2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams
On December 2, the Liberty Bowl extended their remaining bid to Iowa State (6–6) instead of Louisiana Tech (9–3). The Liberty Bowl did not respond to The Times' request for comment on the situation. Louisiana Tech did not end up playing in any bowl game despite boasting the nation's top scoring offense.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams
Iowa State and Tulsa previously met on September 1, 2012 in Ames, Iowa. After taking a 16–7 lead, Tulsa gave up their lead allowing Iowa State to score 24 unanswered points. Iowa State went on to win 38–23.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams, Iowa State
Despite the Cyclones' ninth-place finish in the Big 12 with a 3–6 conference record, their record made them the Big 12's last bowl eligible team (the only team in the conference not to do so was the Kansas Jayhawks). They won three of their first four games in September beating Tulsa, Western Illinois, and Iowa. They lost on September 29 to conference foe Texas Tech. In October, the Cyclones went 2–2. They defeated #13 ranked TCU and Baylor, but lost to Kansas State and Oklahoma State.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams, Iowa State
They lost three of their four games in November, but did manage to defeat Kansas, who were the only Big 12 team to finish with a worse in-conference record than Iowa State. 2012 was the Cyclones' second Liberty Bowl, following the 1972 game in which they lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a score of 31–30.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams, Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane won the Conference USA West Division championship with a 7–1 conference record. After defeating Central Florida by a score of 33–27 in overtime to win their second Conference USA title (and their first since winning the 2005 game over the same Knights), the conference's corresponding contingency plan for the 2012–13 NCAA Bowl season put the Golden Hurricane in the 2012 Liberty Bowl.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams, Tulsa
Tulsa lost their season opener to Iowa State 38–23. They then went on a seven-game winning streak defeating Tulane, Nicholls State, Fresno State, Alabama-Birmingham, Marshall, Texas El-Paso, and Rice. Their second loss of the season came on November 3, 2012 when they were defeated 19–15 by Arkansas after missing two extra points and a field goal. Tulsa won their next two games against Houston and Central Florida respectively. Their third and final loss of the regular season came on November 24 against Southern Methodist 35–27.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Teams, Tulsa
Their regular season performance earned them a berth in the conference championship game in which they defeated Central Florida for the second time of the season. This was the Golden Hurricane's second Liberty Bowl, previously having won the 2005 game by defeating the Fresno State Bulldogs by a score of 31–24.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup
Most experts predicted that the game would be fairly close in score and were split as to who would win, with a slight plurality favoring Tulsa.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Iowa State
Iowa State came off a .500 season (six wins, six losses) during which two quarterbacks, senior Steele Jantz and freshman Sam Richardson, started at various points. The Cyclones were coached by Paul Rhoads, who had been at Iowa State since 2009.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Iowa State, Offense
Freshman Sam Richardson came into the game the starter at quarterback, a role he held since the Cyclones' 53–21 win against the Kansas Jayhawks, which made them bowl eligible. Iowa State's leading rusher coming into the game was junior running back James White, who amassed 505 rushing yards during the season. One yard behind White with 504 rushing yards was Shontrelle Johnson, another junior running back. In the receiving game, Iowa State was led by a trio of senior wide receivers, Aaron Horne, Chris Young, and Josh Lenz, who totaled 39, 38, and 31 receptions respectively. Iowa State's offensive line had a few question marks coming into the game, including at right tackle where sophomore Jacob Gannon had made his first career start in the previous game. In total, Iowa State ranked 80 out of 120 in total offense averaging 364.2 yards per game.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Iowa State, Defense
Defensively, Iowa State was led by three players who achieved first team all-conference honors: senior defensive lineman Jake McDonough and senior linebackers Jake Knott and A. J. Klein. Knott recorded over 10 tackles in five games while Klein achieved that feat four times. Iowa State was expected to get both safety Durrell Givens and defensive back Jansen Watson back from injury for the game. The remainder of the Cyclone secondary was rounded out by senior Jeremy Reeves and junior Jacques Washington. Coming into the game, Iowa State ranked 59th in the nation in pass defense efficiency and 69th nationally in run defense.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Tulsa
Tulsa came off a 10 win, 3 loss season during which rushing was their key to success. This was the second time of the season when Tulsa was set have a rematch with a team, previously doing so with Central Florida in the conference championship game.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Tulsa, Offense
Tulsa's offense focused heavily upon the running game; they finished ninth in the country in rushing yards (3440) and sixth in the country in rushing touchdowns (41). Tulsa had three running backs who achieved over 700 yards rushing: junior Trey Watts (959), junior Ja'Terian Douglas (857), and senior Alex Singleton (765). Singleton also led the team and the conference and ranked sixth nationally with 21 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, junior quarterback Cody Green totaled 2592 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, both of which were in the middle of the pack nationally. Green's leading receiver was sophomore Keyarris Garrett, who amassed 67 receptions for 845 yards and 9 touchdowns, all of which led the team.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Pregame buildup, Tulsa, Defense
Defensively, Tulsa ranked 17th in the nation in rushing defense (allowing 121.2 yards per game) and 34th in total defense (allowing 353.9 yards per game). They ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 53 sacks, trailing only Stanford. Tulsa was represented by three players on the coaches' all-conference team: senior defensive end Cody Dorris, senior linebacker DeAundre Brown, and senior defensive back Dexter McCoil.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Broadcast
The 2012 Liberty Bowl was broadcast live on ESPN. Mark Jones provided the play-by-play commentary, former National Football League quarterback Brock Huard provided the color commentary, and Jessica Mendoza reported from the sideline. The game was also broadcast online via WatchESPN. Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (color commentary), and Lewis Johnson (sideline reporter) broadcast the game on ESPN Radio.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Iowa State got the ball to start the game. Their first drive was highlighted by a 26–yard pass from Sam Richardson to Josh Lenz. The drive totaled 9 plays and 56 yards and culminated with a 33–yard field goal by Edwin Arceo. Tulsa and Iowa State exchanged punts on their next two drives.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
When Tulsa got the ball back again, Trey Watts rushed the ball for four yards on the first play of the drive, and then Cody Green threw a short pass that was intercepted by defensive back Jeremy Reeves and returned 31 yards for a touchdown that put Iowa State up 10–0. Tulsa then put together a 9–play, 75–yard drive during which all three running backs: Alex Singleton, Ja'Terian Douglas, and Trey Watts rushed the ball. It was Singleton who rushed for a two-yard touchdown that made the score 10-7. Iowa State's next drive lasted only two plays, but the second was a 69–yard pass from Richardson to tight end Ernst Brun Jr. for a touchdown. The final two drives of the quarter both went three-and-out.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Tulsa had good field position after a short 31-yard punt to start their first drive of the quarter. Their 4-play, 41-yard drive culminated with an eight-yard touchdown run by Green to cut the gap to 17-14. Iowa State went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and were forced to punt. Tulsa got the ball at their own 41-yard line and put together a 6-play, 59-yard drive that featured passes to Willie Carter, Thomas Roberson, and Keyarris Garrett for 19, 21, and 6 yards respectively as well as a 12-yard rush by Watts.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
These plays set up first and goal at the one-yard line. Alex Singleton lost a yard on first down, but ran it in for a 2-yard touchdown on second down putting Tulsa in the lead 21-17, a lead they would not give up for the remainder of the game. The next two drives each ended in a punt. Iowa State took over at their 35-yard line with 6:10 remaining in the half. They drove down the field to the 16-yard line, but couldn't score and had to settle for a 34-yard field goal attempt by Arceo, which he missed. There was no scoring for the remainder of the half.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Since Iowa State got the ball to start the game, Tulsa got it to start the second half. They committed an illegal block in the back penalty and therefore began the drive at their own 8-yard line. The drive went three-and-out. Iowa State ran two plays prior to Richardson being intercepted by Marco Nelson at the Tulsa 31-yard line. Tulsa began the drive by committing a 15-yard personal foul penalty which set them back to the 16. They subsequently ran nine plays that got them just short of midfield before having to punt.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Cody Way's punt only went 27 yards, however, and was downed  at the Iowa State 25. Iowa State punted after three plays which gave Tulsa the ball back. Their methodical 10-play, 76-yard drive was highlighted by a 48-yard run by Watts. The drive was capped by Singleton's third touchdown run of the game. Iowa State then went three-and-out once again in the final drive of the quarter. At the conclusion of the third, the score was 28–17 Tulsa.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
The first drive of the fourth quarter lasted 5 plays and went 39 yards for Tulsa and was capped by a 40-yard field goal by Daniel Schwarz. Iowa State went to Steele Jantz in the fourth quarter, presumably because Richardson caught a "flu bug". Jantz completed a 15-yard pass to Brun Jr. to start his first drive in the game, but the subsequent series stalled forcing a punt, which was fair caught by Watts.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tulsa then ran a 9-play, 28-yard drive that ended in another short punt, this time 26 yards, by Way. Jantz completed two more passes on the next drive prior to throwing an interception to Dexter McCoil which set up Tulsa at their 32-yard line. They ran a 5-play, 22-yard drive, but were once again forced to punt. Iowa State's final drive of the game ended when Jantz fumbled after rushing for eight yards. The fumble was forced by Shawn Johnson and recovered at the Iowa State 28 by Brentom Todd. Tulsa then took two knees, and won the game by a score of 31-17.


