Portal:Current events/2006 December 7

December 7, 2006 (Thursday)

NASA delays the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-116 until Saturday. (CNN)
George W. Bush, the President of the United States says that Syria and Iran might be included in regional talks on the future of Iraq if they meet certain conditions. (CNN)
Hewlett-Packard pays a fine of $14.5 million to settle an investigation by the Attorney General of California related to leaks from its boardroom. (Bloomberg)
Police in Phoenix, Arizona believe that they have captured the Baseline Killer who has nine killings attributed to him. They had Mark Godeau in custody since September in relation to two alleged sexual assaults in 2005. (CNN)
A tornado has ripped through Kensal Green in northwest London, injuring 6.(The Times)
The Doha Asian Games suffered a tragedy when South Korean rider Kim Hyung-chil died after falling from his horse during the equestrian competition. (Aljazeera)
Nigerian gun men attack an Agip oil terminal in the Niger River delta and take three Italians hostage. (Reuters)
Nearly 100 people are dead or unaccounted for in Vietnam as a result of Typhoon Durian. It had earlier killed over 550 people in the Philippines and left a similar number missing. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Seven towns are under immediate threat from bushfires in Gippsland in the Australian state of Victoria. (Reuters)
A motion brought by the Conservative government to reopen debate on same-sex marriage in Canada is defeated by the Canadian House of Commons. (CBC)
2006 Fijian coup d'état:
- Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs condemns the coup d'état and calls on coup leader Frank Bainimarama to stop his activities. It refuses to meet with him. (ABC News Australia)
- Jona Senilagakali, the newly-installed Prime Minister of Fiji, conceded the coup had been "illegal" but it was "an illegal takeover to clean up the mess of a much bigger illegal activity of the previous government." (BBC)
- Claims are being made that the military may attempt to arrest Ratu Ovini Bokini, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. Around 300 villagers have surrounded his compound in Tavua to defend him. (Fiji Times)
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani of Iran issues a fatwa calling for the deaths of Azeris Rafiq Tağı, a writer, and Samir Sadagatoglu, his editor, who were charged in November 2006 with "inciting national, racial and religious enmity" after they criticized Islam. (EurasiaNet)
The Hard Rock Cafe chain of cafes, hotels and casinos, as well as its extensive collection of rock and roll memorabilia, is purchased from the The Rank Group by the Seminole Tribe of Florida for US$965 million. (Fox News)
Nintendo's next generation gaming console, the Wii, is released in Australia. (The Sydney Morning Herald)