A regional publisher has closed a celebrity-focused title it launched 10 months ago to cover people in the news.

National World’s People World website is no longer operational, with readers being redirected to the group’s national news site National World.

Its official account on X last posted on 1 September.

People World’s launch was announced in November last year with the intention of covering people including celebrities, royals, sports stars, politicians and reality TV stars.

The site was edited by Marina Licht, pictured, who is now listed as a staff member on the NationalWorld site.

HTFP has sought clarification on what has happened to the remainder of People World’s four-strong launch team.

At the time it was set up, National World had stated its aim to recruit more journalists to the project throughout 2023.

It was launched just days after the publisher set up football title 3 Added Minutes, which is still operational as a standalone site.

Mark Thompson, director of digital content for National World, said at the time: “With the launch of People World and 3 Added Minutes we are entering an exciting era of introducing new brands that provide a content-specific offering to many diverse audiences.

“We have been able to build an exciting team for People World with journalists who are full of energy and ideas along with a deep understanding of what people really want to read and watch.”