2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 22 November, Morsi issued a constitutional declaration and dismissed Egypt's prosecutor general Abdel Maguid Mahmoud who was replaced by Talaat Ibrahim Abdullah. This caused a disagreement amongst Egyptian judges and condemnation from various organizations. His decree was called "an unprecedented attack on judicial independence" by the Supreme Council of the Judiciary. Morsi said that the decree was made to prevent the courts from dissolving the Constitutional Assembly. Three protests were held outside the court building. Mohamed ElBaradei, a former UN diplomat, called for withdrawal of the decree. While the declaration was immediately criticized by Morsi opponents, his supporters defended Morsi's move. Morsi's declaration contained the following:


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 23 November, protests erupted in Cairo, the port city of Alexandria and elsewhere around Egypt, as opponents of Morsi clashed with his supporters over his 22 November declaration. Protesters torched the offices of Egypt's ruling Islamist party, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, in Suez, Alexandria and other cities. Essam el-Erian, a leading figure of Morsi's FJP, condemned attacks on party property. Media organizations noted that the events showed Egypt was a divided country. Morsi defended amid the protests before his supporters his declaration stating that he was working to secure a strong and stable nation and leading Egypt on a path to "freedom and democracy".


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 24 November, the Supreme Judicial Council lambasted the president's constitutional declaration and called it an "unprecedented attack on the independence of the judicial branch". The leadership of the Egypt Judges Club, an association of judges from across the country, called for a nationwide strike in all courts and prosecution offices to protest the president's declaration. State news media reported that judges and prosecutors had already declared a strike in Alexandria. MENA news agency reported that Egyptian human rights agencies filed a lawsuit at the Court of Administrative Justice calling for the declaration to be annulled. There were also clashes in Cairo between protesters and security forces, between opponents and supporters of the government.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 25 November, shares on Egypt's stock market plunged almost 10%. Trading was suspended for 30 minutes as shares slumped in the first session since the president's 22 November constitutional declaration. The Muslim Brotherhood had called for nationwide protests on 25 November in support of Morsi's declaration. Judges in two of the country's 27 provinces, including Alexandria, heeded the call to strike while those elsewhere in the country were meeting to decide their response. After a meeting with Egypt's justice minister, Ahmed Mekki urged judges not to disrupt their work by joining in a proposed strike over the decree.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
But the council also urged the president to scale back his writ, to limit the immunity from judicial review he decreed for "laws and decisions issued by the president as sovereignty acts", a reference to Egyptian legal precedents that could justify such executive action in certain circumstances. The Muslim Brotherhood's party offices in Damanhour, Alexandria, Mansoura, Suez and Cairo were ransacked and damaged in the wake of the 22 November constitutional declaration.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
Five hundred people were injured in clashes with the police, and 15-year-old Islam Fathi Masoud died after being hit on the head with a club wielded by one of dozens of men who attacked the MB's offices in the northern city of Damanhour. The Al-Ahram state newspaper said that three women were victims of sexual assault during an anti-Morsi demonstration. Egypt state news media reported that Morsi advisers who had resigned over the decree included Samir Morqos, one of the few Christians in the administration; Sekina Fouad, one of the few women, and Farouk Guweida, a poet and intellectual.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 26 November, The Court of Administrative Justice said it would hold a first hearing on 4 December in a case brought by lawyers and activists against the declaration. Morsi met with representatives of the Supreme Judicial Council in an effort to settle the crisis over the extent of his powers following his 22 November constitutional declaration. He agreed to limit his decree on his decisions related to "sovereign matters" only. Morsi "did not give himself judicial power" but did provide "immunity for his presidential decisions," said Jihad Haddad, a senior adviser in the Freedom and Justice Party.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
Haddad added that "the president himself (is) not immune from judicial oversight," though it wasn't clear in what circumstances that might apply, or if there was anything preventing Morsi from issuing a new decree to forestall that. According to Al-Jazeera "sovereign matters" were widely interpreted to cover the declaration of war, imposition of martial law, breaking diplomatic relations with a foreign nation, or dismissing the cabinet. Activists on Monday camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a fourth day, blocking traffic with makeshift barricades to protest against what they said was a power-grab by Morsi.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
Nearby, riot police and protesters clashed intermittently. In addition to popular outbursts on the street, Egypt's judges reacted. All but seven of Egypt's 34 courts and 90% of its prosecutors went on strike Monday in protest, according to Judge Mohamed al-Zind of the Egyptian Judge's Club. Muslim Brotherhood supporters staged a counter-demonstration, while they were relocated from central Cairo to a location in front of Cairo University in Giza. Egypt's stock market, which had seen a fall of almost 10% on 25 November 2012, recovered some ground on Monday morning.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
Islam Fathy Massoud member of the Muslim Brotherhood was killed during protests in Damanhour. Gaber Salah, a member of the April 6 Youth Movement, was pronounced dead. He had received a rubber bullet shot at close range during clashes with riot police in downtown Cairo. The funeral of Islam Fathy Massoud, who died in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour in a clash between the president's supporters and opponents, was held on Monday, while in Cairo thousands of people marched through Tahrir Square for the funeral of Gaber Salah.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 27 November, tens of thousands of people held protests in Cairo against Morsi demanding that their first freely elected leader respect their wishes either to roll back his 22 November constitutional declaration or to resign. At least one demonstrator died in early clashes with authorities before Tuesday night's massive rally. The opposition Popular Alliance Party said the protester died after inhaling excessive amounts of tear gas, which police used in numerous scuffles with rock-throwing protesters on the side streets leading to the square.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
And in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla, police reported dozens of injuries when demonstrators stormed and destroyed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood. Protests were also held in Alexandria and other cities. FJP offices in Alexandria and Mansoura were stormed, with the latter set ablaze. The Muslim Brotherhood scrapped its own demonstration to show support for Morsi – also scheduled for 27 November 2012 – "to avoid any problems due to tension in the political arena," according to spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 28 November, in an interview with TIME magazine  Morsi said of his 22 November constitutional declaration: "If we had a constitution, then all of what I have said or done last week, will stop. ... when we have a constitution, what I have issued will stop immediately. ... " The Constituent Assembly of Egypt rushed to finish its work amid widespread protests against Morsi and his declaration.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
The rush toward a new constitution spurred a walkout among its drafters, i.e. liberals, human rights activists, and others who were unsatisfied with a range of provisions dealing with the role of religion in the state, the status of women, and the privileges accorded to the country's army. According to the BBC's Jon Leybe the move was designed to preempt a ruling by Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court on 2 December, which might once again dissolve the assembly.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
The Brotherhood hoped that the decree replaced by a completely new constitution would be approved on a referendum and put an end to the unrest. Low-level rallies continued in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday. Dozens of police officers, backed by trucks firing tear gas, arrested numerous protesters, some of whom were beaten by officers as others continued to throw stones at police. The Brotherhood organized counter-demonstrations, including one in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, which attracted a few thousand participants.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
As protests mounted over Morsi's decision to grant himself sweeping powers until the text of the constitution was ratified in a referendum, the panel tasked with writing the constitution wrapped up its deliberations on Wednesday and readied for a vote on Thursday. By 28 November two more people were killed and hundreds more injured. Egypt Independent reported that one of the dead was Fathy Ghareeb, a founder of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, who died by suffocation caused by the tear gas fired by the Central Security Forces (CSF) in Tahrir Square. Egypt's Court of Cassation, the country's highest appeals court, the Cairo Appeals Court, and other appeals courts suspended their work until Morsi's decree was rescinded.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 29 November, voting on the new constitution by the Constituent Assembly of Egypt began, and continued through Thursday night. There were protests against Morsi outside the presidential palace and a small protest supporting Morsi in Giza on the outskirts of Cairo. The new constitution adopted the first part of the draft that included the Sharia as the main source of legislation and making Islam a state religion. Egyptian State TV reported that Christianity and Judaism would be the main source for legislation for Christians and Jews. The liberals, left-wing, and Christians boycotted the assembly and accused the Islamists of trying to impose their vision; they also accused them of trying to limit freedom of speech as well as not including articles establishing equality between men and women.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, November 2012
On 30 November, racing against the threat of dissolution by Supreme Constitutional Court judges appointed by the ousted Mubarak, quickly defusing anger about Morsi's 22 November declaration granting himself expanded presidential powers and ignoring howls of protest from secular opponents, the Islamists drafting the new constitution voted on 29 November 2012 to approve the 2012 Draft Constitution of Egypt that human rights groups and international experts said was full of holes and ambiguities and that was criticized by secular, liberal and Coptic Egyptians. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in various governorates to denounce the constitutional declaration issued on 22 November, as well as the final draft of the constitution approved by the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly. In Alexandria, anti-Morsi protesters clashed with Morsi's supporters, but no injuries were reported.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 1 December, Morsi announced that a constitutional referendum on the 2012 Draft Constitution of Egypt would be held on 15 December 2012. Islamist backers of Morsi held mass rallies at Cairo University and other cities to support his sweeping new powers and the drafting of a constitution, while several thousand of Morsi's opponents rallied in Tahrir Square to oppose the draft constitution and what they described as Morsi's power grab.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 2 December, the Supreme Constitutional Court put off its much-awaited ruling on the legitimacy of the constituent assembly that passed the draft constitution, and on a separate but related decision about whether to dissolve the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of parliament. It said it was halting all work indefinitely in protest against the "psychological pressure" it had faced, after Islamist protesters earlier prevented the judges from meeting in Cairo. Anti - Morsi protesters continued to occupy Tahrir Square. Leaders of the Judges Club, a powerful but unofficial body which represents judges across the country, announced that its members would refuse to perform their customary roles as election supervisors and would thus try to block a referendum on the new constitution scheduled for 15 December.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 3 December the Supreme Judicial Council, said that judges and prosecutors would supervise the constitutional referendum to be held on 15 December despite the Judges Club strike announcement from 2 December. In addition, seven cases against Morsi's call for the referendum were filed in an administrative court


