In your face Murdoch

[Seshmeister]

I don't usually post much about UK news but this may be of interest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14070733


To summarize Murdoch has had to shut down the biggest Sunday newspaper in the UK with 3 million readers because of their sordid shitty evil practices.

For months there has been a scandal on this when it was discovered that for years journalists had been hacking peoples cell phone voice mail. It may work in the US too so worth checking, basically if you don't change the default security(PIN) number on your phone then it's quite easy for someone else to pick up your messages. This was bad enough when it was thought they were doing it just to get sex stories about celebrities but in the last week it was discovered that the News International people had done it with the phones of crime victims.

A kid who had gone missing had her messages hacked and then when they deleted them, obviously the parents and everyone else thought they may still be alive. Kid turned up dead 6 months later. They have been doing this with terrorist victims families and all sorts.

Final sting in the tail is it seems they were bribing cops to get the phone numbers of the victims.

If anyone ever had any doubt that News International are evil fucks then that's over.

[FORD]

Yeah, I've been paying attention to this story. Not that the whore media in the US are covering it, but Hartmann, Olbermann, and Malloy have.

Murdoch and his minions are accessories to that girl's murder, as far as I'm concerned. And what's with the report that they were also hacking into the cellphones & laptops of troops in Iraq?

And if they're doing this in the UK, does anybody doubt that they aren't doing the same thing here? Or do they just outsource it all out to Breitbart and his little "pimp" boyfriend James O'Keefe?

[sadaist]

Such a shitty fucking world we live in when so many care so little for their fellow man. We need Van Halen more than ever!

[Seshmeister]

Half the fucking newspapers here aren't even mentioning it because either Murdoch owns them or they also have closets full of skeletons.

I bet Fox News hasn't either.

Shows just how important a diversity of ownership of the media is.

James 'Damien' Murdoch wants the BBC broken up which is the biggest argument I've ever heard for it.

[Seshmeister]

Yeah, I've been paying attention to this story. Not that the whore media in the US are covering it, but Hartmann, Olbermann, and Malloy have.

Murdoch and his minions are accessories to that girl's murder, as far as I'm concerned. And what's with the report that they were also hacking into the cellphones & laptops of troops in Iraq?

And if they're doing this in the UK, does anybody doubt that they aren't doing the same thing here? Or do they just outsource it all out to Breitbart and his little "pimp" boyfriend James O'Keefe?

Another thought if you want to be paranoid is that up until very recently News International and Murdoch owned Myspace.

How many people use the same passwords for their email and their social networking sites...?

[sadaist]

I bet Fox News hasn't either.

Correction. I was watching Casey Anthony stuff earlier and FOX did say some stuff about this but I wasn't really paying attention. So I don't know if they maybe glossed it over or not.

[chefcraig]

NBC Nightly News is featuring this as a lead story as I type this (6:35 PM), including the details of the armed forces.

[Seshmeister]

He's just closed the biggest selling newspaper in the Western world which has been running for 168 years.

His newspapers here led today with the royals canoeing in Canada.

Maybe it's just got too big.

[BITEYOASS]

In honor of this occasion:




Lyrics to Dear Mr. Murdoch :
(Roger Taylor)

Dear Mr. Murdoch, what have you done
With your news of the screws and your soaraway sun?
You sharpen our hatred
You've blunted our minds
We're drowning in nipples and bingo and sex crimes
How many time must they poke and they pry
Must they twist and lie?
Just to add to the grime they even screwed up the times
Love to kick their arse goodbye oh wouldn't i!

Dear Mr. Murdoch you play hard to see
But with your bare-arsed cheek you should be on page three
And dear Mr. Murdoch you're really the pits
Bad news is good business, you're the king of the tits

They stain all they touch, they're real woman haters
But we're on their trail
They go straight for the lowest common denominators
How could they fail? go straight to jail - (no bail)!

