Scotland Yard to launch fresh inquiry into News of World phone hacking allegations

Scotland Yard, which says it was in possession of "significant new information" about allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World and a new criminal investigation would be launched into the allegations of illegal practice, at the Sunday tabloid.

News International, owner of News of the World (NoW ) confirmed shortly after the announcement that the assistant editor (news) of the paper, Ian Edmondson, had been sacked.

The phone hacking controversy goes back to 2005 when the paper published a story about a knee injury to Prince William. On suspicion that his aides' mobile phone voicemail messages were being intercepted, the police launched an inquiry on complaints by three members of the prince's staff.

The police inquiry led to, private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and royal editor Clive Goodman being jailed for six and four months respectively for hacking into the phones of royal aides.

Andy Coulson, who became director of communications at No 10 edited the NoW from 2003 to 2007 during the time voicemail messages were unlawfully accessed.

He has since resigned claiming inability to properly attend to his responsibilities in the media storm over the current hacking claims.

Coulson maintains he knew nothing about the practice at the newspaper and there is little evidence linking him to the it. However, in court documents, two senior members of staff who worked with him - Ian Edmondson and Greg Miskiw - have recently been identified as having instructed Mulcaire to access phone messages.