North Korean Defectors seek representation in South Korea by launching a Political Party 2020.02.18

Hi I am Alex Hicken, back with my second official recorded world news report since I rebooted my publication. I want to express my gratitude for all those people who have confidence that I can develop a publication. I have many blogs, and I think that I need to start with what I have for now because they have history. I am so thankful for Alex Meldrum, and his confidence in me that he already pledged 15 dollars. If you have confidence in my ability to develop a serviceable publication, please go to Patreon. Sign up, and look me up at Alex Hicken. Patreon is a platform where you can support creators directly. If you are watching this, you are a part of the foundation of my publication. You can become a founding member of the publication by joining me on Patreon, and contributing. My publication is not about me. It is about serving each other. My little brother is part of the publication, working five hours this weekend, and we published an article of his. It was composed so professionally that it was featured on Vivaldi’s network home page. One goal of the publication is to raise Trevor out of his hourly job to engaging in developing the professional skills that he already had expressed. The podcast “Read the Story of the World” is now on the following five platforms: RadioPublic, Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. I will provide the link to the podcast in the show notes, for those who use those podcast services. Now on to the news report.

We are going to start in Africa today because I saw a tweet yesterday commemorating nine years since the Libyan civil war.

About ten years ago the Arab Spring began, where most Arab nations, rose up, seeking their freedoms. Libya was able to remove Colonel Muammar Gaddafi from his leadership, but nine years after Syria and Libya are still in turmoil as the civil war in Syria never finished yet. An interesting coincidence that happen is that the European Union recently agreed to begin a UN naval and air mission to reduce the violence and destruction between factions and armies by restraining the weapons trade to Libya. The coincidence that I saw is that Turkey was sending weapons and ammunition to the army and Government of National Accord in the Port of Tripoli; however, the Libyan National Army destroyed the ship. The Libyan National Army seems to want to reduce the weapons trade too.

One rebel group, called the Allied Democratic Forces, has remained in the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 20 years, wreaking havoc. This militia attacked a village in Beni called Manzahalo, burning down ten houses and killing ten people. The group has been slowly been dismantled by the Congolese army as five of the six senior leaders have been killed, and they detained 40 ADF men last Wednesday.

Boko Haram has caused so much trouble in Nigeria that thousands have had to flee to Niger. Refugees in camp that missed food from Sunday’s shipment were so in frenzied that they were not going to miss food for the second day in the row as the delivery arrived yesterday. They stampeded the distribution center, killing 20 people.

A disagreement yesterday between herdsmen and a village was cause for massacre for the herdsmen in the Tsauwa village of northern Nigeria. 30 were killed.

South Sudan’s President Kiir sought peace this weekend, reverting the country back to 10 states rather than 32, establishing three administrative areas; however, the rebel leader Riek Machar rejected his proposal, continuing the stalemate for more than 6 years.

Moving to the Middle East, the Assad’s Syrian war effort has claimed their advance in the Northwest mostly complete as another 100,000 people fled, since last time I reported on Saturday of 800,000, totaling 900,000.

A car bombing backed by Syria was carried out by a Kurdish militia, seeking to regain land in Turkey for the Kurdish people.

Another thing that happened over the weekend resulting from events that I reported last Saturday is the event where the Saudi’s were fighting the Yemen revolutionaries, since they shot down one of the Saudi fighter jets. A UN mission helped the two nations negotiate and come to an agreement to trade prisoners, returning 1400 people to their nations.

A militia in Iraq, who are backed by Iran, shot rockets at a US military base injuring 11 of the United States’ soldiers.

Afghanistan has come to a conclusion of their presidential elections, which was four months ago. President Ashraf Ghani won his second six year term. His background is actually impressive. He got a doctorate degree at Columbia University, serving as advisors of Afghanistan’s UN secretary-general, president Hamid Karzi, and at a senior level at the World Bank. He has role since the fall of the Taliban government was important for the country’s economic growth.

South Korea is going to have an election in April, and some leaders within the North Korean refugee and defectors community are seeking to have greater representation in the South Korean government. The community is neglected, and a most poignant situation that brings the neglect to light is the starvation of a family of three, who were denied government support and left to die in their apartment. The leaders started a political party called the South-North Unification Party; furthermore, they want to bring to light the evils of the North Korean government as some policies and ties between the South and North Korean nations need to be more moderate than friendly according to the party.

