Brown cries foul - Murdoch called to Parliament

British lawmakers who have been looking into a phone-hacking scandal yesterday asked media mogul Rupert Murdoch, his son James, and Rebekah Brooks, former editor of News of the World, to testify before them.

The call came only hours after Gordon Brown, former British prime minister, accused Murdoch's newspaper group of illegally obtaining private information about him.

The three have been asked to appear before Parliament next week Tuesday.

A statement released by News International, Murdoch's umbrella media group, noted that "senior executives" would cooperate.

In an interview with the BBC, Brown said Murdoch's newspapers had links with criminals. He said the Sunday Times had illegally obtained private information about him. He said his bank details were hacked.

The Sunday Times denied Brown's allegations and said it pursued the story about him in the public interest.