For what it is worth, a lighter note has emerged in the Murdock phone hacking scandal as Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed he did ride a former police horse loaned to former News International boss Rebekah Brooks.
Phone hacking scandal = Cameron + horse + Brooks
David Cameron has confirmed he did ride a former police horse loaned to former News International boss Rebekah Brooks.
Mr Cameron sought to clarify the situation after a spokeswomen conceded he "possibly" rode the horse, after days of suggesting this was unlikely to have been the case.
Raisa the horse was loaned from the Metropolitan Police to Mrs Brooks and her husband Charlie Brooks between 2008 and 2010.
Information about the animal emerged amid intense scrutiny over the links between the police and the press.
"If a confusing picture has emerged over the last few days I'm very sorry about that," the Prime Minister told a news conference in Brussels.
"My staff have had to answer a lot of questions about the horse, let me try and shed some light on it.
"I've been friends with Charlie Brooks for over 30 years and he's a good friend and a neighbour of my constituency.
Ex-News Of The World editor Mrs Brooks, who remains on bail after being questioned by detectives on suspicion of phone hacking and corruption, quit as chief executive of News International last summer.
She had asked to "foster" a horse from the police department that had been retired from active service but returned Raisa two years later in 2010.
A police spokesman said the horse was in a "poor but not serious condition" and has since died of natural causes.