All the news this past week, the common factor: BIG!

Big disasters, big meetings were all over the radar screens this past week. All the news this past week was just BIG!

A massive 7.9 earthquake devastated China. Death tolls already have topped 32,000 and with so many buried under the rubble, the toll will only climb in the days and weeks to come. Thousands of survivors fled from the threat of flooding from rivers swollen by landslides. Mass burials are being conducted, with DNA samples being taken for later identification of victims. Cracked dams are another source of potential flooding, and are being inspected and repaired by the military. The spread of disease is also a threat.

In Myanmar, the official death tolls from last week's Cyclone Nargis have surpassed 78,000, and with so many missing and unaccounted for, those tolls will also continue to climb. The government of Myanmar has come under fire for delaying the acceptance of aid from many international sources.

Russia, India, and China held the eighth RIC meeting in Yekaterinburg, Russia, pledging stronger ties between the three nations. All three have voiced support for Iran's nuclear program. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will visit India later this year, hoping to sign a nuclear technology deal, a goal that has eluded the US and India.

The fifth European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) summit in Lima, Peru pushed for more free-trade agreements between the regions, and the redistribution of wealth in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bolivia and Ecuador are opposed to more agreements, but Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said it is "urgent'' that a global trade agreement be reached soon.

The fifth meeting of the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialog Forum (IBSA) in Cape Town, South Africa is being held Sunday. The three Southern Hemisphere nations have pledged to develop stronger ties. The interesting thing about this meeting is that all three of these nations are potential candidates for new permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. It is in their interest to band together.

India is everywhere in the news these days, and a series of bombings in the city of Jaipur have put India's tumultuous relationship with neighbor Pakistan back in the spotlight. So far, Pakistan has not been accused outright of the bombings, because an internal Indian group has claimed responsibility. But tensions are already extremely high between the longtime adversaries. Shootings along their border and the outstanding issue over the Kashmir region threaten to break out into war. Both nations recently tested nuclear-capable missiles, and continued peace talks are scheduled for this week.

Pakistan is also all over the news. The coalition government there is in major trouble. Former PM Nawaz Sharif pulled his party out of the coalition. The US is trying to mediate the dispute, which stems from the dismissal of judges by President Musharraf. This was seen as an attempt to avoid legal challenges to his presidency as he declared a state of emergency back in November. The coalition was supposed to get the judges reinstated. That has not yet happened.

Also in Pakistan this week, a US missile is said to have destroyed the home of an Al-Qaeda militant, killing several people in the process. Such attacks are rarely admitted to by the US or Pakistani governments, because they would be seen as an infringement on Pakistan's sovereignty. But several such missile attacks have occurred in the hunt for militants in the Afghan/Pak border regions. A Pakistani soldier was killed by militants in retaliation for the attack. Another soldier was shot and beheaded by militants, accused of spying for the US.

The US Congress vetoed a bill that would have provided more funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The US also is planning to build a large new prison in Afghanistan to replace an overwhelmed older one, to hold the numerous detainees from the war there. Such plans are a good indicator that we're not leaving there anytime soon.

Even as Congress blocked more funding for the conflicts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Iraq in a surprise trip, to meet with US and Iraqi officials, including the US ambassador and Gen. Petraeus. In the same bill, a pull-out of troops in Iraq was set for the end of 2009, in defiance of President Bush's stand that no date should be set yet.

Iran is blaming the US, UK, and Israel for the bombing of a mosque last month that killed 14 people and wounded 200. Their Intelligence Ministry says it has proof that US agents were behind the blast, and that attacks were also planned on the Russian consulate, oil pipelines, and other targets. There are also threats to take these accusations to international courts.

Iran also handed over to Russia and China documents of new proposals to end the stand-off over its nuclear program. No details have yet been announced.

As Israel held an international "Facing Tomorrow" conference to discuss its future and celebrate its 60th anniversary, Iran had choice words for them. Iranian President Ahmadinejad said Israel is a "stinking corpse" and is "dying" (a contradiction in terms), and that the celebration was like throwing a birthday party for a dead person, because the surrounding nations are just waiting for the right opportunity to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Osama bin Laden also debuted a new videotape vowing jihad against Israel until a Palestinian state is founded.

Bush addressed the Israeli Knesset, and reaffirmed the US' commitment to Israel's security and friendship between the two nations. However, he is still pushing for the founding of a Palestinian state before the end of his term in office! To that end, he is also meeting with Arab leaders at Sharm el-Sheikh, at the World Economic Forum.

Bush also tried to get the Saudis to increase oil production to ease rising prices, but only a small increase was granted. Bush also lost out in Congress (again), which voted to stop filling the strategic oil reserve in an attempt to lower prices. The reserve is for emergency use, in case of a severe supply interruption. The US has also pledged to help Saudi Arabia with its civilian nuclear program.

The remarks Bush made to the Israeli Knesset about negotiating with terrorist organizations and radical regimes like Iran being "appeasement" and a "delusion" became fodder for a virtual war of words between him and the three major Presidential candidates. Obama and his campaign immediately seized upon the remarks as a criticism of his statement that he would meet with such organizations and nations with no set preconditions. Clinton called the remarks "offensive". (Remember she threatened to obliterate Iran.) McCain has been embroiled with Obama over the issue for some time already. Hamas and other terrorist organizations have reportedly voiced their support for an Obama presidency.

Our world has gone insane.

The astronomer to the Vatican, a high-ranking official, this week said in the official Vatican news, L'Osservatore Romano, that extraterrestrials might actually exist, and that belief in their existence did not contradict the beliefs of Catholic doctrine.

And Oprah Winfrey was at it again. She had her audience undergo a mass hypnotism, for a past-life regression therapy session. Her headlong plunge into New Age and occult practices seems to get worse all the time!

So many big developments, so many signs and prophecies coming to pass...get ready, folks! We're about to see the REALLY BIG things come our way!

~Written By Michael McMillan