Dear Mr. Murdoch you're a powerful man
You control half our media whose values don't scan
And dear Mr. Murdoch we're not so amused
Just line up the people whose lives they've abused

Dear Mr. Murdoch what do you know
With your minions like vultures and carrion crow
They've sunk just as low as humans can sink
For profit they tell us how mass murderers think

And dear Mr. Murdoch you come down from on high
You even bought up the air waves, you control all our sky

Dear Mr. Murdoch you're a dangerous chap
With your jingoist lingo we're drowning in crap

Dear Mr. Murdoch where are you coming from?
Getting so hard to tell if you're a yank, oz or pom

Dear Mr. Murdoch you're really the pits
Bad news is good business, you're the king of the tits

Dear Mr. Murdoch you do it with zing
At lowering the standards you're really the king

And dear Mr. Murdoch what have you done?
You're not quite as nice as attila the hun

[chefcraig]

George Michael Thrilled That 'News of the World' is Shutting Down

Singer takes to Twitter to criticize former editor Rebekah Brooks in phone hacking scandal

ROLLING STONE

George Michael has responded to the news that Rupert Murdoch's News International has shut down the scandal-plagued British newspaper News of the World by declaring that today is a "fantastic day for Britain." The paper has been accused of eavesdropping on the phone messages of murder victims, politicians and celebrities such as Michael. According to the Associated Press, the News of the World got a lead on the singer's DUI arrest last year by hacking his phone.

In a series of tweets earlier today, Michael accused News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks of corruption. "Rebekah Brooks sat two feet from me in my own home and told me that it was never the public that came to them with information," the singer wrote, "or celebrities, and that the police always got there first." He further explained that Brooks had not been invited into his house and that he had no idea how she got in.

Michael clarified that his attack on Brooks is "in no way an excuse for any of my behavior," referring to his substance abuse issues and imprisonment for driving under the influence of drugs. "I was happy to do my time, because I was so ashamed."

"I believe every individual, whether privileged or the average citizen, deserves the law," the singer tweeted. "And many of us, rich or poor, have been denied it by News International."

[standin]

Cheers!

[Seshmeister]

I don't see a lot of media reporting it in the US but just to clarify, next week Murdoch is awaiting the decision on whether he is allowed to take over 1/3 of the TV in the UK which is worth a fuck of a lot more than any newspaper. Dominance that would breach the law in the US or Australia but we don't have that protection.

Also a lot of advertisers had already announced in the last days or two that they were pulling out in disgust from the News of the World.

[Nitro Express]

Newspapers are pretty much a dinosaur. I used to get the Wall Street Journal, the local paper, and the USA Today. Now everything I used to read in the Wall Street Journal is on the internet in real time. Many local papers have disappeared or are owned by a larger conglomerate. They are basically a rehash of what you already read on a major internet news site with some local news added. Our local paper has a website with ads so if I want a local story I just go there instead of subscribing to the paper. The USA Today was great in the 1980's. The problem is if you need to line the birdcage or start a fire, you can't find any damn newspaper in the house anymore.

[standin]

UK tabloid closure points to Murdoch savvy

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rupert Murdoch's decision to close the 168-year-old weekly British tabloid at the center of a phone-hacking scandal is an example of what the controlling shareholder of News Corp. does best — seize the news agenda, and when necessary, cut his losses.
He's also got his eye on a much bigger prize.

The surprisingly bold move to shutter News of the World, a financial pipsqueak, is the best way to stem the flow of damaging headlines at rival newspapers and clear regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of News Corp.'s pending multi-billion-dollar acquisition of British Sky Broadcasting, a cash cow that will boost earnings of the media giant.

"This is, to me, Murdoch taking back control," said Louise Cooper, a markets analyst at London-based BGC Partners. "The whole thing is an utter mess. He's trying to make the best of it he can."

Murdoch, 80, has a long history of daring business decisions. He was born in Australia, the son of a newspaper magnate, and started his own newspaper empire there. He's purchased assets, like Wall Street Journal owner Dow Jones & Co., and created others from scratch, like the Star tabloid and Fox broadcast network.
As the company's chief executive, Murdoch presides over an empire with a wide array of media assets, including the Fox broadcast network, cable channels such as FX and Fox News, TV stations, the 20th Century Fox movie studio and newspapers around the world, including The New York Post and The Sun in the U.K. Murdoch controls 40 percent of News Corp.'s voting stock, mostly through a family trust.

