2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Castillejos
Jose Angelo Dominguez is the incumbent. His opponent is former Mayor Wilma Billman. In the 2010 election Dominguez won against Billman with a margin of 489 votes.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Subic
Jay Khonghun is the incumbent. his opponent is coun. Ruben Gaduang.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Botolan
Incumbent mayor Nerma Yap is running for vice mayor, her husband former mayor Rogelio Yap is her party's nominee.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Candelaria
Incumbent mayor Jean Moraña is term-limited and running for Board Member instead, Businessman Napoleon Edquid is her party's nominee.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Iba
Ad Hebert Deloso is the incumbent. his opponents is the son of Governor Jun Ebdane Provincial Administrator Rundy Ebdane.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Palauig
Generoso Amog is the incumbent. his opponent is former Mayor and Incumbent Board Member Rosie Guatlo.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, San Antonio
Estela Antipolo is the incumbent after Supreme Court proclaim her as mayor. In the 2010 election former Mayor Romeo Lonzanida won against Antipolo by margin of 268 votes, but Mayor Lonzanida was disqualified by the Comelec and Antipolo is only qualified candidate who garnered the highest number of votes and should be proclaimed mayor. Antipolo's opponents is incumbent Vice Mayor Efren Aratea and Leo Lonzanida.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, San Narciso
Peter Lim is the incumbent. his opponents is coun. Sebastian Arichea and former Vice Mayor Joel Manangan.


2013 Zambales local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Santa Cruz
Incumbent Luisito Marty is term limited, Civic leader Connie Marty is his party's nominee.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections
Local elections were held in  Zamboanga City on May 13, 2013, within the Philippine general election. The voters elected for the elective local posts in the city: the mayor, vice mayor, and eight councilors per district.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary
Two main coalitions posied for the control of Zamboanga City beginning mid-2012:


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, LP-LDP-AZAP
The AZAP coalition is composed of the local party itself and the local chapters of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino and of the Liberal Party. Incumbent District II Representative Erico Basilio Fabian is term-bounded and cannot run for another term and is poised to run for the mayorship in the next elections. But the party endorsed, with the initiative of Mayor Lobregat, incumbent District I Representative Beng Climaco for the mayorship.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, LP-LDP-AZAP, The Split
Felt being junked by his former partymates in Lobregat's camp, Fabian decided to run against Climaco-Salazar under the banner of a new party, the Fuerza Zamboanga. Lobregat denied Fabian's allegations citing that Fabian confirmed that he will not run for a new post and consider retirement.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, ZTZ-UNA
By the start of June 2012, former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos announced his bid for the mayoralty in Zamboanga City. He then started to establish a non-government organization known as the Zamboangueños for the Transformation of Zamboanga (ZTZ) with a 25-point agenda aimed at transforming Zamboanga City with progress and development.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, ZTZ-UNA
The United Nationalist Alliance fielded Jalosjos to chair the UNA local chapter in the city and Zamboanga del Norte.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, ZTZ-UNA, Disqualification Case
Representative Beng Climaco and Jomar Lobregat, the Mayor's brother filed a disqualification case against Jalosjos citing that he didn't meet the one year residency requirement. He is also questioned that he is not qualified because of his conviction in a rape case in 1997 while he served in Congress.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Summary, ZTZ-UNA, Disqualification Case
On January 15, 2013, the Commission on Elections disqualified Jalosjos alongside his brother, Dominador Jalosjos who is also a candidate for governor of Zamboanga del Sur for violating the Local Government Code of 1991 which bars ex-convicts to run for office and run short of the required one-year residency in the place where a candidate can run.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results
The candidates for district representative, mayor, and vice mayor with the highest number of votes wins the seat; they are voted separately, therefore, they may be of different parties when elected.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 1st District
Incumbent Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar is not running; she is running for the mayorship instead; Incumbent Mayor Celso Lobregat is her party's nominee under the coalition of LDP-LP-AZAP.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 1st District
The UNA-ZTZ coalition fielded former Monsignor Crisanto dela Cruz for the post. Dela Cruz previously run for the mayorship in 2007 and for the vice-mayorship in 2010. This will be the second time where Dela Cruz and Mayor Lobregat will go against each other as they have last 2007 mayoral elections.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 2nd District
Incumbent Erico Basilio Fabian is term limited and running for the mayorship instead. He then formed a local coalition known as Fuerza Zamboanga yielding District II Councilor Lilia Nuño to replace him.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 2nd District
The AZAP coalition nominates Mayor Lobregat's brother, Jose Lobregat, to run for the post.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 2nd District
The ZTZ coalition recruited former City Vice-Mayor Mannix Dalipe to run for the post.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, Mayoral elections
Incumbent Mayor Celso Lobregat is his third consecutive term and is barred to run for another term. He ran for Congress representing the First Legislative District.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, Vice-mayoral elections
Incumbent Vice-Mayor Cesar Iturralde is running for reelection against former Councilor Luis Climaco and former Dapitan City councilor Mercy Arquiza-Fernandez.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, City Council elections
Each of Zamboanga City's two legislative districts elects eight councilors to the City Council. The eight candidates with the highest number of votes wins the seats per district.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Proclamation
As the election unofficial results found that Climaco was leading by a wide margin, Fabian announced his concession and congratulates Climaco for winning the election. “I concede defeat and I would like to congratulate my dear friend Beng Climaco,” Fabian said in a press statement. On May 14, 2013, Climaco was proclaimed winner by the City Board of Canvassers in the mayoralty elections. She also laid out her plans for the city which includes the solution to solve the city power crisis and the peace and order situation.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Proclamation
District II Representative-elect Lilia Macrohon-Nuño also urged the people of Zamboanga to move on and discuss what is best for the city. She also revived the issue of creating a third congressional district for the city in which the city has more than 770,000 people. According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, each district shall represent 250,000. Currently, the city is represented twice in the House of Representatives. A previous move by then Congresswoman Climaco was made by filing a bill to Congress creating the said district but was blocked by the majority of the members of Zamboanga City Council.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Cabato electoral protest
After the proclamation of all the councilors of District I, outgoing incumbent Councilor Jaime Cabato who landed on the 8th spot announced his intention to file an electoral protest against his own partymate, Rudy Bayot who landed on the 7th spot and against the administration party bet, Myra Paz Valderrosa. Cabato was a former member of the administration-led party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino until he switched sides with then mayoralty candidate, Romeo Jalosjos citing the fact that he disagreed with the candidate line-up of the LDP.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Taluksangay issue
Jose Augustus Villano, chairman of the Zamboanga chapter of Legal Network for Peaceful Election (LENTE), said his group found that of the 847 registered person with disabilities (PWDs) voters in Zamboanga City, 505 or almost 60 percent are from Barangay Taluksangay. Taluksangay is under the control of the Nuños which Lilia, one of its powerful members won the congressional race in District II.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Taluksangay issue
Villano himself observed voting at the five clustered precincts of Taluksangay. He immediately noticed that almost all voters, whether they appeared to have a disability or not, were helped by a small group of people stationed inside the precinct. When Villalon asked election officers about them, he was told they were “liners” there to assist PWDs. LENTE records show that 80 to 90 percent of all who voted were assisted. Villano thinks that the people assisted might have been illiterate rather than PWDs. “I asked them in both Tagalog and in the native dialect Tausug and they understood.


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Taluksangay issue
I asked them who they want to vote for and they pointed at the names.” When he asked the voters how they were related to the “liners,” they replied, “Sila ang magvo-vote para sa amin (They were the ones who voted for us).” When Villano told the election officers that this was illegal, the Board of Election Inspectors replied that she cannot assist the voters herself because she is "busy".


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Taluksangay issue
Despite its small voting population, Taluksangay was a point of contention during the campaign period. Jomar Lobregat’s party, Adelante Zamboanga, claims that they were not allowed to post their materials in there. In a news item in Zamboanga Times on April 14, Adelante Zamboanga team coordinator Rudy Lim said that when he asked Taluksangay barangay chairman Abdurahman Nuño if they can conduct a meeting in Taluksangay, Nuño replied, “No deal."


