News International has admitted liability in a number of cases brought against it for alleged phone hacking by the News of the World.
The UK arm of Rupert Murdoch's News International offered an unreserved apology to some claimants and a compensation fund has been set up.
This timeline looks at the practices at the tabloid newspaper, subsequent investigations and the resulting fallout.
5 July 2011
It emerges that, several months earlier, the parents of murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were contacted by detectives investigating alleged phone hacking.Cambridgeshire Police said the families of both girls had been contacted by Metropolitan Police officers and are "assisting with them with their inquiries".
4 July 2011
Murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler had her mobile phone allegedly hacked by News of the World reporter's in the days shortly after she went missing, .Prime Minister David Cameron said if the claims were true, it was "truly shocking".
27 June 2011
Police arrest a 34-year-old woman at a central London police station on suspicion of intercepting communications. She is bailed until early October.The journalist is understood to be Laura Elston, who covers royal stories for the Press Association news agency. The Press Association confirms one of its journalists has been arrested.
23 June 2011
Police investigating the phone-hacking claims arrest a 39-year-old woman in West Yorkshire. She is understood to be Terenia Taras, the partner or former partner of Greg Miskiw, who worked in senior roles for the News of the World until 2005. She was released on bail and is due to return to a West Yorkshire police station in mid-October.22 June 2011
Football pundit Andy Gray accepts £20,000 in compensation from the News of the World owner News Group Newspapers, plus undisclosed costs, over voicemail interceptions.15 June 2011
Footballer Ryan Giggs launches legal action against the News of the World over claims his mobile phone was hacked, his lawyer says.9 June 2011
Lord Prescott, the alleged victim of phone hacking by the News of the World, calls for the government to hold an independent public inquiry into the issue.Meanwhile, Scotland Yard confirms it is also investigating allegations of computer-hacking involving the News of the World. It follows claims on the BBC Panorama's programme that a senior executive at the paper hired a hacker to access a former army intelligence officer's computer.
7 June 2011
Sienna Miller settled in court for £100,000 damages and legal costs The actress, who did not attend, formally settled for £100,000 damages and legal costs.
Her counsel says she was worried that trusted friends or family members could have been leaking private details about her life after stories appeared about her in the paper in 2005-6.
News Group's lawyers offer "sincere apologies" and acknowledge the information should never have been obtained by hacking, nor published.
31 May 2011
Former senior Scotland Yard officer Ali Dizaei is told by the Met Police his phone could have been hacked in 2006. If the claims are true, Mr Dizaei says he will sue.23 May 2011
Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, Labour MP Chris Bryant, ex-Scotland Yard commander Brian Paddick and journalist Brendan Montague win a High Court bid for a judicial review into the police inquiry. They believe their human rights were breached.14 April 2011
Senior News of the World journalist James Weatherup is arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications.10 April 2011
The News of the WorldIt apologises for intercepting voicemails between 2004 and 2006 and says its past behaviour was a "matter of genuine regret".
But lawyers for two of the paper's victims say the apology and offer of compensation are not enough.
Lawyers for actress Sienna Miller and publicist Nicola Phillips reject the offer.
8 April 2011
News International announces it has decided to approach some of those suing the News of the World for alleged phone hacking, offering an unreserved apology and admission of liability.The publisher says it is going to set up a compensation scheme, to deal with "justifiable claims" fairly and efficiently. However, News International adds it will continue to contest cases "that we believe are without merit or where we are not responsible".
5 April 2011
News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and former news editor Ian Edmondson are arrested on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting voicemail messages. They are released on bail until September.14 March 2011
The that in 2006, a then NoW executive, Alex Marunchak, obtained e-mails belonging to an ex-British Army intelligence officer that had been hacked in to by a private detective.Mr Marunchak denies any wrongdoing, while News International says it will act if shown new evidence of improper conduct.
