The latest in the Rupert Murdoch/News of The World/News Corp/News International Phone hacking scandal finds the much-awaited release of the findings of the Leveson Inquiry damning of Rupert Murdoch and the Editors in charge at News Of The World.

In short, the Members Of Parliament found Rupert Murdoch had a curious habit of "looking the other way" with regards to the Phone Hacking Scandal. And as a result, was deemed by the panel to be "unfit to run an International Business".

Although the panel was split along Partisan lines - with four of the Conservative Members of Parliament voting not to include the "unfit to run a company" disclosure, they were unanimous in their agreement that Murdoch had mislead and deceived the Leveson Inquiry as to the true nature of the scandal.

In the report findings, aired over BBC Radio 4 's program PM, it was considered by some to be not all that earth shattering and that the scandal as a whole had more interest in Westminster than it did on the street.

Whether or not that's true remains to be seen. It's interesting to note that calls on this side of the Atlantic for an FCC inquiry into the operations of Murdoch's Fox News seem to have made more newsworthy headlines in the UK than over here. The move may be regarded as more symbolic than anything else, judging by the somewhat punchless and ineffectual state the FCC is in. However, there is still the ongoing DOJ Investigation of Phone Hacking and Bribery charges involving News Of The World related cases over here.

And all that lurks somewhere in the future.

But for now, Westminster has spoken and Rupert Murdoch's school of Tabloid Journalism received a slap on its faux-incompetent wrist.

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The scandal that refuses to go away. The ongoing Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking and bribery at News of The World and News International netted another stay in jail for Rebekah Brooks this morning. This time however, she was joined in finger prints and mug shots by husband Charlie Brooks, noted Horse trainer and author as he was taken in as a possible accessory.

Also involved in the early morning roundup were former Head of Security at News International Mark Hanna and three others, as yet unidentified but only referred to as "men in their late 30's and 40's".

The ongoing Inquiry and seemingly endless revelations about corruption, cover-up and bribery having to do with the phone hacking scandal is now taking on a more serious tone, as was revealed in a BBC Radio 4 Interview today on the PM program. The possibilities of life in prison could await Brooks, although it would seem unlikely, are nonetheless very real options facing those convicted in this scandal.

The focus of the Leveson Inquiry, while the arrests are going on, is focused on bribes and corruption withing the Police Force as the result of the News Of The World/News International scandal. Today's testimony will most likely lead to additional arrests in the coming days.

The inquiry and the scandal have no end in sight.

Here, as way of catching up if you've missed it, is today's slice of Drama as presented on The World At One and PM, both from BBC Radio 4.

More, I am sure, will be forthcoming.

In a not-terribly-surprising turn of events, it was announced today that James Murdoch would be stepping down from his duties at News International, while retaining his duties with Newscorp, overseeing International Pay-TV operations and maintaining his Chair position at BSkyB.

This news follows word that Rupert Murdoch returned to the UK to run operations that included the launch of the Sunday edition of The Sun.

Amid speculation that James has now been banished from the Murdoch empire and that Rupert, upset over James insistence to shut News Of The World, got back in the drivers seat and assumed control thus making James no longer heir apparent to the Empire.

Of course, no one is out of the woods yet. There is still the looming investigation of phone hacking and bribery extending over to these shores, which has yet to become an actual case. Meanwhile, there are still some 6,000 (yes, six THOUSAND) outstanding phone hacking cases pending, which should keep everyone busy for the foreseeable future.

Here are two reports - the first from BBC Radio 4's PM Program and the second via The Six O'Clock News.

As they say, stay tuned.

As the Leveson Inquiry reconvened this Monday morning, new allegations and reports of more arrests in connection with the phone hacking scandal via Rupert Murdoch's News International publications surfaced. Today's blast was aimed at Editors and Journalists working for The Sun, which had just began publishing on a seven-day-a-week basis the previous day. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers told members of the Inquiry of massive sums being paid to officials in just about every segment of the government for bribes in obtaining information. Sums being paid over long periods of time and sometimes running into the hundreds of thousands of Pounds.

All this hot on the heels of a settlement between Newscorp and singer Charlotte Church who was the target of extensive phone hacking since 2002. The settlement accepted by Church was in the neighborhood of £600,000. She read a statement, blasting Newscorp for fostering a climate of corruption and knowingly ruining the lives of innocent people.

This report, via BBC Radio 4's PM program, gives details of the goings on today and what's in store over the coming days.

And on and on it goes . . .

