South Sudan's 6 Year Government Stalemate Concludes - 21st February 2020

Hi. I am Alex Hicken, summarizing my daily world news report on February 21^st, 2020 from my blog “Read the Story of the World.” If you enjoy the world news reports, the link to today’s report is in the show notes. The report has more details and the citations; furthermore, a sign up form is available on the article page that will enable the system to email you when I publish a new article. It is on the top right corner.

Let’s begin with the Coronavirus update. There was a spike in the detected infections in China today. A couple days ago, I said that on an average in the past week, there were a little over 100 new cases. The spike was a count of 411 cases. The reason for the spike was the prisons in Wuhan reported nearly 300 infected. Most of which were from a women’s prison. The government fired 11 officials who overlooked the prison situation.

I have some follow up news with the Diamond Princess Cruise ship cluster. The count of 621 cases on the ship was incomplete as they let people disembark as some were infected. Two were discovered in Australia and eleven were detected in Nebraska. It seems like we need to quadruple check, since some organizations detection processes are not as thorough as one would expect.

As Iran ran their parliament elections, the United States placed sanctions on five election managers. The most notable is the powerful clergyman Ahmad Jannati, and the other four are Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, Siamak Rahpeyk, Mohammad Moghadam, and Mohammad Yazdi. Many good people have tried to campaign for parliament positions, but thousands have been denied the opportunity as they did not favor the regime.

One development in the country of South Sudan seems to be good. The president, Salvar Kiir and the opposition leader Riek Machar was able to negotiate a resolution after rejected peace proposal over the weekend. Riek would become one of five vice presidents, and the “dissolution of all institutions at nation and state levels” was a condition to the progress toward a more united government. Mister Machar will be sworn-in to office tomorrow. Although they do have a lot of work to reorganize their entire government, this decision will hopefully be an end of the 6 year long stalemates in the country’s government coalition.

I am going to give an update to the Syrian war before I report on a couple somewhat more optimistic things. Turkey and Russia are still backing the rebels and Assad at Idlib, and the rebels are on the offensive recently as more than 50 Syrian soldiers were killed in an airstrike.

The more optimistic things have to do with Tesla and stopping of a drug trafficking operation.

Tesla was approved to continue the construction of their new Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Brandenburg near Berlin. The courts have stopped the work twice this month due to petitions by environmental groups. The court said that this is their final decision, joining Germany’s government, who praised the developing business with Tesla.

The second good news is that a Colombian delivery of 5 tons of drugs was observed by the Panama’s National Aeronaval Service. It was not a normal boat as it was partially submerged in the water. Their vessel was a homemade submarine. The Aeronaval Service arrested the four people. They were grateful that they seized a rare opportunity as it is very difficult to detect submarines without aircraft and prior knowledge of the drug trafficking.

I would like to conclude by thanking you for listening as this is my first week of my publication. I hope that it will prosper. My first step to establishing the business is the secure an income for myself; then, we could invest in expanding. If you think that my publication is worth funding, please look up Alex Hicken on Patreon, where creators have their fan’s direct support. I will report again tomorrow. I hope that Riek Machar’s appointment tomorrow to be vice president of South Sudan is successful.

The Daily World News Report of the 21st of February 2020

Coronavirus

411 new cases of the Coronavirus were confirmed on Thursday in epicenter of Wuhan city in the Hubei Province of China. I reported yesterday that the infection rate is not reducing, being about 100, but the rate has spiked as the death toll has increased to 2,249.[1] One reason for the spike is that 271 were detected as infected in Wuhan prisons. Eleven official were dismissed due their oversight.[2] 1451 patients were discharged after recovery on Thursday, adding to the total of 11,788 from the Wuhan medical facilities.[3]

Two passengers that disembarked the Diamond Princess Cruise ship were discovered to be infected after arriving in their home country of Australia from Japan. The detection process of the people may not be as thorough as expected.[4] 11 were detected in the United States as well in Nebraska from the cruise.[5]

Middle East

The parliamentary election in Iran is happening this week, and the execution of it has been corrupt as thousands of people have been disqualified from running. Ahmad Jannati, the official who is partially responsible for the qualification process, was given notice that he and four others were sanctioned by the United States. The four others are the following: “Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, Siamak Rahpeyk, Mohammad Hasan Sadeghi Moghadam and Mohammad Yazdi. The United States does not approve of how the election is being conducted.[6]

