News Desk

The owners of the Evening Standard and The Independent newspaper, Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev are launching a "distilled" version of The Independent named The "i", which will also be available on the iPad.

The move by the Russian media moguls is seen as another sign of the various tactics used by proprietors to maintain readers, with analysts showing that circulation for "quality newspapers" have fallen more than 20 per cent since 1997.

The "i" will be priced closer to the tabloids like The Sun and The Daily Star, with Simon Kelner the editor-in-chief of The Independent saying in The FT today that The "i" would "repurpose the resources of the existing newspaper.

The launch of The "i" is expected on 26 October at 20p per copy nationwide.