18 February 2011
A judge rules that Glenn Mulcaire must provide information about whether other journalists at the NoW were involved in hacking. He had tried to claim he should be exempt from giving evidence for fear of incriminating himself.18 February 2011
Lawyers for a football agent suing the NoW claim Glenn Mulcaire passed information directly to the newsdesk rather than an individual reporter, Goodman. They say the desk could have been staffed by "a number of journalists", and suggest that this means knowledge of phone-hacking was more widespread than previously admitted.9 February 2011
The Met Police release a statement saying officers have identified more potential victims of hacking while reviewing files relating to the original Goodman and Mulcaire case. They say they are urgently notifying people who had previously been told that police had "little or no information" about them.Lord Prescott also reveals detectives have told him they have "significant new evidence" relating to his case.
30 January 2011
Former MP George Galloway claims he is being offered "substantial sums of money" by NoW after his phone was allegedly hacked. The paper refuses to comment.26 January 2011
The Met Police issue a statement saying they are to launch a fresh investigation into hacking after receiving "significant new information" about activities at the NoW. It also emerges that the paper's head of news, Ian Edmondson, has been sacked.23 January 2011
Sources confirm that Gordon Brown asked police if his phone was hacked while he was prime minister.21 January 2011
Mr Coulson blaming coverage of the phone-hacking scandal.17 January 2011
David Cameron defends his communications chief Andy Coulson, saying he's doing "a very good job" despite the ongoing speculation about his knowledge of phone hacking during his time as NoW editor.14 January 2011
Following a civil action launched against the News of the World by actress Sienna Miller, it is announced that the CPS will now review all the material held by police about phone-hacking at the NoW. Prosecutors will assess whether a fresh criminal trial is likely.7 January 2011
Scotland Yard asks the News of the World for any new material they may have in relation to hacking.5 January 2011
News of the World Ian Edmondson, after claims of phone-hacking in 2005-06.December 2010
It emerges that the Scotland Yard inquiry has not found any new evidence of criminal activity, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has judged there is "no admissible evidence" to support the claims that public figures' phones were hacked.September 2010
Andy Coulson used to edit the News of the World Sean Hoare, a former reporter at the newspaper and one of the sources for the New York Times's allegations,
He says Mr Coulson personally asked him to do it when he was the newspaper's editor.
The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee announced another inquiry into the phone-hacking allegations following the claims.
The influential Commons Standards and Privileges Committee then announced it would examine whether the hacking of MPs' phones amounted to contempt of Parliament.
February 2010
The culture committee's report accused over the extent of the practice of phone hacking and says it was "inconceivable" senior executives at the newspaper had not known about it.News International rejected the claims and accused committee members of innuendo and exaggeration.
But the MPs find no evidence that Mr Coulson had either approved of phone hacking by his reporters or was aware that phones were being hacked.
November 2009
Having looked into the allegations, a t says it had found "no evidence" that phone hacking was still going on.September 2009
Scotland Yard reveals that suspected victims had been identified among royals, government, police and the military.July 2009
Two-and-a-half-years later the politicians and sports stars, while under the editorship of Andy Coulson.The newspaper's list includes the then deputy prime minister, Lord Prescott, London Mayor Boris Johnson and celebrity cook Nigella Lawson.
The cross-party House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee interviews News International bosses, including Mr Coulson, over the Guardian's accusations.
The newspaper's former editor says he gave his reporters "freedom to do their job" but ordered them not to use subterfuge of any kind "unless there was a clear public interest in doing so".
January 2007
Following a criminal trial Clive Goodman, the NoW's royal editor,It emerges in court Goodman had used mobile phone numbers and secret codes used by network operators to hack into voicemails of celebrities.
Goodman's confederate, private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, is jailed for six months on the same charge.
After the verdict, Andy Coulson formally resigns as NoW editor, although he claims he did not know about the practice.
November 2005
The NoW publishes a story about Prince William's knee injury, prompting fears that his aides' phone voicemail messages are being intercepted.Complaints by three royal staff members spark a police inquiry.
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