The Welsh Assembly has announced £600,000 of funding for a Welsh-language daily newspaper – £200,000 a year until 2011.
Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas is now inviting interested parties to apply for the money. One contender for the grant, Y Byd (The World), was due to start publishing by spring but it is believed they were seeking a grant of up to £1m for the launch.

News and picture agency Splash has opened a new office – Euro Splash in Rome.
It will work primarily with the company’s growing German market, which is the fourth largest area for the company. The development allows clients to deal with a Splash employee in their native tongue, and on the same time zone. Previously clients were forced to wait until the sun rose in Los Angeles.
Founder Kevin Smith said: “We shall apply the same business model in Europe that we have elsewhere. Enthusiastic news gathering, aggressive selling and above all, honesty with all those we deal with.”

The London Press Club raised £15,000 for the Journalists’ Charity at its autumn ball.
Meanwhile, long-standing secretary Dr Mark Bryant, who will be stepping down at the end of April, has been elected a director and honorary life member of the club.

Booking forms are now available on the Newspaper Society website for its annual lunch in May. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy will be the guest speaker at Claridges, in London.
The lunch takes place during Local Newspaper Week which this year is themed around press campaigns.

Website How-Do is now taking entries for its inaugural awards ceremony celebrating the best of the north-west’s media.
Prizes in 14 different categories are up for grabs including best daily and weekly newspapers, best magazine and best website.
Among the judging panel is former Krypton Factor presenter Gordon Burns, former BBC broadcaster Alice Morrison and political commentator and journalist Jim Hancock. Deadline for entries is March 7.