News Corp drops bid to buy BSkyB

LONDON - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp media empire dropped its bid to takeover lucrative British Sky Broadcasting on Wednesday ahead of a House of Commons vote in which all three major parties were to issue that very demand.

News Corp deputy chairman and president Chase Carey said "it has become clear that it is too difficult to progress in this climate".

Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that "a firestorm" was engulfing Britain's press, police and government over allegations of phone hacking and alleged police bribery by Murdoch's UK papers, and named a judge to lead the investigation.