CLIMATE & ENERGY

Julia Eileen Gillard (/ˈɡɪlɑrd/,born 29 September 1961) is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.

Gillard was elected at the 1998 federal election to the House of Representatives seat of Lalor, Victoria for the Australian Labor Party. Following the 2001 federal election, Gillard was elected to the shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Population and Immigration. The Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and the Health portfolios were added in 2003. In December 2006, Kevin Ruddwas elected Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition, with Gillard as deputy leader.

Gillard became the Deputy Prime Minister upon Labor's victory in the 2007 federal election, also serving as Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. On 24 June 2010, after Rudd lost the support of his party and stood aside, Gillard became federal leader of the Australian Labor Party and thus the Prime Minister, the first female holder of the office.

The 2010 federal election saw the incumbent Gillard Labor government elected to a second term over the Coalition opposition, led by Tony Abbott, and formed a minority government with support of an Australian Greens MP and three independent MPs.

Their efforts come at a vulnerable moment for Mr Murdoch and his grip over the company he built into one of the world's largest media empires, as even large mainstream shareholders are calling for corporate governance changes. The company's independent non-executive directors have retained an outside law firm to advise them on their responsibilities in dealing with the hacking scandal and its aftermath, a move which campaigners believe could set in train significant changes.

The non-executives are believed to be considering elevating Chase Carey, the respected chief operating officer, to the post of chief executive, leaving Mr Murdoch as executive chairman.

But Christian Brothers Investment Services, which manages $4bn for 1,000 Catholic institutions worldwide, has demanded News Corp allow a "floor resolution" at the next shareholder meeting in October to vote on stripping Mr Murdoch of the chairmanship of the board.

"So many concerns have come to light because of the hacking scandal," the organisation's assistant director of socially responsible investing, Julie Tanner, told The Independent. "It is costing investors a lot in terms of jobs, the reputation of the company, its market position and billions of dollars in enterprise value. There is a lack of oversight at the company and obviously immediate corporate governance changes are needed to restore public trust."

The introduction of an independent non-executive chairman over Mr Murdoch's head would reflect best practice in corporate governance and bring in "an extra layer of checks and balances" to rectify oversight failures that have gone right to the top, Ms Tanner said.

In the UK, the Church of England has increased its pressure on News Corp. It has £3.8m invested in the US-listed company, and has threatened to sell the stake. The chairman of its Ethical Investment Advisory Group, wrote to the company two weeks ago and the church said yesterday: "Although recent developments at News Corp have started to address some of the issues, the EIAG continues to have serious concerns. Clearly the company has a great deal to do, over time, to demonstrate that it has learned and acted upon the lessons of this scandal."

News Corp shares rose again yesterday, after the rating agency Fitch said it saw no reason to downgrade the group's bonds. "Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that the activities... at News of the World have occurred at News Corp's other businesses," it said. "Fitch does not see risk to the company's brand that would result in large, protracted advertising losses."

The directors with Murdoch's fate in their hands...

Jose Maria Aznar

Nothing demonstrated Rupert Murdoch's proximity to political power more clearly than his ability to lure the former conservative Spanish prime minister to sit on his corporate board in 2006.

Peter Barnes

The Australian executive spent much of his career in the wine and tobacco industry at Philip Morris, and retired to spend more time with his vineyard and non-executive directorships such as chairing the glove and condom firm Ansell.

Natalie Bancroft

The 31-year-old opera singer and journalism graduate was the one representative of the Bancroft family invited to join the News Corp board when it bought the clan's newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, in 2007.

Kenneth Cowley

As a former executive running a major subsidiary of News Corp until 1997, and since he has also been onthe board for 32 years, Mr Cowley would not be considered an independent director under UK rules.

Viet Dinh

The man who wrote much of the Patriot Act for the Bush administration after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has become the non-executive point-man for News Corp's internal investigation into hacking.

Sir Roderick Eddington

Knighted for "services to civil aviation", theformer Australian chief executive of British Airways is News Corp's most senior independent director and would lead any revolt against Mr Murdoch.