2012 Liberty Bowl, Game summary, Notes
As was forecast,  there was rain throughout the game. Temperatures remained in the 40s. The referee for the game was Alan Eck, who officiates in the Mountain West Conference during the regular season. Ticket sales exceeded expectations,  but overall attendance declined from 2011; in all, the paid attendance was 53,687.


2012 Liberty Flames football team
The 2012 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Turner Gill and played their home games at Williams Stadium. They were a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–1 in Big South play to claim a share of the Big South Conference championship with Coastal Carolina and Stony Brook. Despite the conference title, the Flames were not invited to the FCS playoffs.


2012 Libyan local elections
Local elections were held in Zuwarah in 2011 and in several other municipalities in Libya during 2012.


2012 Libyan local elections, Zuwarah
Zuwarah residents elected their local council in 2011, following the 2011 Libyan Civil War.


2012 Libyan local elections, Benghazi
Municipal elections were held in Benghazi on 19 May. More than 200,000 people registered to vote in Benghazi, and 414 candidates stood for election for the 41 free seats in the 44-member City Council. These are the first elections of their kind in Benghazi since the 1960s. Given the large number of candidates, there has been not very much time for them to campaign and present their views to the people of the 11 Districts of Benghazi.


2012 Libyan local elections, Benghazi
According to the head of Benghazi's electoral commission, Suleiman Zubi, a total of 138,312 people voted in the election, with turnout between 64% and 69%. Despite 22 female candidates standing for election, only one female, Najat Rashid Mansur Al-Kikhia, was elected to the council. Al-Kikhia did however receive the most votes of any individual candidate.


2012 Libyan local elections, Misrata
Municipal elections were held in Misrata on 20 February. The elections to the 28-member City Council were one of the first held after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Only one member of the existing council stood for re-election.


2012 Libyan local elections, Misrata
Of the 156,000 eligible voters, 101,486 people were registered to vote, with a turnout of 57% being given by officials. All of the elected councilors were independents, with Yousef Ben Yousef being elected as the new mayor of Misrata, and 5 other councilors joining the council's executive.


2012 Libyan local elections, Sabratha
Municipal elections were held in Sabratha on 7 October. Deya-Uddin Al-Gharabli was elected as the Council Chairman. There was not a high turnout for the election.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election
Elections for a General National Congress (GNC) were held in Libya on 7 July 2012, having been postponed from 19 June. They were the first elections since the overthrow and death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi a year earlier, the first free national elections since 1952, and only the second free national elections since Libya gained independence in 1951.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election
Once elected, the General National Congress was to appoint a Prime Minister and Cabinet. The GNC was originally to be charged with appointing a Constituent Assembly to draw up Libya's new constitution, but the National Transitional Council (NTC) announced on 5 July that the Assembly would instead be directly elected at a later date.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election
Despite threats of a boycott, a majority of Libyans (61.58%) cast a ballot. However, the election was marred by violence, protests and a number of deaths.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system
A draft election law was published on 1 January 2012 on the website of the High National Election Commission (HNEC), after which public comments were accepted. The draft law proposed electing 200 representatives, of which at least 10% should be women, unless fewer than 10% of candidates were women. Members of the NTC and Jamahiriya government members, including relatives of Muammar Gaddafi, were barred from running.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system
The second draft abolished the women's quota and allowed local NTC council members to run in the election; it also changed the electoral system from countrywide to constituency-based. Following further protests against restrictions for dual nationals and other issues, the release of the electoral law was again postponed to 28 January 2012. The NTC also sought the input of the Libyan Women's Platform for Peace, who had proposed an alternative electoral law and criticized the official draft on four key points relating to dual nationals, lack of a women's quota, inadequate countermeasures against corruption and the risk of incentivizing tribal party formation.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system
A new electoral law was finally drafted on 28–29 January 2012. The election system will be a form of parallel voting, with 64 constituency seats (with independent candidates only) and 136 list seats for party lists. Lists will have to alternate between male and female candidates, in effect ensuring a women's quota. The age required to stand for election was lowered to 21 years, and citizens with dual nationality will be allowed to vote and run in the election.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system
Further changes were later made, changing the ratio to 120 constituency seats and 80 list seats, reportedly in an attempt to reduce the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in the new parliament. The 120 constituency seats would be elected from 69 constituencies, whilst the 80 list seats would be elected in 20 constituencies.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system, Voter registration
Registration of voters, parties participating in elections and independent candidates started at 1 May, and was due to finish on 14 May. However, following a call for a boycott of the process by the Council of Cyrenaica, which is seeking autonomy for parts of eastern Libya around the city of Benghazi, the deadline was extended until 21 May. In total 2,865,937 voters, or 80% of the estimated 3 million to 3.5 million electorate, registered for the elections. The registration process was supervised by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Electoral system, Voter registration
Minority groups, such as the Tawerghans, who had been accused of supporting former leader Muammar Gaddafi, said that the election was futile as they are marginalised. They also added that voter registration was difficult. Yet about 90 percent of Tawerghans living in Janzour Naval Academy refugee camp registered to vote.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Campaign
A total of 374 party lists registered to contest the 80 party list seats, together with 2,639 candidates for the 120 constituency seats. The four parties that were expected to dominate the election are the National Front Party, the Justice and Construction Party, the National or Homeland Party and the National Forces Alliance. The National Front Party is linked to the National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL), a former anti-Gaddafi resistance group formed in the 1980s. It is led by Mohamed el-Magariaf, an intellectual based in Eastern Libya.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Campaign
The Justice and Construction Party is the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. The Homeland Party is an Islamist party as well, led by the Islamic cleric Ali al-Sallabi and Abdelhakim Belhadj, the former emir of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). The National Forces Alliance is a liberal umbrella coalition around ex-interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril, who himself did not run for a seat in the GNC.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Campaign
The Libyan Popular National Movement, a political party supporting the policies of Gaddafi, was banned from participating in the elections.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Conduct
Voting was disrupted in some parts of the country, with 6% of the 6,629 polling stations unable to open normally. However all but eight polling stations managed to open up for voters during the day and the remaining eight, including two in the Kufra area, which had seen clashes between Toubous and government forces, opened the following day. In the Benghazi area a polling station was attacked by activists seeking autonomy for the east of the country and an election official was killed by a gun attack on a helicopter carrying voting materials on the day before the election.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Conduct
In eastern Libya former rebels closed five oil terminals at Brega, Ra's Lanuf and Sidra for 48 hours in an attempt to disrupt the elections. In Ajdabiya a pro-federalism protester was shot dead by locals when he tried to steal a ballot box from a polling station. Officials with the HNEC were denied access to Bani Walid by tribal Gaddafi loyalists who control the city, and could not monitor the voting process.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Conduct
Around 1.7 million of 2.8 million registered voters participated in the elections.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Results
According to first counts, the liberal National Forces Alliance did well in the northern areas except Misrata, whereas the race was more even in the south. The other key contenders were the Islamic Justice and Construction Party, which came in second, and Al-Watan, which in the end won no seats at all.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Results
On 17 July, the High National Election Commission announced provisional results. In the 80 proportional seats, Mahmoud Jibril's National Forces Alliance (NFA) received 48.1%, winning 39 seats. This was followed by the Justice and Construction Party (JCP), which received 10.3% and 17 seats and third was the National Front Party with 4.1% and three seats. The Union for the Homeland and the National Centrist Party also took two seats, as did the Wadi Al-Hayah Party for Democracy and Development. Fifteen other parties won one party list seat each.


2012 Libyan parliamentary election, Results
The affiliation of the 120 independents is obscure but the election for Prime Minister gave some indication: in the first round Mahmoud Jibril (NFA) got 86 votes, Mustafa Abushagur (independent) got 55 votes and Awad Barasi (JCP) got 41 votes. Then Abushagur defeated Jibril with 96 to 94. It is estimated that 25 independents are associated with the NFA, 17 with Justice and Construction, and 23 are Salafis.


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Liechtenstein on 1 July 2012 concerning limiting the extensive veto powers held by the Prince of Liechtenstein. The proposals were rejected by 76% of voters.


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Background
Prior to the 2011 referendum on abortion, Regent Alois had threatened to veto the change to the law to allow voluntary abortion in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy even if the referendum passed.


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Background
The question was agreed on 9 February, and 1,732 signatures were collected between 29 March and 9 May. Of these, 1,726 were declared valid, exceeding the 1,500 required to force a referendum. The Landtag rejected the law on 23 May by a vote of 18 to 7 and subsequently set the date of the referendum.


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Proposed changes
The proposed changes would have modified articles 9, 65, 66 and 112 of the constitution. Article 9 stated "Every law requires for its validity the sanction of the Prince", and would have been amended to add "or approval in a referendum." Article 65 would have had the sentence "If the sanction of the Prince is not received within six months, it shall be deemed to be denied" removed.


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Campaign
As a result, an initiative called "Damit deine Stimme zählt" ("So that your voice counts") was launched to change the constitution to prevent the Prince from vetoing legislation approved in referendums. To counter the campaign, opponents of the change set up a group called "Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland" ("For God, prince and fatherland").