Although the Syrian rebel’s attack failed yesterday, their airstrikes killed more than 50 of Syrian soldiers on the front at Idlib in northwestern Syria.[7]

South Sudan

South Sudan has taken a crucial step to a united government as Riek Machar has agreed to be the vice president of President Salvar Kiir. Riek Machar will be swear-in to his new role on Saturday. He will be the president’s fifth vice president. The negotiation between the opposing parties included “the dissolution of all institutions at national and state levels.”[8] They have a lot of work to do ahead of them to appoint new officials throughout the country.

Central America

Panama’s National Aeronaval Service observed a semi-submersible vessel on a patrol. They discovered that it was a Colombian delivery of 5 tons of drugs. 4 were arrested. The submarine was homemade, and most of the time drug submarines are hard to find. They are easily detected by aircraft and when they have been informed previously of the shipment.[9]

Germany

Tesla resumes the clearing of their land in Gruenheide, Brandenburg near Berlin for their new Gigafactory as courts stopped them for the second time this month with several environmental groups petitioned the cancellation of the project.  The construction was approved and praised by Germany’s government for business with Tesla, and the court has concluded their delays of the project as they have confirmed that this is their final ruling.[10]

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[1] Griffiths, James. “Novel Coronavirus Deaths Top 2,200 as Number of New Cases in China Rises Again.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Feb. 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/02/21/asia/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-update-intl-hnk/index.html.

[2] Fang, Frank. “Hundreds of Prisoners Test Positive for Coronavirus in China, 11 Officials Sacked.” The Epoch Times, 21 Feb. 2020, www.theepochtimes.com/11-chinese-officials-sacked-over-coronavirus-outbreak-in-prisons_3245781.html.

[3] “China Reports 115 More Deaths, 411 New Coronavirus Cases.” Khaleej Times, IANS, 21 Feb. 2020, www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-outbreak/china-reports-411-new-coronavirus-cases-covid19.

[4] “Two Australian Evacuees Positive for Virus after Being Cleared in Japan.” Yahoo!, AFP, 21 Feb. 2020, sports.yahoo.com/australian-coronavirus-victims-had-tested-negative-japan-032356382.html.

[5] Chavez, Nicole, and Hollie Silverman. “11 Americans at Omaha Facility Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Hospital Says.” CNN Health, Cable News Network, 21 Feb. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/health/nebraska-coronavirus-positive-tests/index.html.

[6] “US Slaps Sanctions on Iranian Officials for barring Candidates.” Khaleej Times, Reuters, 21 Feb. 2020, www.khaleejtimes.com/business/economy/5-iranians-targeted-in-latest-sanctions-action-.

[7] “Turkey Claims 'More Than 50' Syrian Forces Killed After Two Turkish Soldiers Killed in Airstrike .” Haaretz, Reuters, 20 Feb. 2020, www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/turkey-more-than-50-syrian-government-forces-killed-near-syria-s-idlib-1.8561003.

[8] “S.Sudan Rebel Leader Appointed Vice President.” Yahoo!, AFP, 21 Feb. 2020, news.yahoo.com/sudan-rebel-leader-appointed-vice-president-155918433.html.

[9] McCluskey, Mitchell, and Nicole Chavez. “Police in Panama Found More than 5 Tons of Drugs in a Homemade Semi-Submersible Vessel.” CNN World, Cable News Network, 21 Feb. 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/02/20/americas/panama-drug-bust-semi-submersible-vessel/index.html.

[10] “Tesla Gets Court Approval to Clear Forest for German Gigafactory.” The Straits Times, Reuters, 21 Feb. 2020, www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/tesla-gets-court-approval-to-clear-forest-for-german-gigafactory.

An Introduction to the Sword

     I concluded reading the introduction of the Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. From my experience reading to 1 Nephi chapter 18 in my first attempt to read the book, I have found it more insightful than reading the standard version of the Book of Mormon. There are a few things that I would like to point out from the introduction. I will address the following: the book is designed with a scholarly perspective, context is preserved better, and reference to the original translation is abundant.