News of the World's value as an enterprise is "a drop in the bucket" compared to News Corp.'s overall $46 billion market capitalization, said Collins Stewart analyst Thomas Eagan. Closing the paper is a small sacrifice to try to save News Corp.'s $12 billion proposal to takeover BSkyB, which still needs U.K. government approval.
"I think it assuages some of the concern over ongoing problems at 'News of the World,'" Eagan said. "It's unclear what it means for the actual (BSkyB) deal approval."


Read more...
http://news.yahoo.com/uk-tabloid-clo...211802604.html

[sadaist]

I'm really surprised how fast this decision was made. The paper wasn't even losing money ...quite successful actually. To just pull the plug so fast and so completely i dont know. This had to be something that was being considered for a long time.

[Seshmeister]

No it's because the scandal is huge and going to get worse. The editor at the time of most of it was arrested on Friday had become the chief adviser to the British PM. Murdoch's cunt son James has been personally signing bribe checks. The cop in charge of the first investigation into this a few years ago that found nothing was given a big fat job at News International.

There is just a chance this could bring down the whole stinking tower of shit and people of all political persuasions should be dancing in the streets.

[Seshmeister]

Phone hacking: 9/11 victims 'may have had mobiles tapped by News of the World reporters'

by David Collins, Daily Mirror 11/07/2011


DESPERATE Rupert Murdoch yesterday flew to London to try to save his crumbling empire.

He arrived in a cowboy-style hat to be hit by claims News of the World reporters hacked the phones of 9/11 victims.

Murdoch held talks with News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, amid fears nine staff and three cops may face jail.

HIS media empire is crashing around him, he’s just shut down a scandal-hit newspaper and his BSkyB bid is in tatters, but Rupert Murdoch still came out grinning yesterday.

And this cosy picture of him giving his backing to smiling Rebekah Brooks will no doubt infuriate the 200 loyal staff at the defunct News of the World who were sacrificed while she clung to her job.

As Labour leader Ed Miliband vowed to scupper Mr Murdoch’s bid to own all of BSkyB, the News Corp boss seemed to brush off his troubles to joke with the under-fire News International chief executive – who was editor when murdered teenager Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked. Asked what his first priority was, he gestured at Mrs Brooks and said: “This one.”

Mr Murdoch arrived in London yesterday, wearing a Panama hat and clutching a final copy of the News of the World, in a bid to save his crumbling organisation after the phone-hacking scandal saw the 168-year-old paper axed.

But he flew straight into another storm as it was claimed 9/11 victims may have had their mobiles tapped by News of the World reporters. And there was more bad news when it was revealed nine reporters allegedly at the centre of the phone scandal and claims of police corruption could face jail, along with three officers.

After he spent time at News International’s Wapping HQ in East London, 80-year-old Mr Murdoch held crisis talks with Mrs Brooks, 43 - who denies any knowledge of the Milly phone tapping - at his home in Mayfair.

The pair chatted behind closed doors as a former New York cop made the 9/11 hacking claim. He alleged he was contacted by News of the World journalists who said they would pay him to retrieve the private phone records of the dead.

Now working as a private investigator, the ex-officer claimed reporters wanted the victim’s phone numbers and details of the calls they had made and received in the days leading up to the atrocity.

A source said: “This investigator is used by a lot of journalists in America and he recently told me that he was asked to hack into the 9/11 victims’ private phone data. He said that the journalists asked him to access records showing the calls that had been made to and from the mobile phones belonging to the victims and their relatives.

“His presumption was that they wanted the information so they could hack into the relevant voicemails, just like it has been shown they have done in the UK. The PI said he had to turn the job down. He knew how insensitive such research would be, and how bad it would look.

“The investigator said the journalists seemed particularly interested in getting the phone records belonging to the British victims of the attacks.”

The News of the World was shut after 11,000 documents seized from a private investigator revealed the ugly truth behind many of its scoops.

One police source said: “These documents show the hacking was not just one or two attempts at accessing voicemails. More than 4,000 people had their phone hacked. This was hacking on an industrial scale.”

