British Chancellor George Osborne met 16 times with executives from News Corp, the media group at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal, dpa quoted the government as saying on Tuesday. The government agreed to publish details of all ministerial meetings with senior media figures in the wake of the scandal, which led to the resignations of News Corp editors, two of the most senior police officers in Britain and Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman. The chancellor's meetings included two with Rupert Murdoch, the 80-year-old billionaire, and five each with his son James Murdoch, chairman of News Corp's Europe and Asia divisions, and Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International, the company's British arm. Reporters at the News of the World were accused of hacking into the voicemails of up to 4,000 people, including those of a murdered girl, the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the royal family, politicians and celebrities. Two of the most senior members of London's police force resigned over the alleged bungling of the initial investigation into the accusations. The case has brought into question the cosy relations between the media, the police and politicians. -- SPA
