Activists: Air raid on Petrol Station in Damascus Suburb Kills 30

At least 30 civilians were killed on Wednesday when Syrian warplanes bombed a petrol station in a rebellious suburb on the eastern edge of Damascus, two opposition campaigners on the scene said. A new video(Above) shows the extent of the damage in the town of Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northern Idlib governorate, following attacks by government forces.

Seven Charity Workers Killed in Pakistan

Seven charity workers, six of whom were women, have been shot to death in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday. A male colleague was also killed when their vehicle was hit by gunfire near a center run by Pakistani charity Ujala in the Swabi district. The vehicle’s driver was also injured in the attack. The district police chief said, “Four men came on two motorbikes. They attacked their van. They opened fire to the right and left of the van and fled on their motorbikes.” No one has claimed responsibility for the killings. Last month, nine health workers were killed while participating in a national polio-vaccination drive.

60 Killed in Ivory Coast Stampede

At least 60 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded in a stampede during a fireworks display early Tuesday morning at a stadium in Abidjan, the main city of the Ivory Coast. The stampede occurred near the entrance of the 65,000 seat Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium when thousands tried to leave the stadium after the fireworks as another crowd was still trying to get in. Most of the dead were children between the ages of 8 and 15, but the death toll is expected to rise. Singer Chris Brown performed at the venue the night before the stampede occurred.

Greek debt crisis 'far from over'

Politicians predict backlash from austerity-weary Greeks as unemployment reaches record 26%.

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Flashback, Black Friday 2008:

The throng of Wal-Mart shoppers had been building all night, filling sidewalks and stretching across a vast parking lot at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, N.Y. At 3:30 a.m., the Nassau County police had to be called in for crowd control, and an officer with a bullhorn pleaded for order.

Tension grew as the 5 a.m. opening neared. Someone taped up a crude poster: “Blitz Line Starts Here.”

By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault. Six to 10 workers inside tried to push back, but it was hopeless.

Suddenly, witnesses and the police said, the doors shattered, and the shrieking mob surged through in a blind rush for holiday bargains. One worker, Jdimytai Damour, 34, was thrown back onto the black linoleum tiles and trampled in the stampede that streamed over and around him. Others who had stood alongside Mr. Damour trying to hold the doors were also hurled back and run over, witnesses said.

Some workers who saw what was happening fought their way through the surge to get to Mr. Damour, but he had been fatally injured, the police said. Emergency workers tried to revive Mr. Damour, a temporary worker hired for the holiday season, at the scene, but he was pronounced dead an hour later at Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream.

Four other people, including a 28-year-old woman who was described as eight months pregnant, were treated at the hospital for minor injuries.

Stop the madness.