2012 Serbian local elections, Results, Vojvodina, South Bačka District
Čedomir Božić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. The Democrats originally governed in an alliance that included the Socialist Party of Serbia.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 6 May 2012 to elect members of the National Assembly, and were held simultaneously with provincial, local, and presidential elections.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Background
The 2008 election resulted in the formation of a new pro-European government on 7 July 2008, with the necessary parliamentary votes coming from President Boris Tadić's For a European Serbia list, and the coalition of the Socialist Party of Serbia, the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia and United Serbia (the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition), plus six out of the seven minorities representatives. The new government elected Mirko Cvetković (endorsed by the Democratic Party) as Prime Minister.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Background
The opposition, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), had a split after the elections. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) party broke off and is headed by Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić, both of whom were major figures in the SRS before the establishment of the SNS in late 2008. In most opinion polls they and Democratic Party (DS) remain the two most popular parties, in combination gaining at least 60 percent of the total vote when combined. Other parties remain far behind, struggling to even attain double digit popularity figures.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Background
In early 2011, according to the Democratic Party's strategic marketing polls, the opposition SNS had higher ratings than the next three most popular parties combined. The opposition attempted to promote early elections to take place in 2011. Major opposition rallies in February 2011 focused on the cited difficult socioeconomic conditions as well as widespread corruption. The protesters' goal was to hold the elections earlier, in the Fall of 2011. The protests did not succeed in affecting the date of the elections, which are to be held on 6 May 2012. At least 50,000 to 70,000 attended the peaceful protests held on streets of Belgrade organised by SNS, the strongest among the country's opposition bloc.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Background
In fall 2011, posters and billboards endorsing various parties peppered Belgrade. The election campaigns of many parties are well under way, despite the election date having been set for the first half of 2012.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Participating parties/lists
There were 18 registered electoral lists for the 2012 parliamentary elections:


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Participating parties/lists
M — national minority list - the minimum threshold for these lists is 0.4% of the vote, compared to 5% for the others.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Conduct
The Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) was amongst the electoral observers. CeSID was also an election monitor.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Results
About 6.7 million people were eligible to vote in the elections. The OSCE undertook the organisation of voting for the roughly 109,000 Serb voters in Kosovo. Voting stations were open from 7:00 to 20:00 with no incidents reported across the country. Voter turnout by 18:00 was 46.34% in Belgrade, 48.37% in central Serbia and 47.89% in Vojvodina. Voter turnout in Kosovo was 32%.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Results, Seats
This election resulted in a Gallagher index of 12.85, which measures disproportionality of votes received and seats allocated to each party.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Involvement of the United States
In April 2012, Rudy Giuliani lobbied for Aleksandar Vučić in his candidacy for mayor of Belgrade. The US Embassy to Serbia released a statement saying that Giuliani's appearance did not represent the United States endorsing any candidate in Serbia's parliamentary upcoming election. Dragan Đilas, the incumbent mayor, responded to Giuliani's appearance, saying  "Giuliani should not speak about Belgrade's future as a man who supported the bombing of Serbia."


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Involvement of the United States
On 3 July 2012, the United States' Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Reeker, conducted undisclosed discussions with Mlađan Dinkić of the URS party in his first day there. When a journalist from B92 asked him what his mission in Serbia was, he replied that he was visiting "because Belgrade is a beautiful city". Subsequently, URS joined the ruling coalition in the Serbian parliament.


2012 Serbian parliamentary election, Involvement of the United States
At the time, Blic published a series of stories from anonymous diplomatic sources, correctly predicting a coalition with URS and SNS, asserting that Reeker's meetings in Belgrade were intended to ensure that the new ruling coalition involve parties which guarantee the continuation of the Belgrade–Pristina negotiations. Additionally, Blic reported that Vučić was against SPS members leading both the BIA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and asserted that the United States was in agreement with Vučić in disapproval of SPS controlling both state agencies.


2012 Serbian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Serbia on 6 May 2012 alongside parliamentary elections. The election was called following President Boris Tadić's early resignation in order to coincide with the parliamentary and local elections to be held on the same date. The Speaker of the Parliament, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, took over as the Acting President. As no candidate won a majority, a runoff was on 20 May, with incumbent Tadić facing Tomislav Nikolić of the Serbian Progressive Party.


2012 Serbian presidential election
According to preliminary results published by CeSID, Ipsos and RIK, Tomislav Nikolić has beaten his opponent Boris Tadić and is the new President of Serbia. Official results confirmed that, putting Nikolić at 51.12% against Tadić's 48.88%.


2012 Serbian presidential election, Candidates
First round of the elections was held on 6 May. Republic Electoral Commission has confirmed twelve candidates. Candidate numbers were decided using a random draw on 20 April.


2012 Serbian presidential election, Campaign
Both the SNS and the DS supported Serbia's candidature for the EU, with the SNS' Nikolić having sharply contrasted his stance in the past few years. A few hours before the voting centres opened, Tadić told Croatian television that "anything else [than a Democratic Party victory] would be a big risk and a big gamble for Serbia's European integration [and] for regional politics."


2012 Serbian presidential election, Campaign
Shortly after the first round, a preliminary coalition agreement between the DS and the SPS was reached, which meant that the SPS would also endorse Tadić in the run-off. The DSS officially supported Nikolić in the run-off.


2012 Serbian presidential election, Monitors
The Center for Free Elections and Democracy were amongst the electoral observers.


2012 Serbian presidential election, Results
About 6.7 million people were eligible to vote for the 12 candidates. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will undertake the organization of voting for the roughly 109,000 Serb voters in Kosovo. These results include the districts of the newly formed Republic of Kosovo, which at the same time has elections independent of the Serbian nation. Voting stations were open from 7:00 to 20:00 with no incidents reported across the country. Voter turnout by 18:00 was 46.34% in Belgrade, 48.37% in central Serbia and 47.89% in Vojvodina. The first round resulted in no clear victory for any candidate. With 25% of ballots counted, Boris Tadić was leading with 26.7% over Tomislav Nikolić who had 25.5% of the vote.


