In the past several weeks, extensive flooding has inundated the U.S.A.’s East Coast and upper Mid-West, Jamaica, Barbados and Cuba, parts of Europe, the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia and Viet Nam, and the Chinese island of Hainan.  As of Wednesday morning, the death toll across Asia had reached 110, with tens of thousands displaced, and bridges and homes destroyed due to the flooding (Associated Press, October 6, 2010).  In Jamaica, 11 people died and thousands went without power and water for several days (Canadian Press, October 3, 2010).

The Danube, Europe’s second-longest waterway, could be threatened by a toxic red sludge that has entered one of its tributaries.  This week, a reservoir for toxic sludge at an aluminum plant in Hungary burst, releasing 1 million cubic meters (more than 35 million cubic feet) of sludge into two neighboring towns.  So far, four people have been killed, three are missing, and 120 have been treated for chemical burns.

In September 2010, Benedict XVI made the first official state visit to England by a Roman Catholic Pope since the Protestant Reformation.  Although atheists threatened to have him arrested for covering up the activities of pedophile priests, the Pope apologized for the scandal, met with the Queen, and addressed an assembly of British politicians as “the Successor of Peter” and a representative of “the Catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles” (Telegraph, 18 September 2010).

Two weeks ago, Christchurch, New Zealand was rocked by a major 7.0 earthquake. The quake has been followed by more than 100 aftershocks, some of which were major quakes themselves.

Last week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has reached another milestone as it advances toward the goal of arming nuclear ballistic missiles. Iran’s missiles already have the ability to reach parts of Europe.