In what has been generally regarded as a "two finger salute" (middle finger to us) to media and audience criticism over the News Of The World phone hacking debacle and the latest word that 10 journalists at the Sun (five more left in handcuffs since earlier in the week) have been arrested as a result of the ongoing Scotland Yard investigation, Rupert Murdoch's choice to launch a Sunday tabloid to be tentatively known as The Sunday Sun leaves some wondering just what's going on.

In an e-mail statement, Murdoch, who flew to London the previous night to meet with largely disgruntled journalists at the now-embattled Sun, said he would be launching the new tabloid soon and that the arrested journalists would be allowed to resume their duties as before, despite provisos from the arrested journalists that no contact could be made with each other.

All this points up to a new wrinkle in the ever-changing, ever-evolving, ever-baffling story of News Corp/News International/saga of Rupert Murdoch.

The latest set of concerns regarding the arrests at The Sun had largely to do with News International cooperation with Scotland Yard in providing incriminating evidence by which the arrests were made. The protests being one of the sacred rights of investigative journalists to protect sources was being violated and that Murdoch was, in effect, tossing them under the bus as a show of "good faith" in aiding the investigation.

But for my two-cents, I am sensing a massive smokescreen, an attempt to sidetrack attention from the much bigger picture and that's the upcoming U.S. investigation (a much bigger and far more damaging situation financially). To muddle the current scandal in an flurry of protests and accusations over what constitutes journalistic protection and what constitutes violation of civil rights takes the focus of the investigation off the real problem and tosses it on to the journalistic community as a whole. Cries of censorship and government manipulation of the Press are being echoed all over the UK tonight and I believe this is exactly what the Murdoch empire is betting on. And truths be told, the Police may be over-reaching in their quest at investigating wrong doings, instead of going after an industry wide practice of phone-hacking and eavesdropping largely established for many years by the Murdoch empire.

It's one thing to consult a confidential source, a person or persons willing to come forward to a member of the Press with sensitive information and another to obtain that information by hacking into the personal phone and e-mails of a person or persons unaware they are being hacked or eavesdropped. It's the difference between two consenting adults and the forcing of an unwilling (or unknowing) adult into providing information.

But I think the attempt at painting the entire picture with too broad a brush is an intention to throw the entire issue into a state of confusion and thus taint any further investigation into the phone hacking scandal.

Like I said, my two cents and just a hunch.

For the time though, and to get up to speed if you've missed anything, here are three sets of reports, beginning with The Media Show from last Wednesday, followed by a segment from this morning's Today Program, followed by PM and ending with News At 6, all from BBC's Radio 4.

One thing's for certain - more will be revealed.

The never-ending saga of Rupert Murdoch and the Scotland Yard investigations took some new turns over the weekend. It was reported that five journalists for The Sun, Murdoch's other British tabloid were arrested over the weekend on charges of police bribery, phone hacking and obstruction of justice in an attempt to cover-up evidence in what has become a far-reaching investigation into the Murdoch empire.

And further word the investigation will be stepped-up and coming to the U.S. very shortly, based on evidence uncovered by Scotland Yard and our DOJ that some and perhaps a lot of this scandal will be washing up on our shores very soon.

Associate Editor for The Sun Trevor Kavanagh decried the arrests of the five journalists as treating them like "members of an organized crime gang" while Rupert Murdoch is said to be on his way to London to calm what is currently being described as "Civil War" within the ranks of The Sun.

But the real cause for concern among Newscorp/News International is the fact that this investigation is very likely headed to the U.S. and, even though no one is really talking about it, the DOJ and Scotland Yard have been quietly exchanging notes the past few months and this escalation, coupled with news that Mark Lewis, one of several lawyers involved in representing clients in the phone hacking scandal is scheduled to meet with a legal team in the U.S. to discuss legal action, is more than ample cause for alarm within the Murdoch camp.

Starting with The World This Weekend reports via BBC Radio 4 from yesterday and continuing with The World At One and PM from today, here is the latest news on the twists and turns of this growing scandal with more sure to come within the next few days.

But for now - here's something to catch up on.

Todays latest on the saga of Murdoch comes minus radio reports, as the BBC is currently on strike in their news divisions and the regularly scheduled information programs are replaced by bare-bones minimum news headlines.

But suffice to say it's been an interesting Monday, leading in from the weekend, where BkyB reportedly gave a vote of confidence to James Murdoch and the go ahead to stay as head of the unit (for now). That said, there have been reports the past several days, and surfacing again today that a movement is afoot by disgruntled shareholders in Newscorp that Rupert Murdoch should be unseated and relinquish his power-grip on the empire. A civil suit has been filed by shareholders. This is all based on gathered evidence that suggests Newscorp did in fact hack the phones of 9/11 victims Stateside, although the Attorney General has yet to issue a report on any findings. The storm clouds are more than gathering on this side of the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, back in the UK - It was reported to The Guardian today that Tech firm HCL has uncovered evidence it was aware of thousands of deleted e-mails from News International between April 2010 and July 2011. Although HCL adds it was not directly responsible for the mass deletion, but said an as-yet unnamed vendor was responsible and that HCL merely cooperated with the vendor with deletions. All registering surprise, please raise you hands. Yeah, I thought so.

It just continues to get more interesting as the hours and days past.

Of course, my immediate question, with regards to our Stateside investigations, is how much mass deletion has taken place over here, particularly since the UK story broke and all attention was was directed to the goings on in London? Certainly several weeks/months of heads-up could wipe out an immense amount of damaging information.

Hopefully the strike will be over soon at the BBC (two weeks ago it was a 24 hour walk out) and more light will be shed by tomorrow.

Until then. It doesn't even do any good to use your imagination, unless you have your feet firmly planted in the absurd.

One would think that, Sunday being the day of rest and all, there would be very little in the way of breaking or astonishing news. Sunday is supposed to be the day reserved for punditry and reflection in the news media.

Not so with this Tsunami currently washing up around the Murdoch Empire. The latest is the "arrest by appointment" of Rebekah Brooks, until yesterday CEO of News International and former Editor of News Of The World. How this bodes for the anticipated Tuesday Hearings is anyone's guess, but all bets are it can't be good.

And less than five hours later another bomb was dropped over London. This one in the form of the resignation by London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, over allegations of his involvement in the scandal and subsequent bribery charges. Although plainly stated (in this live-as-it-happened news conference), Stephenson was stepping down because he was concerned the focal point was no longer on the story but on him, time will only tell what the real set of circumstances are. The way things are going, it's almost impossible to speculate or even make stuff up.

So, in case you were feeling a need for a Rupertgate fix today, I thought I would run the initial news report (top player) on the arrest of Rebekah Brooks and the bottom player is the news leading up to the Stephenson Press Conference. Initially, it was thought to be just a press conference on the unfolding Brooks story by the Metro Police and the disclosure of Stephenson resigning was truly a bombshell.

As it seems to be true with this story, it is changing daily and almost hourly and there are hints the list of arrests will be considerably longer as the days go on. In the midst of all this, there are now very vocal calls for the removal of James Murdoch from the Board of Directors at News International as well as proposals for the breaking up of the Murdoch Empire in the UK and the very strong possibility, even among the British Press and punditry, that the story will be just as horrifying and nasty when it finally lands on our shores.

But you sort of guessed that, didn't you?

So here is your dose of Rupertgate from LBC in London for today, July 17. BTW - every news outlet in the UK and Europe (and one imagines the US) will be running the Hearings on Tuesday around 6:30 am PDT.

As it was reported less than an hour ago (at 9:00 am PDT), both James and Rupert Murdoch will be appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee regarding the scandal, the fallout and the firestorm.

While momentum has been building and speculation increasing over what possible or probable repercussions are to be had here in the U.S. still remain to be seen, news and events surrounding this scandal are not going away in the UK anytime soon.

If anything, the Hearings, starting with Rebekah Brooks next Tuesday, should be interesting. Whether they will shed any light on what has been a long-running method of operation and a style of doing business is still a big question mark.

Here is the latest news as reported on the BBC 4 program PM, including an extended interview with Vince Cable, another figure who entanglements with Newscorp/News International cost him considerably.

The day ain't over and anything can still happen. And true to form, it just may.

Stay tuned.

Since news broke of the shutting of News Of The World, amidst the growing scandal involving that paper and the Murdoch Empire for that matter, the airwaves in the UK were filled with programs discussing the issue at length and offering a wide range of scenarios for the future.

One program offered up a Special Edition shortly after the closure was announced. The Media Show is a BBC Radio 4 program devoted entirely to issues regarding all facets of Information and Entertainment. On this segment the talk was exclusively about the news just breaking and speculation over what it spelled out for the future. The answers are wide and varied and the general opinion was to wait and see - it could all change by next Wednesday.

Here is that special edition of The Media Show as first broadcast on July 8th and repeated here in its entirety.

Just remember, it could all change and head in a different direction by next week.