2013 Zamboanga City local elections, Aftermath, Taluksangay issue
Abdurahman Nuño is the husband of Lilia and sits on the city council ex-officio and is president of the Association of Barangay Captains.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack
On 7 August 2013, two men on motorcycles threw acid on two 18-year-old British volunteer teachers, Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, near Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Background
Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup are from Hampstead, London. They were volunteering at a local school in Zanzibar.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Prior incidents
In November 2012, Sheik Fadhil Soraga was the victim of an acid attack.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Prior incidents
In February, a Roman Catholic priest was shot to death and a church was burned down. In the past, another priest was shot and wounded and other churches were also burned.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Prior incidents
According to a close friend of the two, a Muslim woman struck Ms. Trup in the face for singing in public during Ramadan.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Acid attack
The two were nearing the end of their one-month volunteer teaching when the attack happened. The attack happened at 7:15 pm on 7 August 2013. The two women were walking on the street on their way to dinner when their attackers approached and threw sulphuric acid on them.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Acid attack
Both women suffered burns to their face, hands, and chest. One woman suffered lesser injuries because she was walking on the side of the curb away from the attackers, so was doused with less liquid.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Aftermath
After being treated at a local hospital, the two returned to London to be treated by specialists. Gee lost an ear and faces further multiple operations, but has expressed determination to overcome the attack and a desire for justice.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Aftermath
Five men were questioned by the police as of August 9, 2013. As of August 13, 2013, no arrests have been made for committing the acid attack and the motive for the attack is unknown.


2013 Zanzibar acid attack, Aftermath
Police have arrested Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa after he ran from the police. He was wanted for a possible connection to the acid attack. Mr Ponda had previously been convicted of inciting religious hatred. A reward of 10 million Tanzanian shillings has been offered for information leading to the capture of the attackers.


2013 Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards 2013; one of the most coveted awards in Bollywood, were made in January 2013.


2013 Zee Cine Awards
It was held in Mumbai, India after 10 years (2003)


2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League
The 2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League season (known as the Castle Larger Premier Soccer League for sponsorship reasons) will be the thirty third season of the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League since its establishment in 1980. The season began on 28 March 2013.


2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League
Dynamos are the defending champions, having won the previous 2012 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League season. The season will feature 12 teams from the 2012 ZPSL season and four new teams promoted from the 2012 Zifa Division One League: How Mine, Triangle United F.C., Triple B and Black Rhinos who replace relegated Buffaloes F.C., Harare City, Hardbody and Quelaton.


2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, Teams
A total of 16 teams will contest the league, including 12 sides from the 2012 season and four promoted from the 2012 Zifa Division One League.


2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, Teams, Stadiums and locations
Football teams in Zimbabwe tend to use multiple stadiums over the course of a season for their home games. The following table will only indicate the stadium used most often by the club for their home games


2013 Zimbabwean constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Zimbabwe on 16 and 17 March 2013, after being postponed from September 2011 and from 30 June 2011. Ultimately the new constitution was approved by 94.5% of voters.


2013 Zimbabwean constitutional referendum, Background
President Robert Mugabe told the United Nations that the new government formed in February 2009 "has fostered an environment of peace and stability. Several reforms have been implemented and Government has created and instituted constitutional bodies agreed to in the Global Political Agreement." As a result, a constitutional outreach programme was underway; upon whose completion a draft constitution would be formulated as a precursor to a referendum. He hoped this would be followed by an election.


2013 Zimbabwean constitutional referendum, New constitution
The new constitution would limit the President to two five-year terms in office, though it did not apply retrospectively and therefore Mugabe was not restricted from seeking re-election. It abolished the post of Prime Minister, and established an independent prosecuting authority, a peace and reconciliation commission and an anti-corruption commission. It also allowed for dual citizenship, but prevented any legal challenges to the land reform programme.


2013 Zimbabwean general election
General elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 July 2013. Incumbent President Robert Mugabe was re-elected, whilst his ZANU–PF party won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Background
This was the first election held under the new constitution approved in a referendum in March 2013 and signed into law by President Robert Mugabe on 22 May. The Supreme Court ruled on 31 May that President Mugabe should set a date as soon as possible, and that presidential and parliamentary elections must be held by 31 July. The ruling followed an application to the court by a Zimbabwean citizen, Jealousy Mawarire, demanding that the country's president set the date for elections before the expiry of the tenure of the seventh parliament, on 29 June 2013. Under the new constitution the winner of the presidential election would serve a five-year term.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Candidates, Parliamentary candidates
Most of Zimbabwe's 2010 districts had candidates from all of the three major parties: ZANU-PF, one of the two formulations of the MDC, and ZAPU. Minor party candidates and independents rounded out the field in some districts.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign
In accepting the election date, Tsvangirai said that reforms should have preceded the election, as he began his election campaign. He also claimed that the country wanted to vote Mugabe out. Launching his election campaign, Mugabe called it "a do or die struggle" while making a strong appeal for a peaceful campaign. In the same speech, he warned that he could take Zimbabwe out of SADC "if SADC decides to do stupid things". Although there were initial discussions about forming a grand coalition between the two MDC parties and other opposition parties, by 9 July two separate coalitions had been formed, one comprising MDC-T, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn and ZANU-Ndonga, and the other coalition comprising MDC and ZAPU.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Regalia
During the campaign, party regalia was supplied by the two main political parties in huge quantities. MDC-T supporters wore red apparel, whilst ZANU-PF supporters wore a variety of colours borrowed from the national flag.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Accusations of unfairness
Allegations were made in 2011, that a third of registered voters were dead or aged 120 (in a country with a life expectancy of 44). These accusations were repeated in 2013, with the additional claim that a considerable number of young voters had not been registered. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a local observer group with 7,000 monitors, listed a litany of offences, including state media bias, a campaign of intimidation in rural areas, and the rushed electoral process before key reforms to the security services were in place.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Accusations of unfairness
But the most effective measure was tampering with the electoral rolls. Held back until the day before the election – thus avoiding proper scrutiny – the roll revealed an estimated one million invalid names, including many deceased voters. It excluded up to one million real ones, mostly in urban areas where MDC support is strongest.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Accusations of unfairness
On the day of the elections, one of Zimbabwe's electoral commissioners resigned. In his resignation letter, Mkhululi Nyathi of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission wrote, "I do not wish to enumerate the many reasons of my resignation, but they all have to do with the manner the Zimbabwe 2013 harmonised elections were proclaimed and conducted."


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Accusations of unfairness
The Electoral Commission later reported that approximately 305,000 voters were turned away from polls, with an additional 207,000 voters being "assisted" in casting their ballots. There were also more than 100,000 centenarian ghost voters on the electoral roll.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Campaign, Accusations of unfairness
On 9 August 2013, the Movement for Democratic Change sought to have the results declared null and void. A week later they withdrew their petition. Despite their withdrawal the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe ruled that the election was "free, fair and credible".


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Results
Robert Mugabe won 62% of the vote to claim a sixth term as president, and was sworn in on Thursday 22 August. Morgan Tsvangirai finished second with 34% of the vote. Mugabe's ZANU–PF party also dominated the parliamentary election winning 196 seats. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party won 70 seats.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Results
Reports by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network monitoring group said as many as one million people, mostly in urban areas (which tend to favour the MDC), were unable to cast votes. Other reports suggested that people had been forced to vote for Mugabe. The African Union also had monitors in place and said the election could have been handled better, but that initial reports indicated a fair election had occurred. Western groups were not allowed to send monitors.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Results, National Assembly
Two independents were elected, both of whom had failed to win the ZANU–PF nomination for their constituencies.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Reactions, Domestic
The elections were called a "huge farce" by Tsvangirai who said the country was "in mourning" about the results. He claimed over a million voters were turned away from the polling stations, and said the Movement for Democratic Change would no longer work with Mugabe nor participate in government institutions. He promised to fight the results in court and diplomatically.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Aftermath
Mugabe was sworn in for his new term as president on 22 August 2013 at a ceremony in Harare. Speaking at the ceremony, he promised economic growth, focusing on mining: "The mining sector will be the centrepiece of our economic recovery and growth. It should generate growth spurts across the sector, reignite that economic miracle which must now happen."


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Aftermath
The members of the National Assembly and the Senate were sworn in for the new parliamentary term on 3 September 2013. Given ZANU-PF's large majority of seats, its candidates for the posts of Speaker of the National Assembly and President of the Senate were assured of election, and the MDC-T did not present candidates for the posts. ZANU-PF's candidates were elected without opposition on the same day: in the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda as Speaker and Mabel Chinomona as Deputy Speaker, and in the Senate, Edna Madzongwe as president and Chenhamo Chimutengwende as vice-president. MDC-T MPs boycotted the vote that elected Mudenda as Speaker.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Aftermath
On 10 September 2013, Mugabe appointed his new cabinet. The cabinet line-up was generally characterised as rewarding veteran ZANU-PF hardliners, who were appointed to most of the key posts: Patrick Chinamasa as Minister of Finance, Emmerson Mnangagwa as Minister of Justice, Sydney Sekeramayi as Minister of Defense, and Jonathan Moyo as Minister of Information. However, some posts went to ZANU-PF moderates and younger politicians.