Mr Murdoch’s son James, who is chairman of News International, admitted to approving out of court settlements to hacking victims and misleading Parliament – which he claims was not deliberate.

The fresh tapping claims prompted Mr Miliband to declare war on Mr Murdoch’s bid to control BSkyB.

In his most outspoken attack on the media mogul yet, he said yesterday: “The idea that this organisation, which has engaged in these terrible practices, should be allowed to take over BSkyB... without that criminal investigation having been completed, and on the basis of assurances from that self-same organisation… frankly that won’t wash with the public.”

Labour will table a motion on Wednesday calling on Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to delay signing off the takeover deal until the criminal investigation into the hacking allegations is wrapped up. Lib Dem ministers are thought to be prepared to back the Labour leader.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable are said to be “totally united” against the bid.

Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes lent his support yesterday. He said: “I will be suggesting to my colleagues that we as a party, a party that’s never been close to Murdoch, should make clear that we think there should be a postponement of the decision.”

Mr Murdoch also owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times.

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, 43, was arrested on Friday over phone hacking and police corruption allegations.

Ex-royal editor Clive Goodman, 53, was also held along with a unnamed 63-year-old man. All three were freed on police bail after being quizzed by officers.

Mr Coulson was hired as David Cameron’s press aide, despite warnings to the PM over his possible knowledge of the hacking while at the News of the World.

And last night criticism of Mr Cameron’s judgment grew louder as senior political figures lined up to reveal they had urged him not to take Mr Coulson into government.

Lib Dem Lord Paddy Ashdown and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne claimed they warned the PM after the election - but were ignored.

Mr Huhne said: “Well I raised it with Nick and Nick raised it with the Prime Minister and it was made clear to us that this was a personal appointment to the Prime Minister.

“It wasn’t a Government appointment and therefore we didn’t have any standing to object to it, but it was very clear from what I had said previously that I think there were big reputational risks.

“The Prime Minister has said that he wanted to give Andy Coulson a second chance and that’s very commendable. The reality is that there were very serious risks being run there. We knew with Andy Coulson that anybody in charge of a newspaper needs to know what’s going on and at the very least either Andy Coulson was complicit in criminal acts or, alternatively, he was a very incompetent editor by the standards of Fleet Street.”

Milly Dowler’s parents Sally and Bob and sister Gemma are due to meet Mr Clegg today. They will also see Mr Cameron later in the week, Downing Street has said.


Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/2011/07/11/p...#ixzz1RkQCziU0

[Nitro Express]

What's scary is it seems like you would have to be a big governmental agency to hack into so many different networks. You would have to have the access codes to various networks and systems and the press has this access? How did they get it is what I wonder.

[Seshmeister]

My understanding is that it wasn't that difficult.

What they did was find out the default PIN code for each telephone network so for say AT&T it might be 1234. The networks have a number you could call to pick up your voicemail. The corruption with cops was to get victims cell phone numbers.

Most people don't access their voicemail from another phone so never bothered to change the default PIN. Actually I would have been ok because I did years ago when I was in South America on business and it made sense for me to access it a different way.

Most of this happened a few years ago I think a lot of networks now text you if your voicemail is accessed from another phone.

It's the usual thing of companies being reactive to a security threat rather than proactive.

For example when cell phones first took off they used to be able to listen into other peoples calls from across the road with a basic scanner but they are now scrambled so much more sophisticated devices are needed.

[Seshmeister]

[FORD]

And as usual, the best summary of the entire fucked up situation comes from The Daily Show......

<div style="background-color:#000000;width:520px;"><div style="padding:4px;"><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:video:thedailyshow.com:391535" width="512" height="288" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="." flashVars=""></embed><p style="text-align:left;background-color:#FFFFFF;padding:4px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:0px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><b><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-11-2011/have-no-fear--england-s-here">The Daily Show - Have No Fear, England's Here</a></b><br/>Get More: <a href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/'>Daily Show Full Episodes</a>,<a href='http://www.indecisionforever.com/'>Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>,<a href='http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow'>The Daily Show on Facebook</a></p></div></div>

[chefcraig]

And as usual, the best summary of the entire fucked up situation comes from The Daily Show......