2012 Serbian presidential election, Results, Second round preliminary results
Incumbent Boris Tadić has lost the presidential elections in Serbia to his opponent, Tomislav Nikolić from the Serbian Progressive Party. Nikolić has won 49.7% of the votes in the runoff of the Serbian presidential elections on Sunday vs. 47% for Tadić, according to data of the Serbian Center for Free Elections and Democracy. This electional results are surprise, as stated by Russian media, based on previous polls. "This was an electoral earthquake, a totally unexpected result," political analyst Slobodan Antonić said on Serbia's RTS state television. Thousands of Nikolić supporters gathered in central Belgrade and other Serbian towns late on Sunday, honking their horns in celebration.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season
The 2012 Serena Williams tennis season officially began on 2 January with the start of the 2012 WTA Tour. Williams won the most WTA singles titles of the season with seven titles which included two grand slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. She also won the WTA Championships and her first singles Olympics gold. She suffered her first first round loss in a slam at the French Open losing to Virginie Razzano.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season
In doubles, Williams, partnering with sister Venus, dominated the grass court season by triumphing at Wimbledon and winning women's doubles gold medal at the Summer Olympics. Serena Williams was voted WTA Player of the Year for 2012, the fourth time she has won this award. Based on her brilliant show in 2012, Serena was named as International Tennis Federation world champion.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Brisbane International
Williams began her 2012 season at the Brisbane International where she defeated Chanelle Scheepers in the first round in straight sets. At the second round, she faced Bojana Jovanovski and served for the match when she twisted her left ankle. She eventually won the match breaking the Serbians serve in the tenth game. However, the next day, she withdrew in her quarterfinals match against Daniela Hantuchová due to the same injury.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Australian Open
Williams then played the Australian Open where she was on a 14-match winning streak after winning the event in 2009 and 2010 but missing the 2011 edition. She was able to cruise pass the first three rounds. She beat Austrian Tamira Paszek in straight sets hitting 34 winners but also made 26 unforced error, in a first round match that started 30 minutes to 12 midnight. At the second round, she defeated Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová winning the first set at love and breaking serve once and by doing so, she earned her 500th tour win.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Australian Open
She then cruise pass Hungarian Gréta Arn with a loss of only 2 games to make through the fourth round. The match ended with 2 double faults and 59 minutes. At the fourth round, she suffered a surprising loss to Russian Ekaterina Makarova at the fourth match point of the Russian. At the time, Makarova was the lowest ranked player left in the draw. Williams hit 37 unforced errors and 7 double faults in 2 sets. The loss ended her 17 match winning streak at the Open.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Australian Open
She originally was set to participate in mixed doubles partnering with Andy Roddick. The team withdrew before their first round match due to Roddick's hamstring injury.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Sony Ericsson Open
Coming into the Sony Ericsson Open, Williams was attempting to break the record she shares with Steffi Graf of 5 titles and 7 finals at the event. She was also returning after a two-year hiatus with the 2009 edition was the latest edition she participated in. As the tenth seed, she received a bye in the first round. In the second round, she faced China's Zhang Shuai and won easily with 6 aces. She followed it up with a loss of only three games over Roberta Vinci. In the fourth round, she faced Samantha Stosur.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Early hard court season and Australian Open, Sony Ericsson Open
Avenging her loss at the final of the 2011 US Open, she beat the Australian in two tight sets, while also serving 20 aces in the win, the most aces she has served in a match. Coming into her quarterfinals match-up against Caroline Wozniacki, she was the favorite as she had never lost to the Dane with a 3–0 record. However, she lost winning four games in both sets in an error-stricken match where she committed 34 winners and 36 unforced errors to Wozniacki's 12 winners and 13 unforced errors.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Family Circle Cup
Williams started her clay season campaign at the Family Circle Cup, having not played on clay since the 2010 French Open. As the fifth seed, she received a bye in the first round. In the second round, she faced Elena Vesnina and won with a break lead in each set, closing out the match win her 11th ace. In the next round, she faced New Zealand's Marina Erakovic and won with a double fault from Erakovic and with Serena winning 10 of the last 12 games.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Family Circle Cup
In her quarterfinals match, her opponent, Sabine Lisicki, had to retire after twisting her left ankle at 3rd game. In the semifinals, she faced Samantha Stosur whom just outlasted Venus Williams in her quarterfinals match. Williams dominated the match with a double breadstick win in just under an hour and breaking the Aussie five times. In the final, she met Lucie Šafářová for her first title of 2012. Williams dominated the match winning the first 9 games before the Czech got a game to avoid a double bagel defeat, it was the only game the Czech won in the match. With the win, she remained undefeated against the Czech. This was Williams' 40th singles title, second on Charleston and only her fourth on clay.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Mutua Madrid Open
Williams then played at the blue clay courts of the Mutua Madrid Open. In the first round she met Russian Elena Vesnina and won with 13 aces and 40 winners. In the second round she faced another Russian in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and swept pass the Russian with a straight sets victory. She then faced Caroline Wozniacki. Having lost their last match-up at Miami, a sluggish start from Williams looked similar to Miami as Wozniacki won the first set easily losing only one game.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Mutua Madrid Open
However, Williams avenged her loss at Miami and got back, winning the next two sets with 43 winners. In the quarterfinals she faced her third Russian opponent in the tournament, Maria Sharapova, with whom she had a 7–2 lead against Sharapova. Williams continued her streak with a victory and 11 aces. In the semifinals she ended the run of Czech qualifier, Lucie Hradecká. The first set was a tight contest with Williams edging Hradecká in the tie-break. The second set was a contrast with Williams winning with a bagel.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Mutua Madrid Open
In the final, she faced world no. 1, Victoria Azarenka, and dominated the match losing only four games in the victory. Williams hit 13 aces in the match and she also improved her record against Belorussian to 7–1. This was her 41st title putting her second in most titles among active players along with Kim Clijsters and behind her sister, Venus Williams, with 43. The win also moved her from 9th to 6th in the rankings.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Williams then played the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for her final preparation for the French Open. In the first round, she faced Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva for the first time and won with 24 winners in a late match that started at 10.30 PM. In the next round, she faced a tough match-up in the form of Nadia Petrova where their last four meetings went to deciding set. Williams led their head-to-head 6–3, but Petrova won their last 2 meetings. In the first set, the Russian edged it out winning it with a single break.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, Internazionali BNL d'Italia
In the second set being down triple break point on serve in the third game, Williams came back and took control of the match winning the final two sets. In the third round she defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues in straight sets. In the quarterfinals she faced Italian Flavia Pennetta but had an easy pass as Pennetta retired after being down 4–0, 40–0 on Williams serve due to a right wrist injury. Heading into the semifinals Williams led her opponent Li Na 5–1. However, Williams was forced to withdraw with a lower back injury as a precaution heading into the French Open.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, French Open
Williams came to the French Open as the heavy favorite for the title. In the first round, the fifth seeded Williams was drawn against local player ranked 111th in the world, Virginie Razzano. She, surprisingly, lost to the Frenchwoman in three sets, marking the first time she lost in a grandslam opener in her career. Williams was two points away from victory nine times in the second set including leading 5–1 in the tiebreak. However, she failed to capitalize her chances and Razzano took the set and forced a third set to be played. Razzano quickly took control of the third set and, even though Williams managed to save seven match points, she fell to Razzano.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Clay court season and French Open, French Open
Williams also returned to mixed doubles competition for the first time since the 1999 Australian Open. She played with Bob Bryan and was drawn against Gisela Dulko and Eduardo Schwank in the first round. The pair lost to the Argentinians in a third set match tie-break.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
Williams' came into the championships as a co-favorite with world no. 1 and top seed Maria Sharapova. Williams chose to come into the championships with no grass preparation. In the first round, she faced Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in No.2 Court, where older sister Venus fell the day before. After her first-round loss at the French Open, Williams looked nervous but still cruised through the first set, winning it with a double break.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
In the second set, she served for the match in the ninth game just to be broken, but she was able to break back in the next game to win. Her next opponent was Melinda Czink of Hungary; the American breezed pass the Hungarian with 7 aces to take the first set in 19 minutes.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
The second set was tighter, but Williams prevailed, breaking in the ninth game and then serving it out to advanced to the third round against China's Zheng Jie. Zheng kept toe-to-toe with Williams by holding her serve to force a tie-break, which Zheng won with the aid of a few errors from the American. However, Williams dominated the second set, winning it at two including winning the final 13 points of the set to force it to a decider. Both player kept their serve until the 4th game where Williams had to save 3 break points.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
The match went on serve until Williams broke in the 14th game and served it out. Williams also recorded 23 aces in the match, which was the most aces in a match by a female tennis player, breaking her own record of 20 aces which she set in her semifinal match against Elena Dementieva in Wimbledon 2009. Her next opponent was the first woman ever to score a 'Golden Set' in a Grand Slam event in the Open Era, Wild Card Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
Williams dominated the first set, taking the first five games before Shvedova took a game, Williams eventually won the set. However, Shvedova came back in the second set, breaking the Williams serve twice to take the second. The third set came on serve until the tenth game, where Williams' broke and served out for the match on her first match point. In the quarterfinals, Williams faced defending champion Petra Kvitová. In the first set, Williams took the only break of the set at the sixth game and eventually took the set.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
The second set was tighter as Kvitová had set point at tenth game on the Williams serve; however, Williams saved it and broke in the next game to serve it out and advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, she faced 2012 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. Williams took care of the first set, winning it with a single break.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
In the second set, Williams broke early at the third game; however, the Belorussian broke back in the sixth game, as both players held serve to push the second set into a tie-break, which Williams won with her 24th ace in her second match point and first on her own serve. Williams broke her own record set in the third round of 23 aces. It was her fifth win in a row against Azarenka. Williams' opponent in the final was first-time Slam finalist Agnieszka Radwańska.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
Williams dominated the first set, winning it, winning the first five games and closing it out in the seventh game. Williams led by a break against the Polish no. 3 seed before a rain-delay. In the resumption of the match, Radwańska took advantage of a sloppy Williams, coming back and winning the set. In the final and deciding set, Williams took the final five games to take the match. It was Williams' fifth Wimbledon singles title, tying her with sister Venus; this is also her 14th Slam singles title and her first since 2010 Wimbledon.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
She also recorded 102 aces in the entire tournament, the most of any men and women. After the win she moved to number 4 in rankings. After she won the Wimbledon singles title, former world no. 1 John McEnroe described Williams as the greatest female player who has ever played the game.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