2013 Zimbabwean general election, Aftermath
President Mugabe opened Parliament on 17 September 2013. On that occasion he vowed that "the indigenisation programme is to be pursued with renewed vigour".


2013 Zuiderduin Masters
The 2013 Zuiderduin Masters was a BDO/WDF darts tournament that took place in Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands.


2013 Zuiderduin Masters
James Wilson won the tournament for the first time, beating defending champion and number one seed Stephen Bunting in the final.


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Qualifying
The players in bold are the seeded players for the group stages. The players in italics qualified through more than one method.


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Men's tournament, Group Stage
All matches best of 9 legs. Two points are gained for every match won. P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs For; LA = Legs Against; +/− = Leg Difference; Pts = Points


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Men's tournament, Group Stage
Benito van de Pas (8) 91.83 5–2 Remco van Eijden 72.68


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Men's tournament, Group Stage
Benito van de Pas (8) 79.71 5–3 Martin Atkins 81.72


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Men's tournament, Group Stage
Michel van der Horst 88.89 5–4 Richie George (5) 84.82


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Women's tournament, Group Stage
All matches best of 7 legs. Two points are gained for every match won. P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs For; LA = Legs Against; +/− = Leg Difference; Pts = Points


2013 Zuiderduin Masters, Results, Women's tournament, Final
(1) Aileen de Graaf (74.34) 2–0  (2) Anastasia Dobromyslova (73.74)


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters
In 2013, the United States Department of Justice, under Attorney General Eric Holder, came under scrutiny from the media and some members of Congress for subpoenaing phone records from the Associated Press (AP). Under similar justifications, a 2010 subpoena approved by Eric Holder implicated Fox News reporter, James Rosen, as a possible co-conspirator under the Espionage Act of 1917. Investigators gained access to the times of his phone calls, and two days of Rosen's emails. Stephen Jin-Woo Kim eventually pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act for communicating North Korean nuclear test plans to Rosen. These investigations provoked considerable criticism from major news organizations, and precipitated the revision of media guidelines at the Department of Justice.


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Associated Press
On May 13, 2013, the Associated Press announced telephone records for 20 of their reporters during a two-month period in 2012 had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department. AP reported the Justice Department would not say why it sought the records, but news sources noted the US Attorney's office for the District of Columbia was conducting a criminal investigation into a May 7, 2012 Associated Press story about a CIA operation which prevented the Yemeni terrorist Fahd al-Quso's plot to detonate an explosive device on a commercial flight. The DOJ did not direct subpoenas to the Associated Press; instead, the subpoenas were issued to their telephone providers, including Verizon Wireless.


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Associated Press
The AP claimed these acts were a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering operations. Gary Pruitt, CEO of the Associated Press stated: "These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Associated Press
The US Attorney's office in Washington responded that federal investigators seek records from news outlets only after making "every reasonable effort to obtain information through alternative means." Verizon neither challenged the subpoena nor did it try to alert the journalists whose records were being requested. Debra Lewis, Verizon Wireless spokeswoman, said the company "complies with legal processes for requests for information by law enforcement."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, James Rosen
On May 17, 2013, the Washington Post reported the Justice Department had monitored reporter Rosen's activities by tracking his visits to the State Department, through phone traces, timing of calls and his personal emails in a probe regarding possible news leaks of classified information in 2009 about North Korea. In obtaining the warrants, they labeled Rosen a "possible co-conspirator" with Stephen Kim.


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, James Rosen
In a written statement, the Justice Department said it had followed “all applicable laws, regulations, and longstanding Department of Justice policies intended to safeguard the First Amendment interests of the press in reporting the news and the public in receiving it.”


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, James Rosen
Some analysts have described the Justice Department's actions as "aggressive investigative methods" that have a chilling effect on news organizations' ability to play a watchdog role. Fox News contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano commented:  "This is the first time that the federal government has moved to this level of taking ordinary, reasonable, traditional, lawful reporter skills and claiming they constitute criminal behavior."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, James Rosen
An editorial board of the New York Times wrote: "With the decision to label a Fox News television reporter a possible 'co-conspirator' in a criminal investigation of a news leak, the Obama administration has moved beyond protecting government secrets to threatening fundamental freedoms of the press to gather news."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, James Rosen
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post stated: "The Rosen affair is as flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration, and it uses technology to silence critics in a way Richard Nixon could only have dreamed of. To treat a reporter as a criminal for doing his job — seeking out information the government doesn’t want made public — deprives Americans of the First Amendment freedom on which all other constitutional rights are based."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Department of Justice
Days prior on May 15, 2013, Attorney General Holder had testified under oath in front of the House Judiciary Committee that he had recused himself from the leak investigations to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. Holder said his Deputy Attorney General, James M. Cole, was in charge of the AP investigation and would have ordered the subpoenas.


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Department of Justice
When questioning turned to the possibility of journalists being charged under the Espionage Act for reporting classified material, Holder stated: "With regard to the potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material, that is not something that I've ever been involved in, heard of or would think would be a wise policy."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Department of Justice
On May 23, 2013, NBC confirmed with the Justice Department that Holder had personally signed off on the Rosen case. The Justice Department defended their decision and spoke about a balance between protecting national secrets and the 1st Amendment, stating: "After extensive deliberations, and after following all applicable laws, regulations and policies, the Department sought an appropriately tailored search warrant under the Privacy Protection Act." The revelation brought into question whether Holder was being intentionally misleading during his previous testimony when he denied knowing of, or being part of possible prosecutions of journalists. House Committee members sent an open letter to Holder, saying: "It is imperative that the committee, the Congress, and the American people be provided a full and accurate account of your involvement."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Perception
Members of Congress and media figures have questioned the motivations behind the Justice Department's actions, and if they were even warranted: "For five days, reporters at the Associated Press had been sitting on a big scoop about a foiledAl-Qaeda plot at the request of CIA officials. Then, in a hastily scheduled Monday morning meeting, the journalists were asked by agency officials to hold off on publishing the story for just one more day.


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Perception
The CIA officials, who had initially cited national security concerns in an attempt to delay publication, no longer had those worries, according to individuals familiar with the exchange. Instead, the Obama administration was planning to announce the successful counterterrorism operation that Tuesday. AP balked and proceeded to publish that Monday afternoon."


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Perception
On June 19, 2013, while giving a speech at the National Press Club, President and CEO of the Associated Press Gary Pruitt said: “Some longtime trusted sources have become nervous and anxious about talking with us — even on stories unrelated to national security. In some cases, government employees we once checked in with regularly will no longer speak to us by phone. Others are reluctant to meet in person... And I can tell you, that this chilling effect on newsgathering is not just limited to AP. Journalists from other news organizations have personally told me, that it has intimidated both official and nonofficial sources from speaking to them as well.”


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Aftermath
The U.S. Department of Justice undertook a comprehensive evaluation of their practices and policies regarding issuing subpoenas, search warrants and court orders to obtain records or information from journalists, meeting with stakeholders in the news media, First Amendment advocates, and members of the Congress. The DOJ published a six-page report of the review entitled "Report on Revised Media Guidelines" on July 12, 2013. Holder said the "revised guidelines help ensure the proper balance is struck when pursuing investigations into unauthorized disclosures" and that these "reforms will make a meaningful difference".


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Aftermath
He claimed that "there are additional protections that only Congress can provide" alluding to media shield legislation. Media lawyers involved in the negotiations of the revised guidelines called them a significant progress, but the reactions of journalists were mixed. David E. Sanger, veteran chief Washington correspondent of The New York Times, for example stated that the revised guidelines were “just formalizing what was observed in past administrations. The guidelines worked pretty well until the Obama administration came in.”


2013 articles about the Department of Justice investigations of reporters, Aftermath
On February 24, 2014 the Attorney General Eric Holder signed the final new rules that lay down the guidelines for the U.S. Department of Justice on seeking information from journalists. The Attorney General’s Order No. 3420-2014 mentions it lays down the “Policy regarding obtaining information from, or records of, members of the news media; and regarding questioning, arresting, or charging members of the news media.”