There have been some leaks in the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim people. Documents show that they have established re-education camps for people, who have beards too long or too many children. The persecution against the Uighur population has been going on for years. In the past 6 years, two million people have been held in internment camps. The atrocities against these people were named as torture, medical experiments, and gang rape.

I wanted to mention yesterday depicting somehow that the integrity of man needs to be held hire because in my review of the news yesterday; abominable sexual acts of violence were covered extensively throughout the world. The media is pleading for men to be more considerate of women. In Mexico over the weekend a 7 year old girl was killed in the rise of femicide in Mexico City after going missing after school. No one has been identified as who kidnapped her, and no one known what happen to her other than she was found dead in a bag. This trend of femicide was brought to attention only last weekend as the 25 year old Ingrid Escamilla was murdered.

In Thailand, another shooting happened only one day after the military transferred security back to the city of Bangkok, when ten days previous a soldier went on a rogue mass shooting in a mall. This shooting was also in a mall, and it was not tied to the previous incident. The shooter’s killing of the woman was a result of jealousy. I want to encourage greater respect for women today. Start in your home.

The link to my official world news report is in the show notes with all the citations and information.

The Daily World News Report of the 18th of February 2020

Africa

Nine years ago, I followed closely the Libyan revolution as Muammar Gaddafi was forcibly removed as colonel, and the European Union has agreed to begin a naval and air mission to reduce the violence and destruction between factions by restraining the trade of weapons to Libya.[1] Interestingly, the Libyan National Army destroyed a Turkish ship bearing weapons and ammunition at the port of Tripoli. The cargo was intended for the Government of National Accord, seeking control over the country of Libya, who are one of three entities. The third are faction of tribesman and other militias. The Government of National Accord is the second most powerful entity; however, their territory is mostly the Northwest coast.[2]

A violent militia in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks the Beni village of Manzahalo, burning ten houses down, and killing ten people. The Allied Democratic Forces is the name of the militia. They originated in Uganda as a rebel group, opposing President Yoweri Museveni; however, they were pushed out of the country. The militia is slowly being dismantled as five of six of the six senior commanders have been killed, and forty ADF men were detained last Wednesday.[3]

In Niger, a refugee camp, a majority of whom may be from Nigeria due to the ten year insurgency of Boko Haram, gave into a stampede on arrival of food and goods at a distribution, killing about 20 people. The people who did not get supplies on Sunday stampeded during Monday’s delivery.[4]

Zimbabwe’s management of foreign and their currency required their reserve bank to “approve the payment of $1.2 billion of legacy debt. My understanding of legacy debt is that this will be on the books for a long time in order pay off many debts of “foreign entities, including airlines, and fuel and grain suppliers,” which will probably be paid off by taxes.[5]

America

Another woman was in the rise of femicide troubles Mexico City. The body of a 7 year old girl was found dead over the weekend “wrapped in a bag and abandoned in a rural area on Saturday” after she went missing, being picked up from school from an unknown person.[6]

Asia

A super-spreader of the Coronavirus in Singapore attended a church called the Grace Assembly of God infecting 21 people.[7]

China has long been resisting the Uighur population in Xinjiang. Documentation has been exposed that one man was sent to “re-education camp” as fifteen other family members were being monitored, since the man grew a long beard. The documents state that they are “infected with religious and extremist ideas.” Beards are not the only extreme idea. The internment camps’ documentation also found that they have too many children. Hundreds have been delivered to a camp called Karakax. The resistance against the Uighur Muslims claims that they are terrorists. The people have been known to be subjected to torture, medical experiments, and gang rape. Nearly 2 million have been held in internment camps since 2014.[8]

Today the South-North Unification Party in South Korea was launched by a group of North Korean refugees and defectors. They hope to represent about 33.5 thousand defectors. They are preparing for elections in April as the minority group is neglected, where a notable situation ended in the death of a family of three North Koreans, who were “denied government benefits”. One thousand people successfully defected from North Korea last year. The party opposes some of South Korea’s policies to resolve disputes with North Korea.