Andrew Knight

After being chairman of News Corp's UK newspapers arm, News International, in the Nineties, the former journalist has spent the last decade in non-executive roles in the finance industry.

John Thornton

The former co-chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs now sits on the boards of some of the world's most powerful companies, including the banking giant HSBC in the UK, and the car maker Ford in the US.

Thomas Perkins

The 79-year-old veteran of Silicon Valley's venture capital industry came strongly out in favour of Mr Murdoch continuing in his current roles. The octogenarian is a "genius", Mr Perkins said.

http://79.125.111.126/focus/mwidget?lpage&rid=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2Fcomment%2Fdavid-prosser-investors-look-forw

Julie Burchill: The day Rebekah's fortune was told

In the Eighties when I was young and Godless, I penned a frankly filthy, and filthily frank, book called Ambition which went to the top of the paperback novel charts and made me a packet. It concerned the antics of one Susan Street, a young woman who was "almost clever and almost beautiful" and was determined to become the most powerful broad in Fleet Street. In the course of fulfilling this desire, Susan was not only prepared to sell her soul, but to slip it a Rophynol and bend it over the nearest sideboard in order to have it taken roughly from behind by any passing potentate, should this help her advance up the greasy pole.

Once again, surveying the shambles at News International, I have wondered at my ability to get it wrong. My heroine oohed, ahhed and orgied through a series of increasingly lurid encounters with Brazilian hookers, New York lesbian sadists and even, if I remember rightly, a demonically-possessed, sexually-obsessed electric toothbrush in order to win the top job from her ancient and corrupt boss, one Tobias Pope. But it has been a striking feature of the current revelations, however murky, that no "three-in-a-bed hells" or even "naked romping" took place between the flame-haired counter-jumper and her powerful patron. On the contrary, both appear to be the very model of devoted partners to their respective spouses. Spoilsports!

Julie Burchill: The day Rebekah's fortune was told

In the Eighties when I was young and Godless, I penned a frankly filthy, and filthily frank, book called Ambition which went to the top of the paperback novel charts and made me a packet. It concerned the antics of one Susan Street, a young woman who was "almost clever and almost beautiful" and was determined to become the most powerful broad in Fleet Street. In the course of fulfilling this desire, Susan was not only prepared to sell her soul, but to slip it a Rophynol and bend it over the nearest sideboard in order to have it taken roughly from behind by any passing potentate, should this help her advance up the greasy pole.

Once again, surveying the shambles at News International, I have wondered at my ability to get it wrong. My heroine oohed, ahhed and orgied through a series of increasingly lurid encounters with Brazilian hookers, New York lesbian sadists and even, if I remember rightly, a demonically-possessed, sexually-obsessed electric toothbrush in order to win the top job from her ancient and corrupt boss, one Tobias Pope. But it has been a striking feature of the current revelations, however murky, that no "three-in-a-bed hells" or even "naked romping" took place between the flame-haired counter-jumper and her powerful patron. On the contrary, both appear to be the very model of devoted partners to their respective spouses. Spoilsports!

Mention of the Chipping Norton Set seemed promising at first – "sets" are usually "fast", and sound a great deal like "sex" anyway. Mrs Brooks husband was an old Etonian racehorse trainer, nicknamed both "Looks" and "Champagne Charlie", who appeared to have squired a number of glamorous exes of famous men, from princes to sporting heroes – so far, so Jilly Cooper. But once membership was known to have included the ickily-uxorious David Cameron and that ocean-going anaphrodisiac Jeremy Clarkson, all bets were off.

Murdoch's happy possession of a sexy Chinese wife caused the heart to yearn hopefully for some sort of shenanigans, but the chances she might be a heartless, inscrutable minx were scuppered by her rather lovely though dismayingly loyal defence of her old man from the joker with the shaving foam. Murdoch has a son who seeks to walk in his giant footsteps, as did my monstrous Pope, but whereas Pope Jnr is a sexy Jewish swashbuckler with genitalia resembling "a cosh wrapped in velvet", Murdoch Jnr looks more like a gutless Gissing bit-player caught with his hand in the petty cash.

