The Post- och Inrikes Tidningar (Post and Domestic Newspapers), has been churning out announcements since 1645, but from now on, it will only be available online, due to a parliamentary decree. In 1645 Queen Kristina and her advisor, Axel Oxenstierna, were urged by the state to ward off rumour-mongers by starting a newspaper to cover foreign events from a Swedish perspective. At the end of the eighteenth century Gustaf III awarded the Swedish Academy the right to publish the newspaper. This principle still holds firm today, with the Academy's permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, currently holding the position of editor. Post- och Inrikes Tidningar is the official organ of Sweden. It is also unique in that it is the country's only source of nationwide public announcements, such as bankruptcies, debt rescheduling and executive auctions, according to the newspaper's home page. As of January 1 the newspaper will be published on the Swedish Companies Registration Office Web site. http://www.thelocal.se/5969/20070102/; AFP; January 2, 2007

by Tatiana Repkova

With nearly $10 billion in announced sales, 2006 ranked as the second-most active deal year in the newspaper industry’s history, according to Dirks, Van Essen & Murray. The nation’s leading newspaper merger-and-acquisition firm said a total 76 daily newspapers changed hands last year in 25 separate transactions totaling $9.96 billion in transaction value.

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