10 Crushed at Indonesia Concert

Gunshots trigger deadly rush for cover

(NEWSER) - A concert in the Mexican city of Guadalupe turned deadly after gunshots triggered a stampede that crushed 5 people, the BBC reports. At east 12 people were injured as the panicked crowd of 500 people rushed for cover after shots rang out. No one was shot, but police found spent shell casings on the arena floor. The concert featured the popular Mexican group Intocable. More»

(NEWSER) - At least 11 people were killed by a fan stampede after a Moroccan concert, reports the BBC. Some 40 others were injured when a wire fence collapsed, causing a mob to surge forward at the event packed with 70,000 spectators. The Rabat event was part of the week-long Mawazine world music festival that included several top musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keyes, and Kylie Minoque. More»

State Department is operating surveillance drones in the country

(NEWSER) - Many Iraqi officials are outraged that the US is operating drones in the country a month after the American military left, calling the drones a violation of Iraq's sovereignty, reports the New York Times . It's the State Department, not the CIA or Pentagon, that's behind the program, and it says the drones—which are surveillance, not armed, drones—are only there to help provide security to our embassy and consulates. But many Iraq officials bristle at suggestion. “Our sky is our sky, not the USA’s sky," said Iraq's acting minister of the interior, who, along with other officials, says the US has yet to request formal approval from Iraq to run the program. More»

Indonesian civil servant faces up to 5 years for 'blasphemy'

(NEWSER) - Indonesian atheists, look out. An angry mob attacked a civil servant in Padang after he declared his atheism on Facebook, said police—who promptly arrested the civil servant. "He is suspected of having blasphemed against Islam," a police chief said of Alexander An, 30. "The man told police investigators that if God really exists and has absolute power, why didn't he prevent bad things from happening in this world." More»

And they weren't even looking for them

(NEWSER) - Scientists have stumbled upon a monkey many thought no longer existed. Seeking leopards and orangutans, the researchers placed camera traps in an Indonesian forest. When they checked the pictures, they were astonished to see images of large gray monkeys none had ever seen before, the AP reports. Photographs of the Miller's Grizzled Langur are nearly impossible to find, so the researchers could only compare the images to museum sketches. More»