Alan Rusbridger will step down as editor in chief of the Guardian after 20 years next summer, he said today.

Scotland Yard has dropped its legal bid to force The Guardian newspaper to reveal information about the source of its phone hacking stories.

Britain's Metropolitan Police are seeking an order under the Official Secrets Act to force The Guardian to disclose the confidential sources of its reports on the News of the World phone hacking scandal, the paper said.

Readers had their first glimpse of the long awaited new-look Guardian newspaper today as it hit news stands and doormats.