James Murdoch
James Murdoch, the son of media giant Rupert Murdoch, testified on Tuesday during an inquiry that he was assured on several occasions about the ethics and journalism practice at the News of the World. James Murdoch has since step down from the boards of both News Group Newspapers Limited, publishers of the Sun, and Times Newspapers Limited, following the phone hacking scandal that closed the News of the World. Miguel Villagran/Getty Images

(REUTERS) - James Murdoch has resigned from the boards of the companies that publish its British newspapers including the now-defunct News of the World tabloid at the center of the phone hacking sandal, regulatory filings show.

The London Evening Standard newspaper said Murdoch would remain as chairman of the News International division, the News Corp unit that houses its British newspapers, and said the news should not be interpreted as a sign that he was walking away from that part of the business.

No one at News International could immediately be reached for comment.

The News International unit has been damaged this year by the revelation that people working for the popular Sunday tabloid hacked into the phones of thousands to generate news.

Regulatory filings showed that Murdoch had resigned from the board of News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Sun tabloid, and Times Newspapers Limited, which publishes the Times and Sunday Times.

The filings show that he resigned in September.

(Reporting by Kate Holton and Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Chris Wickham)

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