TRIAL OF MURDOCH’S TOP ASSOCIATES SET FOR NEXT YEAR

Several top executives and journalists for Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World returned to court today for pretrial formalities that included the judge’s announcement that their trials will begin in September of next year. Among the former News of the World employees who face a general charge of “conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications” were Rebekah Brooks, a long-time protege of Rupert Murdoch who once ran the company’s U.K. newspaper unit News International, and Andy Coulson, who later served as communications director for British Prime Minister David Cameron.