Reuters starts Indian website

Reuters, which accepted a takeover bid by Thomson in May, has started an Indian web site offering news about South Asia, business, sports and culture to expand its internet business in the country.

ShareKhan, one of India's "leading online brokerage houses,'' has joined Reuters as launch advertiser of the web site, the company said in an e-mailed statement today. The site is also available in a version especially tailored for mobile phone access.

London-based Reuters, the world's biggest publicly traded provider of financial news and information, is two years into a three-year programme designed to spur sales by investing in content, services and new markets such as India and China. The plan, called Core Plus, follows three years of cost cuts that included selling or closing more than 80 units.

Reuters agreed on May 15 to be bought by Toronto-based Thomson for £8.7 billion.