India, March 18 -- Canadian mortgage billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to buy a minority stake in The Economist Group, marking the first ownership shake-up in the storied British current affairs magazine in a decade. Smith and his family holding company Smith Financial Corp. will buy the entire 26.9% stake held by Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and her family foundation, representatives for the companies said in emailed statements. The price of the transaction wasn't disclosed, and the agreement is subject to certain closing conditions. The deal sees another wealthy mogul added to The Economist's list of owners, which includes Italy's Agnelli industrial dynasty and members of the Cadbury and Schroder families. The magazine was founded in 1843 by Scottish businessman and politician James Wilson, an opponent of Britain's Corn Laws that restricted the import of grain to benefit local landowning elites.P14...