Serena Williams also played doubles with sister Venus. The sisters were playing in their first doubles tournament since Wimbledon 2010. In the first round, they cruised past Vesna Dolonc and Olga Savchuk. In the second round they faced the Russian pairing and 4th seeds Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko; the Williams sisters lost the first, but came back to take the second. The match was postponed once and was suspended twice; the match continued 3 days after the completion of the first two sets; the Russians took a 4–2 lead, but the American broke back and won the match.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, Wimbledon Championships
Later that same day, they played Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza and won. In their quarterfinal match, they faced compatriots Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, dominating them by winning with a double breadstick. In the semifinals, they faced another American pairing, top seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond; after losing the first set, they came back and dominated the next two. In the final they faced the Czech pairing and 2011 French Open champions Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká and won, claiming their fifth Wimbledon doubles and 13th slam as a team.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
Williams then came back to Wimbledon, one month after winning the title to represent the United States in the Olympics. In the first round she faced former number one Jelena Janković and won the match in just 61 minutes. She served 8 aces and did not face a single break point. She then competed against Poland's Urszula Radwańska in the second round. Williams won the first set with a break, and won the second set with a single break. Williams served 8 aces and had 26 winners in her one-hour-and-13-minute victory.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
Her third round match was a repeat of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships final, as she faced Vera Zvonareva. The American dominated the Russian as she won the first five games before the Russian won a game. Williams then won the last seven games to win the match in just 51 minutes. In the quarterfinals, she faced former number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Williams dominated the proceedings winning the first eight games before the Dane stopped her fifteen-game winning streak and won the ninth game of the match.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
However, Wozniacki could not break Williams' serve and the American closed out the match in 77 minutes. In the semifinals, she faced world number one Victoria Azarenka for the third time in 2012. Despite Azarenka's number one ranking, Williams dominated the match winning one and two and served 16 aces and did not face a single break point. In the final she faced Russian Maria Sharapova for the gold medal. Williams dominated the match taking the first nine games in just 45 minutes before her Russian opponent won a game.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
Williams then took the next three games to win for her 8th consecutive win against Sharapova. Williams served ten aces and two double faults to Sharapova's one and five. Williams also hit 24 winners to 7 unforced errors compared to Sharapova's six winners, and ten unforced errors. This win gave Serena a Career Golden Slam in Singles, only the second woman to do so.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
Serena paired with sister Venus at the London Olympics in Women's Doubles, they are the defending champion from winning in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the first round, they defeated the Romanian pairing of Sorana Cîrstea and Simona Halep. They then won their next matches against German 5th seeds Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki and the second seeds Italians Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani. In the medal rounds they faced the Russian pairing of Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova who were the third seeds and won with a break lead in each set.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Grass court season: Wimbledon Championships and the Olympics, London Olympics
In the final they defeated 4th seeds Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká of the Czech Republic at four in each set for the gold medal. This is the third gold medal in doubles for Serena and Venus making the sisters the only players to have won four gold medals in tennis. Venus won the Singles Gold Medal in 2000 in Sydney, Serena won the Singles Gold Medal in 2012 in London and they won the Doubles Gold Medals in 2000 in Sydney, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. Serena has a Golden Slam in singles and doubles and is the only player with that distinction.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, Bank of the West Classic
Williams played Stanford directly after winning Wimbledon. Williams is coming in the tournament as the defending champion and top seed. She received a bye in the first round and faced American wild card Nicole Gibbs in the second round, despite looking sluggish due to jet-lag, the 14-time slam champion came through comfortably. In the quarterfinals she faced Chanelle Scheepers, the first set Williams' broke the South African's serve three times, while being broken twice herself and took the set. The second set was a lot easier, Williams took it without losing a game.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, Bank of the West Classic
She then faced Sorana Cîrstea, despite serving only 37% of first serves in, she routed the Romanian losing only 3 games. In the final she faced Lucky Loser Coco Vandeweghe, the first lucky loser to reach the final in 5 years. This also the first All-American final since the WTA Tour Championships in 2009. Williams took an early break lead in the first set but struggled serving on the sun and fell down with Vandeweghe serving for the set and had a set point but Williams came back to win the set in the twelfth game. Williams took an early break in the 4th game of the second set with a double fault from Vandeweghe and took the set and the title.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, Western & Southern Open
After her Olympics victory, Williams then played at Cincinnati as her warm-up to the US Open. She received a bye into the second round, where she faced Greek player Eleni Daniilidou and won in straights despite making 44 unforced errors She then faced Urszula Radwańska in the round of 16 and took the first set after breaking late in the set. The second set saw Williams down a double break until she took the next 6 games to book her quarterfinal spot. In the quarterfinals she faced German Angelique Kerber, but lost at four in both sets after Kerber converted in her 3rd match point. This loss ended the American's third longest winning streak of 19 wins.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
Williams came into the US Open trying to be the only third woman after Steffi Graf and sister Venus Williams to win Wimbledon-Olympics-US Open in the same year. She was the 4th seed in the event. In the first round she face compatriot Coco Vandeweghe and won in under an hour with Vandeweghe only managing to hold serve and break only once in the match.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
She then faced María José Martínez Sánchez in the next round, Williams won the first set quite comfortably, however in the second set she fell down by an early break until she came back and won the set. In the third round she faced the woman who beat her in the fourth round of the Australian Open this year Ekaterina Makarova, the first set was toe-to-toe and was on serve until Williams broke in the tenth game of the first set to take it, the American then won the second set in a bagel.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
In the next round Williams faced Andrea Hlaváčková, and won without dropping a game, earning her first double bagel in the US Open. Williams hit 31 winners to only 7 unforced errors. In the quarterfinals, she faced former number 1 Ana Ivanovic, where Williams saw her 23-game winning streak ended when Ivanovic won the 4th game of the first set. However, Williams cruised passed the Serbian winning the match in just 58 minutes. In the semifinals, the 2012 French Open finalist Sara Errani was awaiting.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
Errani didn't take a game until the sixth game of the match, with Williams closing it out the set in the next game. In the second set, the American broke the Italian twice to serve it out and advance to the Final. Williams didn't face a single break point in the match. In her sixth final, she faced world no. 1 and first time US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka. Williams lead their head-to-head 9–1. The first set saw the Serena Williams of the tournament and won the set with a double break by breaking the Azarenka serve.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
However, in the second set Azarenka broke in the very first game and took advantage winning the set. They then headed to the first 3-set women's final since 1995. Azarenka then took an early break advantage just to see Williams break right back. Azarenka however broke in the 7th game of the second set and held to serve for the title in the tenth game, but just to get broken. Azarenka then was serving to stay in the match at the twelfth game and was up 40–30 but got broken to hand the title to Williams. This is Williams' 4th US Open and 15th Slam.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, US Open Series, US Open
Serena Williams also played doubles with sister Venus. In the first two-round they faced the team of Lindsay Lee-Waters and Megan Moulton-Levy, and the team of 15th seeds Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Kristina Mladenovic. They won against the two teams in the same scoreline. In the third round they faced 4th seeds Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova for the third time in the year. The Russian team gave the upset of the Women's doubles defeating the Williams Sisters.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, WTA Tour Championships
Williams' came into the WTA Championships with no warm-up events having withdrawn from the Asian Swing. Williams ended in the red group with Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Li Na. She played the first match of the tournament facing Kerber, to whom she lost their last encounter. Williams took the first three-game then lead but was pegged back by the German by taking the next 3 games. Williams then broke Kerber to take the set. Williams then took the last 5 games of the match to take the second set and the match.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, WTA Tour Championships
Williams made 26 winners and 20 unforced errors in the match. Her next opponent was China's Li. The match began with Williams breaking Li's serve. However Li was quick to strike back reeling off four games only to see Williams comeback to take four straight games herself. In the next four games the two traded breaks to send the set into a tie-breaker. Williams won it with ease. The second began by Li breaking Williams only to see Williams again reel off four games. The rest of the set went on serve until Williams closed out the match.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, WTA Tour Championships
Williams ended with 22 winners and 31 unforced errors in the match. In her final Round Robin match it was a rematch of the 2012 US Open finals against Azarenka. The match began with seven straight holds of serve until Williams broke in the ninth game just to broken back but Williams broke again when Azarenka double-fauled to give away the set. Azarenka began the second by reeling of three straight games. However she was unable to hold on as Williams won four straight games herself. Williams broke Azarenka in the tenth game to take the match with a double-fault.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, WTA Tour Championships
Williams have now improved her record against Azarenka to 11–1 and advancing into semifinals as the Red Group's top player with a 3–0 match win record and without the loss of a set. In the semifinals Williams' faced world no. 4 Agnieszka Radwańska. Williams reeled off an eight-game winning streak from the 4th game in the first set. Williams won the match and was accompanied by 39 winners. In the final, Williams faced Maria Sharapova in a rematch of the 2004 WTA Tour Championships.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, WTA Tour Championships
The first set was close with Williams winning the set 6–4. Williams started the first set by breaking the Sharapova serve and then broke Sharapova again to win the match. Williams didn't face a single break points and made 40 winners – 14 unforced errors to Sharapova's 13 – 12 Williams also made 11 aces in the match. This is Williams' third Year-End title and is the oldest woman to hold win the title. This win also meant that she has won the most titles in the season with 7.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Fed Cup
Williams' represented her team for their World Group II match against Belarus. This is the first time that Serena is playing Fed Cup since 2007. In her first rubber she faced Olga Govortsova and won in two sets. In her second rubber she faced Anastasia Yakimova, she struggled in the first set, however Williams' came back winning the last two sets easily. This win secured the United States Fed Cup team a spot in the 2012 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs. She then represented the US Fed Cup Team at the World Group Play-offs against Ukraine.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Year in detail, Fed Cup
This is the first time since 1999 that she represented Fed Cup outside of the United States. In both her rubbers she defeated Elina Svitolina and Lesia Tsurenko. With her teammates Christina McHale winning both her ties, and Liezel Huber and Sloane Stephens winning the doubles, the US Fed Cup team swept Ukraine 5–0 to advance to the 2013 Fed Cup World Group.