2013 attack on U.S. consulate in Herat
The U.S. consulate in Herat, Afghanistan was attacked on September 13, 2013 by a group of Taliban militants. Reports indicated that the assault began at 5:30 am on the front gate of the consulate. A large truck drove up to the consulate's primary vehicle entry point and detonated a massive improvised explosive charge, causing extensive damage. A minivan carrying an assault team armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades arrived and opened fire, moving into the consulate compound. Then, the driver of the minivan ignited a bomb inside the minivan, which exploded a short time afterwards.


2013 attack on U.S. consulate in Herat
Eight Afghan members of the consulate's guard force and one Afghan police officer were killed. An unknown number of bystanders were wounded. A gun battle ensued, and all seven attackers were killed. No Americans were killed or seriously injured. The U.S. Department of State awarded Heroism Awards to several of the consulate's defenders.


2013 attack on U.S. consulate in Herat
The Taliban took credit for the attack in an emailed statement.


2013 attack on U.S. consulate in Herat
In a press release, the United Nations condemned the attack "in the strongest terms."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents
On January 8–9, 2013 a trial was held by the People's Court of Nghệ An Province, Vietnam for 14 democracy activists, primarily belonging to the Catholic church, including high-profile blogger Paulus Le Son. All of them were sentenced to 3–13 years in prison on charges of subversion. Many human rights organizations have called this the "largest case of its kind" in Vietnam, and condemned the sentence. Many organizations, including the US Embassy in Vietnam, have called for an immediate release of the dissidents.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Defendants
All 14 defendants were arrested in 2011 as part of the 2011 crackdown on Vietnamese youth activists. They were writers and political and social activists, mainly belonging to Redemptorist group in the Roman Catholic Church. They have engaged in community service and fighting against land seizures and corruption. Recently, many activists have been critical of the Vietnamese government, backing other dissidents and bloggers and called for democracy and human rights. Some defendants have participated in peaceful protests in support of other previously-convicted dissidents.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Defendants
Nearly all defendants were bloggers or students. Among the 14 defendants, three of them come from the same family (Dang Ngoc Minh, her son Nguyen Dang Vinh Phuc and her daughter Nguyen Dang Minh Man.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, 2011 Arrests
Many of them were arrested in the 2011 by the Vietnamese government for protesting for land rights and circulating a petition to free prominent legal rights activist Cu Huy Ha Vu, a prominent human rights defender who was imprisoned for seven years in April 2011.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, 2011 Arrests
Prior the trial Đặng Xuân Diệu, was quoted saying, "I have done nothing contrary to my conscience" and that in punishing him, the government was "trampling on the eternal good morals of the Vietnamese nation."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Trial
The trial was held in the city of Vinh on January 8 and 9, 2013, by the People's Court of Nghệ An province, Vietnam. The courtroom was packed due to the unusually large number of defendants on trial as well as police.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Trial
Outside the courtroom, relatives and supporters of the defendants clashed with hundreds of uniformed as well as plainclothes security police blocking them from gathering outside the court. The police physically attacked many supporters including elderly women and Catholic clergy and some were also temporarily detained. Nguyen Dinh Cuong's mother attempting to attend the trial had also been beaten by police outside the building in the afternoon.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Charges
The defendants were accused of maintaining ties with Viet Tan, a US-based pro-democracy organization to establish democracy and reform Vietnam through peaceful and political means. All of the 14 defendants rejected the charges. Defendant Nguyen Dinh Cuong's sister-in-law Kim Chi stated that many defendants have attended training workshops organized by Viet Tan on leadership skills and online security, but that their activism was aimed at helping the people, not at overthrowing the government.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Charges
Dang Ngoc Minh and her daughter Nguyen Dang Minh Man were accused of painting the slogan "HS.TS.VN" on a school, which means "Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Viet Nam". The slogan has been used to support the case in the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands disputes that the islands belong to Vietnam. The Vietnamese government actually agrees with statement.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Sentence
The verdict was announced by Judge Tran Ngoc on January 9, 2013. Three have been sentenced to 13 years, and 11 others to 3–8 years on charges violating Clause 1 of Article 79 of the Vietnamese criminal code for organizing "to attempt to overthrow the government". At the trial, Paulus Le Son was the only one not to have acknowledged any wrongdoings.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Sentence
According to Human Rights Watch, the supposed charges included attending a training course by Viet Tan in Bangkok, being members of Viet Tan or actively participating with the organization.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Sentence
A BBC report says that these sentences were among "the harshest given to any political dissident in Vietnam in recent years".


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
The United States Embassy in Hanoi stated that it was "deeply troubled" and called the trial a "part of a disturbing human rights trend in Vietnam."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, condemned the arrest and calls for the "convictions to be squashed immediately". He states "The conviction of yet more peaceful activists is another example of a government that is increasingly afraid of the opinions of its own people. Instead of imprisoning critics, the Vietnamese government should be honoring them for their efforts to address the myriad problems facing the country that the government itself has also identified." Phil Robertson, the deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch also followed up with "this was the largest group to be brought to trial together in recent times."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
Reporters Without Borders quickly emerged and stated that it is "appalled at the groundless verdict handed down yesterday by a court in northern city of Vinh" and that it is the position to prove his innocence. The statement also reads that "We have proof that the Vietnamese authorities use false pretexts to convict bloggers that criticize them." The organization released a picture of Paulus Le Son attending a training course organized by Reporters Without Borders in Bangkok to prove that he was not meeting with Viet Tan as the prosecutors have claimed.


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
In a news briefing in Geneva on January 11, Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations expressed alarm over the fact that "the convictions were handed down after only two days of trial [...] and that these latest convictions [...] exemplify the limited space for critical voices in Vietnam."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
In a press release by Amnesty International the organization says that "the conviction and heavy sentencing [...] flies in the face of justice and is part of an escalating government crackdown on freedom of expression."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
Duy Hoang, spokesman for Viet Tan, calls the trial "a disregard for peaceful political expression and democratic aspirations." The organization has neither confirmed nor denied that the 14 detained activists are among its members. In an official statement, Viet Tan rejects "the fabrications peddled by the communist court to rationalize the 'subversion' charges".


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
A statement by US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez says "the final product of an unjust criminal justice system in this subversion case was a verdict of 100 years imprisonment forced upon 14 patriots."


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, International Response
Other human rights organizations have called this the "largest subversion to be brought in years" in Vietnam


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Call for Release
Many other organizations have called for an immediate release of the defendants including the Amnesty International, Electronic Frontier Foundation, English Pen, Human Rights Watch


2013 conviction of 14 Vietnamese dissidents, Call for Release
On January 4, 2013, Allen Weiner, the director of the Stanford Program in International and Comparative Law at Stanford Law School, filed an updated to a previous petition submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Geneva contesting the illegal arrest and detention of the defendants.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey
The 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey or 17-25 December Corruption and Bribery Operation was a criminal investigation that involved several key people in the Turkish government. All of the 52 people detained on 17 December were connected in various ways with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Prosecutors accused 14 people –  including Suleyman Aslan, the director of state-owned Halkbank, Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, and several family members of cabinet ministers –  of bribery, corruption, fraud, money laundering and gold smuggling.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey
At the heart of the scandal was an alleged "gas for gold" scheme with Iran involving Aslan, who had US$4.5 million in cash stored in shoeboxes in his home, and Zarrab, who was involved in about US$9.6 billion of gold trading in 2012. Both men were arrested. The scheme started after Turkish government officials found a loophole in the U.S. sanctions against Iran that allowed them to access Iranian oil and gas. The Turks exported some US$13 billion of gold to Iran directly, or through the UAE, between March 2012 and July 2013.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey
In return, the Turks received Iranian natural gas and oil. The transactions were carried out through the Turkish state-owned bank, Halkbank. In January 2013, the Obama administration decided to close this loophole but instead of immediately charging Halkbank, the U.S. government allowed its gold trading activities to continue until July 2013, because Turkey was an important ally regarding the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War, and the U.S. had been working on a nuclear deal with Iran.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey
Then-Prime Minister Erdoğan (now President of Turkey) was on a tour of Pakistan when the scandal broke, which analysts believe changed the response of the AKP, or influenced those with the tapes to leak them at a time when Erdoğan was visiting an ally (Pakistan).


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
On 17 December 2013, the Financial Crime Unit of the Istanbul Security Directorate detained 47 people, including officials from TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey), the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, and the District Municipality of Fatih.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
Barış Güler, Kaan Çağlayan and Oğuz Bayraktar, who are sons of the Turkish ministers, Muammer Güler (Minister of the Interior), Zafer Çağlayan (Minister of Economy), and Erdoğan Bayraktar (Minister of Environment and Urban Planning) were implicated, as well as Mustafa Demir, the mayor of the district municipality of Fatih; the real estate businessman Ali Ağaoğlu; Süleyman Aslan, the general manager of Halkbank and the Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
who was considered as the key suspect in the investigation, who was reportedly involved in a money laundering scheme particularly regarding his transfer of gold and money to Iran via Turkey’s government-controlled Halkbank as part of a strategy to bypass United States-led sanctions on Iran. Demir was detained on accusations of approving the construction license for a hotel near the route of the recently inaugurated Marmaray railway, despite warnings from Japanese engineers that the construction could put the tunnel at risk of collapsing. Demir was investigated for ordering the ministry report to be shelved in exchange for bribes.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
Moreover, Egemen Bağış, the Minister of European Union Affairs, is cited in newspaper articles as a potential suspect of bribery related to Reza Zarrab who has business affiliations with Babak Zanjani. As part of corruption claims along with 3 other ministers, Bağış was the only one out of the four charged ministers who had not resigned on 25 December 2013. Prime Minister Erdoğan announced a major cabinet reshuffle, removing Bağış from his post as the Minister for European Union through his publicly unannounced official resignation.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
The police confiscated some US$17.5 million as money used in bribery during the investigation; US$4.5 million was found at Süleyman Aslan's residence and US$750,000 at Barış Güler's. Prosecutors accused 14 people including Barış Güler, Kaan Çağlayan, Süleyman Aslan and Reza Zarrab of bribery, corruption, fraud, money laundering and smuggling gold. On 21 December, the court ordered the arrest of these 14 people.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations
In total, 91 people were detained in the investigation; 26 of them were arrested by the court.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations, Second wave
Several newspapers reported that a new investigation was expected on 26 December, possibly involving then-Prime Minister (now President of Turkey) Erdoğan's sons, Bilal Erdoğan and Burak, as well as certain Al-Qaeda affiliates from Saudi Arabia such as Sheikh Yaseen Al Qadi and Osama Khoutub. The police officers in Istanbul Security Directorate, newly appointed by the government just a few days previously, refused to carry out their orders, and the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions did not approve this new operation. The man behind this second investigation, Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş, was dismissed on the same day. Akkaş said he was prevented from performing his duty.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations, Second wave
A second wave of arrests was planned, and a list was leaked to the press.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Police investigation and allegations, Second wave
At midnight on 7 January, a government decree was published removing 350 police officers from their positions, including the chiefs of the units dealing with financial crimes, smuggling and organised crime. Fethullah Gülen described the decree as a purge of civil servants, while then-Prime Minister Erdoğan (now President of Turkey) described the corruption investigation as a "judicial coup" by those jealous of his success, backed by foriengers, namely a "dirty plot" of the Gülen movement.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Since the beginning of the investigation, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has started a purge in the police force; sacking dozens of police chiefs, most notably Hüseyin Çapkın, the Chief of Police in Istanbul. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice also changed their regulations, forcing security forces to inform their seniors of their actions at all times. This received criticism from the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, who are taking the case to the Turkish Council of State. The Turkish Council of State overturned the change of these regulations on 27 December, much to the disappointment of Prime Minister Erdoğan.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Various opposition sources accused the government of trying to influence the judiciary system and covering up the corruption. Among them was the Nationalist Movement Party MP Oktay Vural. A heated controversy erupted after the release on YouTube of audio recordings in which Erdoğan was reportedly heard telling his son, Bilal, to urgently get rid of tens of millions of dollars. Erdoğan has claimed the recordings were a montage but the experts begged to differ.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
In late December, Hurriyet and Yeni Safak papers published comments by Erdoğan stating he believes he is the ultimate target of a corruption and bribery probe of his allies. The Turkish Prime Minister told journalists that anyone attempting to enmesh him in the scandal would be "left empty handed." Erdoğan reshuffled his Cabinet on 25 Dec, replacing 10 ministers hours after three ministers, whose sons were detained in relation to the probe, resigned. One of those ministers called on Erdoğan to also step down. The ministers’ sons were questioned over the scandal focusing on alleged illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects. Two of them were later arrested on bribery charges.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
According to Hüseyin Çelik, who is serving as government spokesman, the four ministers who are involved in the investigation offered their resignation to the Prime Minister Erdoğan on 22 December.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Erdoğan blamed the investigation on an international conspiracy and vowed revenge on the Islamic community of the preacher Fethullah Gülen. There had been an antagonism between Erdoğan and Gülen for some time: Hakan Şükür, who is often regarded as a disciple of Gülen, had resigned his post in Justice and Development Party on 16 December. Government officials accused Gülen and his followers of treason and started referring to them as "terrorists."


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Erdoğan defended Halkbank chief executive Süleyman Aslan, describing him as "honest person". Aslan was charged with taking bribes by the prosecutors while the police are said to reportedly have found US$4.5 million in cash stored in shoe boxes in Aslan’s home. After Aslan was arrested the bank's stock went down 32% for the year. Erdoğan also threatened Francis Ricciardone, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, with expulsion.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Erdoğan left the country for an official visit to Pakistan on 23 December, while the scandal was dominating the headlines.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Muhammed Mısır, a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Health, resigned after bribery allegations on 24 December.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Muammer Güler (Minister of the Interior) and Zafer Çağlayan (Minister of Economy), both of whose sons were arrested in the anti-corruption operation, resigned together on the morning of 25 December. That same afternoon, Erdoğan Bayraktar (Minister of Environment and Urban Planning) resigned both as minister and as a member of parliament. Bayraktar said that he did not take kindly to having been forced into resignation, and that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should resign as well, claiming that he had done everything with the Prime Minister's approval.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
İdris Naim Şahin, former Minister of the Interior, has resigned from Justice and Development Party on 25 December. He said the government's crackdown on the police organization and the judiciary system could not be explained with reason or the notions of law and justice.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
450 policemen in the Financial Crimes department were forbidden to enter the Istanbul Security Department HQ.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Erdal Kalkan, a member of parliament in the constituency of Izmir from the ruling AKP, resigned from his party on 26 December because of the ongoing scandal. Haluk Özdalga, Member of Parliament in the constituency of Ankara, resigned from AKP for the same reason. Ertuğrul Günay, another MP in the constituency of Izmir and former Minister of Culture, was the third one to resign from AKP. These three ex-members of AKP were each separately had been on investigation by AKP's internal discipline committee with the accusation of opposing AKP's own regulations. They all resigned before the committee reached a verdict.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
On 31 December, Burdur deputy Hasan Hami Yıldırım resigned from the AKP, reducing the number of AKP parliamentarians to 320. Yıldırım accused the government of obstructing the investigation into the scandal. He also criticized the campaign of “insults” and “defamation” against Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and his Hizmet movement, which he considered an attempt to "eradicate a civil society movement.”


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction
Erdoğan's government dismissed or reassigned thousands of police officers and hundreds of judges and prosecutors - including those leading the investigation - and passed a law increasing government control of the judiciary.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Government reaction, Cabinet reshuffle
In a speech to the press on the evening of 25 December, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the reshuffle of 10 members of his cabinet in light of the scandal, saying that the reshuffle was to replace the three ministers who had resigned earlier in the day and others who were planning mayoral runs in the local elections in March 2014. This included the removal of Minister for European Union and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış, another figure in the scandal, from office. The changes to the cabinet are:


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Other controversies
On 24 December, another video began to circulate that shows Ali Erdoğan, nephew and bodyguard of Prime Minister Erdoğan, instructing a police commissioner to abuse the detainees who had protested his uncle and hurling insults at him when he refuses.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Other controversies
On 23 December, 35-year-old Hakan Yüksekdağ, a police commissioner in the Smuggling and Battle Against Organized Crimes Department of the Ankara Province Security Directory, was found dead in his car. His relatives dispute the official claim that Yüksekdağ committed suicide.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Other controversies
On 24 December, Abdi Altınok, an Assistant Chief of Police in the Isparta Province Security Directory, committed suicide.