The day after the Thailand military transferred order to maintain safety of the area affected by the rogue soldier’s mall mass shooting, another mall shooting in Bangkok kills one, injuring another. This shooter did not hold hostages like the previous one; however, he fled. The shooter was not apprehended at the time of this report.[9] The shooting was not in relation with previous shooting. Jealousy inspired the murder of the woman at the conclusion of Valentine’s Day weekend.[10]

Europe

Five Ukrainian soldiers were injured, one of whom, suffering death in a fight with separatists backed by Russia. Russia denies the accusation of supporting separatists in Donbass by “Ukraine, West countries, and Nato.” The separatist group appears to have lines or territory protected by mines as the front was not claimed as aggression by either side.[11]

Middle East

Afghanistan released their presidential election result after four months from the voting date, announcing that Ashraf Ghani won his second six year term. He studied anthropology in Columbia University, obtaining a doctorate degree there, and he was an adviser to Afghanistan’s UN secretary-general, president Hamid Karzi, and the World Bank; but in a senior position.[12] He “played an important part in the economic upturn of the country after the fall of the Taliban government.”[13]

The poor province of Balochistan, Pakistan breeds extremism as they face “Islamist, separatist and sectarian insurgents.” A suicide explosion near the police vehicle in the province’s capital city of Quetta on Monday killed two of the police.[14]

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[1] Erianger, Steven. “With Libya Still at War, E.U. Agrees to Try Blocking Weapon Flow.” The New York Times, 17 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/world/europe/libya-eu-arms-blockade.html.

[2] Serrieh, Joanne, and Tommy Hilton. “Turkish Ship Carrying Weapons Targeted by LNA in Tripoli Port.” Al Arabiya English, 18 Feb. 2020, english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/02/18/Libyan-Army-targets-Turkish-ship-carrying-weapons-in-Tripoli-port.html.

[3] “Ten Dead in Attack in Eastern DR Congo's Beni Region.” Yahoo!, AFP, 18 Feb. 2020, news.yahoo.com/ten-dead-attack-eastern-dr-congos-beni-region-001109425.html.

[4] Mamane, Dalatou. “At Least 20 Killed in Stampede for Food at Refugee Camp in Niger.” Independent, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/niger-refugee-camp-stampede-death-toll-boko-haram-a9341681.html.

[5] Ndlovu, Ray. “Zimbabwe Central Bank to Settle $1.2 Billion of Legacy Debt.” Bloomberg, 17 Feb. 2020, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-17/zimbabwe-central-bank-to-settle-1-2-billion-of-legacy-debt.

[6] “Killing of 7-Year-Old Stokes Anger in Mexico over Femicides.” Houston Chronicle, AP, 18 Feb. 2020, www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Killing-of-7-year-old-girl-stokes-anger-in-Mexico-15062430.php.

[7] Khalik, Salma. “Coronavirus: 4 New Cases Including 3 Linked to Grace Assembly of God Church; 21 Cases Now Linked to the Cluster.” The Straits Times, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn., 18 Feb. 2020, www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/coronavirus-4-new-cases-including-3-linked-to-grace-assembly-of-god-church-21-cases.

[8] Stubley, Peter. “China’s Uighur Muslims Detained for Growing Beards and Having Too Many Babies, Leaked Document Reveals.” Independent, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/uighur-muslims-china-camps-beards-babies-xinjiang-karakax-a9341196.html.

[9] “Gunman Kills One Person at Bangkok Mall Days after Mass Shooting.” Al Jazeera, 18 Feb. 2020, www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/gunman-kills-person-bangkok-mall-days-mass-shooting-200218101754977.html.

[10] “Police Say 'Jealousy' between Ex-Lovers behind Latest Thai Mall Shooting .” The Star, 18 Feb. 2020, www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/02/18/police-say-039jealousy039-between-ex-lovers-behind-latest-thai-mall-shooting.

[11] Zinets, Natalia, and Andrew Osborn. “Fighting Erupts in Eastern Ukraine, Kyiv and Russian-Backed Separatists Trade Blame.” The Globe and Mail, Reuters, 18 Feb. 2020, www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-fighting-erupts-in-eastern-ukraine-kyiv-and-russian-backed.

[12] “Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Wins Second Term, Election Commission Confirms.” NBC News, Associated Press, 18 Feb. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-wins-second-term-election-commission-confirms-n1137951.