2012 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Campaign
The Princely family threatened to veto the referendum if it resulted in a vote in favour of removing the veto, whilst Alois threatened to resign if it passed.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division
The 2012 Liga Indonesia Second Division season (Indonesian: Divisi Dua Liga Indonesia 2012) is the seventeenth edition of Liga Indonesia Second Division. The competition is organized by the PSSI leadership under Djohar Arifin Husein. The competition called with name Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
In this stage 100 clubs qualify/eligible to compete were divided into 20 groups. This stage started on 14 January 2012. Group Winner and runner-up qualify for 2nd round.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the Mutiara Kisaran Stadium, Asahan Regency and TGM Helvetia Field, Medan.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
PS Batam qualify for next stage after all of competitor is withdrew.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the KONI Field, Batanghari and Tri Lomba Juang Stadium, Jambi City.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the Purnawarman Stadium, Purwakarta and Suryakencana Stadium, Sukabumi.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the Semeru Stadium, Lumajang and Lokajaya Stadium, Tuban.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the Ngurah Rai Stadium, Denpasar and Gelora 10 November Stadium, Surabaya.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All times are Central Indonesia Time (UTC+8) and West Indonesia Time (UTC+7).


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, First stage
All games held at the GOR 17 December Stadium, Kendari.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, Second stage
In this stage 40 clubs qualify/eligible to compete were divided into 8 groups. This stage started on 28 March 2012 and ended on 3 June 2012.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, Third stage
In this stage 16 clubs qualify/eligible to compete were divided into 4 groups. This stage started on 24 June 2012 and ended on 6 July 2012.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, Round of 8
In this stage 8 clubs qualify/eligible to compete were divided into 2 groups. This stage started on 12 July 2012 and ended on 16 July 2012.


2012 Liga Amatir Indonesia Second Division, Grand final
In this stage 4 clubs qualify/eligible to compete were divided into 1 groups. This stage started on 23 to 25 October 2012.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito's 2012 season will be the club's 82nd year of existence, the 59th year in professional football, and the 51st in the top level of professional football in Ecuador.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information
Liga's squad for the season is allowed a maximum of four foreign players at any one time, and a maximum of eight throughout the season. At the start of the season, Liga was mandated to start one under-19 player in each match. The jersey numbers in the main table (directly below) refer to the number on their domestic league jersey. The under-19 players will wear a jersey number of at least #50. For each CONMEBOL competition, Liga must register 25 players, whose jerseys will be numbered 1–25. Because of this, some players may have different jersey numbers while playing in CONMEBOL matches.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information
Note: Caps and goals are of the national league and are current as of the beginning of the season.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information, Winter transfers
In a press conference on December 20, 2011, Liga de Quito announced the signings of veteran midfielder Édison Méndez of Emelec and season-long loan of Elvis Bone from Olmedo. In the same press conference, Liga announced that Argentine midfielders Ezequiel González and Lucas Acosta would not continue with the team, and that Argenis Moreira was signed by Ambato-based club Técnico Universitario. The next day it was announced that Técnico also signed midfielder William Araujo on a one-year contract. On January 4, 2011, Liga de Quito announced in a press conference the signing of Ecuadorian midfielder David Quiroz (season-long loan from Atlante). The next day, January 5, 2011, Argentinean defender Ezequiel Luna confirmed that he will be playing for Liga during the 2012 season.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Squad information, Summer transfers
On June 1, 2012, the club announced that Luis Bolaños was loaned to Club Atlas. On June 25, the club hired Eduardo Echeverría to be the new foreign player of the team. Forward Joao Plata returned to the club after a year-and-a-half on a loan from Toronto FC.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Competitions, Serie A
The 2012 season is Liga's 51st season in the Serie A and their eleventh consecutive. The league season will run from early February to early December. The format is identical to the previous season.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Competitions, Serie A, First stage
The First Stage of the season ran from February 5 to July 7. Liga finished 6th and failed to qualify to the Finals, 2012 Copa Sudamericana, 2013 Copa Libertadores and 2013 Copa Sudamericana during this stage.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Competitions, Serie A, Second stage
The Second Stage of the season ran from July 14 to December 2. Liga finished 3rd and qualified to 2013 Copa Libertadores during this stage.


2012 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season, Player statistics
Last updated: December 16, 2012.Note 1: Players in italics left the club mid-season. * Knee injury ended Vera’s season. Source:


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI)
The 2012 Liga Indonesia First Division season (Indonesian: Divisi Satu Liga Indonesia 2012) is the seventeenth edition of Liga Indonesia First Division.


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI)
The competition starts on 31 March 2012 in Tulungagung and scheduled to finish by July 2012.


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI), First stage
Total 56 clubs will participate in this season, divided into 12 groups. Some result in this stage is unknown.


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI), Second stage
Total 24 clubs will participate in this stage, divided into 6 groups. All result in this stage is unknown.


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI), Third stage
Total 12 clubs will participate in this stage, divided into 2 groups. Group winner and runner-up advances to Semifinal. Ranking 1 to 5/6 in each group promotion to 2013 Premier Division.


2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI), Knockout stage
The knockout stage of 2012 Liga Indonesia First Division (BLAI) is scheduled to begin on 10 July 2012 and to be completed on 14 July 2012 with the final at the Lebak Bulus Stadium in Jakarta.


2012 Liga Indonesia Premier Division Final
The 2011 Liga Indonesia Premier Division Final is a scheduled football match played on 8 July 2012 at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Indonesia, to determine the winner of 2011–12 Liga Indonesia Premier Division.


2012 Liga Indonesia Premier Division Final
PS Barito Putera took the title after defeating Persita Tangerang in the final with a score of 2–1. This was their first premier division title.


2012 Liga Indonesia Second Division (BLAI)
The 2012 Liga Indonesia Second Division season (Indonesian: Divisi Dua Liga Indonesia 2012) is the seventeenth edition of Liga Indonesia Second Division. The competition is organized by the Indonesia Amateur Football League Board (BLAI) of the PSSI breakaway leadership under La Nyalla Matalatti.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla
The Liguilla (English: Little League) of the 2012 Liga MX Apertura was the final knockout tournament involving eight teams of the Liga MX. The tournament began on November 14, 2012 and ended on December 12, 2012. The winners and runners-up of the competition qualified for the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Teams
The eight best teams in the general table qualified for the competition.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Bracket
The eight qualified teams play two games against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner of each match up is determined by aggregate score.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Bracket
The teams were seeded one to eight in quarterfinals, and will be re-seeded one to four in semifinals, depending on their position in the general table. The higher seeded teams play on their home field during the second leg.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Quarter-finals
The first legs of the quarterfinals were played on November 14 and 15. The second legs were played on November 17 and 18.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Quarter-finals
Kickoffs are given in local time (UTC-6 unless stated otherwise).


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Semi-finals
The first legs of the semifinals were played on November 22 and November 25. The second legs were played on December 3 and 4.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Semi-finals
Kickoffs are given in local time (UTC-6 unless stated otherwise).


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Final
The first leg of the final was played on November 29, the second leg on December 2.


2012 Liga MX Apertura Liguilla, Final
Kickoffs are given in local time (UTC-6 unless stated otherwise).


2012 Liga Nacional Juvenil de Voleibol Femenino
The 2012 Liga Nacional Juvenil de Voleibol Femenino (Spanish for: 2012 Women's Junior National Volleyball League) or 2012 LNJVF is the 2nd edition of the Peruvian Volleyball League. The competition is open for all 12 teams who have the A1 category in the LNSV, for this season 8 out of the 12 teams signed up. Teams were made up of U19 players.


2012 Liga Nacional Juvenil de Voleibol Femenino, Competing Teams
Teams were seeded according to how they finished in the previous edition.


2012 Liga Nacional Juvenil de Voleibol Femenino, Competition format
The competition is divided in two phases, the group round in which all teams will play once against the other three teams in the same pool, after the first round is finished, the top three teams will move on to the next round, meaning one team in each pool will be eliminated. The final round is a single round-robyn with all six teams playing one against the other 5, including the teams that had already played each other in the group round, the top team ranking wise will be named champion.


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino
The 2012–13 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino (Spanish for: 2011-12 Men's Senior National Volleyball League) or 2012-13 LNSVM is the 9th official season of the Peruvian Volleyball League. The winning club will qualify to the Men's South American Volleyball Club Championship.


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino, Competition format
This season uses an "Apertura and Clausura" format, first, the "Apertura" is played, with the 9 teams competing in a Round-Robyn System against each of the other eight teams. After the Round-Robyn finishes, the top four teams play semifinals as follows: 1st VS. 4th and 2nd VS. 3rd, the winners move on to the Apertura Finals. The "Clausura" is played after a break from the Apertura, with exactly the same format. After the Clausura finishes, a play-off between the winners from the Apertura and the Clausura determines the champion of the season, in case one team wins both tournaments, that team is declared the champion.


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino, Competition format, Apertura
1. Match points2. Numbers of matches won3. Sets ratio4. Points ratio


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino, Competition format, Apertura
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loserMatch won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino – Apertura
The 2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino is the 9th official season of the Peruvian Volleyball League, the first round started November 16, 2011 and ended January 22, 2012 and consists of a single Round-Robyn system where all 12 teams will play once against the other 11. Due to the preparation of some of the players for the 2012 Summer Olympics, this round served as the "Apertura" round.


2012 Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol Masculino – Apertura, Final standing procedure
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loserMatch won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser


2012 Liga Super goalscorers
This is the list of 2012 Malaysia Super League goalscorers.


2012 Ligas Departamentales del Peru
The 2012 Ligas Departamentales, the fifth division of Peruvian football (soccer), was played by variable number teams by Departament.


2012 Ligas Superiores del Peru
The 2012 Ligas Superiores, the fifth division of Peruvian football (soccer), will be played by variable number teams by Departament. The tournaments will be played on a home-and-away round-robin basis.


2012 Light Years from Home
2012 Light Years from Home is the seventh studio release by Brazilian progressive rock Apocalypse.


2012 Light Years from Home
2012 Light Years from Home was released in The 25th Anniversary Box Set that also has a live CD called Magic Spells, a DVD called The 25th Anniversary Concert and a book written by Eliton Tomasi called The 25th Anniversary Book – The Apocalypse History that tells the 25 years band's history.


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
New Sunrise opens immediately with a barrage of melodic vocals in the chorus, with a modern Yes vibe. Although the band are from Brazil all the vox are English, rather than in Portuguese as some other releases were. Eloy Fritsch's keyboards add a symphonic texture, and there are some dynamic guitars from Ruy Fritsch. The rhythms are usually straight forward, not intricate like Threshold, and they are well performed by Eloy Fritsch on bass and Fabio Schneider on drums.


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
Set me Free continues the symphonic rock style and there is an infectious riff and some labyrinthine passages of keyboard. The vocals again have that Gillan sound, and are easy on the ears, every word is discernible. Take my Heart features the flute playing of Demarchi, that sounds like Ian Anderson hijacked the studio for a few moments. The Angel and Seven Trumpets is a reference to the book of Revelation in the Bible, and it rocks along with a nice tempo.


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
On the Way to the Stars has a scorching lead guitar break from Ruy Fritsch and 'Till Another Side' has a fabulous shimmering organ sound and some delightful acoustics; one of the quietest songs with a melancholy atmosphere. Demarchi's vocals are excellent maintaining a strong high register and always integral to the melodies woven in the tapestry of guitars and keys. Morning Light opens with those Yes like harmonies before the music chimes in with a soaring lead break and very slow tempo. The lyrics in the infectious chorus are effective; "Our sun is coming out to shine again, come and take my hand to be free, Morning light, the magic horizon will come, take my hand and we'll be in a dream."


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
Find me Now is a short ballad style song reminding me of Whitesnake, and it is followed by majestic AOR rock style with 'A Cry in the Infinity'. A strange soundwave of a clock chiming, soldiers marching and aeroplanes soaring above, followed by guns and grenades exploding leads to the opening acoustics on To Kiss the Tears You Cry. After such a powerful intro it settles into a melancholy approach, almost sounding like 80s AOR like Survivor or Journey. Ruy 's wailing lead break further augments the emotive lyrics; "I'm here, close enough to kiss the tears you cry." A child's voice speaks and it leads to an extended coda with a crescendo of guitars and keys, on a fractured time signature. The Gentle Giant-ish a cappella vox harmonies are a nice touch, and the isolated whistling.


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
Blue Angel is a steady melodic rock, gently sung with lyrics that focus on longing for paradise with the blue angle; "You show me the paradise, you are my hope, you are my heart, my blue angel."


2012 Light Years from Home, Tracks
The final track lasts almost 14 minutes, opening with piano runs, and the more progressive time signature on the album. The Hammond organ lines are fast and frenetic, and is reminiscent of Keith Emerson from that band. Indeed, there are references to Tarkus which is surprising after the melodic rock previous. It settles into a mod tempo jazz figure as the vocals enter.


2012 Light Years from Home, Summary
2012 Light Years from Home is no doubt exploring areas not visited previously on other tracks, and it is a breath of fresh air that they have left their most adventurous music till last. It really is designed for headphones and one would gain the full experience if they concentrated on the lyrics as they have a powerful story to tell; one that seems to run as a theme on the album, preparing for the apocalyptic end times.


2012 Light Years from Home, Summary
Each song builds up this story and there does not seem to be a happy ending as, after all, not everything turns out like a fairytale. Though the lyrics have an optimistic ray of hope, "For you are light inside your dreams, Inside your dreams the sun will lead us, be ready to save the world, our reason to be here, the more we live, the more we learn, the more we fear, the more we lie, the spirit of imagination can lead us through the shadows, so let´s change the world." The symphonic strings and piano are strikingly like Emerson Lake & Palmer's Take a pebble, and then a synth solo like 'Karn Evil 9' enters with staccato Hammond stabs and an irregular synth rhythm. An extended hammering synth sound follows and some of the best keyboard wizardry from Eloy Fritsch.


2012 Likud leadership election
An election for the leadership of Likud was held on 31 January 2012.


2012 Likud leadership election, Background
Incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu was expected from the beginning, failing a political crisis to run for re-election. Silvan Shalom and Moshe Feiglin were touted as potential candidates to oppose Netanyahu. However, Shalom declined to run. On 29 December 2011, Feiglin announced his candidacy.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
Feiglin wishes to restore Jewish values and fight secularism and socialism. He wants to end all US aid to Israel and cancel the Oslo Accords. He accused Netanyahu of lying about Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Feiglin has worked to rally support from Likud voters in the West Bank, warning that Netanyahu will "turn left" and freeze construction again. Feiglin hopes to get at least 20% in the primaries, although he received 24% during the last primaries. Netanyahu has said to his campaign that Feiglin must not get over 20%.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
Feiglin was mentioned by supporters of Ron Paul, a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, responding to claims that Paul is anti-Israel due to his opposition to foreign aid. Feiglin refused to endorse any candidate, saying he does not like when Americans interfere in Israeli politics. However, he said he agrees with Ron Paul on foreign aid, and with Newt Gingrich on the historical status of Palestinians.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
He said Israel should have attacked Iran's nuclear program long ago, and that would be his first act in office.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
On 3 January 2012, Feiglin launched his campaign with hundreds of supporters at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem, and outlined his platform. He would "keep the entire Land of Israel, build throughout the land, expel enemies and infiltrators, and go up to the Temple Mount to sacrifice the Paschal Lamb". In addition, he would appoint a Likud defense minister, criticizing Netanyahu for maintaining former Labor leader Ehud Barak, properly equip soldiers for missions, demand that [U.S. President] Obama release Jonathan Pollard, and prevent a Meretz take-over of the Supreme Court. Supporters were encouraged to promote the candidacy of Feiglin and convince Likud voters to vote for him.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
A poll released on 16 January 2012 by Ma’agar Mochot showed Netanyahu leading Feiglin 51% to 35%, with 14% of Likud members undecided.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
Netanyahu defeated Feiglin, winning 77% of the vote. Feiglin's campaign accused Netanyahu supporters of preventing voters from voting. Analysts have said that Netanyahu's inability to win 80% is a failure.


2012 Likud leadership election, Campaign
In addition, serious allegations of vote-fixing were raised, indicating that Feiglin may have won a significantly higher percentage of the vote. These allegations were never followed up with a formal complaint, as they would not have resulted in a victory for Feiglin.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season
The 2012 season saw Lillestrøm compete in the Tippeligaen as well as the 2012 Norwegian Football Cup. They finished the season in 9th in the Tippeligaen and they were knocked out of in the Fourth Round by Bodø/Glimt. It was the club's first season with Magnus Haglund as their manager.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lillestrøm SK season, Squad, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Lima Challenger
The 2012 Lima Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Lima, Peru between 2 and 8 July 2012.


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


2012 Lima Challenger – Doubles
Martín Alund and Juan-Martín Aranguren were the champions in 2009 but decided not to participate. Facundo Argüello and Agustín Velotti won the final against Claudio Grassi and Luca Vanni 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5).


2012 Lima Challenger – Singles
Eduardo Schwank won the last edition in 2009. Guido Andreozzi won the final 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 6–2 against Facundo Argüello.


2012 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
The 2012 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship was the 118th staging of the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Limerick County Board.


2012 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
On 7 October 2012, Kilmallock won the championship after a 1-15 to 0-15 defeat of Adare in the final. It was their ninth championship title overall and their first title in two championship seasons.


2012 Linafoot
The 2012 Linafoot season, the top division of the Congolese Association Football Federation, was the 51st edition since its establishment. It began on 12 February 2012 and ended on 20 November 2012. During the mid-season break it was decided the second half of the season would consist of 10 rounds of matches only; 3 entire rounds were cancelled.


2012 Linafoot, Clubs
A total of 14 teams are contesting the league, played under a round-robbin format.


2012 LinkedIn hack
The 2012 LinkedIn hack refers to the computer hacking of LinkedIn on June 5, 2012. Passwords for nearly 6.5 million user accounts were stolen. Yevgeniy Nikulin was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 88 months in prison.


2012 LinkedIn hack
Owners of the hacked accounts were unable to access their accounts. LinkedIn said, in an official statement, that they would email members with instructions on how they could reset their passwords. In May 2016, LinkedIn discovered an additional 100 million email addresses and passwords that had been compromised from the same 2012 breach.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, The hack
The social networking website LinkedIn was hacked on June 5, 2012, and passwords for nearly 6.5 million user accounts were stolen by Russian cybercriminals. Owners of the hacked accounts were no longer able to access their accounts, and the website repeatedly encouraged its users to change their passwords after the incident. Vicente Silveira, the director of LinkedIn, confirmed, on behalf of the company, that the website was hacked in its official blog. He also said that the holders of the compromised accounts would find their passwords were no longer valid on the website.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, The hack
In May 2016, LinkedIn discovered an additional 100 million email addresses and hashed passwords that claimed to be additional data from the same 2012 breach. In response, LinkedIn invalidated the passwords of all users that had not changed their passwords since 2012.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Leak
A collection containing data about more than 700 million users, believed to have been scraped from LinkedIn, was leaked online in September, 2021 in form of a torrent file after hackers previously tried to sell it earlier in June, 2021.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
Internet security experts said that the passwords were easy to unscramble because of LinkedIn's failure to use a salt when hashing them, which is considered an insecure practice because it allows attackers to quickly reverse the scrambling process using existing standard rainbow tables, pre-made lists of matching scrambled and unscrambled passwords. Another issue that sparked controversy was the iOS app provided by LinkedIn, which grabs personal names, emails, and notes from a mobile calendar without the user's approval. Security experts working for Skycure Security said that the application collects a user's personal data and sends it to the LinkedIn server. LinkedIn claimed the permission for this feature is user-granted, and the information is sent securely using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. The company added that it had never stored or shared that information with a third party.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
Rep. Mary Bono Mack of the United States Congress commented on the incident, "How many times is this going to happen before Congress finally wakes up and takes action? This latest incident once again brings into sharp focus the need to pass data protection legislation." Senator Patrick Leahy said, "Reports of another major data breach should give pause to American consumers who, now more than ever, share sensitive personal information in their online transactions and networking ... Congress should make comprehensive data privacy and cybercrime legislation a top priority."


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
Marcus Carey, a security researcher for Rapid7, said that the hackers had penetrated the databases of LinkedIn in the preceding days. He expressed concerns that they may have had access to the website even after the attack.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
Michael Aronowitz, Vice President of Saveology said, "Everyday hundreds of sites are hacked and personal information is obtained. Stealing login information from one account can easily be used to access other accounts, which can hold personal and financial information." Security experts indicated that the stolen passwords were encrypted in a way that was fairly easy to decrypt, which was one of the reasons for the data breach.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
Katie Szpyrka, a long time user of LinkedIn from Illinois, United States, filed a $5 million lawsuit against LinkedIn, complaining that the company did not keep their promises to secure connections and databases. Erin O’Harra, a spokeswoman working for LinkedIn, when asked about the lawsuit, said that lawyers were looking to take advantage of that situation to again propose the bills SOPA and PIPA in the United States Congress.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Reaction
An amended complaint was filed on Nov. 26, 2012 on behalf of Szpyrka and another premium LinkedIn user from Virginia, United States, named Khalilah Gilmore–Wright, as class representatives for all LinkedIn users who were affected by the breach. The lawsuit sought injunctive and other equitable relief, as well as restitution and damages for the plaintiffs and members of the class.


2012 LinkedIn hack, History, Response from LinkedIn
LinkedIn apologized immediately after the data breach, and asked its users to immediately change their passwords. The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted the LinkedIn Corporation in investigating the theft. As of 8 June 2012, the investigation was still in its early stages, and the company said it was unable to determine whether the hackers were also able to steal the email addresses associated with the compromised user accounts as well. LinkedIn said that the users whose passwords are compromised would be unable to access their LinkedIn accounts using their old passwords.


2012 LinkedIn hack, Arrest and conviction of suspect
On October 5, 2016, Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin was detained by Czech police in Prague. The United States had requested an Interpol warrant for him.


2012 LinkedIn hack, Arrest and conviction of suspect
A United States grand jury indicted Nikulin and three unnamed co-conspirators on charges of aggravated identity theft and computer intrusion. Prosecutors alleged that Nikulin stole a LinkedIn employee's username and password, using them to gain access to the corporation's network. Nikulin was also accused of hacking into Dropbox and Formspring, allegedly conspiring to sell stolen Formspring customer data, including usernames, e-mail addresses, and passwords.


2012 LinkedIn hack, Arrest and conviction of suspect
Nikulin was convicted and sentenced to 88 months of imprisonment.


2012 Lion City Cup, Participants
U16 teams of AFC Ajax, FC Porto, Manchester City, Vasco da Gama were invited to play in the 24th Canon Lion City Cup in 2012. The hosts, Singapore sent in two teams: National Football Academy 15 and National Football Academy 16. The Tournament is sponsored by Canon.


2012 Lion City Cup, Results
Fixtures and results of the Canon Lion City Cup 2012.


2012 LionsXII season
The 2012 season was LionsXII's debut season in the Malaysia Super League. LionsXII returned to Malaysia competitions 18 years after their predecessor withdrew from the competitions. The Lions finished MSL runners-up at the end of the season.


2012 LionsXII season, Malaysia Super League
LionsXII debuted in the 2012 Malaysia Super League on 10 January 2012 with a 1–2 home defeat to defending champions Kelantan FA. The Lions's first win was a 2–1 victory over Kuala Lumpur FA on 17 January. They achieved the biggest win in the season by defeating Sabah FA 9–0 on 16 June 2012. LionsXII eventually finished second in the league behind Kelantan FA.


2012 LionsXII season, Malaysia Super League
On 29 December 2012, assistant coach Kadir Yahaya left his position at LionsXII and was replaced by Gombak United FC chief K. Balagumaran.


2012 LionsXII season, Malaysia FA Cup
LionsXII began their 2012 Malaysia FA Cup quest on 18 February, with a 3–0 win over UiTM FC. The LionsXII made their way to the quarter-final with a 2–0 win over Betaria FC on 10 March 2012. However, they were beaten by Terengganu FA in the quarter-finals.


2012 LionsXII season, Malaysia Cup
The Lions marked their return to their most successful competition with a 0–0 draw away to Johor FC. They eventually bowed out in the semi-finals after losing a penalty shootout to ATM FA with the score tied at 2–2 after extra time.


2012 Liquigas–Cannondale season
The 2012 season for Liquigas–Cannondale began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.


2012 Lithuanian Athletics Championships
The 89th 2012 Lithuanian Athletics Championships were held in S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas on 7–8 July 2010. For the first time Lithuanian Championships was open and athletes from Latvia, Russia and Azerbaijan also participated.


2012 Lithuanian Athletics Championships
10,000 m, race walking, decathlon/heptathlon and marathon championships was held in different tournaments.


2012 Lithuanian nuclear power referendum
An advisory referendum on the construction of a new nuclear power station was held in Lithuania on 14 October 2012, alongside parliamentary elections. The proposal was rejected by 65% of voters.


2012 Lithuanian nuclear power referendum, Background
The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, being of a similar design to the Chernobyl plant, was considered too dangerous by the European Commission and it was closed in 2009, as part of a deal agreed when Lithuania joined the EU in 2004. A referendum in 2008 had seen a large majority (89%) vote in favour of keeping the plant open, but the low turnout of 48% (with the threshold set at 50%) invalidated the result. After closing the Ignalina plant, the country became dependent on energy supplies from neighbouring Russia. Plans to build a new 1,350MW nuclear power plant at Visaginas by 2020–2022 were subsequently developed by the Lithuanian government together with Latvia, Estonia and the Japanese company Hitachi. Lithuania would own 38% of the plant, Estonia 22%, Latvia 20% and Hitachi 20%.


2012 Lithuanian nuclear power referendum, Background
On 16 July the Seimas made a decision to hold an advisory referendum on the construction of the new plant by a vote of 62–39. The proposal to hold a referendum was opposed by the ruling Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, which accused opposition parties of seeking to make political capital out of the issue prior to the elections. Former President Valdas Adamkus described the decision to hold the referendum as "nonsense," asking "What if the nation decides against, and the government decides to build it?


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 14 October 2012, with a second round on 28 October in the constituencies where no candidate won a majority in the first round of voting. All 141 seats in the Seimas were up for election; 71 in single-seat constituencies elected by majority vote and the remaining 70 in a nationwide constituency based on proportional representation. Together with the elections, a referendum on the construction of a new nuclear power plant was held.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election
The Homeland Union, which had led the outgoing government, suffered as a result of its deeply unpopular austerity policies. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party became the largest party in the Seimas after the elections, initially winning 38 seats (increasing to 39 after two by-elections). The Social Democratic Party and other left-wing parties had campaigned on the promise of ending the austerity, increasing the minimum wage, reducing unemployment and boosting public spending.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election
The Social Democratic Party formed a coalition with the Labour Party, Order and Justice and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania. The resulting government was led by Algirdas Butkevičius.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Background
The 2008 parliamentary elections were held on 12 October 2008, with the run-off on 26 October. The elections were won by the Homeland Union, which took 45 seats in the 141-member Tenth Seimas. The Homeland Union led a coalition in the parliament with the Liberal Movement, the Liberal and Centre Union and the National Resurrection Party. The populist National Resurrection Party splintered in 2010, with part of its representatives forming the Christian Party, while the remaining were absorbed by the Liberal and Centre Union in 2011. Social Democratic Party of Lithuania was the largest opposition party.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Background
The leader of the Homeland Union, Andrius Kubilius, was appointed the Prime Minister heading a coalition government. Early in the term, the economy of Lithuania headed into severe recession, putting a strain on public finances which the government attempted to control by introducing broad austerity measures, including cuts to public spending and higher taxes. Despite the unpopularity of the measures and the resulting public protests, the coalition government became the first government in the history of Lithuania to serve the full term of the parliament.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
All seats in the 141-member Seimas were up for election in parallel voting, with 71 members elected in single-seat constituencies and 70 members elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. Voting in the elections was open to all citizens of Lithuania who are at least 18-years-old.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The first round took place on 9 October 2012. Members of the Seimas in the 71 single-seat constituencies were elected by a majority vote, with a run-off held on 28 October. The remaining 70 seats were allocated to the participating political parties using the largest remainder method, with a 5% threshold to enter the parliament. Candidates took the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the elections and adjusted by preference votes given by the voters.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
To be eligible for election, candidates had to be at least 25-years-old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently resident in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the elections are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
In addition, a person who has been removed from office through impeachment may not be elected. This provision was declared to be in violation of European Convention on Human Rights in 2011, but the necessary changes to the constitution were not implemented before the election.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
The election campaign started in April 2012, when the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, officially announced the election date. Before the elections, five parties were expected to win representation in the Seimas based on the opinion polls: opposition Social Democrats, Order and Justice and Labour, as well as the ruling Homeland Union and Liberal Movement.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
Social Democratic Party, led by Algirdas Butkevičius, had been ahead in the polls for most of the year before the elections. Focusing on the public dissatisfaction with the government of Andrius Kubilius, Social Democrats promised to end the hated austerity measures and increase public spending, even as analysts suggested it would have little room to maneuver.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
Populist Labour Party had consistently ranked second in the polls, led by Russian-born businessman-turned-politician Viktor Uspaskich. As part of the election campaign, the party promised to reduce unemployment and massively increase the minimum wage. The party's vague but attractive message resonated with voters despite Uspaskich and the party long being under criminal investigation in Lithuania for false bookkeeping and tax evasion.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
Order and Justice was led by another controversial politician, Rolandas Paksas. Paksas, who was elected the President of Lithuania in 2003 and impeached in 2004. The lifetime ban preventing Paksas from running for office was deemed in violation of European Convention on Human Rights in 2011, creating the prospect of him heading the electoral list of Order and Justice. Nevertheless, the constitutional court ruled that amendments to the constitution were required to implement the decision, and Paksas was prevented from running. Order and Justice campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, also promising to reduce inequality and reduce unemployment by distributing state land to farmers.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
Homeland Union, which had led the government for the preceding four years, and their coalition partners Liberal Movement took much of the blame for the unpopular austerity measures, suffering in the polls as a result. However, the Homeland Union exceeded expectations in the municipal elections in 2011, garnering the second-largest share of the vote (behind the Social Democrats), raising hopes that both parties could take advantage of the improving economic situation following the Great Recession. President Grybauskaitė, foreign governments and the International Monetary Fund had also praised the government for the measures it took to avoid insolvency during the economic crisis.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Election campaign
Other significant parties featuring in the polls included the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, a party with substantial support in areas with significant Polish and Russian minorities, the Way of Courage, a party focused on fighting an alleged pedophile conspiracy, and YES, a movement led by the Mayor of Vilnius Artūras Zuokas.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Opinion polls
Note: The National Resurrection Party (16 seats) had merged into the Liberal and Center Union in 2011. The New Union (Social Liberals) (1 seat) had merged into the Labour Party during the same year. Additionally, four seats were held by independent candidates.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
The elections resulted in a win for Social Democratic Party, which took 38 seats in the Eleventh Seimas (up from 25). Other left-leaning parties performed well, with Labour Party winning 29 seats (up from 10) and Order and Justice getting 11 (down from 15), largely with the support of poorer and rural voters.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
The ruling Homeland Union suffered in the elections, winning 33 seats (compared to 45 in the previous elections). The result was attributed to the party paying the price for unpopular austerity measures. Nevertheless, their result was better than had been expected before the elections, and the party was able to maintain its advantage in the second-largest city Kaunas, a historical stronghold of the party, as well as move ahead in the capital Vilnius for the first time. Their coalition partners, the Liberal Movement (10 seats, down from 11), secured the lead in Lithuania's third largest city, Klaipėda.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Results
Election results in one constituency were declared invalid by the Central Election Commission due to allegations of vote-buying. The parliament subsequently invalidated the results of another constituency due to voting irregularities following a verdict of the constitutional court. New elections were held in the two constituencies, as well as in another where the member of the parliament had died in office, on 3 March 2013, with a run-off on 17 March. As a result, Social Democrats gained one seat from the table above.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Voting irregularities
Allegations of vote buying surfaced after the first round of the elections. In total, the police has investigated 27 cases of possible irregularities, including 18 suspected cases of vote buying, mostly involving the Labour Party. The Central Electoral Commission, as well as prosecution authorities,  claimed that two Labour Party members had purchased votes and the Commission invalidated the results in one single-seat constituency. Labour Party leader Uspaskich denounced the allegations as politically motivated and warned that no one should disrespect the popular choice.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Government formation
Following the elections, the winning Social Democrats proposed forming a government coalition with the Labour Party and Order and Justice, with Algirdas Butkevičius as the designated Prime Minister. President Grybauskaitė indicated that she would not accept the Labour Party as part of the government, due to the allegation of electoral fraud and fraudulent bookkeeping. The outgoing prime minister Kubilius presented the Homeland Union as an alternative coalition partner, a suggestion that Butkevičius quickly rejected.


2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Government formation
After the longest period of government formation in modern Lithuanian history, a coalition government consisting of Social Democrats, Labour, Order and Justice and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania was appointed in December. President Grybauskaitė confirmed the government after initially rejecting all of the ministers proposed by the Labour Party.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
The 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the 16th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game that was held on December 26, 2012 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan as part of the 2012–13 NCAA football bowl season.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
The game was telecasted at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN. It featured the WKU Hilltoppers from the Sun Belt Conference against the Central Michigan Chippewas from the Mid-American Conference and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. The Hilltoppers accepted their invitation after finishing 7–5 during their regular season, while the Chippewas accepted theirs after finishing 6–6. Central Michigan won the game by a score of 24-21 over Western Kentucky.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams
Under normal circumstances, the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl would feature the eighth bowl-eligible team from the Big Ten Conference against the Mid-American Conference champions. However, with the Big Ten only fielding seven bowl-eligible teams and the MAC champion Northern Illinois Huskies playing in the 2013 Orange Bowl, the spots were open this year.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, Central Michigan
The Chippewas finished in fourth place in the MAC's West Division, also finishing with a 4–4 conference record. After claiming a 6–6 mark in the regular season, the Chippewas accepted an invite to the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, Central Michigan
This was the Chippewas' fourth Little Caesars Pizza Bowl; thus far their record in the game was 1–2, defeating the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 31–14 in the 2006 game, but losing to the Purdue Boilermakers 51–48 in the 2007 game and to the Florida Atlantic Owls 24–21 in the 2008 game.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, WKU
The Hilltoppers finished in fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 4–4 record. After claiming a 7–5 mark in the regular season, the Hilltoppers accepted an invite to the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, WKU
This was the first bowl game in school history for the Hilltoppers, being one of two teams making their bowl debut this season (along with fellow Sun Belt member the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks).


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, WKU
On December 7, Hilltoppers head coach Willie Taggart accepted the vacant head coaching position at South Florida. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry was named as interim head coach for the bowl game. Although WKU hired Bobby Petrino as Taggart's permanent replacement three days later, it announced that Guidry would still coach in Detroit.


2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Teams, WKU
This was Guidry's second stint as an interim head coach at an FBS program. He had previously been interim coach at Miami (OH) in the 2010–11 bowl season, coaching the RedHawks to a win in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl. His coaching stint at Miami was most noted for his locker-room speech to the RedHawks just before the bowl, a 90-second reflection on the history of the program that went viral. The win made the 2010 RedHawks the first team in FBS history to follow a 10-loss season with a 10-win season.


2012 Little League Softball World Series
The 2012 Little League Softball World Series was held in Portland, Oregon from August 8 to August 14, 2012. Six teams from the United States and four from throughout the world competed for the Little League Softball World Champions.


2012 Little League Softball World Series, Teams
Each team that competes in the tournament will come out of one of the 10 regions.


2012 Little League World Series
The 2012 Little League World Series started in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on August 16 and ended on August 26. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed in the 66th edition of this tournament. Tokyo Kitasuna Little League of Tokyo, Japan, defeated Goodlettsville Baseball Little League of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, 12–2 in the World Championship game. For the country of Japan, it was the eighth LLWS championship overall, and the second in three years. This was the last World Series to feature players born in the 1900s.


2012 Little League World Series, Results
The drawing to determine the opening round pairings, as well as the unveiling of the schedule, took place on June 14, 2012.


2012 Little League World Series, Results, Crossover games
Teams that lose their first two games get to play a crossover game against a team from the other side of the bracket that also lost its first two games. These games are labeled Game A and Game B.


2012 Little League World Series, Results, Consolation game
The consolation game is played between the loser of the United States championship and the loser of the International championship.


2012 Little League World Series, Champions path
The Tokyo Kitasuna LL reached the LLWS by winning all 8 of their Tokyo and national tournament games. In total, they went undefeated with a 13–0 record.


2012 Little League World Series qualification
Qualification for the 2012 Little League World Series took place in eight United States regions and eight international regions from June through August 2012.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Great Lakes
Note: Michigan fell to fifth place based on a tiebreaker of runs scored against divided by innings played.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Mid-Atlantic
The tournament took place in Bristol, Connecticut on August 3–12.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Midwest
Note: The Dakotas are organized into a single Little League district.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, New England
The tournament took place in Bristol, Connecticut on August 3–11.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Northwest
The tournament took place in San Bernardino, California on August 3–11.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Southeast
The tournament took place in Warner Robins, Georgia on August 3–10.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, Southwest
The tournament took place in Waco, Texas on August 3–9.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, United States, West
The tournament took place in San Bernardino, California on August 3–11.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Asia-Pacific
The tournament took place in Taichung, Taiwan from July 2–8.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Asia-Pacific
1 Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, due to complicated relations with People's Republic of China, is recognized by the name Chinese Taipei by majority of international organizations including Little League Baseball(LLB). For more information, please see Cross-Strait relations.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Canada
The tournament took place in Edmonton, Alberta on August 4–11.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Caribbean
The tournament took place in Guayama, Puerto Rico on July 7–14.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Europe
The tournament took place in Kutno, Poland on July 20–28.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Japan
The first two rounds of the tournament were held on June 30, and the remaining two rounds, originally scheduled for July 7, were played July 15. All games were played in Tokyo.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Latin America
The tournament took place in Aguadulce, Panama on July 8–15.


2012 Little League World Series qualification, International, Middle East-Africa
The tournament took place in Kutno, Poland on July 13–16.


2012 Little League World Series results
The results of the 2012 Little League World Series were determined between August 16 and August 26, 2012 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 16 teams were divided into two groups, one with eight teams from the United States and another with eight international teams, with both groups playing a modified double-elimination tournament. In each group, the last remaining undefeated team faced the last remaining team with one loss, with the winners of those games advancing to play for the Little League World Series championship. All times shown are US EDT.


2012 Liverpool City Council election
Elections to Liverpool City Council were held on 3 May 2012, on the same day as other 2012 United Kingdom local elections, in addition to electing a mayor for the region.


2012 Liverpool City Council election
Councillors who were elected in the 2008 Liverpool Council election defended their seats in 2012 and the vote share comparisons have been worked out on this basis.


2012 Liverpool City Council election, By-Elections, Allerton and Hunts Cross, 5 July 2012
Caused by the death of Councillor Vera Best (Liberal Democrat, elected 6 May 2010)


2012 Liverpool City Council election, By-Elections, Riverside, 5 July 2012
Caused by the resignation of Joe Anderson on his being elected as Mayor of Liverpool.


2012 Liverpool City Council election, By-Elections, Knotty Ash, 15 November 2012
Caused by the resignation of Jacqui Nasuh (Labour, elected 6 May 2010).


2012 Liverpool City Council election, By-Elections, Riverside, 5 December 2013
Caused by the resignation of Paul Brant ( Labour, elected 5 May 2011).


2012 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The 2012 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was the 98th running of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège, a single-day cycling race. It was held on 22 April 2012 over a distance of 257.5 kilometres (160.0 miles), starting in Liège and finishing in Ans, via Bastogne in the Ardennes region of Belgium. It was the thirteenth race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season.


2012 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The race was won by Astana rider Maxim Iglinsky after catching Liquigas–Cannondale's Vincenzo Nibali in the closing stages of the race after Nibali had attempted to win the race with a 20 km (12.4 mi) attack. Iglinsky caught him with around 1 km (0.6 mi) to go, and eventually won by 21 seconds over Nibali, while Amstel Gold Race winner Enrico Gasparotto rounded out the podium placings for Astana. Defending race-winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) could only finish sixteenth in the race, almost 90 seconds down on Iglinsky.


2012 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Participating teams
As Liège–Bastogne–Liège was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obliged to send a squad. Seven other squads were given wildcard places into the race, and as such, formed the event's 25-team peloton.


2012 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Participating teams
The teams that were invited – wildcard teams denoted by * – were:


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash
On 23 August 2012, a hot air balloon on a commercial sightseeing flight crashed in stormy weather on the Ljubljana Marshes in central Slovenia, killing 6 of the 32 people on board.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Accident
On 23 August at 7:54 am CEST (05:54 UTC), a hot air balloon carrying 32 passengers, mostly tourists, crashed and caught fire during a thunderstorm on the Ljubljana Marshes, in the Municipality of Ig, 7 km (4 mi) south of Ljubljana. A sudden weather change caused the pilot to try to land immediately. However, the emergency landing was thwarted by wind shear and the balloon hit nearby trees. A fire then broke out.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Aircraft
The balloon was a Lindstrand Balloons LBL 600C. It was the largest balloon in the country and the largest serially manufactured balloon in the world. The basket of the balloon was 5.20 meters (17.1 feet) long and 1.70 metres (5 feet 7 inches) wide, and had four compartments.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Victims
Four people on board were immediately killed during the accident and 28 others were injured. The four dead at the scene were charred beyond recognition. All four were from Ljubljana: a couple, their 11-year-old daughter, and a 56-year-old woman. Ten people had to be resuscitated. All of the survivors, aged from about 10 to about 60 years, received medical care. Two of the injured people were British and another two were Italian citizens. Two of the injured later died: a woman who died two weeks after the accident in Ljubljana, and a 59-year-old man from Ljubljana who died a few days after in Maribor.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Aftermath
On the same day at 7:00 pm, a mass for the dead and injured was held in St. Michael's Church on the Marshes in Črna Vas by Anton Jamnik, the auxiliary Bishop of Ljubljana. It was attended by about 400 people.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Aftermath
Slovene Civil Aviation Agency reported on 27 August 2012 that commercial hot air balloon flights were banned temporarily. The duration of the ban was not given, but the balloon crash was cited as the reason for the ban. Throughout the next year, all involved parties coordinated proposals for stricter rules, which were accepted, and new licenses were granted again starting in August 2013. In the meantime, several operators closed because they were prevented from selling flights, while the remaining ones faced severely reduced sales even after the ban was lifted.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Investigation and trial
The investigation by the Slovenian Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission found that the main cause of the accident was the "improper technique used in operating balloon type LBL 600C in the landing phase." Contributory factors were "insufficient meteorological planning" and lack of consideration for the weather conditions at the time of the flight.


2012 Ljubljana Marshes hot air balloon crash, Investigation and trial
In a preliminary hearing, the pilot denied all these statements, pleading not guilty to the charge of causing general danger. The court trial began in November 2016. Two years later, the district court exonerated the defendant, based on an opinion of a foreign expert.


2012 London Assembly election
The London Assembly election of 2012 was an election of members to the London Assembly which took place on Thursday, 3 May 2012, the same day as the 2012 London mayoral election, and the 2012 United Kingdom local elections. Although Conservative candidate Boris Johnson won the Mayoral election, the Assembly election produced the Labour Party's best result since the inception of the London Assembly; this was subsequently surpassed by the party's performance in the 2016 election.


2012 London Assembly election, Overview
The Assembly is elected by the Additional Member System. There are fourteen directly elected constituencies, all of which have, to date, only ever been won by the Conservative Party or the Labour Party. An additional eleven members are allocated by a London wide top-up vote with the proviso that parties must win at least five percent of the vote to qualify for the list seats.


2012 London Assembly election, Overview
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in London who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 3 May 2012 were entitled to vote in the Assembly election. Those who were temporarily away from London (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the Assembly election. The deadline to register to vote in the election was midnight on Wednesday 18 April 2012, though anyone who qualified as an anonymous elector had until midnight on Thursday 26 April 2012 to register.


2012 London Assembly election, Results
†Note: UKIP were listed on the ballot paper as 'Fresh Choice for London'.


2012 London Broncos season
The 2012 London Broncos season was the thirty-third in the club's history, their seventeenth season in the Super League and their first re-branded back to the London Broncos. Competing in Super League XVII, the club was coached by Rob Powell until midseason when he was replaced by Tony Rea. They finished in 12th place and reaching the Quarter Finals of the 2012 Challenge Cup.


2012 London Broncos season
They were captained by Craig Gower, finishing Super League's regular season 12th out of 14 teams, thus failing to reach the play-offs for the 7th consecutive year.


2012 London Marathon
The 2012 London Marathon was the 32nd running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 22 April. Both of the elite races were won by Kenyan athletes, and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede was the only non-Kenyan to reach the podium in either race. Mary Jepkosgei Keitany won the women's elite race for the second year running with a Kenyan record time of 2:18:37 hours. Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich was the men's race winner with a time of 2:04:44 – four seconds off Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai's course record set at the 2011 London Marathon.


2012 London Marathon
Around 170,150 people applied to enter the race: 50,200 had their applications accepted and 37,227 started the race. A total of 36,699, 23,634 men and 13,065 women, finished the race.


2012 London Marathon
The top British finishers, Lee Merrien (17th) and Claire Hallissey (11th), earned the opportunity to compete for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The wheelchair races were won by two British athletes: David Weir took the men's title while Shelly Woods was the women's winner.


