The angry earth

Death toll continues to mount in Thailand flooding disaster

The death toll from the flooding that hit many parts of Thailand since October has risen to 257. The flooding has not yet receded in 12 districts, affecting 214,881 people.

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's southern coast, shaking a broad swathe of the country and swaying buildings in downtown Tokyo. No damage or injuries were reported.

At least five tornadoes swept through Mississippi, USA, damaging homes and businesses, emergency officials said. Governor Haley Barbour signed a state of emergency order for Attala, Leake, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Smith, Warren and Yazoo counties and other parts damaged by the storms. No injuries were reported.

A minor earthquake rumbled underneath the Atlantic Ocean south of New York's Long Island, USA. The earthquake was small ? 3.9 magnitude on the Richter Scale and 4.1 miles deep ? but it was the largest quake in the region for nearly two decades. Several reports came in about light shaking and rumbling in Long Island and in Connecticut. There were some reports from New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other east coast states.

Five people were killed in two separate avalanches in Italy. Two were skiers and three were hikers.

The hikers were apparently in an area known to be at risk of avalanches, in the Mortirolo Pass, to the north of Brescia. One of the three was extracted alive by rescue teams, but subsequently died. The skiers died in an avalanche near Reggio Emilia.

Go figure

2.3% - Rise in German retail sales in October, their biggest month-on-month gain in almost three years

10 - Grammy nominations claimed by resurgent rapper Eminem, including album of the year for 'Recovery'

33.4 million - people worldwide living with HIV and Aids. 2.6 million people were newly infected, 20% down on 2009

On this day in 1360

Freedom for a king is marked by the birth of a currency

The first French franc coin carried a stirring depiction of Jean le Bon ("John the Good", King John II) charging into battle on his horse.

It is ironic, then, that the coin came about because of a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. It was there that the Black Prince's army defeated the French and took captive most of their leaders, including King John, who was imprisoned for four years before a ransom of three million écus was paid to England.

The freeing of John on 5 December was marked by the issue of a new gold currency, called a franc - mediaeval French for 'free'.

However, in 1363 the payment of his ransom was suspended, as such a large sum had proved difficult to raise, and John felt himself bound by honour to return to captivity. He died in London in 1364.

The franc à cheval (on horseback) continued to be issued until 1385. Louis XIII of France stopped minting the franc in 1641 (replacing it with the écu and Louis d'Or). The franc was re-established as the currency by the French Revolutionary Convention in 1795.

However, the circulation of metal currency declined during the Republic which followed, which exchanged the old gold and silver reserves (needed to finance wars) for printed bonds and banknotes.

In 1960 it was revalued at 1 = 100 existing francs. The old franc ceased to be legal tender in January 2002, with the advent of the euro, whose future is now in serious doubt.

The first franc was struck 650 years ago, on this day.

The week in laughs

Leslie Nielsen died last night in hospital. Which is a big building with lots of patients in it, but that's not important right now.

(Sickipedia)

The pope said in an interview recently that the use of condoms is acceptable under certain circumstances. For instance, if you're dating someone from the cast of Jersey Shore

(Jay Leno)

RTE News: Earliest snowfall in 20 years. I always thought January was before November.

(Tribune office wag)

Michelle Obama is hoping to put salad bars in 5,000 school cafeterias. They expect as many as three students to use them.

(Jay Leno)

Q: What's white and stops you from going to work?

A: Brian Cowen and the rest of his awful government.

News hound what it says in the international press

Daily News

Mystery disease kills 36 in Eastern Africa

REPORTS of a mysterious disease in neighbouring Uganda have caused panic in the Kagera Region. The disease is reported to have caused 36 deaths in Agago, Abim and Kitgum districts. Authorities said medical officers were treating the people.

Thieves of Texas baby milk jailed for 3 years

Seven members of an alleged crime ring that involved the theft of about $18,000 worth of baby formula from Texas grocery stores have pleaded guilty in Arkansas. A circuit court judge sentenced the five women and two men to three-year prison sentences.

'Boobies' assault led to burning friend alive

A woman who doused a friend in petrol and set him alight told police he had touched her breasts while she was sleeping. Kerry Anne McNiven, 43, charged with killing Gary Stewart, 50, said "this whole thing is because he touched my boobies while I was asleep."

Lucky Thai ladyboy in marriage-a-trois

A lucky ladyboy is set to marry two young men in a lavish wedding ceremony in central Thailand. Somjit Songjaeng, 42, has lived with her first husband-to-be, Anurut Kraisa, 22, for six years, and met new fiancé, Sathit Rawtyoo, 27, last year.

Checking out

the people we said goodbye to last week

Leslie Nielsen, 84, Canadian-born American actor (Airplane!, The Naked Gun), pneumonia

Vladimir Maslachenko, 74, Soviet footballer,
winner of European Nations Cup 1960

Irvin Kershner, 87, US film director (The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again)

Mario Monicelli, 95, Italian film director, suicide

Shahla Jahed, 39, Iranian murderer, hanged

Peter Hofmann, 66, German tenor,
pneumonia

Majid Shahriari, Iranian nuclear
scientist, car bomb

Jon D'Agostino, 81, Italian-born US?comic artist, bone cancer