[13] “Ashraf Ghani Biography.” TheFamousPeople.com, 31 Oct. 2017, www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ashraf-ghani-6925.php.

[14] “Pakistan’s Quetta Rocked by Suicide Blast, Hours after PM Imran Khan Claims to Have Driven out Militants.” South China Morning Post, AFP, 17 Feb. 2020, www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3051044/pakistans-quetta-rocked-suicide-blast-hours-after-pm-imran.

A speech addressing anxiety, depression, and mental health

The following is a speech by Reyna I. Aburto, the second counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency in October 2019.

You can see the original publication of the speech at the following link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/31aburto?lang=eng

"One of our beloved hymns expresses the plea “Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!”1 I was once on a plane as it approached a large storm. Looking out the window, I could see a dense blanket of clouds below us. The rays of the setting sun reflected off the clouds, causing them to shine with intense brightness. Soon, the plane descended through the heavy clouds, and we were suddenly enveloped in a thick darkness that completely blinded us to the intense light we had witnessed just moments earlier.

Black clouds may also form in our lives, which can blind us to God’s light and even cause us to question if that light exists for us anymore. Some of those clouds are of depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental and emotional affliction. They can distort the way we perceive ourselves, others, and even God. They affect women and men of all ages in all corners of the world.

Likewise damaging is the desensitizing cloud of skepticism that can affect others who have not experienced these challenges. Like any part of the body, the brain is subject to illnesses, trauma, and chemical imbalances. When our minds are suffering, it is appropriate to seek help from God, from those around us, and from medical and mental health professionals.

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and … each has a divine nature and destiny.” Like our Heavenly Parents and our Savior, we have a physical body and experience emotions.

My dear sisters, it is normal to feel sad or worried once in a while. Sadness and anxiety are natural human emotions. However, if we are constantly sad and if our pain blocks our ability to feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son and the influence of the Holy Ghost, then we may be suffering from depression, anxiety, or another emotional condition.

My daughter once wrote: “There was a time … [when] I was extremely sad all of the time. I always thought that sadness was something to be ashamed of, and that it was a sign of weakness. So I kept my sadness to myself. … I felt completely worthless.”

A friend described it this way: “Since my early childhood, I have faced a constant battle with feelings of hopelessness, darkness, loneliness, and fear and the sense that I am broken or defective. I did everything to hide my pain and to never give the impression that I was anything but thriving and strong.”

My dear friends, it can happen to any of us—especially when, as believers in the plan of happiness, we place unnecessary burdens on ourselves by thinking we need to be perfect now. Such thoughts can be overwhelming. Achieving perfection is a process that will take place throughout our mortal life and beyond—and only through the grace of Jesus Christ.

In contrast, when we open up about our emotional challenges, admitting we are not perfect, we give others permission to share their struggles. Together we realize there is hope and we do not have to suffer alone.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have made a covenant with God that we “are willing to bear one another’s burdens” and “to mourn with those that mourn.” This may include becoming informed about emotional illnesses, finding resources that can help address these struggles, and ultimately bringing ourselves and others to Christ, who is the Master Healer. Even if we do not know how to relate to what others are going through, validating that their pain is real can be an important first step in finding understanding and healing.

In some cases, the cause of depression or anxiety can be identified, while other times it may be harder to discern. Our brains may suffer because of stress or staggering fatigue, which can sometimes be improved through adjustments in diet, sleep, and exercise. Other times, therapy or medication under the direction of trained professionals may also be needed.

Untreated mental or emotional illness can lead to increased isolation, misunderstandings, broken relationships, self-harm, and even suicide. I know this firsthand, as my own father died by suicide many years ago. His death was shocking and heartbreaking for my family and me. It has taken me years to work through my grief, and it was only recently that I learned talking about suicide in appropriate ways actually helps to prevent it rather than encourage it. I have now openly discussed my father’s death with my children and witnessed the healing that the Savior can give on both sides of the veil.

Sadly, many who suffer from severe depression distance themselves from their fellow Saints because they feel they do not fit some imaginary mold. We can help them know and feel that they do indeed belong with us. It is important to recognize that depression is not the result of weakness, nor is it usually the result of sin. It “thrives in secrecy but shrinks in empathy.” Together, we can break through the clouds of isolation and stigma so the burden of shame is lifted and miracles of healing can occur.