Saw this last night in real time, and fell out of my chair. John Oliver is freaking brilliant: “That’s right, the guy who got car head from an L.A. road prostitute is now the moral compass of my nation!”

[bueno bob]

I could think of so many wonderful fitting things to have happen to Murdoch. Decency prevents me from repeating, but I do believe you can rent adult movies in the "fetish" section that would give you a good idea of where to start with him.

And that's START - not finish. START.

[FORD]

Keith Olbermann says he was blackmailed by Murdoch and his goons while working for FAUX Sports.....

[Nitro Express]

I did my internship with Herb Allen's investment banking outfit. Herb throws a big media mogul conference every July. Nobody from Fox showed this year. Murdoch or one of his kids usually attends.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsono...guls_convene/#

[GreenBayLA]

Where is Olberman banished to these days? local cable access?

[Seshmeister]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011...ing-reaches-us

Phone-hacking scandal reaches US

A key US senator has called for an investigation into whether any of News Corporation's organisations in the country have hacked US citizens.

Senate commerce committee chairman Jay Rockefeller has asked the authorities to investigate if any journalists working for Rupert Murdoch had targeted US citizens, and warned of "serious consequences" for the media group if that were the case.

The Democratic senator is the first noteworthy figure in Congress to call for an investigation into the phone-hacking scandal, which on Sunday resulted in the closure of the 168-year-old News of the World after the paper was accused of hacking into the phones of murdered teenager Milly Dowler and the families of British soldiers killed in action, as well as celebrities and politicians.

Murdoch is a major player in the US media landscape, owning the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Fox News and publisher Harper Collins.

In a written statement, Rockefeller expressed concern that victims of 9/11 and their families could have been targeted by News Corporation journalists, although he did not offer any evidence to suggest that may be the case.

"I encourage the appropriate agencies to investigate to ensure that Americans have not had their privacy violated," he said.

"The reported hacking by News Corporation newspapers against a range of individuals - including children - is offensive and a serious breach of journalistic ethics. This raises serious questions about whether the company has broken US law," he said.

The news comes as Murdoch faces further pressure in the UK to abandon his proposed takeover of BSkyB. MPs vote in parliament on Wednesday on an opposition motion that "this House believes that it is in the public interest for Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation to withdraw its bid for BSkyB", with a further statement expected from the prime minister, David Cameron.

Have you got anyone left over there in the US that could do a major investigation that Murdoch hasn't bought? I heard the New York Times was cut back a lot recently.

[Seshmeister]

I could think of so many wonderful fitting things to have happen to Murdoch. Decency prevents me from repeating, but I do believe you can rent adult movies in the "fetish" section that would give you a good idea of where to start with him.

And that's START - not finish. START.

His son in jail would be a great start. That would maybe need it to spread to the US as I think he is technically a US citizen.

[chefcraig]

Where is Olberman banished to these days? local cable access?

Countdown is now on something called Current TV, way out in the upper fringes of the cable listings. It's part of a tier package that gets you some fairly dubious movie channels (well-worn crap from the seventies and eighties, the junk that ran on independent channels decades ago) and one or two sports offers. Before Olbermann showed up, the channel filled it's broadcast hours with leftover shows from Court tv and documentaries, as well as a handful of movies that played last month on Spike tv. If it came with the basic cable package, fine. But to have to pay extra for it? Not a chance.

[Nitro Express]

Television is a cut throat business. Olbermann's ratings died after Bush was out of office and Rachel Maddow stole his fire. He might have also stepped on the wrong toes and once they had an excuse to get rid of him they did. You have to remember all these networks are owned by a few conglomerartes.

[standin]

Over 75% of the funding for American Majority comes from the Sam Adams Alliance. In 2008, the year in which American Majority was founded, 88% of the alliance's money came from a single donation, of $3.7m. A group that trains rightwing libertarians to distort online democratic processes was, in other words, set up with funding from a person or company with a very large wallet.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...rnet-democracy



Could Murdoc have created the Sam Adams Alliance as a sort of promotions for his hate machine?

