Top 7 World Stories

WSVN -- As 2012 winds down, world peace is a wish people have for 2013, especially those living in war-torn countries. In tonight's edition of 7's Top 7 Stories of the Year, we take a look back at what happened around the globe.

January. The massive cruise ship Costa Concordia hit a rock and sank Friday the 13th. Thirty people were killed.

Concordia survivor: "I thought I was going to die, because nobody was saying anything to us. We were afraid."

The captain was arrested after an investigation found he went off course near the rocks so a crew member could wave to his family on shore.

In the Middle East, bombings, bloodshed, protests and an all-out war. Chaos in more than a dozen countries in struggles over power, property and peace. The most deadly fighting in Syria.

More than 40,000 killed as rebel insurgents continue to try to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. There is now growing concern Assad will order the use of chemical weapons on his own people.

Barack Obama: "If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable."

In Libya, the American Consulate came under attack on the anniversary of Sept. 11. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed.

Hilary Clinton: "How could this happen? How could this happen in a country we helped liberate and in a city we helped save from destruction?"

Questions remain whether the Obama administration could have prevented the terrorist attack, which was initially blamed on protests over an American-made, low-budget anti-Muslim film.

The protests over that film started in Egypt and Libya, then spread to Bahrain, Tunis, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Yemen.

Hilary Clinton: "We are closely watching what is happening in Yemen and elsewhere. We hope and expect that there will be steps taken to avoid violence."

There was also a threat of violence from Israel over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program.

Benjamin Netanyahu: "Israel must reserve the right to defend itself."

The Israeli Prime Minister with a simple sign for the U.N. General Assembly. Israel and Hamas exchanging fire. The head of the Hamas military wing killed during an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip.

Reporters caught in the crossfire as rockets were launched by both sides in the ongoing conflict over Gaza and the West Bank.

As 2012 comes to a close, Egypt erupts in violence once again in the square where the country's revolution first began, as the newly democratically elected president makes a grab for power.

From a face-eating attack to a storm of controversy after a teen shooting, 7's Top 7 looks back at the year's big state and local stories tomorrow.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)