And as far as Rebekah herself, she is far cuter, cleverer and more fascinating than my really rather repulsive heroine. We were briefly friends in the Nineties and my fondest memory is of the day she visited me in Brighton, when after a lush lunch we and her friend Jane Moore decided to visit a fortune-teller. When we got there I bottled out on religious grounds, but Bex marched in – and ten minutes later out again, her face almost as red as her lovely hair. The fortune-teller had only gone and told her that although she thought she was a career girl, she had a rich and successful man who worshipped her (she was married to Ross Kemp at the time) and that was where her best bet lay.

The Sketch: Prime Minister has gone from Flashman to earnest penitent

Simon Carr 21st July 2011

Recalling Parliament was a bold, unusual, exciting thing to do. If only we hadn't had to turn up it would have been perfect.

Our holidays were delayed by a double dose of phone hacking – an endless statement was followed by an endless debate (which may still be going on when we get back in September)

The questions and answers have been honed to perfection but occasionally new charges arise. Tom Watson said he sent a letter to Cameron last year with specific information about hacking; Nick Raynsford made dark reference to the Cabinet Secretary being alerted last year to the hacking of a senior figure in the government service; and time and again, Cameron refused to name the company that vetted Coulson.

For his part, the Prime Minister told us that Alastair Campbell falsified documents when he was in government. And when in need of a cheer he mentioned the "despicable behaviour" of some of Labour's communications crew in recent times.

"There is only one party leader with a News International executive sitting in his office with a cloud over his head," he said.

"No more cheap partisanship," Louise Mensch demanded and then went immediately on to name Tom Baldwin and Damien McBride.

Ed Miliband occasionally tried a cross-party tone. "The reason we didn't speak out was because News International was too powerful." More precisely, they didn't speak out because they were afraid of offending a News International executive at a party.

Nonetheless, Ed Miliband had a good day. He was challenged again about Baldwin and the allegations of blagging bank accounts under Lord Ashcroft's control. EDM said he had believed the assurances given by The Times about Baldwin's good character because they were issued by his line manager – Michael Gove, now the Secretary for Education. That carefully worded remark got a good laugh.

Whether the modest increase in popularity takes Miliband beyond his net negative rating of -16 remains to be seen. There are presentational issues outstanding.

The face is still producing the output of three or four ordinary faces; spasms of excitement can make it turn inside out. He leans forward on the bench pushing annoying expressions into the chamber, very like the clever boy in the class who needs a bit more bullying to make a man of him.

But we can't look to the Prime Minister for that. The Flashman approach has failed. Cameron is now an earnest penitent, forced to penance by the pieties of his young opponents. In life as in art. Remember, in the book, Flashman was actually bested by his two young victims in a climactic fight.

Like Simon Carr on The Independent on Facebook for updates

REX FEATURES

Deng is a role model to young Chinese girls, who see her rise as inspirational

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/wendi-deng-the-real-power-behind-the-throne-2317692.html

Wendi Deng: The real power behind the throne

Wendi Deng has become an unlikely star of the hacking scandal, thanks to her feisty defence of Rupert Murdoch. Susannah Frankel discovers the truth about the 'tiger wife'

What did Wendi Deng first see in the billionaire Rupert Murdoch? It's the oldest joke in the book and one that has long been directed at this relationship – by everyone from supposedly hostile Murdoch family members, who have expressed their disdain since the media mogul tied the knot with her on his yacht, Morning Glory, in 1999, to the media and the world at large.

But if octogenarian Murdoch's fumbling – and even at times confused – performance at the House of Commons on Tuesday was surprising, it paled into insignificance, in terms of theatrics at least, of his third wife. The impeccably groomed and until that point inscrutable Deng leapt to his defence, unceremoniously slapping the improbably named "pie man", Jonnie Marbles, and thereby deflecting his assault long before anyone as effective as a security guard, say, had the good sense to intervene.