2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, Other controversies
Billionaire Babak Zanjani, an alleged partner and accomplice of Reza Zarrab, was arrested in Iran on 30 December.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore
In the 2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, a significant rise in the number of dengue fever cases was reported in Singapore. In the week of 16–22 June 2013, there was a record of 842 dengue cases in Singapore in a single week. This figure was far beyond the highest number of cases per week in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012. The number of weekly dengue fever cases has exceeded the epidemic threshold of 237.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore
As official data showed, more than 13,000 people were infected with dengue as of mid-July in 2013, fast nearing the total 14,209 infections in 2005 dengue outbreak, the worst year on record. The 2005 record was officially passed on 5 August 2013 with more than 14,000 people infected. The total number of cases soared past the 20,000 mark on 18 November 2013.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore
The number of dengue cases is rising at a faster rate and is expected to surpass 1,000 infections in a week. The total number of cases passed the 150% mark of the previous record on 13 December with 21,324 cases.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak
In the fourth week of June, a total of 842 new cases were reported, bringing the total number of dengue cases to cross the 11,000 mark.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak
The total number of Dengue cases subsequently crossed the 13,000 mark on 16 July 2013.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
Dengue claimed its first death in Singapore on 29 May 2013. The victim was diagnosed as having viral fever on 23 May at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Emergency Department. He was then discharged with the advice to return if his condition worsened. He subsequently returned to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 26 May and was diagnosed with dengue fever. He then died from dengue shock syndrome on 29 May.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
On 9 June 2013, a second person died from dengue in Singapore. He was tested positive for dengue on 8 June, but his condition deteriorated.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
The third dengue death was reported on 25 June 2013. He was admitted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital emergency department (ED) on 22 June 2013 with fever and low blood pressure. He was then sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) diagnosed with a dengue shock syndrome, kidney failure and liver inflammation. His condition deteriorated and died on 25 June 2013.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
An Indonesian male was also pronounced dead on 25 June 2013 and has become the fourth person to die from dengue in Singapore. The victim contracted dengue fever overseas between 10–21 June 2013 and was subsequently sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Emergency Department on 23 June 2013 after a prolonged 3-day fever. His condition started to deteriorate on 24 June 2013 in the Intensive Care unit (ICU).


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
The fifth person to die from dengue in Singapore was a 66-year-old Chinese male who suffered multi-organ failure from severe dengue shock syndrome. He had initially gone to the Emergency Department on 2 July with fever and lethargy, and subsequent tests confirmed dengue fever. He was admitted and transferred to the ICU after deterioration, but continued to deteriorate and died on the morning of 8 July.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
The sixth death was a 52-year-old Chinese male. He was first seen at Jurong Polyclinic on 29 June 2013 with a two-day history of fever. He returned to the polyclinic a few days later as he was still having fever and was referred by the polyclinic to the National University Hospital (NUH) emergency department. He was admitted to NUH's Medical Intensive Care Unit on the same day and was diagnosed with Dengue Shock Syndrome. The patient's condition improved transiently after dialysis and supportive therapy but he remained critically ill with low blood counts. The patient's condition deteriorated after he developed pneumonia with septic shock on 11 August 2013 and he died on 13 August 2013.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
A 35-year-old Chinese woman died of dengue on Monday, becoming the seventh death in 2013. The patient, who lived at Yishun Ring Road, had gone to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's Emergency Department on 28 September 2013 with a history of fever, chest pain, lethargy, nausea and loss of appetite and had intermittent fever for three weeks. She was diagnosed with dengue fever and admitted but her condition deteriorated after admission and she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on the same day. Despite these measures, the patient died on 30 September 2013 at 5:05 am.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Status of outbreak, Deaths
A 53-year-old woman has become the seventh local dengue death case this year, and the overall eighth death. In a joint statement, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the dengue patient lived at Hougang Street 22. The woman, who was first seen at Tan Tock Hospital's Emergency Department on 11 November, had a history of fever. She was diagnosed with dengue and admitted. Her condition deteriorated and she died on 16 November.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Preventive measures
On 5 June 2013, Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council was fined S$200 for allowing mosquitos to breed in water tanks the council controlled. Officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) found mosquito larvae in water tanks at the rooftops of Blocks 896C and 899A in Woodlands.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Preventive measures
On 14 June 2013, the head of NEA announced that they will be recruiting more officers to conduct routine checks at all homes in the active cluster zone. At the same time, the National Environment Agency started using its legislative powers. The agency got a locksmith to open ten homes as the residents did not respond to notices sent to them.


2013 dengue outbreak in Singapore, Preventive measures
On 2 July 2013, People's Association (PA) announced that they will be recruiting 10,000 volunteers to assist NEA officers during house visits, they will be named as "dengue fighters".


2013 drought in Maharashtra
The 2013 drought in Maharashtra in India came about after the region received lower rainfall during the monsoon season June to September 2012. It is considered as the region's worst drought in 40 years. The worst-hit areas in Maharashtra were Solapur, Parbhani, Ahmednagar, Latur, Pune, Satara, Beed and Nashik. Residents of Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Aurangabad, Jalna, Jalgaon and Dhule districts were also affected by this famine.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Geographical and physical impact
In January 2013, the Indian government reported that 7,896 villages in Maharashtra were affected by drought. In a region near the Bhima River in Maharashtra, the years leading up to the drought in 2013 recorded below average annual rainfall: in 2011, slightly below average, and in 2012, the lowest since 2003. In May 2013, the lowest groundwater levels were recorded since May 2005. The low rainfall and groundwater appears to have been worsened by improper water resource management.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Geographical and physical impact
With approximately 80% of drinking water sources in Maharashtra dependent on ground water sources, the drought led to a situation of drinking water scarcity in Maharashtra. The drought also negatively affected agriculture, decreasing production of staple foods, ranging from 5-21%, as compared to the previous year. This decreased production led to an increase in food prices across India and a decrease of India’s GDP by 0.5% (9 billion USD) in 2012.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Geographical and physical impact
Of 223 farming households surveyed, over 60% reported crop losses and over 20% reported loss of livestock because of the drought. Multiple farmers moved to urban areas in search in work. Others effectively used reserves of food, water and money to survive.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Response, Government
The Indian government allocated almost half of its disaster budget to relief efforts. The Government's Empowered Group of Ministers provided INR ₹12.07 billion for relief, including 2,136 water tankers supplying 1,663 villages. However, due to increased numbers of starving livestock, a further INR ₹11.6 billion was allocated to the agricultural sector for scarcity mitigation, supplying water and fodder. There was criticism of the government regarding water allocation, with disproportionate quantities being used to grow sugarcane in Maharashtra. The government was also criticized for its lack of regulation to prevent future droughts. Following the drought, the government committed to improving the maintenance of dams, rivers and other infrastructure.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Response, Non-Profit
The Yuva Foundation (formerly: Maharashtra Drought Relief Project) was a youth-led initiative set up by Soham Sawalkar and Aditya Sureka to assist in the drought response. They distributed food, water and fodder, as well as providing materials such as PVC pipes to install water solutions for villages.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Response, Non-Profit
In June 2013, Church Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), the humanitarian and development arm of Indian Churches, announced their plans to assist in the relief efforts by aiming to raise USD $264,504 from donors. This included the provision of livestock fodder, manure and seeds, agricultural and advocacy training programs, and raising water management and disaster risk reduction awareness.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Consequences, Nutrition, sanitation, water
With a significant decrease in agricultural yield except for milk, oil seeds and cotton production, food security was a concern. A study of 223 households found that just over half of the respondents had access to water for sanitation while 83.8% of the 66.4% who had access to toilets, used them. While priority was given to providing water quantity over quality, water samples tested detected beyond permissible limits of nitrate-nitrogen, ammonium-nitrogen, and chlorides.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Consequences, Mental health
Due to the stress and burden of economic losses faced by farmers, specifically along the cotton belt, suicide rates increased between 2011-2015 (1,495-2,016 deaths). However, in 2013 this trend reversed due to adequate rainfall in the second half of the year (1,298). With the continuing drought-like conditions following 2012-2013, suicide among farmers continues to have a devastating effect. Maharashtra has become known as the `graveyard of farmers´.


2013 drought in Maharashtra, Consequences, Other: migration, education, desertification process
With water scarcity and loss of employment, seasonal and permanent migration increased, usually towards urban cities. Five hundred thousand workers migrated from Marathwada to western Maharashtra. Water collection was usually done by women and children, which was exacerbated by the drought and migration of men, in turn decreasing children´s attendance in school. The desertification process, including recurring droughts, is a long-term consequence that could severely impact future societies and human health.


2013 elections in India
Legislative Assembly elections in India were conducted for nine legislative assemblies in 2013. Voting in Chhattisgarh was held in two phases on 11 November and 19 November 2013. The Election Commission of India (ECI) successfully conducted elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland in February and in Karnataka on 5 May.