During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ healed the sick and the afflicted, but each person had to exercise faith in Him and act to receive His healing. Some walked for long distances, others extended their hand to touch His garment, and others had to be carried to Him in order to be healed. When it comes to healing, don’t we all need Him desperately? “Are we not all beggars?”

Let us follow the Savior’s path and increase our compassion, diminish our tendency to judge, and stop being the inspectors of the spirituality of others. Listening with love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer, and we may be able to help carry or lift the heavy clouds that suffocate our loved ones and friends so that, through our love, they can once again feel the Holy Ghost and perceive the light that emanates from Jesus Christ.

If you are constantly surrounded by a “mist of darkness,” turn to Heavenly Father. Nothing that you have experienced can change the eternal truth that you are His child and that He loves you. Remember that Christ is your Savior and Redeemer, and God is your Father. They understand. Picture Them close by you, listening and offering support. “[They] will console you in your afflictions.” Do all you can, and trust in the Lord’s atoning grace.

Your struggles do not define you, but they can refine you. Because of a “thorn in the flesh,” you may have the ability to feel more compassion toward others. As guided by the Holy Ghost, share your story in order to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

For those of us currently struggling or supporting someone who is struggling, let us be willing to follow God’s commandments so we may always have His Spirit with us. Let us do the “small and simple things” that will give us spiritual strength. As President Russell M. Nelson said, “Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.”

Let us all remember that our Savior, Jesus Christ, “[has taken] upon him [our] infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know … how to succor [us] according to [our] infirmities.” He came “to bind up the brokenhearted, … to comfort all that mourn; … to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

I testify to you that “thru cloud and sunshine” the Lord will abide with us, our “afflictions [can be] swallowed up in the joy of Christ,” and “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” I testify that Jesus Christ will return to the earth “with healing in his wings.” Ultimately, He “shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more … sorrow.” For all who will “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him,” the “sun shall no more go down; … for the Lord shall be [our] everlasting light, and the days of [our] mourning shall be ended.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Testimony of Emma Smith

     One thing that is unique about the Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is that the testimony of Emma Smith is held within it. It is interestingly an interview conducted by her son Joseph Smith III. The interview asks skeptical questions such as the following:

• "Had he not a book or manuscript from which he read, or dictated?”
• "Could he not have had? and you not know it?”
• "Are you sure that he had the plates at the time that you were writing for him?”
• "Could not father have dictated the Book of Mormon to you, Oliver Cowdery and the others who wrote for him, after having first written it, or having first read it out of some book?”
• "I should suppose that you would have uncovered the plates and examined them?
• "Did Mr. Smith forbid your examining the plates?” (A question from her second husband)

     Before I get into Emma Smith’s answers, I would like to quote a couple verses of scriptures that I was led to review with my wife from the “Come, follow me” program this morning. They are verses 2 Nephi 27:20-21, which is the following quotation:

“Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.”

     These verses allude to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was truly led by the gift and power of God to translate and preserve the golden plates. The work could not have been fulfilled without it.

Emma Smith describes Joseph as one, who “could not write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter, let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon.” She does not recall Joseph Smith forbidding her from uncovering the golden plates.

     She described the gift and power of God, working through Joseph Smith, for he used a stone. A seer stone is a gift of God to prophets to see visions. It is alluded to and described in the Book of Mormon in the Book of Mosiah chapter 8 verse 13

“Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer.”

It is also alluded to in the Bible, but I am not trying to persuade the sceptic. I am trying to be informative. Joseph Smith did not look through the stone on the golden plates to see it translate the ancient language. Emma described the translation process as “he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the [seer] stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.” She expounded that he “would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him.” The translation of the Book of Mormon came through the stone similar to how we read on our phones. Where does the information come from? The translation came from the gift and power of God. The testimony of Emma Smith was an interview of seemingly skeptical questions; however, I am not seeking to persuade the prideful. I am trying to inform the humble to help them understand the origin of the Book of Mormon and the implications thereof, for the introduction illustrated it beautifully as the following: 

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)
Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah." (Introduction of the Book of Mormon)

     Emma Smith’s testimony is that she “believe the Church to have been established by divine direction. I have complete faith in it.”

     I have faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well. Faith comes by the word of God, and I have felt the Spirit of God to bring it into my heart as I have prayed to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ.