Hit by hacking scandal, Murdoch to close tabloid

James Murdoch, chairman of News International, on Thursday announced the closure of News of the World, Britain's best-selling Sunday tabloid, following a ruckus over its news gathering practices that involved the illegal hacking of phones.

The sensational tabloid has been at the venture of controversy for some years, but public unease turned into anger with revelations that it commissioned a private investigator to hack messages left in mobiles of celebrities, victims of crime, and kin of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Published on Sunday, the forthcoming issue will be its last, James Murdoch, son of media baron Rupert Murdoch, said.

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The tabloid's continuation had become untenable after several major advertisers suspended their insertions following the latest revelations.

Sky News, part of Murdoch's media empire in Britain, said income from the last edition of the tabloid on Sunday would be given to good causes.

Elsewhere, ministers, MPs and media managers scurried to deal with the phone-hacking scandal, as the police revealed that they were contacting as many as 4,000 people whose phone details were found in seized documents.

Public revulsion at the scandal increased on Thursday, the sixth anniversary of the July 7 London bombings, when it was revealed that the mobile phones of the victims were also targeted for hacking by a private investigator commissioned by the tabloid for information to be used in stories.

A growing number of companies have decided to suspend their advertising to the tabloid, including Ford, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, the Co-op, Lloyds, Virgin Holidays and Npower.

This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World. Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper. In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World's revenue this weekend will go to good causes".

Admitting that the tabloid wrongly made statements to parliament without being in full possession of the facts of the hacking case, Murdoch said: "The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret."

Murdoch noted that there were two major and ongoing police investigations, and promised to cooperate fully with both.

Elsewhere, ministers, MPs and media managers scurried to deal with the phone-hacking scandal, as the police revealed that they were contacting as many as 4,000 people whose phone details were found in seized documents.

Public revulsion at the scandal increased on Thursday, the sixth anniversary of the July 7 London bombings, when it was revealed that the mobile phones of the victims were also targeted for hacking by a private investigator commissioned by the tabloid for information to be used in stories.

A growing number of companies have decided to suspend their advertising to the tabloid, including Ford, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, the Co-op, Lloyds, Virgin Holidays and Npower.