2012 London Marathon
A fun runner, Claire Squires, died after collapsing in the final mile of the race. In response to publicity of her death, the general public made donations to her fund raising page at the Justgiving website. Over 80,000 separate donations were made, raising a total of over £1 million for Samaritans.


2012 London Marathon
A mini marathon was held for under-17 athletes over the last three miles of the course. Michael Callegari (14:54) and Jessica Judd (her fourth straight title in 16:04) won the able-bodied races while Sheikh Sheikh (12:30) and Jade Jones (12:59) won the wheelchair races.


2012 London Sevens
The 2012 London Sevens was the sixth edition of the tournament and the ninth tournament of the 2011–12 IRB Sevens World Series. The host stadium was the Twickenham Stadium.


2012 London Sevens
Fiji won the title by defeating Samoa 38–15 in the final.


2012 London Sevens, Format
The teams were divided into pools of four teams, who played a round-robin within the pool. Points were awarded in each pool on a different schedule from most rugby tournaments—3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss. The top two teams in each pool advanced to the Cup competition. The four quarterfinal losers dropped into the bracket for the Plate. The Bowl was contested by the third- and fourth-place finishers in each pool, with the losers in the Bowl quarterfinals dropping into the bracket for the Shield.


2012 London mayoral election
The 2012 London mayoral election was an election held on Thursday 3 May 2012, to elect the Mayor of London. It was held on the same day as the London Assembly election, and used a supplementary vote system.


2012 London mayoral election
The election was won by the incumbent mayor Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party, who was seeking re-election for a second term as Mayor. Ken Livingstone, who had been Mayor between 2000 and 2008, was seeking a third, non-consecutive term as the Labour candidate. As of the 2021 London mayoral election, this was the last time that London voted for a Conservative Party Mayor.


2012 London mayoral election, Results
The turnout was 38.1%, a decrease from 45.33% in the previous election.


2012 London mayoral election, Results
Shortly before midnight on 4 May, Boris Johnson was declared the re-elected Mayor of London.


2012 London mayoral election, Background
At the 2008 mayoral election, Boris Johnson defeated incumbent mayor Ken Livingstone. Livingstone's defeat had been attributed to a loss of support amongst swing voters and voters in London's outer suburbs. The contest was also one of the 2008 local elections, which generally demonstrated poor results for Labour.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Conservative Party
Media reports alleged tension between Johnson and the national Conservative leadership as well as the Conservative-controlled central government. This might have led Johnson to seek a parliamentary seat to challenge these two entities rather than seek a second term as mayor. However, on 10 September 2010, he announced his intention to stand for a second term. At a re-selection meeting on 14 October 2010, he faced a period of questioning, before being unanimously adopted as the Conservatives' candidate.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Labour Party
The Labour Party candidate for Mayor was elected by an electoral college composed half-and-half of the votes of Labour members in London and the votes of affiliated organisations. The ballot papers were issued around early September 2010, and the winner was announced on 24 September. Four people initially sought the nomination: Ken Livingstone, Oona King, Seton During and Emmanuel Okoro.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Labour Party
Several Labour politicians such as Peter Mandelson, Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan, James Purnell, Lord Sugar, Alan Johnson, Tony McNulty and David Lammy were all touted as potential candidates, but none of these decided to run. Ken Livingstone had announced his intention to regain the mayoralty in March 2009 and said at the time that he would run as an independent if he failed to gain Labour's nomination, as he had done successfully in 2000. Former MP and Channel 4 Diversity Officer Oona King announced her bid for the candidacy in May 2010.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Labour Party
Prior to the vote, Livingstone gained the support of the GMB and Unite trade unions, as well as the backing of the majority of Labour members in the London Assembly. The Economist wrote that he was "by some distance the favourite to win the candidacy".


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Labour Party
On 24 September 2010, the Labour Party announced that Livingstone had defeated King for the nomination by a wide margin, the former mayor gaining 68.8% of the total votes.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Liberal Democrats
Around the beginning of September 2010, the Liberal Democrats started accepting applications for their nominee. Lembit Öpik, Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire from 1997 until his defeated re-election bid in 2010, said in June 2010 that he would like to be their candidate. Liberal Democrat councillor Duwayne Brooks, a friend of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence who was with him when he died, also put himself forward. Caroline Pidgeon, Floella Benjamin, Joanna Lumley, Brian Paddick and Susan Kramer were also seen as possible candidates. Jeremy Ambache, a former parliamentary candidate for Putney, also put his name down for selection for his party however he did not continue his campaign since he defected to Labour.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Liberal Democrats
On 15 October 2010, plans for selecting a candidate were deferred for twelve months. On 12 July 2011, the new shortlist of four candidates was announced. As a result of the announcement of the shortlist a High Court complaint was lodged by Patrick Streeter who was unsuccessful in being shortlisted. Subsequently, the High Court ruled the Liberal Democrats selection process fair and lawful. The result was declared after a ballot of party members on 2 September. The four candidates were Öpik, Paddick, Brian Haley and Mike Tuffrey. Haley is a councillor in Haringey and was a member of the Labour Party until defecting in January 2010. Paddick was the party's candidate in 2008 and previously Deputy Assistant Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. Tuffrey led the Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly between 2006 and 2010.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, Green Party
The Green Party announced its shortlist on 2 February 2011. London members chose Assembly member Jenny Jones, who won 67% of votes cast, over lecturer Shahrar Ali and writer Farid Bakht. Jenny Jones served as Deputy Mayor 2003–2004 during the first term of Ken Livingstone, when he was an Independent Mayor.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, British National Party
On 7 September 2011 the British National Party (BNP) announced London member Carlos Gerardo Cortiglia as its candidate, who is a press officer for the party. Cortiglia was born in Uruguay of Spanish and Italian ancestry and came to the United Kingdom in 1989. He has previously taken part in a televised abortion debate on RT (Russia Today) in his capacity as press officer and was a list candidate for the party in the assembly elections in 2004. He has worked for the BBC World Service and has been involved in several areas of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including television, radio and Internet via London Radio Service, British Satellite News, APTN and other media.


2012 London mayoral election, Candidates and their selection processes, UK Independence Party
On 2 June 2011, an email was sent to all UKIP members from the Executive Chairman setting out a timetable for selection and requesting applications from possible candidates. The party held an online poll, the results of which influenced the final vote. The six candidates were David Coburn, Michael Corby, Michael McGough, Paul Oakley, Winston McKenzie and Lawrence Webb. On 5 September 2011, Webb was selected by London members as the UKIP candidate. However, he stood under the description "Fresh Choice for London" rather than under the party label. This, the New Statesman revealed, was because of an error by the party, which forgot to put its name on the nomination papers.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign
Much of the campaign period was focused on the tax affairs of the main two candidates, Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone. The Livingstone campaign has been dogged by scandal over his tax affairs. Livingstone was accused of hypocrisy, having berated those who avoid tax while organising his own affairs in a manner that reduces his tax liabilities. It is claimed that he had his accountant arranged for his earnings from media work to be channelled into a private company to avoid the 50p top tax rate. Personal tensions between Livingstone and Johnson ran high, with Johnson cornering Livingstone in a lift and screaming, "You’re a fucking liar, you’re a fucking liar, you’re a fucking liar," after a radio interview in which Livingstone accused him of using similar arrangements.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign
Polling showed that Livingstone was less popular than the Labour Party, while Johnson was more popular than the Conservatives. In March, a Yougov poll indicated that almost 1 in 3 Labour voters would not be voting for Livingstone (31%). One website dedicated to Labour politics has highlighted this as a problem for his campaign saying:


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign
Unless Labour divert valuable campaign time and resources to addressing Ken Livingstone’s negatives, then the doubts which are driving away ever more Labour supporters will simply not be addressed.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign
Some in the Labour Party were critical of Livingstone off the record, with one MP speaking anonymously suggesting that the internal contest to pick a mayoral candidate had been run far too early, thus no alternate candidates had experienced electoral teams ready. Labour peer Lord Sugar urged people not to vote for Livingstone, while two other Labour peers, Lord Desai and Lord Winston, have also been critical of Livingstone.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign
Livingstone's core proposal was for a significant cut in public transport fares, although his ability to fund this was questioned.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign, Other candidates
Jenny Jones launched her mayoral campaign as the Green Party candidate on 16 October 2011 with the release of a mini manifesto.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign, Other candidates
UKIP candidate Lawrence Webb was listed as 'Fresh Choice for London' rather than as the UK Independence Party on the ballot paper, albeit with the UKIP logo, after they filled in nomination papers incorrectly. UKIP leader Nigel Farage was described as "furious" at this, saying it was a "cockup" which cost UKIP votes.


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign, Other candidates
Cortiglia's core policies included free weekend travel on public transport and a minimum five-year prison term for knife crime. However, his candidacy was marked by controversy over a 2003 interview, in which Cortiglia is quoted:


2012 London mayoral election, Campaign, Other candidates
Soy argentino oriental, o dicho de otro modo, uruguayo de nacimiento, y me siento muy ligado emocionalmente a la República Argentina. En 1982 me ofrecí como voluntario para ir a las Islas Malvinas. Todo nació de mi gran interés por la historia y por haber crecido nutrido por los ideales de lo que podría haber sido y finalmente no fue. Esto me llevó finalmente a involucrarme en la carrera periodística que, en definitiva, fue lo que me trajo al Reino Unido.