     I am not too scholarly; however, the book keeps in mind the Royal Skousen’s studies of the Book of Mormon. The book states the following concerning him in the Brief History of the Text section: “Royal Skousen, a professor of linguistics and English language at Brigham Young University, is the central figure in the academic analysis of the Book of Mormon text, including its origins, transmission, variants, and grammar.” The current Book of Mormon offers a lot more footnotes with bold chapters with headings. The Maxwell Institute Study edition reduces the extra headings and footnotes to a minimum, respecting that the original golden plates do indicate different chapters; although, the transcript was given to the printer at first without paragraphing or punctuation. The type setter, who is named John Gilbert, organized the transcript with punctuation. One may realize that one person deciding the punctuation of the text can cause variations of meaning in the writing. Clarification have been made throughout the years by the church, but I have found that there has been very minor changes to the original translation.

     The Book of Mormon was originally publish in a paragraph format, and I have come to appreciate this. I would say that Book of Mormon’s context is preserved better this way. The current verse structure can fragment the context of the scriptures. Some verses may be ignored because it is not the rich doctrinal statements that we love. Complete contextual messages are more obvious, since they are in a paragraph, while one might stop reading in a middle of a paragraph without the paragraphing that is found in the current edition of the Book of Mormon.

     I have a reference and a clarification that I would like to relate to you that I have found meaningful in the Maxwell Study Edition of the Book of Mormon as it is a reference to the original translation, which I said that I was going to address. The verse that a word was clarified in is verse 18 of 1 Nephi chapter 12 read as follows:

"And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever."

Coincidently the word that was clarified was the word “word”. I have italicized it in the quotation. In the original transcript the “word” was sword. The ‘sword of justice… beareth record’. The word and sword have the same meaning. 

The word might be the sword of Justice, yet the book of Alma chapter 31 verse 5 says the following:

"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."

However the word has been referred to as the sword many times. Most notably is in the Book of Revelation chapter 19 verse 15, stating the following: “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” An interesting thing is that Joseph Smith translation removes the sword again as shown the following quote: “And out of his mouth proceedeth the word of God, and with it he will smite the nations; and he will rule them with the word of his mouth; and he treadeth the winepress in the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Okay. Now that Joseph Smith’s clarification confirmed that God will rule by his word. I need to look into this more. I found the following verses relating the word to a sword or a rod. I also looked up the word rod because it can be related to a hilt or handle of a sword.

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
• Helaman 3:29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked.
• sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Eph. 6:17.
• word of God … sharper than any twoedged sword, Heb. 4:12 (D&C 6:2).
• out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword, Rev. 1:16
• And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; 1 Nephi 21:2 (Isa. 49:2.)
• sword of justice hangeth over this people, Hel. 13:5.
• take … the sword of my Spirit, D&C 27:18.
• I would let fall the sword of mine indignation, D&C 101:10.
• repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, D&C 19:15.      
• rod of iron … was the word of God, 1 Ne. 11:25 (15:23).
• he did straiten them … with his rod, 1 Ne. 17:41.
• he shall rule them with a rod of iron, Rev. 2:27 (12:5; 19:15).
• smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, Isa. 11:4 (2 Ne. 21:4; 30:9).

     The word is referred to in the scriptures many time as a sword, and the words of sword and rod is referred to as the word as well. Why is this important? In our homes, we may be tempted to rule with fear for that is the way of the natural man, seeking to accomplish the things that we desire with the least amount of effort; however, many prophets and Jesus Christ himself teaches that his word is sharper than any two edged sword, which is quick and powerful, yet Doctrine and Covenants section 121 verse 41 states “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;”

     I believe that the word sword can be attributed to the nature of God as a person of justice, judgement, and order. We should fear the justice of God. We should fear the consequences of sin.

     The power of the word can also be used as a tool to bless the earth by bring others to God, for it is true. The truth is more powerful than fear. We have been charged to take the sword of the Spirit to fight “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) The word, when we hearken to it, holding on to the iron rod, “shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil.” (Helaman 3:29) Let us take heart and feast of the word of God that we may face the world without fear.