Charlotte Church settles hacking claim

London - Lawyers have told Britain's High Court that singer Charlotte Church has settled her claims against the publisher of the News of the World over alleged phone hacking.

The settlement announced in court on Thursday with the defunct Sunday newspaper comes only days before the case was to be tried at London's High Court. Terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

News International, a division of News Corp, has tried hard to keep phone hacking cases from going to trial. It has launched its own compensation programme, overseen by a respected former judge, and has paid out millions in out-of-court settlements for about 60 cases.

Church has told a judge-led inquiry of intense media intrusion into her family's private life.