Deng, in a reassuringly expensive rose-pink jacket, cornflower blue shirt and black skirt, and with long, dark hair, sat behind her husband on doubtless the most difficult day of his long career. Her dignity and self-discipline were palpable – particularly as compared with the ruffled and defensive behaviour of the two other women in his life: daughter Elisabeth and erstwhile chief executive Rebekah Brooks.

Wendi gently discouraged Mr Murdoch from banging the desk in front of him – image control doesn't come much more finely tuned than this – smiled at him, and rubbed his back when the going got particularly tough. It looked like genuine affection – and it probably was.

Those far less likely to sympathise with Murdoch's predicament have since admitted to feeling compassion for him, after all – although admittedly of the kind more usually directed towards a marginally dotty, errant old uncle as opposed to an equal or spouse.

Whatever, every detail of her behaviour and physical appearance was immaculately well-mannered – note the Chanel Particulière nail polish, a well-chosen and suitably understated touch when, as it soon turned out, she might be more suited to Vamp.

It was all just as one might expect from the wife of one of the world's most powerful men. Her reaction to a threat to his personal safety was clearly instinctive, however, and in no way planned. And what instincts. "At last the News of the World enquiry has exposed News Corps deepest darkest secret," wrote the journalist Joe Hildebrand on Twitter. "Wendi Deng is a Power Ranger."

So a new media heroine (or should that be superhero?) is born, and one who is a more formidable prospect than either Kate Middleton or Victoria Beckham, to name perhaps the two most conspicuous examples beloved by this country's press – not least for their predominantly passive behaviour and for being shrinking violets by comparison with Mrs Murdoch.

Although increasingly well known in the US, Deng's profile here has been relatively low until now – her husband Rupert appeared to prefer it that way, in the early days of their marriage especially. Interviews with her are still unheard of. When The Wall Street Journal (not then Murdoch-owned) ran a lead feature in the year 2000 on his new wife's quiet but significant influence, he was reportedly not amused, and she subsequently refused to speak to the journalists who penned it. "As the wife of the chairman and a private citizen, Wendi is entitled to her privacy," the then News Corp spokesperson, Gary Ginsberg, said, words that are nothing if not ironic as it turns out.

In 1999, Murdoch told Vanity Fair magazine that his relationship with his wife ruled out her working for News Corp at that point. Instead, she was "busy working on decorating the new apartment" in Manhattan, social X-ray style. Later, it is thought that he pulled a profile of her written by a contributor to Fortune magazine and destined for an Australian newspaper chain he partly owned at the time.

The truth will invariably out, however, as Mr Murdoch has learnt elsewhere to his immense cost. More recently, his wife's reputation as a behind-the-scenes trouser-wearer par excellence, both personally and professionally, precedes her. In Michael Wolff's biography of Murdoch, he writes of Deng: "Let's recast this story as a triumphal, even uplifting tale of pluck and achievement. She's not [William Makepeace Thackeray's cynical social-climbing heroine] Becky Sharp, she's Pip in Great Expectations." Certainly, the lady has done spectacularly well for herself. In her home country she is, by all accounts, something of a role model to thousands of young Chinese women, many of whom see her rise to wealth and Western supremacy as nothing short of inspirational as, on at least some levels, indeed they might.

She was born Deng Wen Ge – one of three children and the daughter of a factory manager – and grew up in eastern China, simplifying her name to Wendi in her mid-teens.

While studying medicine, aged 16, she met the Californian couple, Jake and Joyce Cherry, who had been posted to the region. They would turn out to be her ticket to the West. Proving herself a tough cookie from the start, Deng persuaded the Cherrys to sponsor her for a student visa to the US.

Mrs Cherry's help and affection was rewarded by her young protégé promptly running off with her husband – 30 years her senior. They married but lived together for no more than a few months. It wasn't long before Deng was embroiled in an affair with David Wolf, a man of her own age, and a little less than three years later, she and Jake Cherry divorced. Mr Cherry told The Wall Street Journal: "She told me I was a father concept to her, but it would never be anything else. I loved that girl."