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 4 December, police fought the demonstrators in front of the Presidential Palace in Cairo. Demonstrators proclaimed a march to the Presidential Palace, calling it "the last warning." The demonstrators cut through a barbed-wire barrier near the Palace, after which police fired tear gas at them as Morsi fled. More violence broke out at the headquarters of the Freedom and Justice Party in Menia, south of Cairo, where the front of the party headquarters was damaged.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
Egypt Independent, the English-language sister publication of the country's largest independent daily, Al Masry Al Youm, and 10 others did not publish to protest limits on the draft constitution's protections for freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Prosecutor General Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah filed a complaint charging former presidential candidates Moussa and Sabbahi, as well as El-Baradei, Wafd Party president El-Sayyid el-Badawi, and Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend with espionage and inciting to overthrow the government. The lawyer who filed the report, Hamed Sadeq, claimed that Moussa met with former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and agreed with her to fabricate a crisis. It was further alleged that all of politicians named in the complaint met at the Wafd Party headquarters to execute the "Zionist plot."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 5 December 100,000 people were estimated to have protested at the Presidential Palace and at Tahrir Square against Morsi's constitution, asserting it represented an effort to seize control of the judiciary. Many began demanding the "fall of the regime" as they fought running battles with police who deployed tear gas before retreating from the area, outnumbered by protesters. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood attacked 300 of Morsi's opponents during a sit-in.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
Members of the Egyptian Popular Current Mohamed Essam and Karam Gergis were killed in the clashes surrounding Heliopolis Palace between protesters against the new Constitution and Muslim Brotherhood members, which attacked the demonstrators with molotov cocktails. The Health Ministry reported four were killed and 271 were injured. Masked men set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in Suez, Ismailia and Zagazig.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 6 December, supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood held counter protests the next day at the Presidential Palace, and clashed with anti-Morsi protesters in street battles that saw seven people killed and more than 650 injured. Morsi met with Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, chief of the Egyptian Army, and with his cabinet ministers, to discuss a "means to deal with the situation on different political, security, and legal levels to stabilize Egypt and protect the gains of the revolution." Soldiers backed by tanks moved in to restore order as the death toll began to rise.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
While addressing the nation, Morsi criticized the opposition "for trying to incite violence" against his legitimacy. During his speech he invited his opponents to a common dialogue, but they rejected it because Morsi remained determined to press forward with the referendum on the Islamist-backed draft constitution that had plunged Egypt into a political crisis. Meanwhile, the government imposed a curfew after the military sent tanks and armored vehicles into Cairo. Morsi's family was forced to evacuate their home in Zagazig, 47 miles (76 km) northeast of Cairo. Four of Morsi's advisers resigned their posts in protest against the violence, which they claimed was orchestrated by the Muslim Brotherhood supporters.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 7 December, Morsi supporters and anti-Morsi demonstrators continued their protests in different cities including Cairo, Alexandria, and Assiut. Demonstrators in Assiut chanted "No Brotherhood, no Salafis, Egypt is a civic state." Dozens of protesters threw rocks and glass bottles at Morsi's home in Sharkia province and tried to push aside a police barrier. Advisers and Brotherhood leaders acknowledged that outside his core base of Islamist supporters Morsi felt increasingly isolated in the political arena and even within his own government.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
Opposition leaders said in a statement that Morsi's 6 December dialogue offer failed to meet "the principles of real and serious negotiations" and displayed "the complete disregard" for the opposition's demands. They said they would not negotiate with Morsi until he canceled his 22 November decree and called off the 15 December referendum on the draft constitution. Opposition protesters marched on the presidential palace and breached a security perimeter built by the military's elite Republican Guard – charged with protecting the palace – which withdrew behind the palace walls. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm also reported that individuals suspected of protesting against the Muslim Brotherhood were being tortured and beaten in a facility run by the Brotherhood in Heliopolis, a Cairo suburb.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 8 December, The Egyptian Army issued its first statement since the protests erupted, stating that it would protect public institutions and innocent people and not allow the events to become more serious. The Qandil Cabinet also authorized the army to help Egypt's police maintain security. Egypt state news media reported that Morsi was moving toward imposing a form of martial law to secure the streets and allow the vote on the draft charter constitutional referendum. Morsi annulled his decree which had expanded his presidential authority and removed judicial review of his decrees. In addition the mostly annulled November 2012 constitutional declaration would be replaced by a modified one.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 9 December, confusion and disarray pervaded the ranks of Egypt's opposition after Morsi rescinded his 22 November constitutional declaration a day earlier. Despite the declaration's annulment the general prosecutor, who was dismissed, will not be reinstated, and the retrial of the former regime officials will go ahead. Opposition leaders also called for more protests after Morsi refused to cancel the constitutional referendum in the wake of the declaration's annulment. In response, the Alliance of Islamist Forces, an umbrella group that includes Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, said it would hold rival demonstrations. The group said its rallies would support of the referendum and the president under the slogan "Yes to legitimacy".


