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Timeline of the UK phone hacking scandal

By the CNN Wire Staff
Rupert Murdoch (L) is pictured leaving his London residence with Rebekah Brooks (R) on July 10.
Rupert Murdoch (L) is pictured leaving his London residence with Rebekah Brooks (R) on July 10.
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Editor's Note: Watch UK lawmakers question Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks live from 1:30 p.m. GMT / 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday on CNN.com and also via CNN Apps including iPhone, iPad, Android and selected Nokia devices. Also watch lawmakers question leading members of the Metropolitan Police including former chief Paul Stephenson from 11 a.m. GMT / 7 a.m. ET Tuesday.

London (CNN) -- Accusations that journalists at Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers hacked into the phones of politicians, celebrities and unwitting people caught up in the news -- including child murder victims -- have severely bruised his media empire.

It has forced the closure of Britain's biggest-selling paper, a withdrawal for his bid for the broadcaster BSkyB and the resignation of his trusted UK chief executive Rebekah Brooks.

The following is a timeline of the scandal:

November 2005

News of the World prints a story about Prince William injuring his knee, prompting royal officials to complain to police about probable voice mail hacking.

January 2007

News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire are convicted of conspiracy to hack into phone voice mails of royals and are jailed. Andy Coulson, the paper's editor, claims to be unaware of hacking but still resigns.

July 2007

Goodman and Mulcaire sue the tabloid for wrongful dismissal. Goodman receives £80,000 (currently $129,000) and Mulcaire receives an undisclosed amount.

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Also in July, Andy Coulson is hired as director of communications for Conservative party leader David Cameron, who becomes prime minister in May 2010.

June 2008

News Group Newspapers pays a £700,000 ($1.13 million) settlement to soccer executive Gordon Taylor, whose phone was hacked by Mulcaire.

November 2009

Britain's Press Complaints Commission releases a report concluding that there is no evidence of continued phone hacking.

March 2010

A celebrity public relations agent agrees to drop his lawsuit against News of the World for a payment of more than £1 million ($1.6 million).

September 2010

Former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare alleges that phone hacking was a common practice at the paper and encouraged by Coulson.

January 21, 2011

Coulson resigns as Cameron's spokesman because of coverage of the phone-hacking scandal.

January 26, 2011

London's Metropolitan Police launch a new investigation into voice mail hacking allegations at News of the World.

April 5, 2011

News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and former editor Ian Edmondson are arrested on suspicion of intercepting voice mail messages.

April 10, 2011

News of the World officially apologizes for hacking into voice mails from 2004 to 2006 and sets up a compensation system for unnamed victims.

April 14, 2011

Senior News of the World journalist James Weatherup is arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept communications.

June 7, 2011

Actress Sienna Miller settles with News of the World for £100,000 ($161,000) in damages and legal fees.

June 23, 2011

Freelance journalist Terenia Taras is arrested on suspicion of phone hacking.

July 4, 2011

It is revealed that News of the World journalists possibly hacked into then-missing teenager Milly Dowler's voice mail and deleted messages to free space, causing her parents to believe she was still alive.

July 6, 2011

Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp., the parent company of News of the World owner News International, promises full cooperation with the investigation and calls the accusations against News of the World "deplorable and unacceptable."

July 7, 2011

News International announces that the July 10 edition of News of the World will be the paper's last.

July 8, 2011

Coulson is arrested. Goodman, the paper's former royal correspondent who served a four-month jail term in 2007, is also arrested on corruption allegations.

July 10, 2011

The 168-year-old News of the World publishes its final edition with the headline "Thank you and goodbye."

Rupert Murdoch flies into London to take personal charge of the crisis.

July 11, 2011

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown accuses other News International papers of illegally obtaining private information about him.

July 12, 2011

British lawmakers ask Rupert and James Murdoch and Brooks to testify before them.

July 13, 2011

-- News Corp. withdraws its bid to take over British satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

-- UK Prime Minister Cameron announces a wide-ranging public inquiry into the British press.

July 14, 2011

-- The FBI launches an investigation into allegations that News Corp. employees or associates hacked into the phones of 9/11 victims, a federal source says.

-- Rupert and James Murdoch agree to give evidence to a committee of British lawmakers.

-- A 60-year-old man, widely reported to be Neil Wallis, a former executive editor of the News of the World, is arrested.

July 15, 2011

-- Brooks resigns as chief executive of News International.

-- Les Hinton resigns as head of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal; he was Brooks' predecessor at News International.

-- Rupert Murdoch visits the family of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, whose voice mail had been hacked.

July 16, 2011

Rupert Murdoch apologizes to the British public with full-page advertisements in seven national newspapers.

July 17, 2011

-- Rebekah Brooks is arrested, questioned for about nine hours, and released on bail until October, police and her spokesman say.

-- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson -- who leads London's police and is the UK's highest ranking policeman -- resigns. It comes after revelations that former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis later became a communications consultant for the police.

Stephenson says he decided to resign because increased scrutiny connected to the case would burden his department and detract from its accomplishments.

July 18, 2011

-- News International places more ads in UK newspapers, explaining how it is "putting right what's gone wrong."

-- Former reporter Sean Hoare is found dead. Police say the death is being treated as "unexplained" but not "suspicious."

-- Assistant police Commissioner John Yates, who ruled two years ago that there was no reason to pursue an investigation into phone hacking by journalists, also resigns. He was due to be suspended when he quit, police said.

-- The hacker collective, LulzSec, claims credit for hacking the website of the News Corp. paper, The Sun. It redirects those on the paper's website to a false story claiming Murdoch had been found dead in his garden.

July 19, 2011

-- Murdoch, his son James and Brooks are set to appear in parliament on Tuesday to answer questions about the phone scandal.

July 19, 2011

-- Murdoch, his son James and Brooks are set to appear in parliament on Tuesday to answer questions about the phone scandal.

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