2012 Serena Williams tennis season, Yearly records, Head-to-head matchups
Ordered by percentage of wins, as of WTA Tour Championships


2012 Setanta Sports Cup
The 2012 Setanta Sports Cup was the seventh staging of the annual all-Ireland association football competition. It commenced on 11 February 2012 and ended on 12 May 2012, with the final played at The Oval, Belfast.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup
The draw for the 2012 competition was made at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on 25 January 2012.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup
Crusaders won the competition for the first time, defeating Derry City 5–4 on penalties after the scores were level at 2–2 after extra time. It was the first time a club from the Northern Irish IFA Premiership had won the cup since Linfield won the inaugural competition in 2005.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup, First round
Four League of Ireland and four IFA Premiership teams played each other in the first round over two games with the winners qualifying for the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 11 and 13 February and the second legs were played on 20 February.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup, Quarter-finals
The winners of the four first-round games joined the four seeded teams (Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Crusaders, and Linfield) who received byes into the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 5 March 2012 and the second legs were played on 20 March 2012. The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 20 February 2012.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup, Quarter-finals, Second leg
Shamrock Rovers won 3 – 1 on penalties after 2 – 2 draw on aggregate


2012 Setanta Sports Cup, Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals was made following the second leg quarter-final matches.


2012 Setanta Sports Cup Final
The 2012 Setanta Sports Cup final was played on 12 May 2012, and was originally scheduled to be played at Windsor Park in Belfast. On 26 April, it was announced that the venue was to be changed to The Oval, also in Belfast. The cup was won by Crusaders on penalties.


2012 Shamrock Shotgun
The 2012 Shamrock Shotgun was held from October 5 to 7 at the Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton, Alberta as part of the 2012–13 World Curling Tour. The event was held in a round robin format. The purses for the men's and women's events are CAD$8,500 each, and the winners of each event, Danny Sherrard and Satsuki Fujisawa, received CAD$2,000. Sherrard defeated Thomas Scoffin in the final with a score of 8–4, while Fujisawa defeated Kim Eun-jung in the women's final with a score of 5–2.


2012 Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. season
The 2012 Shandong Lunen Taishan F.C. season is Shandong's 19th consecutive season in the top division of Chinese football. Shandong will also be competing in the Chinese FA Cup.


2012 Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. season, Squad, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. season, Squad, On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shanghai Challenger
The 2012 Shanghai Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Shanghai, China between 3 and 9 September 2012.


2012 Shanghai Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Shanghai Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry as a special exempt into the singles main draw:


2012 Shanghai Challenger – Doubles
Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana successfully defended their title by defeating Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2012 Shanghai Challenger – Singles
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Lu Yen-hsun defeated Peter Gojowczyk 7–5, 6–0 in the final to win the tournament.


2012 Shanghai International Film Festival
The 2012 Shanghai International Film Festival was the 15th such festival devoted to international cinema held in Shanghai, China.


2012 Shanghai International Film Festival, International Jury
The members of the jury for the Golden Goblet Award were:


2012 Shanghai Masters
The 2012 Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 17 and 23 September 2012 at the Shanghai Grand Stage in Shanghai, China. It was the third ranking event of the 2012/2013 season.


2012 Shanghai Masters
Mark Selby was the defending champion, but he lost in the first round 1–5 against Jamie Cope.


2012 Shanghai Masters
John Higgins won his 25th ranking title by defeating Judd Trump 10–9 in the final. During the final Higgins made the 91st official maximum break. This was Higgins's sixth 147 break and also the third maximum break of the 2012/2013 season.


2012 Shanghai Masters, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2012 Shanghai Masters, Wildcard round
These matches were played in Shanghai on 17 and 18 September 2012.


2012 Shanghai Masters, Qualifying
These matches took place between 24 and 27 July 2012 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England.


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters
The 2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters was a tennis tournament that was played on outdoor hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2012 ATP World Tour. It took place at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China from October 8 to October 14, 2012. Novak Djokovic won the singles title.


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Doubles
Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor were the defending champions but were beaten in the Quarterfinals by Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna. Leander Paes and Radek Štěpánek won the title, beating Bhupathi and Bopanna in the final by the score of 6–7(7–9), 6–3, [10–5] .


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Singles
Andy Murray was the two-time defending champion, but lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, 5–7, 7–6(13–11), 6–3, bringing to an end Murray's perfect 12–0 record at the event. The final was voted as the best 2012 ATP World Tour match of the year, and Djokovic had to save 5 championship points in the second set in order to take the match into a decisive set.


2012 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2012 Shanghai Shenhua F.C. season
The 2012 Shanghai Shenhua season was Shanghai Shenhua's 9th season in the Chinese Super League and 50th overall in the Chinese top flight. They also competed in the Chinese FA Cup that year, getting knocked out of that competition.


2012 Shanghai Shenhua F.C. season, Players, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shanghai Shenhua F.C. season, Players, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shanghai Shenxin F.C. season
The 2012 Shanghai Shenxin F.C. season is Shenxin's 3rd consecutive season in the Chinese Super League. Shenxin will also be competing in the Chinese FA Cup.


2012 Shannons Nationals Racing Championships season
The 2012 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships season was the seventh time that the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships were held. The season began on 9 March 2012 at Sydney Motorsport Park and finished on 25 November 2012 at Sandown Raceway.


2012 Shannons Nationals Racing Championships season
The 2012 Australian Saloon Car Series, 2012 Australian Sports Sedan Championship, 2012 Australian Superkart Championship, 2012 Australian Suzuki Swift Series, 2012 Commodore Cup National Series, 2012 Kumho V8 Touring Car Series and the 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia were all held exclusively on the Shannons Nationals calendar. Rounds of the 2012 Australian Drivers' Championship, 2012 Australian GT Championship, 2012 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, 2012 Radical Australia Cup and the 2012 Touring Car Masters season were also part of the Shannons Nationals schedule.


2012 Sheffield City Council election
Sheffield City Council elections took place on Thursday 3 May 2012  as part of the 2012 United Kingdom local elections.


2012 Sheffield City Council election
There were 28 seats up for election, one third of the council. The last election in 2011 gave Labour a majority over the Liberal Democrats with 49 councillors. However, one Independent councillor joined Labour after the election, giving the party 50 seats.


2012 Sheffield City Council election
Four main parties fielded a full slate of 28 candidates. UKIP were also to put up a full slate, but Steve Moxon was deselected as the party's candidate for Dore and Totley. Labour were defending 12 seats, all of which they successfully held in 2011. The Liberal Democrats were defending 15 seats, 9 of which they lost to Labour in 2011. The Greens were defending 1 seat, which they held in 2011. The Conservatives, UKIP and the smaller parties had no councillors.


2012 Sheffield City Council election
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:


2012 Sheikh Jassim Cup
The 2012 Sheikh Jassim Cup was the 34th edition of the league cup competition for football teams from Qatar.


2012 Sheikh Jassim Cup, Round One Groups
18 clubs from the Qatar Stars League and Qatari 2nd Division were drawn into 4 groups. The winners of each group qualify for the semi-finals.


2012 Sheikh Jassim Cup, Round One Groups
All group games are played in one 'host' location, instead of the common home and away format used in other competitions.


2012 Shelbourne F.C. season
In 2012 Shelbourne F.C. competed in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Shelbourne finished the season in 8th position and reached the semi-finals of the 2012 FAI Cup. The 2012 season marked the first time Shelbourne competed in the Premier Division since 2006, when as champions, they were demoted due to financial issues. Shelbourne gained promotion by finishing 2nd in the 2011 League of Ireland First Division.


2012 Shelbourne F.C. season, First Team Squad 2012
A total of 23 players represented Shelbourne at various stages during the 2012 season.


2012 Shelbourne F.C. season, First Team Squad 2012
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Shelbourne F.C. season, 2012 Fixtures & Results, League of Ireland Premier Division, League Results summary
Last updated: October 26, 2012. Source: League of Ireland Premier Division Fixtures


2012 Shetland Islands Council election
Elections to Shetland Islands Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election was the second using the seven new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward elected three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system a form of proportional representation, with 22 Councillors elected.


2012 Shetland Islands Council election
As in 2007 Independents took all of the 22 seats on the Council. The Scottish National Party contested both Lerwick Wards for the first time in 2012 but only secured 1.9% of the vote. The Council is again administered solely by Independents.


2012 Shetland Islands Council election, Election results
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 Shimizu S-Pulse season
The 2012 Shimizu S-Pulse season was Shimizu S-Pulse's 20th consecutive season in J.League Division 1. Shimizu S-Pulse also competed in the 2012 Emperor's Cup and 2012 J.League Cup.


