Outrage mounts in British press scandal

Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday condemned the reported hacking of a slain schoolgirl's cell phone in Britain's growing tabloid press scandal. But Cameron, speaking during a visit to Afghanistan, said the latest charge against the News of the World would not affect the bid by the tabloid's corporate parent, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., to buy a majority stake in British Sky Broadcasting, The Financial Times reported. Rebekah Brooks, who was editor of the newspaper when Milly Dowler disappeared and was killed in 2002, is now chief executive of News International. In a memo to staff Tuesday, she denied any knowledge of the "sickening" affair and promised to cooperate with authorities. "Rebekah is not going to resign. She has spoken to Rupert Murdoch since this news broke and she is under no pressure. Rupert backs her 100 percent," a News Corp. executive told The Financial Times. Mark Lewis, lawyer for Dowler's family, told The Guardian police informed them a detective acting for the paper had hacked into her mobile phone and deleted messages, falsely raising hopes the teenager was still alive. "The family are completely horrified. They thought this was all over" after the conviction of a man for Milly's murder this year, Lewis told CNN Tuesday. The speaker of the House of Commons has granted a Labor MP's request for an emergency debate on the scandal Wednesday, The Guardian reported.