If the deal fails to win regulatory approval, GM (nyse: GM - news - people ) may have to run Hughes itself or go back to Sydney, Australia-based News Corp. (nyse: NWS - news - people ) and its Chairman Rupert Murdoch , who apparently was miffed at the way he was treated by GM's board, which ignored several of his reported ultimatums.

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Murdoch's News Corp. owns newspapers in Australia and the U.K., including The Sun and The Times of London, as well as the New York Post, Fox News Channel, Twentieth Century Fox and MySpace.

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Murdoch started building what is now News Corp. with two newspapers in Australia back in 1954, and publishing remains his first love.

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The allegations in Australia come as News Corp. continues to grapple with a scandal that erupted at its U.K. newspaper unit over revelations of voicemail interceptions and police bribery in pursuit of tabloid exclusives.

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The slowdown affected all of News Corp's three key markets - the US, the UK and Australia - Mr Murdoch said.

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Mr. Blair admitted to mounting a charm offensive to win over News Corp. when he attended a 1995 company conference on Hayman Island, Australia, two years before his election.

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Lachlan left News Corp. in 2005 and since then has been an media investor and executive in Australia.

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News Corp. is at a turning point in its history, which traces back to a small newspaper company in Australia started in 1923, and bought into by Murdoch's father.

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