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, December 2012
On 10 December, the opposition group, the National Salvation Front, announced that it would organize a rally on 11 December.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On the second anniversary of the beginning of the 2011 revolution, protests again erupted in cities across the country, following occasional skirmishes between protesters and police in Cairo the day before. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square during the day, with clashes between police forces and protesters occurring around the city at the Interior Ministry headquarters, state media offices and the presidential palace. Security forces fired tear gas at protesters trying to force their way into the presidential palace and state television offices.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
In the city of Suez, five people were killed by gunfire – four protesters and one security trooper. Protests also took place in Alexandria, Ismailia, Damanhur, and Port Said, many of which were focused on local government buildings. Tear gas use by police was reported in Alexandria, while protesters in that city and Suez burned tires. By the end of 25 January, about 280 protesters and 55 security personnel had been injured across the country.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On 26 January, the sentencing to death of 21 people for their roles in the Port Said Stadium disaster sparked further unrest in Port Said that resulted in 16 fatalities. The number of people killed in the city was 33. Many of them were killed by police snipers.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On 27 January, Egypt's government was reported to have lost control of Port Said as a result of the protests and attacks. The same day seven more people died from gun shots in the clashes during the funerals for 33 people who had been killed on 26 January in the city. There were also deadly clashes in Suez and Ismailia.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
As a result, Morsi announced a state of emergency in Suez Canal cities (namely Ismailia, Port Said and Suez) for 30 days, with a curfew from 9:00 p.m to 6:00 a.m, effective Monday, 28 January m. Morsi also invited eleven political parties, as well as four major political leaders, to talks concerning the unrest, but the leading opposition party, the National Salvation Front, refused to begin discussions until a new government was put in place and the country's constitution modified.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On 28 January, further demonstrations and clashes took place in eleven cities, including those in the Suez Canal, Alexandria, Monufia and Cairo. The clashes resulted in six deaths. Thousands of people gathered in the Tahrir Square to show their solidarity with those killed over the weekend early in the day. Police fired tear gas at protesters near the Qasr al-Nil Bridge, while further violence spread along the Nile. Protesters also set fire to security vehicles and detained a police officer. The Shura Council approved the President state of emergency decision as per the Constitution requirement.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
And to aid the police, it approved a law granting judicial seizure powers to the Army. A funeral procession in Port Said devolved into a street battle between mourners and police, with security troops firing tear gas and live ammunition at crowds from police buildings across the city; protesters threw rocks, explosives and gas canisters back at police, and by the end of the day civilians across the city were seen carrying guns. A Ministry of the Interior spokesman, however, denied that police had fired on protesters, and said that tear gas had been used only briefly. By the end of the day, a total of 50 people were estimated to have died since the January protests began.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On 29 January, Egypt's defense minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi warned both pro- and anti-Morsi groups, arguing "their disagreement on running the affairs of the country may lead to the collapse of the state and threatened the future of the coming generations."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, January 2013
On 30 January, two protesters were shot dead by unknown assailants in Cairo, near Tahrir square.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
On 1 February, protesters gathered in front of the presidential residence in Cairo and clashed with riot police officers. President Morsi blamed police officers due to clashes. One protester was shot and killed next to Ettehadiya Palace, and ninety one were injured around the country according to the official sources. One of the wounded protesters who had been hit by birdshot died on 3 February.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
The Egypt Independent reported that police forces dragged a protester, stripped him naked, beat him up with batons, and took him to a security truck. The incident sparked criticism against the administration of Morsi for tolerating the security force's excessive use of force. The presidency said it "was pained by the shocking footage of some policemen treating a protester in a manner that does not accord with human dignity and human rights."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
State television reported that the 48-year-old beaten man, from a police hospital and without a lawyer present, said that the police had in fact saved him from thieving protesters. The man's daughter, who says she was present at the scene of the attack, said that her father is simply "afraid to talk", while his nephew said "he is lying because there is a lot of pressure on him." In a new twist, Hamada Saber finally retracted his earlier testimony: "I told [prosecutors] today that [police] shot me in the leg, beat me and dragged me," he said.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
"When I resisted, they tore off my shirt. After I resisted some more, they tore off my pants and underpants. They kept telling me to stand up and I kept telling them I was injured". "Now my family has disowned me; my wife and kids won't talk to me. The whole country is angry at me for [giving false testimony]," Saber added.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
Egypt's interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, said he would leave if it was in the wishes of the people. Minister of Culture Mohamed Arab resigned from his post in protest at the police assault on protesters, being the third Culture Minister to resign from office since the beginning of the 2011 Egyptian uprising.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
On 4 February, Mohamed el-Gendy, a member of the Popular Current tortured by the police following his arrest at Tahrir Square on 27 January, died in the Helal hospital due to his?injuries.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, February 2013
On 11 February, the second anniversary of the former president Mobarak's ouster, people gathered outside the presidential palace, protesting Morsi.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, March 2013
On 3 March, clashes erupted in Port Said when police fired teargas at demonstrators opposed to the Interior Ministry's decision to transfer 39 detainees from Port Said to the Wadi Natroun Prison, in the Beheira governorate. The clashes took the lives of five peoples, including two policemen and three civilians. News outlets reported that police forces and army troops exchange fire, what was denied by the Egyptian armed forces official spokesperson. Over 500 persons were injured only in Port Said that day, with 39 with bullet wounds.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, March 2013
On 5 March, protester Mohamed Hamed Farouk died from head wounds caused by gas canisters fired by police during protests in Port Said.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, March 2013
On 9 March, three protesters died (one of them an eight-year-old boy) in clashes between demonstrators and police at Qasr al-Nil Bridge, near Tahrir Square. In addition, the headquarters of the Ittihad El-Shorta (the Egyptian National Police football club) and the Egyptian Football Association were torched.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, March 2013
On 30 March, an arrest warrant was issued for Bassem Youssef, host of the satirical news program El Bernameg, for allegedly insulting Islam and Morsi. The move was seen by opponents as part of an effort to silence dissent against Morsi's government. Youssef confirmed the arrest warrant on his Twitter account and said he would hand himself in to the prosecutor's office, jokingly adding, "Unless they kindly send a police van today and save me the transportation hassle." The following day, he was questioned by authorities before being released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, March 2013
The event sparked international media attention as well as a segment on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in which he declared his support for Youssef, calling him a "friend" and "brother" and saying to Morsi: "What are you worried about? You're the President of Egypt! You have an army! Youssef's got puns and a show; you've got tanks and planes."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, April 2013
In April 2013, protesters fled to Tahrir Square after riot police chased them off with tear gas and pepper spray.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, May 2013
During Morsis's last days and after the ouster of his regime, the Sinai Peninsula witnessed an ongoing insurgency with several attacks perpetrated by Islamist militants mainly in the North Sinai governorate. Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood's biggest ally outside of Egypt, is being widely blamed by Egyptians for the attacks in the region although no solid evidence proves it. The reason for Hamas being blamed was the increasing activity in the smuggling tunnels from the Gaza Strip.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, May 2013
A case that received wide controversy was the possible involvement of Hamas in the orchestrated attacks on prisons throughout the country on the night of 28 January during the 2011 uprising against Mubarak. In the prison breaks, more than 30 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood who were imprisoned by Mubarak in the outbreak of revolution, escaped including Mohamed Morsi himself.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, May 2013
On 16 May, seven Egyptian soldiers were kidnapped by unknown militants in the Sinai demanding the release of members of an Islamist group detained for almost two years. One week later, they were reportedly released and handed over to the army in an area south of Rafah after talks mediated by tribal chiefs in the region with president Morsi greeting them upon their arrival at Cairo's airport. The real issue though is Morsi's way of dealing with the crisis with most actions taken by the government to solve the problem receiving wide criticism. Such reactions include Morsi's call for a national dialogue instead of either fighting or negotiating with the kidnappers and for also appearing as being concerned for the safety of the kidnapped soldiers and their kidnappers equally.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, May 2013
Mohamed Sayed Abu-Shaqra, a security officer, was assassinated more than a week later by suspected jihadists near El-Arish while investigating the identity of the kidnappers and their location. During his funeral, relatives and colleagues started chanting against the president forcing the Interior minister to leave the military ceremony.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
On 17 June, Morsi appointed Adel el-Khayat, an Islamist possibly linked to the Luxor massacre where at least 58 tourists were brutally killed by al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya gunmen, as governor of Luxor with 17 other provincial governors. The move sparked protests by tourism workers and activists in Luxor outside el-Khayat's office forcing him to finally resign a week later in order to prevent bloodshed.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
On 23 June, four Shia Muslims were attacked by an angry mob led by Salafist preachers. The attackers numbering at least several hundred surrounded the house and demanded Hassan Shehata, a local Shia leader, and his followers who were attending a worshiping ceremony to leave the house before storming it with molotov cocktails. Images showed the attackers beating them to death, lynching and later dragging them through the streets. The tragedy came only a few days after a conference in support of the Syrian uprising that was attended by Morsi and leading Islamist figures. During the conference, Sheikh Mohamed Hassan and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya's Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud used sectarian speech against the Shias. Morsi was present during the event so he was heavily criticized by the media for not reacting against the hate and sectarianism used by both clerics.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
On 26 June, Morsi delivered a two-hour-and-forty-minute speech to the nation. It was supposed to be a re-conciliatory speech but was widely viewed as provocative and full of threats and accusations targeted against his opponents including media presenters and Ahmed Shafik, his former rival in the 2012 Egyptian presidential elections. He used questionable statistics to describe accomplishments made by his administration in tourism and unemployment. After the speech the opposition stated that it is even more determined to take to the streets on the planned 30 June uprising against the president.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
On 28 June, three individuals were killed during clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters in the city of Alexandria, including 21-year-old Andrew Pochter, an American student who was reportedly stabbed to death as he observed the demonstrations. On 29 June 2013, thousands of Egyptians converged on Tahrir Square in Cairo to demonstrate against the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, demanding his resignation from office. The demonstrators used the slogan "the people demand the ouster of the regime", used in the protests that led to the ouster of Mubarak in the 2011 revolution.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
By 30 June, thousands of protesters surrounded the presidential palace in the Heliopolis suburb. Demonstrations were reported to be in progress in 18 locations across Cairo and in other different locations across the country including Alexandria, El-Mahalla and cities of the Suez Canal. The demonstrations are described as being backed by multiple entities, including the Tamarod movement formed by members of the Egyptian Movement for Change in April 2013 that claims to have collected 22 million signatures calling for President Morsi's resignation. Opponents of Morsy claimed Google Earth had published figures suggesting 33 million demonstrators were on the streets.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
Responding to the claims that it recorded 33 million protesters in Tahrir Square, Google confirmed that its engines do not have the ability to estimate numbers of rallies or protests on the ground. Furthermore, it insisted that it does not publish live imaging of protests or any other events on planet earth. Although sources estimate as many as 14 million people roamed the streets of the country, which means about one of every six people of the nation of 84 million took part in Sunday's demonstrations in sweltering heat.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
Later, pro-Morsi Qatari based Aljazeera News Channel also broadcast a documentary suggesting through calculations and experts analysis that the number of those who protested against Morsi in Cairo couldn't have exceeded 800,000 in Cairo and 4 Millions across Egypt, despite the pro-Morsi Aljazeera channel claiming two years before that Tahrir Square alone had more than one million and up to 2 million people during the 25 January revolution.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, June 2013
Concurrently with these anti-Morsi demonstrations, supporters of Morsi held demonstrations mainly in Rabaa Square in Cairo. The number of pro-Morsi counter-protesters has been estimated to be about 100,000 people on 21 June (though it's not clear whether as many were on the streets in the period between 30 June and 3 July).


