Phone hacking scandal threatens to engulf Number 10 July 19, 2011 THE phone hacking scandal moved ever closer to Downing Street last night, following a string of damaging revelations that put the spotlight on David Cameron’s Number 10 operation. The Conservative Party revealed that phone hacking suspect Neil Wallis informally advised Andy Coulson, Cameron’s former communications supremo, in 2009 during the run up to the general [...]
Murdoch buys time as Sky shares jump July 19, 2011 JAMES Murdoch’s performance at the select committee may have bought him precious time with the board of BSkyB. He has resisted pressure to step down as chairman of the broadcaster, with sources close to the Sky board telling City A.M. they would closely monitor his damage limitation skills. A major slip-up would almost certainly have [...]
Why hacking row will cost UK dear July 19, 2011 UNFORTUNATELY for Britain, our establishment is now so deeply engulfed in the debilitating media-political phone hacking crisis that the country has become rudderless at the most dangerous time for the global economy since the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In times of global financial crises, proper, clear-headed leadership from the top is essential. That we are [...]
Media mogul attacked by a protester July 19, 2011 EVERYBODY was waiting for the killer blow at the media select committee hearing yesterday – and it came, just not in the form anyone was expecting. Rupert Murdoch’s 42-year-old wife Wendi Deng leapt up and threw a stinging slap at a protester who managed to smuggle a makeshift foam-pie through security and throw it in [...]
Hysteria made me drop Sky bid: Murdoch July 19, 2011 RUPERT Murdoch yesterday blamed “hysteria” for his decision to drop a takeover bid for satellite broadcaster BSkyB. In comments that underlined his anger at having to drop New Corp’s offer for the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own, the media mogul suggested his competitors and detractors had capitalised on the public [...]
Murdoch survives damp afternoon in bear-pit July 19, 2011 It may have been two Australian-Americans being grilled in the media select committee bear-pit yesterday but it was book-ended by protests of a very British nature. Wielders of anti-Murdoch placards were ejected before proceedings had even begun and the real fireworks came when a spectator slapped a foam-pie in Uncle Rupert’s face, only to take [...]
BEHIND THE LINES | WHAT RUPERT MURDOCH WAS TRYING TO SAY July 19, 2011 It doesn’t get away from our apologies or our blame for anything but this country does greatly benefit from having a competitive press and therefore having a very transparent society. That is sometimes very inconvenient to people but I think we are better and stronger for it. The Prime Minister to whom I was closest [...]
Brooks: Coulson was hired due to Osborne July 19, 2011 CHANCELLOR George Osborne was behind the hiring of a former News of the World editor as an adviser to David Cameron, it was claimed yesterday. Testifying before MPs, former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks swiftly shifted the focus from the News of the World onto the government. Asked whether she had told Cameron to [...]
How long will it take for News Corp to recover from the phone hacking scandal? July 19, 2011 This week we’re giving members of our readers’ panel the chance to have their say on how damaging the News of the World phone hacking scandal will ultimately prove for its parent company News Corp. We want to know how long it will take the brand to recover, if it recovers at all. We are [...]
Soaring Chinese tax revenues in 2011 pare worries over local debt July 19, 2011 CHINA’S tax revenues in the first half of the year surged 29.6 per cent from a year earlier to five trillion yuan (£470bn), underscoring the government’s ability to deal with any fallout from piles of local government debt. Tax revenue growth slowed from a 32.4 per cent rise in the first quarter of this year. [...]