publish the Taiwan News International Financial and a Cultural Monthly online magazine. According to Central News Agency, these publications will be available in eight languages while the Taiwan News will continue to be published in English and Mandarin.

The company said the multimedia edition of the newspaper as well as the magazine would soon be delivered through e-mail at no cost to those who register online.

According to Taiwan News website, the newspaper has a daily readership of 250,000 and is distributed through 7,700 retail locations.