Microsoft To Provide Free News On Internet

Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that the news it gathers and distributes on its Microsoft Network on-line service will become available on the World Wide Web for free.

The software company plans to charge people for much of the information it makes available on the Internet but news updates will be free.

Like other on-line service firms, Microsoft gathers and edits stories from several news organizations and attaches links to other computers on the Web that have more information on a story.

Microsoft also announced a new plan in which people who have Internet access can receive unlimited access to all Microsoft Network content and services for $6.95 a month. The pricing takes effect in mid-May.

The company also released a new version of its software for browsing the World Wide Web. The new program, Microsoft Explorer 2.0 for Windows 3.1, is for computers that run older versions of its Windows operating software.

It combines Web browsing, electronic mail and news group reading capabilities and can be downloaded from the company’s computers on the Web.