What happened?
February 2010: A media committee report finds no evidence that News of the World editor Andy Coulson knew of phone hacking taking place at his publication. It does however say it is inconceivable that no one apart from royal editor Clive Goodman was aware of it.
9 March 2010: The Guardian reports that publicist Max Clifford was paid £1 million to drop legal action that could have revealed more News of the World reporters hacked phones.
1 September 2010: The New York Times quotes Sean Hoare, a former News of the World reporter, as claiming phone hacking was encouraged at the tabloid; he also tells the BBC that phone hacking was endemic at the paper and that Coulson asked him to do it. Paul McMullan, another former journalist at the News of the World claims that other illegal reporting techniques were widespread.
5 January 2011: The News of the World suspends assistant news editor Ian Emondson over hacking allegations. Private investigator Glenn Mulcaire claimed Edmonson commissioned him to hack phones.
April 2011: Edmondson, journalist James Weatherup, and senior reporter Neville Thurlbeck are all arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and unlawfully accessing voicemail messages.
April-June 2011: Several claimants, including actress Sienna Miller and football pundit Andy Gray, receive damage awards from the News of the World.
4 July 2011: The Guardian reports that the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler was hacked by the News of the World. Rebekah Brooks was editor of the tabloid at the time but said it is inconceivable that she knew of the activity.
Subsequent revelations include those suggesting relatives of British soldiers killed in action and victims and relatives of the 7/7 attack victims were also hacked.
6 July 2011: Prime Minister David Cameron announces government inquiry into the unfolding scandal.
7 July 2011: News International announce the closure of the News of the World.
8 July 2011: Andy Coulson is arrested over alleged phone hacking and making illegal payments to police. Clive Goodman is also arrested on suspicion of making illegal payments to police.
10 July 2011: News of the World publishes its last issue.
11 July 2011: The Guardian reports two other News Corporation outlets may have illegally accessed records of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
13 July 2011: BSkyB takeover withdrawn by News Corporation.
14 July 2011: Former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis arrested. Meanwhile, in the United States, the FBI launches an investigation into hacking at News Corporation.
15 July 2011: Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, and Les Hinton, chief executive of Dow Jones & Company, both resign.
17 July 2011: Brooks arrested over corruption and phone hacking. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson resigns.
18 July 2011: David Cameron postpones parliamentary recess by one day. John Yates resigns as assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Former News of the World reporter and the first to allege phone hacking at the publication, found dead at his home in Hertfordshire.
19 July 2011: Brooks, Rupert Murdoch, and James Murdoch are scheduled to appear before the parliamentary media committee in London for questioning.
