LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – New evidence of hacking at Rupert
Murdoch’s News of the World points to a four-year cover-up by
the company, and intensifies focus on Prime Minister David
Cameron’s judgement in hiring an ex-editor who may now face
criminal prosecution.

A letter written in 2007 by ex-royal reporter Clive Goodman
says former editor Andy Coulson, who went on to become Cameron’s
spokesman, banned talk in editorial meetings of phone-hacking
but not the practice itself, which Goodman said was common.

LONDON (Reuters) – Many senior executives at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World knew about phone hacking at the British tabloid, according to a 2007 letter written by a reporter which contradicts James Murdoch’s denials and drags Britain’s prime minister back into the scandal.

The claims put new pressure on James Murdoch, who runs News Corp’s European operations, and further hurt his chances of succeeding his father, Rupert, as chief executive.

LONDON (Reuters) – Phone hacking was widely known about at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, according to a reporter blamed as the sole culprit, contradicting repeated denials by senior executives and dragging Britain’s prime minister back into the scandal.

In a letter written four years ago in an appeal against his dismissal from the tabloid, former royal reporter Clive Goodman said the practice of hacking was openly discussed until the then editor Andy Coulson banned any reference to it.

LONDON (Reuters) – Phone hacking was widely discussed at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, according to a reporter who was blamed as the sole culprit, contradicting repeated denials by senior executives and dragging Britain’s prime minister back into the scandal.

In a letter written four years ago in an appeal against his dismissal from the tabloid, former royal reporter Clive Goodman said the practice of hacking was openly discussed until the then editor Andy Coulson banned open talk about it.

FRANKFURT, Aug 12 (Reuters) – Trinity Mirror said it
did not yet know the impact of an editorial review implemented
after a phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World but said
its sales had benefited from the closure of the rival tabloid.

The British newspaper publisher said group circulation
revenues were up 2 percent in July with national titles up 4
percent, after a 5.4 percent decline in group circulation
revenues in the first half.

LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – British newspaper publisher
Trinity Mirror will report first-half results on Friday
and give an update on current trading expected to show a benefit
from the closure of rival News Corp’s News of the
World.

Trinity Mirror, which owns the Mirror and the Sunday Mirror
tabloids, will also face questions about its own newsgathering
practices, as it prepares to defend itself against claims that
it also hacked phones to obtain stories, the very charge that
led to the axing of the News of the World (NOTW).

LONDON (Reuters) – It was one of many strange moments in a hearing rich in absurdity. As British lawmakers questioned Rupert Murdoch last month over whether his News of the World journalists broke the law by hacking into mobile phones, the 80-year-old Australian-born boss of media giant News Corporation began to reminiscence about his late father.

“I just want to say that I was brought up by a father who was not rich, but who was a great journalist, and he, just before he died, bought a small paper, specifically in his will saying that he was giving me the chance to do good,” Murdoch said.

LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) – It was one of many strange moments
in a hearing rich in absurdity. As British lawmakers questioned
Rupert Murdoch last month over whether his News of the World
journalists broke the law by hacking into mobile phones, the
80-year-old Australian-born boss of media giant News Corporation
began to reminiscence about his late father.

“I just want to say that I was brought up by a father who
was not rich, but who was a great journalist, and he, just
before he died, bought a small paper, specifically in his will
saying that he was giving me the chance to do good,” Murdoch
said.

LONDON/TORONTO, Aug 9 (Reuters) – A lawmaker called on
Tuesday for BlackBerry’s instant messaging service to be
suspended after rioters used it to mobilise in London and other
British cities.

David Lammy, Member of Parliament for Tottenham, where
London’s worst riots for decades began on Saturday, appealed on
Twitter and on BBC radio for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion

LONDON (Reuters) – Stuart Kuttner, who ran the News of the World’s finances for 22 years as managing editor, was arrested on Tuesday over a phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct tabloid which has rattled the British establishment, a source close to the case said.

Police said a 71-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of corruption and conspiring to intercept communications after he arrived by appointment at a north London police station. The source said the man was Kuttner.