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
On the morning of 1 July, anti-Morsi protesters ransacked the national headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo. Protesters threw objects at windows and looted the building, making off with office equipment and documents. The health ministry confirmed the deaths of eight people who had been killed in clashes around the headquarters in Mokattam.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
Hours later, the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a 48-hour ultimatum which gave the country's political parties until 3 July to meet the demands of the Egyptian people. The military also threatened to intervene if the dispute is not resolved by them.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
Four Ministers also resigned on the same day: Tourism Minister Hisham Zazou (who previously offered to resign a few months ago after Morsi appointed an Islamist linked to the group that attacked tourists as governor of Luxor), Communication and IT Minister Atef Helmi, State Minister for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Hatem Bagato and State Minister for Environmental Affairs Khaled Abdel Aal, leaving the government with members of the Freedom and Justice Party.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
On 2 July Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr resigned as well in support of the anti-government protesters. The presidency rejected the Egyptian Army's 48-hour ultimatum vowing that the president is sticking with his own plans for national reconciliation to resolve the political crisis. Defense Minister General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi was also said to have told Morsi that he would impose a military solution if a political one could not be found by the next day.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
Incidentally the Court of Cassation ordered the reinstatement of former general prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud who was replaced with Talaat Abdallah following the constitutional declaration on 22 November 2012. The Presidency spokesman and the spokesman for the cabinet resigned as well.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
The newspaper Al-Ahram reported that if there was no resolution the military would suspend the constitution of Egypt and appoint a new council of experts to draft a new one, institute a three-person executive council and appoint a prime minister from the military. Morsi's military advisor, Sami Hafez Anan, also resigned and said that the army would not "abandon the will of the people."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
Morsi declared, in a late-night television address, that he would "defend the legitimacy of his elected office with his life". He added that "there is no substitute for legitimacy" as he vowed not to resign. Morsi accused supporters of Hosni Mubarak of exploiting the wave of protests to topple the government and fight democracy. SCAF leaders also issued a statement entitled "The Final Hours" in which they said that the military is willing to shed its blood "to protect the people against terrorists and fools" following Morsi's refusal to step down from his elected office.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
On 3 July, unknown gunmen opened fire on a pro-Morsi rally in Cairo, killing 16 and wounding 200. As the 16:35 deadline set by the army approached, military leaders met for emergency talks with the army expected to issue a statement when the deadline passes. Mohamed El-Baradei, who was chosen to represent the National Salvation Front, was also said to have met army chief General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi. On 3 July, just before the deadline approached, Morsi offered to form a consensus government.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
An army statement read: "The General Command of the Armed Forces is currently meeting with a number of religious, national, political and youth icons... There will be a statement issued from the General Command as soon as they are done." At the same time the Freedom and Justice Party's senior leader, Waleed al-Haddad, said: "We do not go to invitations (meetings) with anyone. We have a president and that's it."


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
The head of the Egyptian Armed Forces and Defense Minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi spoke at night from Cairo and said that the army was standing apart from the political process but was using its vision as the Egyptian people were calling for help and discharged its responsibility. Morsi was removed from power, the draft constitution was suspended and Chief Justice Adli Mansour was named interim president. Mohammed el-Baradei says the roadmap was to rectify the issues of the revolution.


2012–2013 Egyptian protests, Timeline, July 2013 (ousting of Morsi)
The Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Coptic Pope Tawadros II as well as opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei and a youth member of the Tamarod movement, who were present during the statement, spoke in support of the 3 July coup. The move led to continuous civil unrest in Egypt until the present day.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests
The 2012–2013 Iraqi protests started on 21 December 2012 following a raid on the home of Sunni Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi and the arrest of 10 of his bodyguards. Beginning in Fallujah, the protests afterwards spread throughout Sunni Arab parts of Iraq. The protests centered on the issue of the alleged sectarianism of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Pro -Maliki protests also took place throughout central and southern Iraq, where there is a Shia Arab majority. In April 2013, sectarian violence escalated after the 2013 Hawija clashes.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests
The protests continued throughout 2013, and in December Maliki used security forces to forcefully close down the main protest camp in Ramadi, killing hundreds of civilian protesters in the process. Sunni groups, such as the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, took up arms in response, and joined forces with the General Military Council for Iraqi Revolutionaries (GMCIR), a militant group made up of former Ba'athists, to conduct a military campaign against the Iraqi government. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) would later grow out of this civil conflict, escalating into a full-scale war.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Background
Iraqi Sunni minority traditionally held power in Iraq, but the Sunni-dominated Ba'ath party was overthrown by the United States Armed Forces during the 2003 invasion, and Shia majority gained power. The majority of Iraqis are Shiites.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Background
Unlike the protests in 2011, which revolved around issues of corruption and national security, the new protests were driven by Sunni Arabs who felt marginalized in the post-Saddam Iraq, and who claimed that anti-terrorism laws were allegedly being abused and used to arrest and harass Sunnis. The growth of the protests, however, led the initial demands to be expanded, and eventually one of the main requests of the protesters was the resignation of Prime Minister Maliki. Other issues often cited were the alleged abuse of De-Baathification laws and unfair confiscation of property of former Baathists, and alleged Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
The protests began on 21 December 2012 following a raid on the home of Sunni Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi and the arrest of some of his bodyguards.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
Following the arrest several thousand protesters took to the streets of Fallujah following Friday prayers to condemn the arrests. The protesters blocked a highway in Fallujah and demanded Prime Minister Maliki's resignation, waving banners reading: "Resistance is still in our veins." 23 December also saw protesters begin the barricading of the main highway at Ramadi, thereby disrupting a key Iraqi trade route to Jordan and Syria. The protests also spread from Al Anbar Governorate to other Sunni parts of Iraq including Mosul, Samarra Tikrit, and the Adhimiya district of Baghdad.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
As the protests in Anbar grew, delegations were sent to support to the protests from Baghdad and Saladin Governorate, with smaller delegations coming from the southern Iraqi governorates of Maysan and Basra. In order to try to prevent the further spread of the protests, the Iraqi Army established a cordon in Nineveh Governorate on 27 December.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
28 December saw the protests increase in size, with tens of thousands taking part in the "Friday of Honour" protests against perceived government sectarianism.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
In their second week, the protests spread to Saladin and Diyala Governorates for the first time. During the week protests took place in Mosul, Kirkuk, Baiji, Tikrit, al-Daur, Ishaqi, Samarra, Jalawla, Dhuluiyah, Baquba, Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad, Albu Ajil, and Nasiriyah. The sit-in at Ramadi, blocking the highway, continued, and was visited from Amman by Sunni Iraqi Cleric Abdul Malik al-Saadi on 28 December. Tribal delegations traveled to Ramadi from Kirkuk, Karbala, and Muthanna,  to support the protests.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
On 4 January the Baghdad Operations Command ordered the 6th Division to secure the Adhamiyah bridge to prevent sympathetic demonstrators from West Baghdad joining the anti-government demonstrations in the Adhamiyah district of East Baghdad. There were also reports of Iraqi Army units preventing delegations and media personnel from visiting Anbar from Baghdad.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2012, December
On 30 December Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, a Sunni and critic of Maliki, travelled to Ramadi to attempt to address the protesters. Mutlaq's convoy was pelted with bottles and stones, and protesters chanted for him to leave, with some being angry that Mutlaq had taken a week to support the protesters, believing that he had come to undermine the protests. Bodyguards for Mutlaq wounded two people when they fired warning shots. Mutlaq's office described the incident as an attempted assassination by rogue elements.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
The week of 5 January  saw continuing anti-government protests in Mosul, Kirkuk, Tikrit, al-Daur, Samarra, Dhuluiyah, Ramadi, Fallujah, Abu Ghraib, and the Baghdad districts of Adhamiya  and Ghazaliyah. The week also saw the emergence of pro-government protests, taking place in Baghdad, along with the southern Shiite cities of Karbala, Kut, Najaf, Diwaniyah, Samawa, and Basra. The week also witnessed renewed government efforts to contain and deter protests, mostly through heightened security and deployments of military units.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
Since the beginning of the protests, the Ninewa Operations Command of the Iraqi Army had been attempting to close Ahrar square, which was the site of the majority of anti-government protests in Mosul. Clashes between protesters and army units erupted on 7 January  when army vehicles ran over several protesters, wounding 4, in an attempt to disperse the protester in the square. On 8 January  four more protesters were wounded when Iraqi military units opened fire in the square. The clashes led to security for eastern Mosul being taken from the military and given to the Iraqi Federal Police 3rd Division.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
The Baghdad Operations Command also implemented a cordon in Al Tarmia, a town north of Baghdad, on 7 January  in order to prevent protesters from blocking either highway leading north from Baghdad. The Baghdad to Mosul highway was eventually closed near Taji on January 11 by Iraqi army units. The Baghdad Operations Command deployed units on the eastern edge of Fallujah on 9 January. Security within the Adhamiya district of Baghdad was also tightened on 11 January in an effort to deter protests. The 11th Iraqi Army Division was deployed north of Tikrit by the Tigris Operations Command on January 11 to prevent protests in Hawija.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
In the west of Iraq units from the 29th Mechanised Brigade of the 7th Army Division closed the Jordan-Iraqi border crossing at Trebil due to unspecified security concerns.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
Thousands of pro-Maliki demonstrators took to the streets in at least 5 governorates on Tuesday 8 January to voice support for Maliki and oppose an attempts to change the de-Baathification laws. Protesters also voiced opposition to any return of the Baath party or the dividing of Iraq along sectarian or ethnic lines. Protests took place in Basra, Diwaniyah, Karbala, Al Muthanna and Babil Governorate.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
On 25 January, several protests were held across Anbar Governorate, with other protests also appearing in Samarra, Baqubah, Kirkuk, Mosul, Baghdad, and Hawija, as part of "No Retreat Friday." The protests turned deadly in Fallujah, as soldiers opened fire on a crowd of rock-throwing demonstrators, killing 7 and injuring more than 70 others. Three soldiers were later shot to death in retaliation for the incident, and clashes erupted in Askari, on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah. Security forces were placed on high alert as a curfew and vehicle ban were brought into effect. In a statement, Maliki urged both sides to show restraint and blamed the incident on unruly protesters. He also warned that it could lead to a "rise in tension that al-Qaida and terrorist groups are trying to take advantage of".