2012 Shonan Bellmare season
The 2012 Shonan Bellmare season sees Shonan Bellmare compete in J.League Division 2 for the second consecutive season after being relegated from J1 in 2010, and 16th season overall in the second tier. Shonan Bellmare are also competing in the 2012 Emperor's Cup.


2012 Shwebo earthquake
The 2012 Shwebo earthquake occurred at 07:42 local time (01:12 UTC) on 11 November in Myanmar. It had a magnitude of 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicenter was near the town of Male, 52 km NNE of the city of Shwebo, 64 km west of Mogok and 120 km north of Mandalay. Significant damage and possible casualties have been reported from near the epicenter, with up to 26 people dead and many more injured. Part of a bridge under construction fell into the Irrawaddy River near Shwebo and a gold mine collapsed at Sintku. An aftershock with a magnitude of 5.8 followed at 17:24 local time (10:54 UTC).


2012 Shwebo earthquake, Tectonic setting
Central Burma lies within the complex zone of collision between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. In this area the collision is highly oblique and much of the plate convergence is accommodated by right lateral strike slip faults, of which the largest is the north-south trending Sagaing Fault, which takes up 18mm per year of this movement.


2012 Shwebo earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake was caused by right lateral movement on the Sagaing Fault between Singu and Tagaung, with a preliminary estimated rupture length of 60–70 km, and was followed by three large (M≥5) aftershocks in the area south of the mainshock epicenter, and one to the north.


2012 Shwebo earthquake, Earthquake
A detailed and thorough evaluation of the event suggested that the rupture was estimated at 45-km-long and on the Sagaing Fault zone. Centroid moment tensor solution suggested the earthquake ruptured a north-south trending and sub-vertical fault that steeply dipped to the east.


2012 Shwebo earthquake, Earthquake
Surface ruptures associated with the earthquake was well defined for 45 km. The earthquake had produced a maximum slip of 1.02 meters at a location north of Thabeikkyin.


2012 Shwebo earthquake, Damage
Many buildings, including monasteries, pagodas, a hospital, and a school collapsed in Male and neighbouring villages. Damage was also reported from Shwebo, Mogok and Mandalay. The Radana Thinga Bridge, which was still under construction, fell into the Irrawaddy River, and several workers went missing.


2012 Siberia Cup
The 2012 Siberia Cup was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Tyumen, Russia between 19 and 25 November 2012.


2012 Siberia Cup, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Siberia Cup – Doubles
Ivo Klec and Andreas Siljeström won the title, defeating Konstantin Kravchuk and Denys Molchanov 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


2012 Siberia Cup – Singles
Evgeny Donskoy won the title by defeating Illya Marchenko 6–7(6–8), 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


2012 Sicilian protests
The 2012 Sicilian protests, also code-named by its organizers as Operation Sicilian Vespers (in Italian Operazione Vespri siciliani), was a 5-day blockade of roads and seaports that brought Sicily and its economy to a standstill in January 2012. Similar protests affecting wider areas of Italy broke out in December 2013.


2012 Sicilian protests
The code name of the blockade refers to the Sicilian Vespers, the successful thirteenth-century rebellion against Angevin rule.


2012 Sicilian protests, Organizers
Shock Force (in Italian Comitato Forza d'Urto) is a Sicilian political grouping, which organized Operation Sicilian Vespers, the 5-day blockade of roads and seaports that brought Sicily and its economy to a standstill in January 2012.


2012 Sicilian protests, Organizers
Under the Shock Force umbrella other organisations are also represented, such as the Pitchforks Movement (in Italian Movimento dei Forconi), an informal grouping of farmers, shepherds and breeders, and the Sicilian Trucking Association (in Italian Associazione Imprese Autotrasportatori Siciliani, AIAS), an association representing truck drivers and small logistics business interests. The founder of the Pitchforks movement was Martino Morsello, a 57 y.o. former Socialist councillor of Marsala.


2012 Sicilian protests, Organizers
From the very first day, the blockade was strengthened and widely supported by workers and small businesses in other sectors, such as the fishing industry, the building industry and also by Sicilian students.


2012 Sicilian protests, Organizers
The Pitchforks Movement presents itself as "non-political" and "against party politics." Unusually, the protest was joined by members of both far-right and far-left political organisations.


2012 Sicilian protests, Blockade events
The blockade started on 16 January, when roads, motorways and the gates of the major ports all around Sicily were blocked. A strategic target for the protesters were Sicilian refineries, which are responsible for 42% of Italian fuel production. A fuel shortage on the island soon followed.


2012 Sicilian protests, Blockade events
On 16 January 2012, the Pitchforks Movement joined Operation Sicilian Vespers, which, while blockading most of the main roads and seaports of the island, led to the suspension of most economic activities in Sicily.


2012 Sicilian protests, Blockade events
There are reports of the blockade gaining a foothold in mainland Italy, in Calabria and even as far north as Pescara. The blockade is having a negative impact also for the economy of the neighboring Malta.


2012 Sicilian protests, Blockade events
The other main association involved in the blockade, the Sicilian Trucking Association (in Italian Associazione Imprese Autotrasportatori Siciliani, AIAS) must suspend the blockade after the fifth day, January 21, as per the Italian law, but the Pitchforks Movement, as other members of the Shock Force, may decide to continue indefinitely.


2012 Sicilian protests, Allegations about links with the far right and the Sicilian autonomists
While the Pitchforks Movement has declared itself apolitical and politically agnostic, there have been allegations it has as a closer relationship with the far-right party Forza Nuova, or with the Movement for Autonomies, the party of the Sicilian head of government, Raffaele Lombardo.


2012 Sicilian protests, Allegations about links with the far right and the Sicilian autonomists
However, also organisations close to the far left have joined the operation Sicilian Vespers protests.


2012 Sicilian regional election
The Sicilian regional election of 2012 for the renewal of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and the election of the President of Sicily was held on 28 October 2012. It was a snap election, following the resignation of President Raffaele Lombardo for judicial and financial reasons.


2012 Sicilian regional election
The election was competed by ten candidates from newly reshuffled political alliances, and is expected to be an unusually close race. The winner of the election was Rosario Crocetta, candidate for a centre-left alliance of Democratic Party and the Union of the Centre.


2012 Sicilian regional election, Electoral system
The Sicilian Parliament is elected with a mixed system: 80 MPs are chosen with a form of proportional representation using a largest remainder method with open lists and a 5% threshold, while 10 MPs are elected with a block voting system with closed lists.


2012 Sicilian regional election, Aftermath
Following the result of the election, Crocetta was elected as president of Sicily, which turned out to be surprising in what was considered the strongest conservative stronghold of Italy. As he did not have a full majority in the Sicilian assembly, Crocetta decided to form a minority government with the support of the Five Star Movement in a number of shared legislative acts.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship
The 2012 FIM Sidecarcross World Championship, the 33rd edition of the competition, started on 1 April and finished after eleven race weekends on 16 September 2012.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship
The defending champions were Daniël Willemsen from the Netherlands and his Belgian passenger Sven Verbrugge. Willemsen and Verbrugge were a team for a fifth time in the history of the competition, with the combination previously winning the 2005 and 2006 titles together. However, the two were racing in separate teams in 2012, with Willemsen having used three different passengers during the season because of injury woes, while Sven Verbrugge joined fellow Belgian pilot Ben Adriaenssen.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship
Parallel to the riders competition, a manufacturers championship is also held. The defending champions in the manufacturers competition were VMC but the 2012 edition was won by WSP, the manufacturers second title after 2010.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship
The final race of the 2012 season was held on 16 September at Rudersberg, Germany. The competition was won by Daniël Willemsen, for the tenth time, and his passenger Lauris Daiders who took over competition leadership from Etienne Bax and Kaspars Stupelis after the Russian Grand Prix and sealed the championship in the final race by a margin of five points, the third-lowest in competition history. Daiders however was not the official world champion as he has taken part in less than the required 50 percent of the races and earned less than the required 50 percent of points on Willemsen's side, this honor going to Kenny van Gaalen instead.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship
The Sidecarcross World Championship, first held in 1980 and organised by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, is an annual competition. All races, manufacturers and the vast majority of riders in the competition being in and from Europe. Sidecarcross is similar to motocross except that the teams consist of two riders, a driver and a passenger. Races are held on the same tracks as solo motocross but the handling of the machines differs as sidecars don't lean. The majority of physical work in the sport is carried out by the passenger, who speeds up the sidecarcross in corners by leaning out. The coordination between the driver and the passenger are therefore of highest importance.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Overview
The eleven races of the season were held in nine countries, France (two races), Netherlands, Germany (two races), Czech Republic, Belgium, Estonia, Russia, Latvia and Switzerland. In comparison to the 2011 edition, the Grand Prix of Poland, Ukraine and Denmark have been dropped off the calendar while the Czech GP made a return.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
Every Grand Prix weekend is split into two races, both held on the same day. This means, the 2012 season with its eleven Grand Prix had 22 races. Each race lasts for 30 minutes plus two laps. The two races on a weekend actually get combined to determine an overall winner. In case of a tie, the results of the second race as used to determine the winner. While this overall winner receives no extra WC points, they usually are awarded a special trophy. Race start times are set at 13:30 and 16:00.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
Events typically consist of a qualifying competition, held in multiple stages on Saturdays of a race weekend while the two race events are typically held on Sundays. One exception to this rule is Easter weekends, when the races are held on Easter Monday. Race weekends can consist of additional motocross or quart support races as well, but the FIM stipulates that the World Championship races have priority. Riders have to be provided with at least one 30 minute free practice season, which will be timed.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
A race can consist of up to 30 starters and the qualifying modus is dependent on the number of entries. Up to 32 entries, it will be held in one group split into two sessions of 30 minutes each. Above 32 entries, the starter field will be sub-divided into two groups through ballot and the current standings. Each qualifying group can consist of up to 30 racers. Should there be more than 60 entries, a pre-qualifying has to be held. Of the riders in the two groups, the top-twelve directly qualify for the races. The remaining teams then go to a second-chance qualifying, in which the best six advance. The riders placed seventh and eighth remain in reserve should one of the qualified teams not be able to participate.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
The FIM stipulates that all drivers must be of a minimum age of 18 while passengers have to be at least 16 years old to compete, but no older than 50. Riders older than 50 have to provide a certificate of medical fitness to be permitted to compete. The driver has the right to exchange his passenger under certain conditions.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
Starting numbers for the season are awarded according to the previous seasons overall finishing position of the driver. Current or former World Champions have however the right to pick any number they wish, except the number one which is reserved for the current World Champion.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
The competition is open for motor cycles with two-stroke engines from between 350 and 750cc and four-stroke engines of up to 1,000cc. Each team is permitted the use of two motorcycles with the possibility of changing machines between races.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
The FIM does not permit radio communication between riders and their teams. Outside assistance during the race on the course is not permitted unless it is through race marshals in the interest of safety. Limited repairs in the designated repair zone during the race are permitted.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
The first twenty teams of each race score competition points. The point system for the 2012 season is as follows:


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Prize money
In 2012 prize money was awarded to all rider scoring points, with €300 going to each race winner, €250 to the runners-up, gradually declining from there, with  €50 going to all teams placed 12th to 20th. Additionally, every team qualified for the race plus the two reserve teams receive €500 in travel compensation.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Retirements
At the end of the 2012 season a number of long-term competitors retired from the competition, the most successful of those being Belgian Joris Hendrickx, World Champion in 2009 and active since 2003, German Marko Happich, runners-up in 2004 and active since 1996, and Belgian passenger Sven Verbrugge, World Champion in 2005, 2006 and 2011 and active since 1993.


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Classification, Riders
The top ten teams in the final overall standings were:


2012 Sidecarcross World Championship, Classification, Manufacturers
Parallel to the riders championship, a manufacturers competition was also held. In every race, only the best-placed rider of every make was awarded points in this competition.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak
As of 24 September 2012, a cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone had caused the deaths of 392 people. It was the country's largest outbreak of cholera since first reported in 1970 and the deadliest since the 1994–1995 cholera outbreak. The outbreak has also affected Guinea, which shares a reservoir near the coast. This was the largest cholera outbreak in Africa in 2012.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak
Abdulai Bayraytay, the spokesman of the Sierra Leonean government, stated that as of 1 October 2012 there were no new reported cases of cholera. A second outbreak occurred in 2013 with 368 cases reported by August.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Sources
Cholera is a water-borne disease, primarily spread by the consumption of water or food contaminated by the feces of an infected person. The outbreak was triggered by heavy rainfall and flooding in Sierra Leone and Guinea, combined with poor hygiene practices, unsafe water sources, and ineffective waste management. Crowded living conditions, poor sanitation and inadequate access to safe water are responsible for the higher rates of the outbreak in the Western Area including Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Sources
Only about 40% of people in Sierra Leone have access to a private or shared latrine, where approximately seven families typically share one toilet. According to The Africa Review, nearly 60% of toilets are pit toilets that easily drain directly into sources of drinking water and more than 30% of people defecate in the open. The water and sanitation systems were damaged after the civil war in Sierra Leone, and have not been rebuilt properly, leaving approximately 43% of Sierra Leoneans without access to clean water. Poor health-care system in the country with the population of six million people also contributes to the outbreak. The UN figures indicate that there is only one doctor per 34,744 people.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Casualties
The disease has killed 392 people and infected more than 25,000 others in Sierra Leone and Guinea since February 2012, when the epidemic was reported. On 4 September 2012, the death toll increased to 350. On 12 September, Dr. Amara Jambai, the Director of Disease Surveillance and Control in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, reported that cholera infection in Sierra Leone dropped as a result of the activities of the government and other organizations.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Casualties
For the period of January to mid-August 2012, more than 11,600 cholera cases were officially recorded by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone. By 30 August, reported cases increased to 13,934 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that ten of Sierra Leone's thirteen districts were affected. The outbreak occurred primarily in eight districts until August 2012: Port Loko, Kambia, Tonkolili, Bo, Moyamba, Bombali, Pujehun and the Western Area. However, twelve districts became affected by the outbreak by September 2012.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Casualties
Of these districts, the one most affected is the Western Area, which includes the capital, Freetown. This area witnessed 4,965 cases and 63 deaths from 1 January to mid-August 2012. The number of cases and deaths for Port Loko during the same period is 2,806 and 45, respectively. There were 1,134 reported cases and 28 deaths in the Kambala district. In Moyamba district nearly 20 people died from the cholera outbreak from 25 July to November 2012. At the beginning of August, the disease began to ravage the Kenema district. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation reported that the disease is spreading more rapidly in cities than in isolated areas with poor sanitation.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, Casualties
On 24 September, OCHA issued a report, indicating that in the period between late August and 16 September, new cholera cases per week decreased from 2,110 to 1,418 in Sierra Leone and from 1,152 to 346 in Guinea. According to the data of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization, nearly 841 new cases were reported in at the beginning of October 2012. It was 433 in the second week of October.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, State of emergency
On 17 August 2012, Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma announced that the outbreak was a national public health crisis. At this time the cholera outbreak had a mortality rate of 1.8% in the country, nearly double the threshold for a state of emergency. By the end of August 2012, approximately 13,300 people were infected by cholera; humanitarian officials confirmed that 217 had already died by 23 August. The Sierra Leonean government and WHO predict that 32,000 people will be infected in September due to the rainy season.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
In late August 2012, Amanda McClelland, the Emergency Health Coordinator of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said that the outbreak "has the potential to cause a serious humanitarian crisis" and called for "more funds to deliver the most effective response".


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
The British government announced that it allocated million for an emergency plan to counter the cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone. Additionally, the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) established in March 2012 and activated by the British government is expected to assist Sierra Leone in coping with the epidemic. The facility is a network consisting of private businesses and specialist aid organisations that provide rapid emergency medical, water and sanitation assistance to affected people in the country.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
In addition, Doctors Without Borders, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, runs three cholera treatment units in Freetown, where more than 500 patients have been treated. The organisation has treated approximately 4,600 patients in Sierra Leone and Guinea since February. The group has begun to establish other cholera treatment centres at 34 Military Hospital in the west of Freetown, expanding the total number of beds from 90 to 200. The group is also collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to inform the public of how to avoid contracting the disease.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
Among the other groups helping victims are Action Firm (AF) and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society. AF provided free medical care for victims while about 400 volunteers of the Sierra Leone Red Cross helped out on sanitation awareness campaigns. Oxfam, a charity group based in the United Kingdom, is another group that provides nearly 67,000 people in Freetown with emergency water chlorination. Oxfam also plans to assist up to 500,000 people with cholera prevention kits, water purification kits and public information campaigns on how to prevent the disease.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
The Isle of Man donated to assist the activities in the country through Oxfam. The other British groups mobilised include Save the Children, International Rescue Committee, Concern, Care International and the British Red Cross. The Finnish Red Cross sent medication and doctors to the country on 24 and 25 August. World Vision is also working with the government to prevent the disease from spreading through various activities, including the collection of the garbage pills. An International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh team began its activities in coordination with the WHO in the country on 6 September 2012.


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency appeal for million in August, explaining that the number of cases of cholera was rising, along with the number of fatal cases. Tiina Saarikoski of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society reported on 30 August that the Bombali, Tonkolili, Port Loko and Kambia districts have been targeted to effectively deal with the epidemic. The IFRC has funded health promotion activities and assistance to affected families, including the preparation of oral rehydration solutions and construction of suitable toilets, but the organisation has stated that the level of aid coverage remains "very low."