2013 elections in India
The elections in Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were conducted in December while the counting that took place on 8 December showed a clear majority for BJP in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while Congress retained the state of Mizoram and Delhi got a hung assembly, with no single party getting a clear majority.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Tripura
Tripura had assembly elections on 14 February 2013. The eleventh general election to the Tripura Vidhan Saudha started after Tripura's Chief Election Officer of the election department, Ashutosh Jindal, announced the event on 11 January. According to the report by The Times of India, the chief election officer of the state told that the voter turnout across the state was 93.57%, which set the record for the country's highest-ever voter turnout, beating the previous record of 91.22 which was also set by Tripura in its 2008 assembly election.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Meghalaya
Meghalaya held elections on 23 February to elect its 21st government. Meghalaya had a voter turnout of 71.24%. Results: INC - 29, UDP - 7 (out of 60)


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Nagaland
Nagaland held elections on 23 February, with a voter turnout of 92%.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Karnataka
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly election was held in single phase on 5 May 2013 in all the 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Delhi
The Delhi State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 4 December 2013. Counting of votes was done on 8 December 2013. The voter turnout was 66%, highest for the state till date. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party, closely followed by the debutant Aam Aadmi Party. The Indian National Congress party, which governed the state for the last three consecutive terms, finished third.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan
The Rajasthan State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 1 December 2013 with voter turnout in 200* constituencies being 74.38%, the highest ever for the state. The counting was done on 8 December 2013. The main contest was between incumbent Indian National Congress and main opposition party Bhartiya Janta Party.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan
Out of the total number of candidates, there were 166 women and one eunuch contesting the polls.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan
*Elections in constituency Churu were adjourned due to death of a BSP candidate, Shri Jagdish.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 25 November 2013 and counting was done on 8 December 2013. The State Election Commission said that Madhya Pradesh registered highest ever polling of above 70% in 2013. The previous high turn-out in MP was 69.58 percent in the 2008 assembly elections.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Madhya Pradesh
The main contest was between incumbent Bhartiya Janta Party and main opposition party Indian National Congress. However, BJP was the winner with more than 70% of majority in the assembly elections. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to be the Chief Minister of the state for 3rd consecutive time.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Chhattisgarh
The Chhattisgarh State Assembly elections of 2013  were held in two phases, first on 11 November 2013 and second on 19 November 2013 and counting was done on 8 December 2013. The main contest was between incumbent Bhartiya Janta Party and main opposition party Indian National Congress.


2013 elections in India, Legislative Assembly, Mizoram
The Mizoram State Assembly Elections 2013 was held on 25 November 2013 and the counting was done on 9 December 2013.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals
The 2013 end of year rugby tests, also known as the 2013 Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between European sides - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, and visiting Southern Hemisphere countries - Argentina, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa and Tonga.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals
In 2013, a record 39 test matches took place, with a record 24 matches including a tier 2 or tier 3 side, six of which being a tier 1 v tier 2 fixture, as the IRB builds up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Australia made their first tour of the Home Nations since 2009. However, they could not achieve a first Grand Slam since 1984 following their 20–13 defeat to England in the opening week of their tour. In addition, Australia played Italy in Turin for the first time. World cup winners New Zealand played France - for the fourth time in 2013, England and Ireland. South Africa played Wales, Scotland and France while Argentina played England, Wales and Italy.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Three invitational teams were in action against international teams during November. The Māori All Blacks visited Canada and the United States, while the French Barbarians faced Samoa. The Barbarians and Fiji contested the Killik Cup, which marked 100 years of rugby in Fiji.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals
As in other recent seasons, New Zealand and Australia played the third Bledisloe Cup match.


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, Bledisloe Cup – 3rd test
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Vinny Munro (New Zealand)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 2-3 November
Touch judges:Angus Gardner (Australia)Andrew Lees (Australia)Television match official:Matt Goddard (Australia)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 2-3 November
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Dudley Phillips (Ireland)Television match official:Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 2-3 November
Touch judges:USA Appt (United States)USA Appt (United States)Television match official:USA Appt (United States)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Dudley Phillips (Ireland)Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Craig Joubert (South Africa)Television match official:Gareth Simmonds (Wales)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Leighton Hodges (Wales)Greg Garner (England)Television match official:Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Andrew Mcmenemy (Scotland)Adrian Graves (Scotland)Television match official:Alan Falzone (Italy)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)Marius Mitrea (Italy)Television match official:Eric Gauzins (France)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Luke Pearce (England)Television match official:Carlo Damasco (Italy)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Jim Yuille (Scotland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 8-10 November
Touch judges:David Smortchevsky (Canada)Andrew McMaster (Canada)Television match official:Bryan Arclero (Canada)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Ian Davies (Wales)Chris Williams (Wales)Television match official:Carlo Damasco (Italy)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Jaco Peyper (South Africa)Joaquín Montes (Uruguay)Television match official:Eric Gauzins (France)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Nigel Owens (Wales)Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)Television match official:Gareth Simmonds (Wales)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Steve Walsh (Australia)Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)Television match official:Simon McDowell (Ireland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Wayne Barnes (England)Juan Sylvestre (Argentina)Television match official:Alan Falzone (Italy)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Marius Mitrea (Italy)Giuseppe Vivarini (Italy)Television match official:Jim Yuille (Scotland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Romain Poite (France)Stuart Berry (South Africa)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 12-17 November
Touch judges:Pascal Gaüzère (France)Dudley Phillips (Ireland)Television match official:Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Craig Joubert (South Africa)Luke Pearce (England)Television match official:Carlo Damasco (Italy)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Andrew Mcmenemy (Scotland)Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)Television match official:Eric Gauzins (France)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:George Clancy (Ireland)JP Doyle (England)Television match official:Gareth Simmonds (Wales)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Sean Gallagher (Ireland)John Carvill (Ireland)Television match official:Simon McDowell (Ireland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Pascal Gauzère (France)Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)Television match official:Geoff Warren (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Glen Jackson (New Zealand)Leighton Hodges (Wales)Television match official:Iain Ramage (Scotland)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 22-24 November
Touch judges:Jérôme Garcès (France)Greg Garner (England)Television match official:Graham Hughes (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 30 November
Touch judges:Luke Pearce (England)Greg Garner (England)Television match official:David Grashoff (England)


2013 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Test matches, 30 November
Touch judges:Alain Rolland (Ireland)John Lacey (Ireland)Television match official:Jim Yuille (Scotland)


2013 enlargement of the European Union
The most recent enlargement of the European Union saw Croatia become the European Union's 28th member state on 1 July 2013. The country applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with the screening process.


2013 enlargement of the European Union
The accession process of Croatia was complicated by the insistence of Slovenia, an EU member state, that the two countries' border issues be dealt with prior to Croatia's accession to the EU. Croatian public opinion was generally supportive of the EU accession process, despite occasional spikes in euroscepticism.


2013 enlargement of the European Union
Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and on 9 December 2011, signed the Treaty of Accession. A referendum on EU accession was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012, with 66% of participants voting in favour of joining the Union. The ratification process was concluded on 21 June 2013, and entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on 1 July 2013.


2013 enlargement of the European Union
The EU was thus at its largest territorial extent from 2013 until 2020, when the United Kingdom left the union.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Judicial reform and human rights
Accession requirements included: judicial reform to strengthen the independence, accountability, impartiality, professionalism and efficiency of the judiciary; a crackdown on corruption and organised crime (this resulted in the conviction of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader for taking bribes); strengthen the protection of minorities; settle outstanding refugee return issues; improve the protection of human rights.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Croatia had to extradite several of its citizens to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), a United Nations body, an issue that was often contentious in domestic politics. Croatia's relations with the ICTY had continually been cited by the EU officials as something that required further improvement. Ratification of the EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia had been stalled because of this.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The European Council, after its summit of 20 December 2004, set the following 17 March as the date to start entry negotiations, provided that Croatia continued to co-operate fully with the ICTY. On 16 March 2005, the day before talks were to begin, the EU postponed the commencement of negotiations, because the ICTY prosecution assessed the Croatian efforts to capture the fugitive general Ante Gotovina (indicted by the ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, but at large since 2001) as neither timely nor sufficient.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
On 7 December 2005, the Spanish police finally arrested Ante Gotovina with the help of the Croatian government on the Spanish island of Tenerife, located in the Canary Islands. He was brought to The Hague to be tried for war crimes. With the arrest of Ante Gotovina this issue was resolved, and entry negotiations began anew, after the certification of ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte that Croatia now fully cooperated with the ICTY.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
In April 2011, Croatian generals Gotovina and Markač were given extended prison sentences at the ICTY, which was widely perceived as unjust in the Croatian public. This caused a marked increase in opposition to the accession because, in the past, some countries like the Netherlands, conditioned their support for the Croatia's accession process with the continued Croatian co-operation with the ICTY.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
On 16 November 2012, the ICTY Appeals Chamber acquitted generals Gotovina and Markač and ordered their immediate release.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Border disagreements
Croatia has had long-standing border issues with Slovenia, especially over the Piran Bay boundary. Between December 2008 and September–October 2009, Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU accession over these border issues. On 6 June 2010, Slovenia voted to accept the ruling of United Nations arbitrators on the dispute, removing this obstacle.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Border disagreements
Croatia has border disputes with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, but these countries are not European Union members and cannot directly block the accession process. In December 2008, Croatia and Montenegro agreed that the outstanding sea border issue between the two countries should be settled before an international court whose decision would be accepted in advance by the parliaments of the two countries.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Land ownership
Free acquisition of real estate by foreigners is a sensitive issue in Croatia. This matter particularly concerns Italians, especially in Istria. While it has some ties with Italy, the events surrounding World War II, when Istria changed hands between the Kingdom of Italy and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, remain pertinent. Numerous Italian politicians expressed their discontent concerning the inability of Italians to purchase land in Croatia, considering it discriminatory treatment and stating that the issue should be resolved as soon as possible.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Land ownership
Croatia subsequently denied any discrimination, and said that Croatian legislation provided for the same treatment of all EU citizens concerning land ownership. In mid-2006, Croatia and Italy came to an agreement allowing Italian citizens to purchase land in Croatia and Croatian citizens to purchase land in Italy. Other EU members had to resolve similar issues before their accession to the EU. Examples of this include Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, and especially Malta.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Accession requirements, Shipyard privatisation
Croatia was required to stop subsidising its shipbuilding industry, resulting in privatisations, closures and reduced production capacity.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Negotiation progress
Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council (the EU's heads of state and/or government) in mid-2004, but the date for the beginning of entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, was put off.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Negotiation progress
In early March 2005, Croatia was formally warned by the EU that its failure to arrest the war crimes suspect Ante Gotovina would jeopardise the country's chances of starting the accession talks, in spite of Croatia insisting it was doing everything it could to find and arrest the fugitive and claiming that Gotovina was no longer in Croatia. In fact, the talks started in October 2005, shortly before Gotovina's arrest in Spain, which occurred in early December that year and was hailed by the EU as an important turning point for the whole region, as it turned "the page from the nationalist past to a European future".


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Negotiation progress
Before the start of negotiations with Croatia, the acquis was divided into 35 chapters, 4 more than the usual 31; the new chapters, previously part of the agricultural policy, are areas expected to be troublesome, as they were with the other applicants. Following the opening of accession negotiations on 3 October 2005, the process of screening 35 acquis chapters with Croatia was completed on 18 October 2006. Negotiations had been restrained for ten months because of a border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. In September 2009 it was announced that Slovenia would remove restraints on Croatia's negotiations with the EU without prejudice to the international mediation on the border dispute.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Date of accession
Originally Croatia had been aiming for a 2007 accession date, which would have broken Slovakia's record of 2.5 years of negotiations to complete the process. However, negotiations turned out to be tougher than expected. On 5 November 2008, the European Commission's annual progress report on Croatia's candidacy was published. Olli Rehn stated that the country should aim to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2009, with membership following by 2011 at the latest.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Date of accession
In 2009 it was also reported that Iceland may be fast-tracked into the European Union, and Rehn said that "the EU prefers two countries joining at the same time rather than individually. If Iceland applies shortly and the negotiations are rapid, Croatia and Iceland could join the EU in parallel". The last non-acquis hurdle to membership, the maritime border dispute with Slovenia, was overcome in November 2009.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Date of accession
Croatia ultimately finished its accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and signed the Treaty of Accession 2011 in Brussels on 9 December 2011; followed by approval of it by a national referendum on 22 January 2012 and completing their ratification process on 4 April 2012. Entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on 1 July 2013, as all 27 EU members and Croatia have ratified the treaty before this date.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Date of accession
The accession took place at a time of economic difficulty with Croatia in a fifth year of recession with 21% unemployment, and amid the European sovereign-debt crisis.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Date of accession
As Croatia joined the EU, it exited the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Remaining areas of inclusion
Croatia became a member on 1 July 2013, but some areas of cooperation in the European Union will apply to Croatia at a later date. These are:


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Pre-accession entry arrangements for Croatian nationals travelling to EU member states
Before accession to the European Union, Croatia was categorised as an Annex II country, which meant that Croatian citizens could stay in the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Croatian citizens were also able to stay without a visa in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania for up to 90 days in each country, as well as in the United Kingdom for up to 6 months.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Pre-accession entry arrangements for Croatian nationals travelling to EU member states
The general rule was that non-EU citizens had to use a passport to enter EU member states. However, there was an exception to the Schengen Agreement rules for Croatian citizens. Based on the pre-Schengen bilateral agreements between Croatia and neighbouring EU countries (Italy, Hungary and Slovenia), Croatian citizens were allowed to cross the border with only a Croatian national identity card (a passport was not obligatory).


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Pre-accession entry arrangements for Croatian nationals travelling to EU member states
Many people living near the border crossed it several times a day (some work across the border, or own land on the other side of the border), especially on the border with Slovenia, which was unmarked for centuries as Croatia and Slovenia were both part of the Habsburg Empire (1527–1918) and Yugoslavia (1918–1991).


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Pre-accession entry arrangements for Croatian nationals travelling to EU member states
Prior to Croatia's accession to the EU on 1 July 2013, an interim solution, which received permission from the European Commission, was found: every Croatian citizen was allowed to cross the Schengen border into Hungary, Italy or Slovenia with an ID card and a special border card that was issued by Croatian police at border exit control. The police authorities of Hungary, Italy or Slovenia would then stamp the special border card both on entry and exit. Croatian citizens, however, were not allowed to enter any other Schengen Agreement countries without a valid passport, although they were allowed to travel between Hungary, Italy and Slovenia.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Pre-accession entry arrangements for Croatian nationals travelling to EU member states
These arrangements were discontinued on 1 July 2013 when Croatia became an EU member state. Since then, Croatian citizens have been able to enter any EU member state using only an ID card.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Post-accession access to free movement in other EU member states
On 1 July 2013, Croatian nationals became European Union citizens and acquired the right to move and reside freely in other EU member states, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. On the same day, 14 EU member states (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden) allowed Croatian nationals to work without restrictions in their country. However, 13 other EU member states imposed transitional restrictions on Croatian nationals wishing to access their labour markets.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Post-accession access to free movement in other EU member states
Annex V of the Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union allows member states to apply national measures regulating Croatian nationals’ access to their labour markets for a period of up to five years, and in case of serious disturbance to their labour markets or the threat thereof, and after notifying the Commission, for a further two years (i.e. up to a maximum of seven years in total).


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Post-accession access to free movement in other EU member states
Croatian nationals who on 1 July 2013 had already resided in an EU member state for a continuous period of at least 5 years acquired the right of permanent residence (meaning that they could work without any restrictions in their host EU member state), as long as during their continuous residence of 5 years they were a worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient person, student or family member accompanying or joining an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Post-accession access to free movement in other EU member states
On 1 July 2013, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who were family members of a Croatian national and accompanying or joining him/her also acquired the right to move and reside freely in other EU member states.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Post-accession access to free movement in other EU member states
On 1 July 2020, restrictions were lifted in the last remaining member state (Austria), giving Croatian citizens right to work in all EU and EEA member states.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Visa policy for third-country nationals
In the run up to accession to the European Union, Croatia aligned its visa policy with that of the European Union. As a result of the new visa regime, some third-country nationals (such as Russian and Turkish nationals) who were previously temporarily exempt from having to obtain a visa to visit Croatia were now subject to a visa requirement.


2013 enlargement of the European Union, Free movement of persons and visa policy, Visa policy for third-country nationals
However, to mitigate the effect of the re-imposition of a visa regime on tourist numbers, the Croatian government has introduced a 'facilitated entry of aliens' procedure, exempting travellers who have a Schengen visa or residence permit from having to obtain an additional Croatian visa to visit Croatia until 31 December 2013. In addition, the Croatian government has extended the working hours and capacity of its foreign missions in countries such as Russia and Ukraine to ensure that applications for Croatian visas are processed more efficiently.