Devastation: The death toll from Friday’s monster typhoon could reach 10,000 in the city of Tacloban alone, Philippine authorities say. Hardest hit were Tacloban and Ormoc on the island of Leyte in the central Philippines, but people are reported dead and missing in other areas as well. Witnesses report bodies in the streets and hanging from trees while survivors are foraging for food and water. The gas stations are destroyed and the city’s two biggest shopping malls have been looted.

No Deal: Despite great hopes, western powers failed to reach a deal to freeze Iran’s nuclear program. France wanted tougher terms than other countries, including the US, were willing to accept. Iran’s foreign minister said the lack of a deal is not a disaster because, “Provided that we can continue this process and try to reach positive results, I think we’ve done extremely important work.”’

Foreign Correspondence: In a time of rising tension between China and the western press, the Foreign Ministry rejected the visa application of an American reporter who spent the last 18 years living in Beijing. Paul Mooney applied for a new visa to represent Thomson Reuters after leaving the South China Morning Post. Although the government gave no reason, the Chinese have been getting tougher with reporters they believe have given the country unflattering coverage. Websites of major news outlets have been hacked by the Chinese. The NY Times reported yesterday that Bloomberg News had spiked reports of official corruption for fear of having its reporters kicked out of China.

Party Shooting: Two people are dead and 22 injured after a shooting at a suburban Houston house party. About 100 people were attending the party. Some were hit by bullets, but others were injured in the scramble to get away from the gunfire.

Anchors Aweigh: The Navy christened its most advanced aircraft carrier ever, the USS Gerald Ford. The ship will carry the new joint strike fighter and unmanned aircraft.  Planes will be launched using electromagnetic force instead of a steam catapult. The Ford was designed to save money by having a smaller crew, but it’s $2 billion over budget and will not be ready for deployment until 2016. It is intended to have a working life of 50 years.

Downer: A European satellite nicknamed “the Ferrari of space” is expected to fall out of orbit and crash to earth today. The stylish satellite launched in 2009 was researching earth’s gravitational field and finally ran out of fuel.

Digital Onions: In an announcement that sounds like one of its own spoofs, the satirical newspaper The Onion announced that it is publishing its last print edition Dec. 12 before going all digital. Like other news outlets, the fake paper had real problems making money in print. To save money the paper had moved its offices from New York to Chicago, an effort that failed because the staff had to buy expedition-quality polar parkas.

 -30-