Portal:Current events/2007 December 6
December 6, 2007 (Thursday)
- The death toll rises to 104 in a northern China coal mine gas blast. (China Daily)
- France begins construction on the third unit of the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant, which will be the world's second European Pressurized Reactor following a week after a record breaking deal with China for new nuclear power. (World Nuclear News)
- United States President George W. Bush writes to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il asking him to fully disclose North Korea's nuclear program. (AFP via Google News)
- The United States Central Intelligence Agency admits to destroying at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two al-Qaeda operatives in custody following Congressional scrutiny. (The New York Times)
- United States President George W. Bush outlines a plan to freeze mortgage rates for five years to help homeowners hit by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States' housing market. (BBC News)
- One person is killed and one is seriously injured after a letter bomb explosion in a law office building in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. (CNN)
- The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis's STS-122 mission, which will deliver ESA's Columbus module to the International Space Station, is delayed for one day due to a sensor malfunction. (CNN)
- The 2007 laureates of the Right Livelihood Award (aka "Alternative Nobel Prize") for "ongoing successful work" are presented in Stockholm, Sweden:
- Christopher Weeramantry for his lifetime of groundbreaking work to strengthen and expand the rule of international law. (DPA via Monsters and Critics.com)
- Dekha Ibrahim Abdi for her mediation work in a conflict-riven region of north Kenya. (Reuters)
- Percy Schmeiser and Louise Schmeiser for their courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws. (The Right Livlihood Award.org)
- Grameen Shakti wins the Right Livelihood Award for bringing sustainable light and power to thousands of Bangladeshi villages, promoting health, education and productivity. (Daily News)