Portal:Current events/2008 July 3

Current events of July 3, 2008 (2008-07-03) (Thursday)

The Pentagon extends the tour of duty of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan. (AP via Google News) The European Central Bank increases interest rates in the Eurozone to 4.25 per cent to tackle inflation. (AP via Forbes) French authorities charge Continental Airlines and five individuals over the Concorde disaster. (The Guardian) MV Princess of the Stars disaster: The Board of Marine Inquiry says that two of four ballast tanks were empty, leaving the ship unstable. (Inquirer.net) Google is ordered to divulge the viewing habits of every user to Viacom if they have watched YouTube videos. (BBC News) NASA announces discovery of water in the atmosphere of Mercury by its MESSENGER probe. (Planetary Society) A series of explosions at a depot storing 1,500 tonnes of obsolete munitions forces the evacuation of some 2,000 people in Sofia and the closure of the Bulgarian capital's main airport. (BBC News) Olympic athletes including Roger Federer, Yao Ming, Laure Manaudou, Liu Xiang, and Yelena Isinbayeva are among the stars of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s latest public service announcement entitled “Heroes”.