With an MBA from Yale University and a degree in economics, Deng was then employed by Star TV, News Corp's Asian satellite-television operation in Hong Kong, as an intern in 1996. She met Murdoch in 1998 when she was assigned the job of his interpreter in Shanghai and Beijing – rumours of a blossoming relationship of a more intimate nature between them began circulating a matter of months after that.

It is unsurprising that Deng, 42, has attracted the requisite jibes reserved for much younger wives. When Anna Nicole Smith died, Private Eye published a picture of her as a dominatrix captioned with the words: "Anna Nicole Deng: the scheming temptress who stole her way into the heart of a foolish old man – and stole all his money as well".

On the other hand – and equally the stuff of cliché – Murdoch has been accused of being attracted to her more for her abilities to ease his entry into China than anything as straightforward as, for example, youth or beauty. She is fluent in Mandarin in an age where expansion into that continent is the economic Holy Grail – and as well as acting as a quasi-ambassador for News Corp there, she has been chief strategist for MySpace China.

She is also co-founder and co-CEO of the film company Big Feet productions – Snow Flower and the Secret Fan happens to be its current project, and will have a giant publicity boost after this week. In short, she's anything but a trophy wife.

Privately, Deng has proved a softening influence on Murdoch who, thanks to his wife, is prepared to go to work dressed in chinos and black turtleneck where previously only a suit or tie would do. He's also sporting more modish heavy-framed glasses these days. The aforementioned Manhattan home, meanwhile, was reportedly designed according to the diktats of feng shui, which it is difficult to imagine Murdoch actively embracing without his wife's input.

Wendi Deng is now the mother of Grace and Chloe, two potential heiresses of Murdoch's. Although his children from former marriages – Prudence, Lachlan, Elisabeth and James – and his second wife, Anna, fought his attempts to give his youngest progeny a say in the running of his empire, the young children will benefit from his fortune nonetheless. In 2007, both Grace and Chloe received $100m (£62m) in stock from their father.

So what next for Wendi Deng? If past form is anything to go by, she will continue to stand by her man while the rest of the world decries him and, for that, she may prove to be his finest asset.

Straight after the pie-throwing incident, social-media sites were lit up with praise for Deng – some ironic, but much of it genuine admiration. "Wendi heroic protector of fading old genius," tweeted Channel 4 News' Jon Snow not long after her by-now legendary intervention.

So during a scandal that continues to erupt around the name Murdoch, this relatively unknown character has, in a matter of seconds, lent a tender aspect to the story. Even the most adept of publicists (or damage-limitation experts) would have been considered foolhardy ever even to have dreamt of that.

1Wendi Deng: The real power behind the throne

2Hacking was endemic at the 'Mirror', says former reporter

3The fearless, shameless reporter at centre of storm

4Ten adverts that shocked the world

5Anna Murdoch Mann: 'He was hard, ruthless and determined'

6Robert Fisk: Why I had to leave The Times

7FBI to contact Jude Law as inquiries widen in US

8Murdoch unmasked: Meeting a media mogul

9Stephen Glover: The BBC has conspired with The Guardian to heat up an old story and attack Murdoch

10Hacking In Brief: 23/07/2011

11Hello, partner: Sugar ups ante in 'Apprentice'

12Red-top redemption: Why tabloid journalism matters

13Show's over for the man who saved Radio 1 from 'Smashie and Nicey'

14Behind Rupert's throne: The story of Rebekah Brooks

15Australia watchdog frowns on Murdoch bid

Andreas Whittam Smith: Murdoch's unique way of doing business won't change

The 'don't ask, don't tell' culture permeates his operations. When things get tougher, the Murdoch technique is to try denial, or throw the police off the scent

The question I ask about people who have built up huge businesses by their own efforts is, what is their special, precocious gift. What does this particular tycoon have that others don't possess? What is Rupert Murdoch's key attribute? In the case, for instance, of Robert Maxwell who came to own the Daily Mirror, it was his immensely superior bargaining talents, first learnt as a pedlar in eastern Europe before the war. Sir James (Jimmy) Goldsmith, to take another example, described by this newspaper in its obituary as "one of the most buccaneering and charismatic figures of the last 40 years", was also a financial engineer of genius.

