May 13, 2012 (Sunday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Mexican Drug War: 49 dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40. The decapitated and mutilated bodies were dumped on a roadside near the northern city of Monterrey, presumably by members of the powerful Los Zetas drug cartel. (CNN) (BBC)
- Several people are killed in clashes in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, in a violent spillover from the Syrian civil war. (Al Jazeera)
- Arsala Rahmani, a key peace negotiator for the Afghan government, is shot dead by assassins in Kabul, Afghanistan. (BBC)
- Following American drone strikes against suspected militants in southern Yemen, at least 15 other militants are killed in a Yemeni Army offensive. (Al Jazeera)
- The Ugandan army captures Caesar Achellam, a senior commander of the militant Lord's Resistance Army, in the Central African Republic. (BBC)
Disasters
- Torrential rainfall and flooding in China's Hunan Province destroys a bridge and 3,500 homes, leading to the evacuation of 28,000 people in Pingjiang County. (Shanghai Daily) (Xinhua via Shanghai Daily)
Law and crime
- Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is arrested in Germany for allegedly violating Guatemalan territorial waters in 2002. (The Australian)
Politics
- Voters in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia head to the polls for an election, with the Social Democratic Party of Germany winning the most votes, allowing it to continue in government with the support of the Greens. (Reuters via ABC Australia). (AP via Cleveland Plain-Dealer)[permanent dead link]
- Chinese security tsar and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang reportedly transfers his security-related duties to Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu, following the Bo Xilai scandal. (Financial Times)
- The President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias, fails to broker a coalition deal between Greece's major political parties. (RIA Novosti)
Science
- Scientists claim that there is a visible link between the loss of biodiversity and the disappearance of endangered languages and cultures. (BBC)
Sport
- Manchester City win the Premier League for the first time, beating Manchester United on goal difference. (Reuters via Yahoo! Australia)
- British international motorcycle speedway racer Lee Richardson dies in hospital in the Polish city of Wrocław following a crash in a racing event. (BBC)
- After winning the Spanish Grand Prix with driver Pastor Maldonado, the British Formula One team Williams suffers a fire in its pit garage, leaving 31 people injured. (BBC)