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, January
Thousands of people attended the funerals of the slain protesters on 26 January, some carrying Saddam-era Iraqi flags. The government responded to the shooting by pulling out most Army forces from the city and replacing them with federal police. In a statement read at Fallujah's main square, Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha announced that the tribal leaders had given the government one week to bring the perpetrators of the shooting to justice. If this demand is not met, the Sheikh, who is the chairman of the Anbar Salvation Council, promised to "launch jihad against army units and posts in Anbar".


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, February
On 22 February thousands of protesters took to the streets of Ramadi, Baghdad, Mosul, and Fallujah following Friday prayers in order to continue the demonstrations against the Iraqi government, calling for Maliki to step down.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, February
The day also saw seven members of a Sahwa militia killed in Tuz Khormato by armed men wearing military uniforms. The assailants asked a local militia leader to accompany them to a checkpoint manned by a Sahwa militia, at which point the uniformed group overpowered the leader and members of the Sahwa militia before executing them.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, March
On 8 March police fired on Sunni demonstrators in Mosul, killing 1 protester and injuring 5 others. Police claimed that they fired into the air to disperse stone throwing protesters. In response to the shooting the Minister of Agriculture, Izz al-Din al-Dawla, hosted a televised news conference where he announced his resignation from his cabinet post to protest the killings. Dawla therefore became the second minister of resign as part of the protests, after Rafi al-Issawi.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, March
On 10 March Bunyan Sabar al-Obeidi, an anti-government protest organiser and spokesman for the Sunni protests in Kirkuk, was shot and killed whilst driving his car in Kirkuk in a drive-by shooting by unknown gunmen. Obeidi had escaped an assassination attempt the previous week.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
Following four months of protests, on Friday 19 April, an Iraqi officer was killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in Hawija, a town west of Kirkuk. Following the refusal of residents to hand over suspected perpetrators the security forces sought; Hawija was then put under siege.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
On the morning of 23 April, a security forces operation in Hawija resulted in the deaths of about 20 protesters and 3 Iraqi soldiers. Over a hundred people were injured. The clashes erupted after security forces entered the area that was being used as a sit-in by Sunni protesters against the government. Sheikh Abdullah Sami al-Asi, a Sunni provincial official, said the violence resulted from the security forces entering the area and trying to make arrests.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
There was also retaliatory violence in the surrounding Sunni-majority region where other gunmen attacked police checkpoints in Riyadh and Rashad until a military counterattack a few hours later. On the same day, at least 21 others were killed as they left Sunni mosques in Baghdad and Diyala. Following the raid, Sunni tribal leaders called for a revolt.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
The next day revenge attacks continued against the police action. The north of the country featured more violence between security forces and protesters. In Sulaiman Bek, north of Baghdad, gunmen killed five soldiers and wounded five of their colleagues, while gunmen attacked a Sahwa militia checkpoint in Khales and killed four of the militiamen and wounding another person. Total deaths over the two days are believed to be over 100. The Iraqi government also set up a commission to investigate the previous day's incidents, that is to be led by Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq. On 25 April, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned of a sectarian war and blamed "remnants of Baath Party for violence."


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
Following the clashes in Suleiman Bek the Iraqi Army withdrew from the town, with an officer claiming the move was to allow for civilians to leave the town before the army began a counter-offensive. However, clashes and protests continued across the country with renewed protests by Sunni Arabs calling for the prime minister's resignation and an end to alleged discrimination against them. Violence also continued with the death toll reaching 200 after five days. The violence also included attacks on Sunni mosques. Sunni Arabs formed the Army of Pride and Dignity as the sectarian clashes escalated.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
On 27 April, the Iraqi government banned 10 satellite channels, including Al Jazeera and Iraq's Al Sharqiya. Mujahid Abu al-Hail of the Communications and Media Commission said: "We took a decision to suspend the licence of some satellite channels that adopted language encouraging violence and sectarianism. It means stopping their work in Iraq and their activities, so they cannot cover events in Iraq or move around." Two days later, five car bombs blew up in Shia-majority areas.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
In Amara town in Maysan Governorate killing 15 people and wounding 45 others; in Al Diwaniyah a bomb exploded near a restaurant, killing three people and wounding 25 others; while in Karbala a car bomb explosion killed three civilians and wounded 12 others; and another car bomb exploded in the Shia-majority neighbourhood of the Sunni-majority town of Mahmoudiya killing three people and wounding 15 others.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, April
The same day, the Iraqiya's Sunni Arab Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi called for the resignation of the government to be replaced by a smaller cabinet of independents, who would not compete in the next election, and for the electoral commission to prepare for an early national election with parliament to be dissolved. On 1 May, more attacks took place against a Sunni group of fighters backed by the government and in a Shia area.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, May
On 17 May, at least 72 deaths were reported in several cities, including the capital, on Sunni targets. Attacks continued the next day, amid warning of a civil war after four days of violence resulted in over 140 deaths. On 20 May, bombs in Baghdad and Basra targeting Shias resulted in at least 68 deaths. It also hit Sunni areas such as Samarra. Following a previous week attack on alcohol shops that killed 12 people, the mixed Sunni-Shia area of Zayhouna in Baghdad was attacked again, resulting in the deaths of seven women and five men.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, May
On 27 May, over 50 deaths were reported in Shia areas of Baghdad. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki later vowed to hunt down the outlaws. On 31 May, following Friday prayers, a bomb exploded outside Baghdad's Sunni Omar mosque killing four people and wounding 11 other worshippers. The UN also noted the death toll for May being the highest in five years with Al Jazeera attributing it to increased sectarianism. Additionally, the government banned cars with common temporary licence plates to try to avoid car bombings.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, June–November
Following the April Hawija clashes, the number of protesters diminished, and sectarian violence increased. In July however, as Ramadan began, the protests intensified for a time.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, June–November
Provincial elections took place in Anbar in June 2013, and afterwards the new governor, Ahmad Khalaf al-Dhiyabi of the Muttahidoon coalition, began seeking ways to reconcile with Maliki. With the approval of protesters, Dhiyabi began negotiations with the Maliki government on 7 October. On 25 November, Dhiyabi led a delegation to meat with Maliki in Baghdad once again. Maliki agreed to many of the protesters' demands, but reiterated that the protests should be stopped.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
By late December Prime Minister Maliki was claiming that the Ramadi protest camp had been turned into a headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda. Simultaneously the Iraqi army was conducting an offensive in Al Anbar Governorate against al-Qaeda.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
On Saturday 28 December MP Ahmed al-Alwani was arrested in a raid on his home in Ramadi. During the raid Alwani's brother, as well as 5 of his guards were killed. Eight other guards were wounded, whilst 10 members of the security forces were also wounded. Alwani was a prominent supporter of an anti-government protest camp situated on a highway near Ramadi. Reacting to his arrest, influential Sunni cleric Sheik Abdul Malik Al-Saadi urged Sunni protesters to defend themselves.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
The following evening, on Sunday 29 December, an Iraqi defense ministry spokesperson claimed on state TV that local Sunni leaders and clerics had agreed to peacefully end the 12 month sit in at the Ramadi protest camp after the Iraqi government had warned them that the camp was a potential shelter for al-Qaeda.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
The following day Iraqi security forces dismantled the Ramadi protest camp, however police special forces units claimed they came under fire when trying to enter the camp. At least ten people were killed and a number of police vehicles were attacked and burned, whilst Iraqi government helicopters supported security forces moving in on the camp. Loudspeakers from some Mosques in Ramadi reportedly exhorted people to "go to jihad." A doctor at Ramadi hospital claimed that 10 gunmen had been killed and 30 wounded, whilst 3 policemen were killed and some four police vehicles destroyed.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
Several hours later, in reaction to the violence in Ramadi, some 40 Sunni MP's offered their resignations. The MP's demanded the withdrawal of the army from Ramadi and the release of Ahmed al-Alwani. The MP's resignations however will not have effect unless accepted by the parliaments speaker, Usama al-Nujayfi. Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq called for all politicians from the Iraqi National Movement to withdraw from the political process, which he claimed had hit a "dead end."