2012 Sierra Leonean cholera outbreak, International responses
Oral cholera vaccines have the potential to shorten cholera outbreaks, and hence reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with outbreaks have not been deployed in Sierra Leone. The large international institutions IFRC as well WHO have shied away from large mass vaccination campaigns despite the fact that oral cholera vaccines have been successfully used earlier in 2012 by MSF in Guinea Bissau and by Partners in Health in Haiti.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election
General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 17 November 2012. The result was a sweeping victory for the ruling All People's Congress. Its leader, incumbent president Ernest Bai Koroma, won 58.7% of the vote, enough to win a second term without the need for a runoff. The APC also won 67 of the 112 elected seats in Parliament. To date, it is the APC's best showing at an election since the restoration of multiparty politics in 1991.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election, Candidates
In April 2007, the APC endorsed incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma for a second term. He was challenged by former President and general Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party. On July 31, 2011, Bio defeated Usman Boie Kamara for the party's nomination.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election, Candidates
In the elections for the twelve Chief seats in Parliament, only four were contested.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election, Results, President
Koroma won 58.7 percent of the vote in the first round, exceeding the 55 percent threshold required to win the presidency in a single round.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election, Results, Parliament, By-elections
Three seats were left vacant, with no election taking place in constituencies 5, 12 and 92 (Western Area Rural District). The election was delayed in Western Area Rural District due to the death of PMDC candidate, and a by-election was held on 9 February 2013. The result was a victory for the APC candidate, who received 61% of the vote.


2012 Sierra Leonean general election, Aftermath
Results showed Koroma winning in the first round of voting, receiving 58.7% of the vote against 37.4% for the SLPP candidate, Bio. If he had received less than 55% of the vote, a second round would have been necessary. Following the announcement of results, Koroma was promptly sworn in for another term as President on 23 November 2012. He said that he would "continue to attract investment" and "continue to fight corruption".


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions
The 2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions took place in the early hours of Sunday, February 19, 2012 in a nightclub in the city of Sighetu Marmației, Romania. The first explosion seriously injured 7 people. Another 10 people were injured in a second explosion, including members of a team of investigators at the scene.


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions, First explosion
The first explosion occurred at around 00:56 EET in a nightclub in Sighetu Marmației. Approximately 120 people were in the club at that time. The nightclub, which was located in the basement of the building, had no central gas connection. A club administrator stated that the nightclub was heated with non-fuel-burning heating and air conditioning equipment, and therefore could not have caused the explosion. The police hypothesis was that the explosion occurred due to accumulation of combustible gases coming not from the club, but from a nearby house. According to investigators, 7 young women were smoking in the club's bathroom, which triggered the explosion.


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions, First explosion
The women, aged 16 to 23, sustained burns covering 30 to 60% of their bodies, affecting mainly their faces and hands. One of them was admitted into the local hospital, while the other six were flown to the Plastic Surgery, Reconstruction and Burns Emergency Hospital in Bucharest aboard a C-27J Spartan military plane. The girls were assisted during the flight by a SMURD medical team, a mission approved following a request made by the Under-Secretary of State in the Health Ministry, Dr. Raed Arafat.


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions, Second explosion
A second explosion took place at 09:50 EET the following morning. Spokesman of ISU Maramureș, Cornel Băbuț, stated that 10 members of the investigation team were seriously injured with the second blast. Some of the victims were taken to Floreasca Hospital, some to the burns Emergency Service, and the rest of the victims were transported to Bucharest aboard a military plane. Preliminary findings indicated that there was a high concentration of gas in the area. There was a large crack in the welding of the mains pipe that caused the gas leakage. The gas supply was turned off immediately after the second explosion.


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions, Reactions by authorities
The prosecutors' indictment said that the city of Sighetu Marmației "has perpetuated a state of mediocrity, of unprofessionalism, doubled by a thorough clumsy forgery of entire documentation relating to the gas distribution network".


2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions, Reactions by authorities
At least 11 people and the gas company were prosecuted for manslaughter, forgery, and abuse of service. Those charged included the former Vice President of the National Agency for Energy Regulation, who knew that the company had no trained employees and did not handle the city gas network with sufficient caution.


2012 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
The 2012 Silverstone GP2 Series round and the 2012 Silverstone GP3 Series round was a group of motor races held at the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain for the GP2 and GP3 Series championships. The races, held on 7 and 8 July, were in support of the British Formula One Grand Prix. The GP2 races were the seventh round of the 2012 GP2 championship, while the GP3 races formed the fourth round of the 2012 GP3 season.


2012 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
Trident Racing entered a third car for Giovanni Venturini in the GP3 category, making the Silverstone rounds the first time the GP3 Series had been run with a full twenty-seven car grid in 2012.


2012 Silverstone GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
Mexican Esteban Gutierrez won the feature race while Brazilian Luiz Razia won the sprint race. Series leader Valsecchi was penalized and sent to the back of the starting grid due to the infringement of a technical regulation related to the quantity of fuel available after the qualifying session. As a result, Razia ended up leading the GP2 Championship after Silverstone.


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger
The 2012 Singapore ATP Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Singapore between February 27 and March 4 2012.


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger, Champions, Doubles
Kamil Čapkovič /  Amir Weintraub def. Hsieh Cheng-peng /  Lee Hsin-han, 6–4, 6–4


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger – Doubles
The 2012 Singapore ATP Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Singapore between February 27 and March 4, 2012.


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger – Doubles
Scott Lipsky and David Martin were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Kamil Čapkovič and Amir Weintraub won the title, defeating Hsieh Cheng-peng and Lee Hsin-han 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger – Singles
The 2012 Singapore ATP Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Singapore between February 27 and March 4, 2012.


2012 Singapore ATP Challenger – Singles
Dmitry Tursunov was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Lu Yen-hsun won the title, defeating Go Soeda 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2012 Singapore Cup
The 2012 Singapore Cup (known as the RHB Singapore Cup for sponsorship reasons) starts in May 2012. It is the 15th staging of the annual Singapore Cup tournament.


2012 Singapore Cup
11 S.League clubs and 4 invited foreign teams play in this edition. The cup was a single-elimination tournament, with all sixteen teams playing from the first round. The first round involved one-off matches. Subsequent rounds involved ties of two legs.


2012 Singapore Cup
The Courts Young Lions and Malaysia's Harimau Muda, both of whom are Great Eastern-YEO'S S.League participant teams, have requested and received permission to sit out of the RHB Singapore Cup, due to their respective preparations for the AFC Under-22 Asian Cup qualifiers in June.


2012 Singapore Cup
The first round kicked off on 14 May 2012. The quarter-finals will be held from 2 to 9 July 2012. The finals will be held at Jalan Besar Stadium on 28 October 2012


2012 Singapore Grand Prix
The 2012 Singapore Grand Prix (officially the 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore on 23 September 2012 as the fourteenth round of the 2012 season. The race was the thirteenth time that a Singapore Grand Prix has been held, and the fifth time it was a round of the Formula One World Championship.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton started the race from pole. Sebastian Vettel won the race, his second of the season, after Hamilton's gearbox failed early in the race.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Background
Having been unable to race in Italy two weeks earlier because of a one-race ban he received for causing a serious collision in Belgium, Romain Grosjean was back in the driving seat again with Lotus F1 for the race in Singapore.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Background
Like the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, tyre supplier Pirelli brought its yellow-banded soft compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the red-banded supersoft compound tyre as the softer "option" tyre.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Background
At Singapore's Marina Bay circuit, Ma Qinghua once again drove Narain Karthikeyan's car in the first free practice session, as he had during free practice at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza,