Is there a common thread among their board of directors?

http://www.samadamsalliance.org/about/our-board.aspx


One line that caught my attention was this one:

Under his leadership, the Sam Adams Alliance (SAM) has established some of the most active and respected organizations in the freedom movement. Most recently, SAM set up American Majority to train potential candidates and campaign organizers and the Franklin Center, which helps train and place investigative journalists in non-profit organizations. <- what exactly does that mean?

O'Keefe isn't that the kid who created an Ace Diamond story and trolled some weak hearted ones in RL?

[Nitro Express]

100% of the Immoral Majority funding comes from theft.

[Seshmeister]

I was interested to hear that bribery abroad is a serious crime in the US.

The CEO of News International has admitted they gave money to cops.

So if you can link that to US citizen James Murdoch bingo.

[standin]

Original source links please.

[standin]

LONDON (AP) — The police officer who decided two years ago not to reopen an investigation into a phone hacking scandal says the News of the World newspaper did not cooperate fully with police.
Assistant Commisioner John Yates said Tuesday that the British tabloid did not give police all the information it had on allegations that some of its employees hacked into phones.
Yates added that he regrets a decision he made in 2009 not to investigate the allegations further.
Also Tuesday, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused Rupert Murdoch's newspapers of employing criminals to obtain confidential information about his family, his private financial affairs and the lives of ordinary people who were at "rock bottom."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
LONDON (AP) — British prime minister David Cameron says his heart goes out to his predecessor Gordon Brown after reports that The Sun newspaper obtained confidential information that Brown's infant son Fraser had cystic fibrosis.
Cameron said Tuesday that the case looks like "yet another appalling invasion of privacy," and said it was unacceptable and heartbreaking for the family concerned.
In an interview with the BBC, Brown said he and his wife Sarah were in tears after being informed by Rebekah Brooks, then the editor of The Sun and now the chief executive of News International, that the paper knew about his son's illness.

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-police-news...-105558087.htm

[standin]

FBI to probe News Corp 9/11 hacking allegation



NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining allegations that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp may have tried to hack into the phone records of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the agency said on Thursday.
"We are aware of the allegations and are looking into it," said Peter Donald, an FBI spokesman in New York.
The FBI probe was prompted by a call by U.S. congressman Peter King of New York to investigate the hacking claims, first reported by Britain's The Daily Mirror newspaper on Monday.
But U.S. Senator John McCain, who sits on the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, on Thursday said he had not heard any evidence of News Corp wrongdoing in the U.S.
"I have heard of no evidence of allegations yet of anything being done in the United States of America," McCain, a Republican from Arizona, said.
News Corp declined to comment on the FBI probe.

~
Why hello Mr. McCocacian. I think we have found our source. Is't that nice.

[standin]

no evidence of allegations <- What exactly does that mean?

[Seshmeister]

Original source links please.

http://business-ethics.com/2011/07/1...olate-u-s-law/

[Seshmeister]

[FORD]

Media Titan Loses Closest Ally

LONDON (The Borowitz Report) – In a blow that many insiders saw as the last straw for embattled media titan Rupert Murdoch, Satan today returned Mr. Murdoch’s soul to him and demanded his money back.

“Rupert Murdoch has done my bidding for decades, but that relationship is now terminated,” read the terse statement from the Prince of Darkness, who close associates said has been “disgusted” by Murdoch’s recent activities.

Purchased by Satan in Melbourne, Australia in 1951, Mr. Murdoch’s soul is estimated to have a current value of nine dollars (US).

Around the media world, observers were stunned by this latest setback for Mr. Murdoch, who in Satan is losing one of his closest and most powerful allies.

But according to Ian Langramstone, who at his post as the University of Nottingham has studied Mr. Murdoch’s relationship with Satan for years, the slap in the face from the Lord of Misrule should not come as a surprise.

“Satan never wants to be the last one to desert a sinking ship,” said Mr. Langromstone. “He always takes his lead from British politicians.”

In what many saw a tacit admission of the depth of his current problems, Mr. Murdoch today cancelled plans to purchase the remainder of the British government that he does not already own.

Elsewhere, pitcher Roger Clemens celebrated his steroid case being declared a mistrial by throwing a car across the courthouse parking lot.