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Timeline, 2013, December
Sheik Abdul Malik Al-Saadi denounced the move against the protest camp, and called on security forces to immediately withdraw in order to avert further bloodshed. Saadi also called the Maliki led Iraqi government a "sectarian government that wants to smash and eradicate the Sunni people in its country," and urged on Sunni politicians to resign from their posts and abstain from the political process.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Aftermath
Following the December 2013 clashes, ISIL launched a campaign in Anbar, taking control of Fallujah and temporarily occupying parts of Ramadi. Tribal militias fought alongside ISIL, and according to Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Suleiman of the Dulaim tribe, ISIL constituted only 5–7% of the anti-government forces. Fighting continued in 2014 and by June, the conflict escalated into a full-scale war, with ISIL controlling 40% of Iraq.


2012–2013 Iraqi protests, Responses, Domestic, Government
The Iraqi government took steps to appease the protesters. On 29 January 2013 the Iraqi government announced that it would raise the salaries of Sahwa militia members by two-thirds, due to higher wages for Sahwa militia members, along with their incorporation into the security services and civil service being one of the demands of the protest movement. In February 2013 Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani's announced that 3,000 prisoners had been released over the past month and that all female prisoners had been transferred to prisons in their home provinces. Shahristani had previously publicly apologised in January 2013 for holding detainees without charge.


2012–2013 Israel Football League season
The 2012–2013 Israel Football League was the sixth season of the Israel Football League (IFL). The league expanded to 11 teams as the Rehovot Silverbacks became the newest expansion franchise. The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Sabres became the first team in IFL history to go undefeated throughout the regular season and postseason and the season concluded with the Sabres defeating the Judean Rebels in Israel Bowl VI.


2012–2013 Israel Football League season, Regular season
The regular season consisted of 10 games for each team and the division format was left behind in favor of a schedule in which every team played every other team once.


2012–2013 Israel Football League season, Playoffs
The wild card round saw both underdog teams come out victorious, including the Kings' Hail Mary pass to beat the Hammers. In the semifinals, the Sabres crushed the Kings and the Rebels upset the Pioneers in 100+ degree heat.


2012–2013 Israel Football League season, Israel Bowl VI
The Sabres and Rebels went toe-to-toe in Israel Bowl VI, but the Sabres pulled away midway through the third quarter, and held on for their second straight title.


2012–2013 Israeli Basketball Super League Final
The 2012–2013 BSL final was the championship game of 2012–2013 Israeli Basketball Super League played at the Romema Arena in Haifa on 13 July between defending champion Maccabi Tel Aviv and home team Maccabi Haifa. Maccabi Haifa won their first ever title after an 86–79.


2012–2013 Maribor protests
The 2012–2013 Maribor protests are part of the 2012–2013 Slovenian protests against the Slovenian political elite members, including the mayor Franc Kangler, the right-wing government leader Janez Janša, and the opposition leader Zoran Janković. In 2013 all three were officially accused of corruption by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption of the Republic of Slovenia. The protests began on 2 November 2012 in the city of Maribor, Slovenia.


2012–2013 Maribor protests
Despite being predominantly peaceful in nature, the protests have not been without violent clashes between security forces and protesters. In late November 2012, the protests spread to cities and towns throughout the country, where the people are demanding resignations and prosecutions of politicians and other members of the "elite", accused of corruption.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Maribor
Franc Kangler became the mayor of Maribor after winning the elections in December 2006, and again in October 2010 when he was re-elected. He won his second mayoral term in the first round and secured a strong coalition in the City Council. During his six-year tenure he has become notorious after being involved in  multiple affairs and scandals, resulting in a number of criminal investigations and indictments, none in which he has been found guilty to date.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Maribor
He has been frequently accused by both the media and his opposition of political corruption, favouritism, clientelism, misguided budgetary policy and failed or semi-finished projects, the biggest one being the unsuccessful organization of the 2013 Winter Universiade for which the City Municipality of Maribor now faces a multi-million euros lawsuit from the FISU. Kangler rejects the blame for the failed project and argues that his organizing committee has done everything in their power to host the event and that the blame lies on the shoulders of the Government and the "third-rate state bureaucrats". To date, the Commission for Prevention of Corruption in Slovenia has issued multiple opinions in which they labeled some of Kangler's actions as "corrupt". Because of his crude language and alleged eluding of the law, critics have dubbed Kangler  the "Maribor sheriff".


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Maribor
Critics say that Kangler's downfall began in October 2012, when he signed a controversial public–private partnership with the company Iskra Sistemi for the implementation of a stationary radar system with the intended purpose of ensuring greater traffic safety within the city limits. Iskra Sistemi was granted permission to install 46 speed radars, 30 of which were operational by the end of October, and within the first few days the system detected almost 25,000 traffic offenses, the majority of which were minor. Kangler soon faced accusations about the financing of the project and alleged irregularities within the contract.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Maribor
In the initial plan the cost of the system was set at around five million euros, which then skyrocketed to 30 million. The fact that Iskra Sistemi receives 92% of all collected fines and the City Municipality receives only 8% was questioned by the Information Commissioner of Slovenia, who stated that she doubts that a private company would want to ensure greater road safety when their primary motive is making profit.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Maribor
When told in what percentage the money from traffic fines was divided, a representative of a Dutch company, which has manufactured the radars, expressed his surprise and said that the Maribor case is unusual for them, stating that their systems in Europe are always commissioned by either the state or by the provincional governments. Faced with pressure from the media and the people, Kangler then pardoned all drivers who had committed minor traffic offenses. The speed radar system was strongly opposed by the people of Maribor from the start and within the first weeks of their implementation 10 out of 30 operational speed radars were damaged or destroyed, with the total damage cost exceeding 300,000 euros.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Background, Political situation in Slovenia
Government under the right-wing leader Janez Janša responded to the weakening of the Slovenian economy during the global economic crisis and European sovereign-debt crisis with opening up old ideological fronts against the liberal media and  the public sector, especially the educational and cultural sectors, accusing them of being under the influence of members of the old regime called Udbomafia and "Uncles from Behind the Scenes" (In Slovene: "strici iz ozadja") and against anyone who doubted that the austerity measures that have been forced upon Slovenia are the right ones.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 21 November 2012 ("The first Maribor uprising")
On 21 November 2012 election for the National Council was held in Maribor Town Hall, with Kangler being one of the candidates. It is speculated that the sole reason for Kangler's candidature for the Council was the fact that elected councillors receives immunity from prosecution during the duration of their five-year term. However, Kangler has denied these claims and stated, one day before the election, that he waives his immunity in case he gets elected.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 21 November 2012 ("The first Maribor uprising")
Most of the 38 electors were proposed and named by the City Municipality of Maribor and at around 18:15 CET they elected Kangler with a majority vote (25). Upon hearing the result, the crowd of about 1,000 non-violent protesters blocked the entrance to the Town Hall, preventing Kangler to leave. Kangler then phoned his friend and former kickboxing champion Tomaž Barada in order to escort him to safety. At around 20:00 CET, Barada, who is also a member of the Maribor City Council, appeared at the protest concealed with a hoodie and accompanied by about a dozen of masked friends.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 21 November 2012 ("The first Maribor uprising")
The group then unsuccessfully tried to force their way into the Town Hall only to be pushed back by the police, which was securing the entrance. Violence erupted, with two protesters and two members of the police reportedly suffering minor injuries. Escorted and under protection of the police, Franc Kangler then left the building and was driven to safety in a police van.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 21 November 2012 ("The first Maribor uprising")
It is speculated that the actions of Barada and the group of his friends were pre-organized in order to turn the protest into a violent one, which would give the police a legitimate reason to forcibly disperse the protesters and clear the way for Kangler's exit. Claims were later denied by Barada, who said that he only wanted to help his friend, the mayor.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 21 November 2012 ("The first Maribor uprising")
Several hours before the protest, a Facebook group, which calls Kangler to step down from office, posted a message on its wall, that they have received reliable anonymous tip that Kangler has enlisted a group of hooligans with the sole reason to turn the protest into a violent one, and urged protesters to be peaceful and to obey the instruction given by the police. During Franc Kangler's last mayoral term, Barada's school of martial arts BB Hwarang received over 150,000 euros of donations from the City Municipality of Maribor. After the protests, the Slovenian People's Party revoked Kangler's membership and excluded him from their political party. In a press conference one day later, Kangler regretted the decision of the party and stated that he has no intentions of stepping down from office.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Danilo Türk, incumbent President of Slovenia, a native of Maribor.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Aljoša Planteu, coach of Filip Flisar, a renowned freestyle skier and Olympian.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
The third protest occurred on 26 November 2012, starting at 16:30 CET, when about 10,000 people gathered on the Liberty square (Trg svobode). Demonstrations started peacefully, with protesters chanting slogans against Kangler and setting ablaze his pictures, a life-size model of the mayor and a cardboard model of one of the speed radars. However, about two hours into the protests they turned violent when a group of several thousand decided to move in front of a building, the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, located about 200 meters to the north of the square, which was heavily protected by the police forces.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Reports on what triggered the violence vary, however, the area was quickly a scene of a massive riot with heavy clashes that erupted between hundreds of protesters and members of the police. Reporters present at the protests described the scenes that followed as "a war zone" and as unprecedented in the history of Slovenia, since its independence in 1991.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
The violence started at around 18:15 CET and escalated after the use of force and tear gas by the police, which scattered the crowd into a number of smaller groups and fighting continued for several hours on different locations within the city centre. Clashes occurred on most of Maribor's town squares, with particularly heavy fighting on Rudolf Maister square (Trg Generala Maistra), Castle square (Grajski trg) and the Main square (Glavni trg), the site of the protests on 21 November.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
The police used all means available to them using tear gas, police dogs and even mounted police, which was indiscriminately charging into the protesters and even the journalists. Overlooking the sky was a police helicopter, which helped throw tear gas into the streets. At around 22:00 CET the situation had stabilized and Maribor streets were left deserted.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
The fighting led to several dozen arrests and injured people. In total 31 protesters were arrested and 22 people injured (11 protesters and 11 police officers). Everyone that sought and received medical treatment suffered minor injuries, however, two police officers and one protester had to spend a night in the hospital. In addition, there were also 14 police vehicles that were damaged during the riot.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
At 22:15 CET a press conference was held by the Maribor Police Department and Vinko Gorenak, Minister of the Interior, who immediately went from Ljubljana to Maribor, driving when the fighting in the city streets was still occurring. The last time a Minister of the Interior had to intervene and come Maribor unexpectedly was after the assassination of Ivan Kramberger in 1992. At the press conference the Minister stated that although some claims and demands of the protesters seems legitimate, the protests itself are not.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Gorenak dubbed the protests as "illegal, not registered and not allowed" and stated that the intervention of the police was correct and within the authorized limits. Gorenak also stated that the police will do everything in their power to hunt down the anonymous organizers of the protests, and held them accountable for the violence and damage caused by the rioters. He also called out on the media for reliable and objective reporting, pointing out the "inaccuracies of the emergency rooms being full of injured people".