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
The first practice session on Friday evening was held in damp conditions. Rain earlier in the day had soaked the circuit, but it had started drying out as the session began. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the session, five hundredths of a second faster than Lewis Hamilton. Although several drivers went off the circuit, they were able to rejoin without damage and the session was uninterrupted. By the time the second session began, the circuit was completely dry. Vettel was once again fastest, this time three-tenths of a second faster than Jenson Button.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
The session was briefly interrupted when Bruno Senna clipped a barrier coming out from under the grandstand at turn 19 before spinning to a halt at the next corner. Vettel topped the third and final session on Saturday evening, three-tenths faster than Hamilton. The session was cut short two minutes before the chequered flag when Vitaly Petrov hit the wall at Turn 21, breaking his right-rear suspension and as a consequence, his Caterham stopped in the entrance to the pitlane and by doing so, blocked it causing a red flag until the session ended.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
The first qualifying period saw several teams caught out by the difference in performance between the harder prime tyres and the softer options, which was estimated to be up to a second and a half per lap. The end result was that several teams had to use up a set of soft tyres to guarantee a place in the second period.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Williams' Bruno Senna clipped the wall on his final lap while faced with the threat of elimination, but made it through to the second period by a tenth of a second when Kamui Kobayashi failed to better his lap time. Vitaly Petrov out-qualified teammate Heikki Kovalainen to start nineteenth, putting the Caterhams ahead of Marussia duo of Timo Glock and Charles Pic. HRT once again filled the final row of the grid, with Narain Karthikeyan out-qualifying Pedro de la Rosa for the second race in succession with a time that was almost a second faster than the Spaniard's. De la Rosa started qualifying with the knowledge that he would receive a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change regardless of where he started, but as he qualified twenty-fourth and last, the effect of the penalty was negated.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
The second qualifying period started with Senna and Romain Grosjean crashing. While Grosjean was able to continue after mechanics inspected his car, Senna – who had once again hit the wall at Turn 19, his third such incident at that corner – returned to the pit with terminal damage. With his failure to set a lap time, he was relegated to seventeenth on the grid. At the end of the fifteen-minute session, Nico Hülkenberg was eliminated in eleventh, and later admitted that he felt he could have gone faster in the first sector. Kimi Räikkönen qualified alongside him in twelfth, ahead of Felipe Massa and Sergio Pérez. Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne had a quiet qualifying session, and ultimately finished fifteenth and sixteenth respectively.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Mercedes elected not to take part in the final period of qualifying, allowing Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg to save a set of tyres and giving them the choice of which compound on which to start the race. As a result, only eight drivers took part in the final ten minutes of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton prevailed, taking pole position by half a second from Pastor Maldonado.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
After being consistently fast through free practice, Sebastian Vettel could only manage third overall, ahead of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, the latter admitting that he was not expecting to be fast during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Paul di Resta qualified sixth, ahead of Mark Webber, leaving Romain Grosjean as the eighth and final driver to set a time.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
In an interview after qualifying, Lewis Hamilton publicly implored Pastor Maldonado to be careful during the start of the race, given the latter's reputation for reckless driving and frequent on-track incidents.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Pre-race
A minute of silence was held for Sid Watkins, who died on 12 September 2012. A book of remembrance was also available for people to sign their condolences over the weekend.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race
Hamilton led lap 1 with Maldonado falling to 4th with Vettel and Button overtaking into P2 and P3 respectively.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race
On lap 23, Hamilton's gearbox failed forcing him to retire allowing Vettel to take P1 which continued until the end of the race. It was noted to be the 2nd mechanical retirement for the Briton.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race
On lap 30, Karthikeyan crashed at turn 18 causing yellow flags and a safety car to be deployed. Maldonado retired with hydraulic issues before the safety car came in. He had a call 1 lap before he came to the pits and retired. 2 laps later, Schumacher and Vergne collided, with Schumacher failing to brake properly, and consequently crashing into the back of Vergne's Toro Rosso, resulting in their retirement.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race
After the crash, Michael Schumacher climbed out of his car and went over to apologise to Vergne, this brought out the safety car for the second time in the race, it came in at the start of Lap 42 and racing resumed. Vettel went on to win the race and he dedicated his victory to Sid Watkins who had recently died.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race
Paul di Resta managed to keep Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg at bay to claim his career-best finish of P4, gaining him two places in the Drivers' Championship to stand 11th. the race finished two laps early as the two-hour limit was reached, the first time this had happened since the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix.


2012 Singapore Grand Prix, Report, Race, Post-race
After the race, the stewards gave Michael Schumacher a ten-place grid penalty at the next race, Suzuka, after he crashed into Jean-Eric Vergne and caused them both to retire. This penalty was applied in accordance with article 16.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations. Mark Webber was also demoted by a place, losing the 10th place and the point to finish 11th, due to a move deemed by the FIA to be advantageous as it resulted in an unfair advantage.


2012 Singapore League Cup
The 2012 Singapore League Cup (known as the StarHub League Cup for sponsorship purposes) was held between 26 July to 11 August 2012. Traditionally held as a knockout competition, the 2012 edition saw a new format where four groups of three teams battled it out for a place in the semi-finals. In addition, the four teams that finished third in their respective groups played in a separate Plate Competition consisting of two semi-finals and a final.


2012 Singapore League Cup
The winner of the StarHub League Cup, DPMM FC, walked away with SGD$30,000 in prize money, while the runner up of the competition, Geylang United received SGD$15,000 in prize money. The winner of the Plate competition, Balestier Khalsa, also walked away with SGD$5,000 in prize money.


2012 Singapore League Cup
The draw for the Cup was held on Thursday, 12 July 2012 at the Football Association of Singapore's headquarters in Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore. While 12 teams from the S.League will playing in the StarHub League Cup, Malaysia’s Harimau Muda A did not be participating in this competition. This was because the Young Tigers had earlier served notice that they were invited for another tournament in Austria scheduled for the same Muslim fasting month period.


2012 Singapore League Cup
StarHub broadcast both semi-finals and the final ‘live’ on its sports channel, SuperSports Arena.


2012 Singapore League Cup, Preliminary stage
Group A: Singapore Armed Forces FC, Tanjong Pagar United FC, DPMM FC


2012 Singapore League Cup, Preliminary stage
Group B: Albirex Niigata (S), Balestier Khalsa FC, Geylang United FC


2012 Singapore League Cup, Preliminary stage
Group C: Home United FC, Young Lions FC, Hougang United FC


2012 Singapore League Cup, Preliminary stage
Group D: Tampines Rovers FC, Woodlands Wellington FC, Gombak United FC


2012 Singapore League Cup, Plate Competition
The Plate competition will be made up of the four teams that finish third in their respective groups. Balestier Khalsa became the winners of the inaugural Plate Competition when they beat the Young Lions FC by a single goal scored in the dying minutes of the plate final by Prime League striker, Kim Min-Ho.


2012 Singapore Slingers season
The 2012 ABL season is the third season for the Singapore Slingers in the ABL.


2012 Singapore Slingers season, Off-season
On 15 November 2011, the Slingers announced that they will add 3 new imports -  Centre Donald Little, Forward Louis Graham, and Filipino-American point guard Don Dulay - to bolster their line-up for the upcoming Season 3 of the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball.


2012 Singapore Slingers season, Off-season
On 27 November 2011, the Slingers announced the return of their head coach, Neo Beng Siang, for the upcoming season.


2012 Singapore Slingers season, Off-season
On 29 November 2011, the Slingers announced the signings of a trio of local players - Guards Desmond Oh and Wei Long Wong, and Forward Shengyu Lim.


2012 Singapore Super Series
The 2012 Singapore Super Series is the sixth super series tournament of the 2012 BWF Super Series. The tournament was held in Singapore from 19–24 June 2012 and had a total purse of $200,000.


2012 Sioux Falls Storm season
The 2012 Sioux Falls Storm season was the team's thirteenth season as a professional indoor football franchise and fourth in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of fourteen teams competing in the IFL for the 2012 season, the Storm were members of the United Conference.


2012 Sioux Falls Storm season
Led by head coach Kurtiss Riggs, the Storm played their home games at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sioux Falls entered the 2012 season following winning in the league's "United Bowl" championship game in 2011.


2012 Sioux Falls Storm season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated July 14, 201222 Active, 1 Inactive, 0 PS


2012 Six Nations Championship
The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.


2012 Six Nations Championship
Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 118th tournament of the annual European championship.


2012 Six Nations Championship
For the first time since 2008, there were no Friday night fixtures.


2012 Six Nations Championship
Whilst Italy continued to play their home matches in Rome, they used the Stadio Olimpico instead of the Stadio Flaminio, which Italy had used for their home Championship fixtures since entering the competition in 2000. The Championship was won by Wales, who achieved their third Grand Slam in eight tournaments.


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 1
Touch judges:Andrew Small (England)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 1
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Tony Redmond (Ireland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 1
Touch judges:Dave Pearson (England)Stuart Terheege (England)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 2
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Neil Paterson (Scotland) Television match official:Tony Redmond (Ireland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 2
This match was postponed due to an unplayable pitch. It was the first weather-related postponement of a Five/Six Nations game since 1985. The match was rescheduled for 4 March.


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 2
Touch judges:Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)Simon McDowell (Ireland)Television match official:Giulio De Santis (Italy)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 3
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)David Changleng (Scotland)Television match official:Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 3
Touch judges:Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)Pascal Gaüzère (France)Television match official:Iain Ramage (Scotland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 3
Touch judges:Alain Rolland (Ireland)Simon McDowell (Ireland)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Rescheduled match
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Andrew Small (England)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 4
Touch judges:Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)Peter Gauzere (Scotland)Television match official:Geoff Hughes (England)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 4
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Greg Garner (England)Television match official:Giulio De Santis (Italy)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 4
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:Jim Yuille (Scotland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 5
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Pascal Gaüzère (France)Television match official:Tony Redmond (Ireland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 5
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Stuart Terheege (England)Television match official:Iain Ramage (Scotland)


2012 Six Nations Championship, Results, Round 5
Touch judges:Jérôme Garces (France)Neil Paterson (Scotland)Television match official:Jim Yuille (Scotland)