Rupert Murdoch is different again. As an owner of media businesses around the world, he understands better than anyone what it takes to avoid or soften media regulation by governments so as to create dominant positions in individual markets. Does American law say that only US citizens are allowed to own TV stations? Right, this proud Australian will become a naturalised US citizen, as he did in 1985, a year before he founded Fox Broadcasting. In Britain he has displayed this talent to the full. His masterstroke was getting Mrs Thatcher's government to wave through his purchase of The Times and The Sunday Times in 1981 without referring it to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission even though, when added to the Sun and the News of the World, it took his share of the national newspaper market close to 40 per cent.

To defend this semi-monopoly and to create others in the UK, such as pay TV (BSkyB), Mr Murdoch has gradually developed a number of powerful techniques. The most important is to take advantage of politicians' obsession with the next general election. For that nagging worry leads them to dread having a bad relationship. So call regularly at No 10 Downing Street – coming in through the back door if necessary. Prime ministers are Mr Murdoch's main targets because they have at once both the most acute fear of losing power and the greatest ability to deflect unwelcome media regulation. The frequency of these visits has been known for some time but many other things we didn't understand have become clear in the past few weeks.

It wasn't as clear as it is now, that the Murdoch technique involves buttressing this access by getting your family and your senior executives to develop parallel relationships with the prime ministers of the day and their entourages and senior ministers. This activity got going at full pelt straight after Mr Cameron entered Downing Street. So Rebekah Brooks gets herself invited to Mr Cameron's 44th birthday party at Chequers. James Murdoch and his wife went to stay there shortly afterwards. The Brooks's and the Camerons saw a lot of each other over Christmas. Of course not a word was said about media regulation on these jolly occasions, but on one side at least, it is bound to have been the unspoken agenda. It looks as if Scotland Yard got the message, too. If these people are personal friends of the Prime Minister, go easy in any investigations into their potentially criminal activities. So, with silken threads, the Murdochs bind up the Prime Minister.

It has also become apparent that another Murdoch ploy is to get his people appointed to important posts in the heart of organisations he seeks to influence. Funnily enough the Metropolitan Police provides just as good examples of this as Downing Street's employment of the former News of the World editor as Communications Director. So Neil Wallis, Mr Coulson's former deputy editor, gets taken on by the Metropolitan Police as a senior PR adviser and another News of the World journalist is employed as a translator – who, incidentally, is thus able to listen in to the early stages of criminal cases long before they become public. Finally – a nice one, this – place numerous former Murdoch journalists in staff jobs in the police press office.

The Murdoch empire, however, requires defensive techniques as well as methods of attack. What about MPs who won't bend the knee? What is to be done about them? Fortunately from Mr Murdoch's point of view, his tabloid newspapers have already found the answer. Use the same investigative techniques into their private lives, right up to and including telephone hacking, blagging personal details from banks and so on, that are already employed by News of the World journalists to expose minor celebrities. Gordon Brown described some of these. Information was obtained from the former prime minister's bank account and legal file .

What to do, though, if these useful weapons are to be seized from your hands as a result of court actions by injured parties? First you can fall back on the "don't ask, don't tell" culture that permeates Mr Murdoch's operations. That was seen on full display when Rupert and James Murdoch appeared in front of the Parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Murdoch senior said he had no idea what had been going on – although he also admitted that he was quite prepared to ring up the editor of The Sunday Times every Saturday evening to find out what was in the paper. The difference is that the latter knowledge couldn't compromise him whereas precise details of how subordinates operated could well do so.

When things get still tougher, the Murdoch technique is to try denial. Say that phone hacking was confined to one rogue reporter and his assistant. And keep on saying it. But as the Culture Select Committee of Parliament commented in February 2010: "it is inconceivable that senior management at the paper were unaware of widespread hacking". Or, if this doesn't work, you can try to throw the police off the scent. Assistant Commissioner John Yates said on Tuesday: "News International... clearly misled us." Or you can refuse to co-operate with the police.

Yesterday's report by the Home Affairs Committee stated that the police told us that "they were unable to pursue the inquiry further with News International because of their refusal to co-operate". Now we are told that total commitment to find the truth is the order of the day. That is highly unlikely. Over half a century Mr Murdoch has refined a method of operating that cannot suddenly be thrown off like a winter coat. The Murdochs will go on being the Murdochs.

Like Andreas Whittam Smith on The Independent on Facebook for updates

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/law-firm-given-right-of-reply-over-failure-to-expose-bribery-2317840.html

Law firm given right of reply over 'failure' to expose bribery

By Ian Burrell and Oliver Wright 21st July 2011 

A law firm blamed by Rupert Murdoch for failing to raise the alarm over evidence of police bribes at News International was last night given the go-ahead to put its side of events to police and MPs.

Harbottle & Lewis, who also represent the Queen, was said to be furious at the allegations of wrongdoing made against it by the Murdochs but unable to explain why it did not hand over files to the police due to client-lawyer confidentiality.

News Corp's management and standards committee announced after 7pm yesterday, on a day when Parliament went into recess, that its British arm, News International, had given the law firm permission to answer questions from Scotland Yard and parliamentary committees.

PA

Jemima Khan arrives at Portcullis House to hear the Murdochs give evidence on Tuesday

A law firm blamed by Rupert Murdoch for failing to raise the alarm over evidence of police bribes at News International was last night given the go-ahead to put its side of events to police and MPs.

Harbottle & Lewis, who also represent the Queen, was said to be furious at the allegations of wrongdoing made against it by the Murdochs but unable to explain why it did not hand over files to the police due to client-lawyer confidentiality.

News Corp's management and standards committee announced after 7pm yesterday, on a day when Parliament went into recess, that its British arm, News International, had given the law firm permission to answer questions from Scotland Yard and parliamentary committees.

"News International has today authorised the law firm Harbottle & Lewis to answer questions from the Metropolitan Police Service and parliamentary select committees in respect of what they were asked to do." Earlier in the day Harbottle had said News International's refusal to release it from professional duties of confidentiality effectively prevented it from responding to "any inaccurate statements or contentions".

News International also announced it had halted the payment of legal fees to the disgraced private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. It is believed to have been paying the fees since he was first arrested in 2006.

Further light on why News International failed to produce evidence of the extent of hacking is expected to be provided by the company's former director of legal affairs, Jon Chapman, who was accused by News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch of sitting on a report into hacking prepared by Harbottle & Lewis. Addressing MPs on Tuesday, he said: "Mr Chapman, who was in charge of this, has left us. He had that report for a number of years." Mr Chapman, who left NI this month, is said to be preparing a letter answering the allegations for the Commons committee on Culture, Media and Sport.

The publicist Max Clifford revealed he has been talking to the police for several months in relation to its Operation Weeting inquiry into hacking and that he would be happy to co-operate with the Serious Fraud Office if it opens an investigation into News International.

Richard Alderman, the director of the SFO, is considering whether there are grounds for an investigation into potential breaches of company law by the media firm after it admitted making payments to Mr Clifford and Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association. "The payment of large sums in order to prevent details of criminal activity by employees becoming public is a gross misuse of shareholders' money," wrote Tom Watson, the Labour MP, to Mr Alderman, alleging that the payments had been made in order to suppress further investigation of the scale of phone-hacking.

Mr Clifford described his payment as "very simple". He said: "When I found out what happened to me, I got all the information and eventually they caved in and apologised." The £1m settlement was negotiated "over lunch" with News International's chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, who resigned last week. "That fee was based on what I would have made from them in the four years I was not dealing with them," Mr Clifford said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-ordered-to-release-files-to-jemima-khan-and-hugh-grant-2317868.html

Police ordered to release files to Jemima Khan and Hugh Grant

By Jerome Taylor 21st July 2011

Newspapers other than the News of the World may have been involved in hacking the phones of Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan, the High Court heard yesterday.

Lawyers for the two celebrities went to court to force the Metropolitan Police to release any documents that might contain evidence that the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire was intercepting their voicemails while he was working for News International.

Ordering the police to release the files, Mr Justice Vos said Mr Grant and Ms Khan were entitled to see any documentation that might have been intercepted by the private investigator and consequently used for articles in "the News of the World and other newspapers".

The judge also ordered the disclosure of former NOTW reporter Clive Goodman's notes used in his work as royal editor and gossip columnist.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-went-over-leaders-heads-to-register-his-approval-2317835.html

George Osborne went over leaders' heads to register his approval

By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor 21st July 2011

Yesterday in the House of Commons, Mr Cameron tacitly admitted the role of Mr Osborne in hiring Mr Coulson, who was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of bribing police officers and of phone hacking.

Mr Cameron was allegedly warned by The Guardian and by other politicians about hiring Mr Coulson in view of the questions about his editorship of the tabloid.

Asked whether Mr Osborne had been behind the idea to approach Mr Coulson to offer him the job of director of communications for the Tories – and later for the Government – Mr Cameron replied: "The Chancellor has many bright ideas but in the end this was my decision."

Initial discussions with Mr Coulson are believed to have taken place with Mr Osborne and Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron's chief strategist, who also moved to Downing Street with the Prime Minister.

Francis Maude, who was the Conservative Party chairman at the time, was only informed of the discussions after Mr Coulson's appointment had been approved in principle by the leader.

Mr Maude negotiated Mr Coulson's £275,000 salary.

Mr Bridges was told the identity of the party's new director of communications and planning once the appointment had been made.

He is understood to have protested about Mr Coulson's arrival. Yesterday Mr Bridges, who now works for a public affairs consultancy, was unavailable for comment.

On Wednesday, Rebekah Brooks dismissed suggestions that she had advised Mr Cameron to make Mr Coulson his director of communications after he left the NOTW in 2007.

"I think it is a matter of public knowledge that it was George Osborne, the Chancellor's idea that when Andy Coulson left the News of the World they should start discussions with him on whether he [should] be the appropriate person to go into Tory headquarters," Ms Brooks told a Commons Select Committee.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/missing-notw-executive-tracked-down-in-florida-2317837.html

Andy Coulson sneaking out the back door of number 10 Downing Street London to try and avoid news reporters and camera men after being accused of an involvement with authorising phone hacking - police bribes and blinging at the old News of the World when run by News International a subsidiary of Rupert Murdochs multi billion Media Empire News Corp.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal issued a statement to say he remained confident that News Corp will continue to be a valuable long-term investment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/key-news-corp-shareholder-backs-murdoch-2317929.html

Missing NOTW executive tracked down in Florida

By Cahal Milmo and Martin Hickman 21st July 2011

A former News of the World assistant editor near the top of a list of people that detectives from the hacking inquiry want to speak to has been found living off the fig tree-lined avenues of Palm Beach, Florida.

Greg Miskiw, 61, (real name Ihor) who has been named in connection to phone-hacking damages claims and was last known to be living in a luxury flat in central Manchester, has been tracked down to a rented property a short walk from the beach in a trendy corner of the resort. His former partner was last month arrested in Leeds by officers from Operation.

While his one-time colleagues, including the former NOTW editor Andy Coulson and assistant editor Ian Edmondson, have been answering the questions of detectives in London police stations about alleged conspiracy to intercept voicemails, Mr Miskiw seems to have been planning for a future in the Sunshine State, 4,000 miles away.

The Palm Beach Post found that the former executive has an apartment in a terracotta-roofed building close to the sandy shores of the Florida coast. It reported that Mr Miskiw had worked for two months this year for the publisher of the National Enquirer, a salacious gossip sheet in the US, and last month registered a company, News Team LLC.