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Gorenak's claims, that a protest has to be registered and officially announced to be legal, were later denied and dismissed as unfounded by Miro Cerar Jr., a professor of law at the University of Ljubljana. Danijel Lorbek, Director of the Maribor Police Department, stated that the police force and tear gas was used only after the violent protesters assaulted officers who were guarding the main building of the Municipality. He dismissed claims of excessive use of force as unfounded, stating that it was the protesters who violently opposed the orders given by the police.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 26 November 2012 ("The second Maribor uprising")
Even during the protests reports were made, by the reporters covering the event live, that the police had exceeded their authority and used excessive force. The protest was non-violent and escalated only after the police threw tear gas into the peaceful crowd and decided to disperse the crowd by force. YouTube videos emerged, showing the excessive force used by the police officers. One of the videos even shows how peaceful sitting protesters are being sprayed with tear gas in order to forcibly disperse. Some reporters described the events as police brutality and unprecedented in the history of Slovenia, since its independence in 1991, stating how the police did not use such measures against its own people even during the period of socialist Yugoslavia.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 3 December 2012 ("The third Maribor uprising")
The largest protest thus far was on 3 December 2012 when about 20,000 people reportedly gathered in Maribor squares. Again starting at 16:30 CET the protest started peacefully and continued this way until the demonstrators moved from Liberty square to the nearby Rudolf Maister square and in front of the Municipal building. There the protesters where throwing rocks and pyrotechnics into the building. At about 19:00 CET the violence escalated after the use of force by the police officers who clashed with the protesters and arrested some of them.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 3 December 2012 ("The third Maribor uprising")
The police then secured the entrance to the building, however, they were soon pushed back after the protesters charged into them and returned to their previous position. Shortly thereafter, a police helicopter began overflying the area and soon found itself under fire by some of the protesters, who targeted it with rockets. Similar to the protest on 26 November, the fighting between the police and the protesters then spread across the city centre and continued for several hours, with tear gas circulating through the air after another extensive use.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 3 December 2012 ("The third Maribor uprising")
The gas was mixed with clouds of smoke from fires, alight by some of the protesters. A day after the protest Aleksander Ogrizek, President of the Union of Professional Firefighetrs, stated that the Maribor fire department had 25 interventions during four hours, some of which were life-threatening for the firefighters involved in putting out the fires. He has also stated that the scenes reminded him of Beirut.


2012–2013 Maribor protests, Protests, Maribor, 3 December 2012 ("The third Maribor uprising")
The fighting has led to a total of 39 people who sought medical treatment; 14 protesters and 25 police officers. Most of the injuries sustained were minor, however, one protester suffered a broken jaw and was subjected to surgery. The violence has also led to 119 arrests.


2012–2013 North American drought
The 2012–2013 North American drought, an expansion of the 2010–2013 Southern United States drought, originated in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave. Low snowfall amounts in winter, coupled with the intense summer heat from La Niña, caused drought-like conditions to migrate northward from the southern United States, wreaking havoc on crops and water supply. The drought inflicted significant economic ramifications for the affected states. It exceeded, in many measures, the 1988–1989 North American drought, the most recent comparable drought.


2012–2013 North American drought
The drought affected most of the U.S., parts of Mexico, and central and Eastern Canada. At its peak in July 2012, it covered approximately 81 percent of the contiguous United States with at least abnormally dry (D0) conditions. Out of that 81%, 64% was designated as at least moderate drought (D1) conditions. Its area was comparable to the droughts in the 1930s and 1950s.


2012–2013 North American drought
Drought continued in parts of North America through 2013. Beginning in March 2013, improved rainfall across the Midwest, southern Mississippi Valley, and Great Plains began gradually alleviating drought in these areas, while drought continued to intensify in the Western United States. Heavy rains across previously drought-stricken areas resulted in widespread flooding in portions of the Midwest, a phenomenon which was named "weather whiplash". By June 2013, approximately the eastern half of the United States was drought-free, while conditions continued to gradually improve across the Plains.


2012–2013 North American drought
Moderate to severe drought continues to impact and worsen throughout the western United States, with some portions of the United States being afflicted by the drought for over three years. Through the winter of 2013–2014, California continued to receive record low rainfall. For many locations, the calendar year of 2013 was the driest year in over 130 years. Some locations received less than half of their previous record low rainfall amounts.


2012–2013 North American drought, Meteorological background
The drought was set in motion when strongly positive Arctic oscillation and North Atlantic oscillation conditions removed winter storms from the U.S. the winter of 2011–2012. When spring arrived, very little snow existed to melt and moisten the ground, and thus very little water to evaporate and create rainfall. The effects of the lack of snow were immediate. Dry conditions could be noticed immediately, and contributed to a weak tornado season in the U.S. The strongest tornado outbreak of 2012 occurred on March 2, after most snow had melted. The drought continued to steadily intensify along with a decline in rainfall which is still ongoing. The Summer 2012 North American heat wave caused further evaporation of groundwater, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers and streams.


2012–2013 North American drought, Meteorological background
As moisture has continued to decline, the conditions are becoming self-sustaining (i.e. a lack of rainfall means that less moisture is available to promote additional rainfall, in a vicious cycle). In many areas, the only way for drought conditions to be significantly alleviated in the short-term would be for a discrete, long-lived, and large system (such as a tropical cyclone) to impact the area. Soil hardening due to the drought means that even if a large amount of rain falls in a short time, most of it will run off quickly causing flash floods rather than drought relief. The June 2012 North American derecho and other strong storms in late June and early July did not appear to ease drought conditions, as the rainwater ran off rapidly from the affected areas.


2012–2013 North American drought, Meteorological background
The drought continued and intensified into the end of November 2014  for a large part of the country. Although drought/dry conditions are likely to drop at least one category level in the Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Northern Plains as well as portions of the Ohio River Valley, it is expected to have both short-term and long-term impacts across nearly the entire affected area.


