December 6, 2014 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2014 hostage rescue operations in Yemen
- An American civilian and a South African civilian die during an attempt to rescue them by U.S. Navy SEALs in Yemen. They were being held hostage by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. (CNN)
- 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping
- Forensic specialists at the University of Innsbruck confirm the identity of the first of the 43 missing students in Guerrero. The remains were located at a municipal dump in Cocula, Guerrero. (El Universal)
- Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Army repels an ISIL offensive on the Deir ez-Zor air base, resulting in at least 119 casualties total. (Khaleej Times)
- Unidentified gunmen break into a prison and free an estimated 200 inmates in Minna, west-central Niger State in Nigeria. (NBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 70 drown when a migrant boat from Ethiopia sinks off the Red Sea coast of Yemen. (BBC)
- Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby), a strong tropical cyclone, makes landfall hitting the Philippines. (BBC)
Law and crime
- 2014 Ferguson unrest, Death of Eric Garner
- Demonstrations continue for a third day in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Miami, and Washington, D.C. where protesters perform "die-ins" over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. (The New York Times) (Boston.com)
Science and Technology
- NASA's New Horizons spacecraft reawakens at 20:00 UTC in preparation for observing the dwarf planet Pluto and its satellites. New Horizons, launched on January 19, 2006, will begin distant observations on January 15, 2015, culminating with its July 14, 2015 closest approach flyby. (Sky and Telescope) (L.A. Times) (C-Net)