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.