2012–2013 North American drought, Meteorological background
A study by Utah State University analyzed the 2011 Missouri River Flooding  and predicted that "a prominent teleconnection forcing in driving the wet/dry spells in the (Missouri River Basin)... implies persistence of dry conditions for the next 2 to 3 years", which coincides with the 2012–15 drought. That analysis  was based upon a marked variability at the 10–15- year time scale that is coincident with the water storage increase in the Missouri River Basin. The study  found that precipitation over the MRB undergoes a profound modulation during the transition points of the Pacific quasi-decadal oscillation and associated teleconnections.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States
The drought cost more than $35 billion in the Midwest, and may have reduced the gross domestic product by 0.5–1% of the U.S. as a whole, equating to a loss of $75 to $150 billion.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States
Crops, particularly strains grown in the most heavily affected regions (such as corn and soybeans), were noted to be failing or yielding very low in 2012 due to the drought's presence in farming areas. This increase in cost moved up the feeding chain and resulted in raised prices for meat, dairy, and processed food products. Food prices increased as a result of the consequent supply shortfall. The price of farm equipment, on the other hand, decreased as farmers were forced to sell off their equipment and machinery to cope with decreased incomes.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States
Water levels on parts of the Mississippi River plummeted, affecting trade and commerce.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States
1,692 counties across 36 states in the U.S. were legally declared primary natural disaster areas in August 2012 as the drought covered over 62% of the contiguous U.S. Hundreds of additional counties bordering the primary disaster areas were designated as "contiguous" disaster areas, and are also eligible for federal aid.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States
The number of cattle in the U.S. decreased to the lowest in 60 years due to drought impacts, with 69% of cattle located in areas that faced drought conditions.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States, California
California had been experiencing a drought since 2011. In 2013 the total rainfall was less than 34% of what was expected. Many regions of the state accumulated less rainfall in 2013 than any other year on record. As a result of this, many fish species were threatened. Streams and rivers were so low that fish couldn't get to their spawning grounds, and survival rates of any eggs that are laid were expected to be low. Lack of rainfall had caused the mouths of rivers to be blocked off by sand bars which further prevents fish from reaching their spawning grounds.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States, California
Stafford Lehr, Chief of Fisheries within the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says that 95% of winter run salmon didn't survive in 2013. Not only did the drought severely affect fishing, but also agriculture. Decreasing rainfall amounts and increasing temperatures cause agriculture to be much more challenging due to increasing rates of evapotranspiration.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States, California
In response to heightening drought conditions, California tightened fishing restrictions in many areas of the state. Streams and rivers on the northern coast had unprecedented amounts of fishing bans. In February 2015 the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to further tighten regulations on both recreational and commercial fishing. The U.S. Endangered Species Act listed steelhead as threatened and coho salmon as endangered. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife closed dozens of streams and rivers to fishing in 2014.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States, California
Lehr said that he fears coho salmon may go completely extinct south of the Golden Gate Bridge in the near future. In early 2014 the main stems of the Eel, Mad, Smith, Van Duzen, and Mattole rivers were closed pending additional rainfall. Large areas of the Russian and American rivers were closed indefinitely. Most rivers in San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were also closed pending further rainfall. Other actions were also taken, such as releasing more water from the Kent Dam in hopes of raising the levels in the Lagunitas Creek watershed – one of the last spawning grounds that wild coho can still reach.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, United States, California
Protesters said that banning fishing will disrupt the economy and threaten the livelihoods of individuals who rely on salmon fishing during the winters. Officials felt that it will help prevent species that are already in trouble from slipping to extinction.


2012–2013 North American drought, Impacts, Canada
The drought affected Canada mainly in the east in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces where there was record setting heat and very little rainfall. Summer crops in these areas were affected and the price of produce, particularly corn and soybeans, was expected to increase.


2012–2013 Slovenian protests
The 2012–2013 Slovenian protests were a series of anti-establishment and anti-government protests. Protesters expressed disapproval with the country's ruling political elite, including Maribor mayor Franc Kangler, prime minister Janez Janša, and parliamentary opposition leader Zoran Janković (all of whom stood accused of corruption by Commission for the Prevention of Corruption).


2012–2013 Slovenian protests
Protests began on 2 November 2012 as the 2012–2013 Maribor protests against the city's mayor Franc Kangler and subsequently spread to other cities across the country, with protesters demanding resignations and prosecution of politicians and other members of the elite, accused of corruption.


2012–2013 Slovenian protests, Background
Government under the right-wing leader Janez Janša responded to the weakening of Slovenian economy during the global economic crisis and European sovereign-debt crisis with opening up old ideological fronts against liberal media, and against public sector - especially educational and cultural sectors, accusing them of being under influence of members of old regime (called Udbomafia and "Uncles from Behind the Scenes" (In Slovene: "strici iz ozadja")) and against everyone who doubted that austerity measures forced upon Slovenia are right ones.


2012–2013 Slovenian protests, Background
In relation to the allegations made by official Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, Janša's party sent letters to the right-wing European Parliament members, discrediting the Commission's report as part of "the communist campaign that begun in 1983 with the aim to remove Janša from politics".


2012–2013 Slovenian protests, Background
Since Janša was ignoring the report and his party didn't offer any replacement for him, all three coalition parties and their leaders left the government within weeks and were subjected to ad hominem attacks by Janez Janša who accused the SLS's leader Radovan Žerjav of being "the worst (economics) minister in history of Slovenia", while the leader of the Civic List Gregor Virant has been mocked by Janša as engaging in "virantovanje" (a play on words with kurentovanje, a Slovenian carnival festival).


2012–2013 Slovenian protests, Reception, Reception by public intellectuals
The cause for demonstrations has been attributed by some public intellectuals to misunderstanding of post-socialist political elite who rejected "collectivism as socialist pattern" while, according to notable Slovene anthropologist Vesna V. Godina it is in fact a "pre-socialist pattern", originating from the way the traditional Slovene rural community was functioning much longer than in other – mainly Protestant and to much lesser degree in the mainly Catholic – modern nations, who have replaced traditional political culture earlier in history by the modern representative democracy and individualism.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes
In August 2012, a series of ethnic clashes between the Orma and Pokomo peoples of Kenya's Tana River District resulted in the deaths of at least fifty-two people. The violence was the worst of its kind in Kenya since the country's 2007–08 crisis, which left 118 people dead and more than 13,500 displaced - over 50% of the 13,500 were children, women and the elderly.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, Background
The major ethnic groups of the Tana River District are the Pokomo, many of whom are farmers along the Tana River, and the Orma, who are predominantly a cattle-herding nomadic people. The district is generally dry and prone to drought, with erratic rainfall during the March–May and October–December rainy seasons. The climate has sparked numerous clashes between farmers and nomadic peoples over access to water.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, Background
Approximately ten days before the ethnic clash on 22 August 2012, three Pokomo people were killed by members of the Orma community. In retaliation, the Pokomo people raided Orma villages and burned more than one hundred houses.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, 22 August incident
On 22 August 2012, in the worst violent incident in Kenya since 2007, at least 52 people were killed in ethnic violence in the Tana River District between the Orma and Pokomo groups. The violence occurred in southeast Kenya, in the Reketa area of Tarassa, near the coast and approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the capital, Nairobi.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, 22 August incident
The ethnic violence was the result of a dispute over land rights for the tribes' chickens. Police believe that the attack was carried out by the Pokomo people, who attacked the Orma, following an Orma invasion of farms belonging to the Pokomo.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, 22 August incident
The attackers were armed with machetes, bows and arrows, spears and handguns. Thirty-one women, eleven children, and six men were killed during the violence. Of these, thirty-four people were hacked to death with machetes, while fourteen people were burned to death. Four other Kenyans later died from injuries sustained during the attack. In addition, the Pokomo captured approximately two hundred cattle belonging to the Orma.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
On 7 September, at around 3 a.m., 12 people were killed by the Orma. The Capital FM stated that police and the Kenya Red Cross said the attacks occurred at Tarasaa where houses were burnt, in what is believed to be retaliatory attacks by the Orma people against the Pokomos.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
Kenya Red Cross stated that over 300 cattle and 400 goats were raided, and houses torched.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
On 10 September, 38 people were killed by the Pokomo, including 9 police officers. The deceased include 16 men, five women, nine police officers and eight children. The officers included five GSU, two Administration Police and two regular police officers. The violence occurred at Kilelengwani Village.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
On the next morning, 11 September, three people were killed by the Orma at Semikaro, Laini, Nduru and Shirikisho villages of Tana Delta.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
On 13 September, more than 1300 paramilitary police officers were sent to quell unrest in Tana River.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
On 17 September, at around 5.45 a.m., 67 houses were torched at Ozi Village - there were no casualties reported. The next day, MP Mungatana claimed that the houses were torched by GSU, sent there earlier from Nairobi to quell the violence.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, September incident
The same day police found a suspected mass grave. Police were issued with a court order to dig up the suspected grave, but found nothing apart from part of a human leg. A member of Red Cross reported a strong stench from the area.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, December incident
On Friday, 21 December 2012, renewed fighting ensued, with initial reports indicating the deaths of over 27 people. The brutal raid was carried out in the small hours of the morning. Subsequent reports confirmed that thirty-nine people were killed.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2012, December incident
Among the dead were assailants whose corpses were burnt in anger by residents. Police also arrested over 65 suspects in the aftermath of the killings.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2013, January
On 9 January 2013, 11 people were killed in fresh fighting when Suspected Pokomo raiders attacked Nduru Village killing six Ormas. Villagers countered the attackers, killing two raiders on the spot, and two more as they pursued them. Another assailant died from injuries while fleeing.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, 2013, January
Dawn attacks on 10 January 2013 resulted in the death of 11 people at the Pokomo community Village of Kibusu. The dead included three women, three men and five children. The attack also resulted in the burning of 19 homes in the village, which is approximately 20 km from Nduru village which had been attacked a day earlier. The Kenya Red Cross also indicated that over 112,000 people had been displaced since the fighting begun despite deployment of 2,000 law enforcement officers.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, State reaction
The Galole Legislator and an Assistant Livestock Minister Dhadho Godhana was arrested and charged with incitement, but was released with a cash bail of Kshs. 500,000.00.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, State reaction
The same day Kenyan parliament passed a motion urging the executive to send Kenyan defence forces to Tana River. The motion was introduced by Garsen MP Danson Mungatana.


2012–2013 Tana River District clashes, Judicial inquiry
On 22 September, the government set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Tana River clashes, chaired by High Court judge Grace Nzioka. The full membership of the commission appointed by President Mwai Kibaki is: