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If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.Proverbs 24 : 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.Ephesians 6 : 10
James Pomfret and Summer Zhen
Updated Sat, April 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM GMT+32 min read
HONG KONG (Reuters) -China’s President Xi Jinping pledged “self-reliance and self-strengthening” to develop AI in China, state media reported on Saturday, as the country vies with the U.S. for supremacy in artificial intelligence, a key strategic area.
Speaking at a Politburo meeting study session on Friday, Xi said China should leverage its “new whole national system” to push forward with the development of AI.
“We must recognise the gaps and redouble our efforts to comprehensively advance technological innovation, industrial development, and AI-empowered applications,” said Xi, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Xi noted policy support would be provided in areas such as government procurement, intellectual property rights, research and cultivating talent.
Some experts say China has narrowed the AI development gap with the United States over the past year. The Chinese AI startup DeepSeek drew global attention when it launched an AI reasoning model in January that it said was trained with less advanced chips and was cheaper to develop than its Western rivals. China has also made inroads in infrastructure software engineering.
The DeepSeek announcement challenged the assumption that U.S. sanctions were holding back China’s AI sector amid a fierce geopolitical tech rivalry, and that China lagged the U.S. after the breakthrough launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.
“We must continue to strengthen basic research, concentrate our efforts on mastering core technologies such as high-end chips and basic software, and build an independent, controllable, and collaborative artificial intelligence basic software and hardware system,” Xi said.
He added that AI regulations and laws should be speeded up to build a “risk warning and emergency response system, to ensure that artificial intelligence is safe, reliable, and controllable.”
Xi said last year that AI shouldn’t be a “game of rich countries and the wealthy,” while calling for more international governance and cooperation on AI.
(Reporting by James Pomfret and Summer Zhen in Hong Kong; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Chinese researchers can’t access Nasa’s moon samples because of restrictions from US lawmakers [Getty Images]
China will let scientists from six countries, including the US, examine the rocks it collected from the Moon – a scientific collaboration that comes as the two countries remain locked in a bitter trade war.
Two Nasa-funded US institutions have been granted access to the lunar samples collected by the Chang’e-5 mission in 2020, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Thursday.
CNSA chief Shan Zhongde said that the samples were “a shared treasure for all humanity,” local media reported.
The servants of God, by an interested effort, have found the field that conceals the treasure. They have found jewel upon jewel, and treasure upon treasure. The simple disciples of Christ have furnished us with examples in wisdom such as the world cannot give. Mighty men of God have digged in the mines of truth, and have brought forth precious gems. Those who prayerfully study God’s word will find it infinite, exhaustless. ST April 8, 1889, par. 7
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And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.Luke 23 : 12
Chinese researchers have not been able to access Nasa’s Moon samples because of restrictions imposed by US lawmakers on the space agency’s collaboration with China.
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,Revelation 14 : 6
Under the 2011 law, Nasa is banned from collaboration with China or any Chinese-owned companies unless it is specifically authorised by Congress.
But John Logsdon, the former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told BBC Newshour that the latest exchange of Moon rocks have “very little to do with politics”.
Philip found the Lord, and fully believed in Him. He rejoiced so because of finding this treasure, that he went to hunt for Nathanael. He found him under a fig tree, and said unto him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [John 1:45.] The treasure that Philip had found was a knowledge that Christ the Son of God was among them. 13LtMs, Ms 48, 1898, par. 12
While there are controls on space technology, the examination of lunar samples had “nothing of military significance”, he said.
“It’s international cooperation in science which is the norm.”
Washington has imposed tariffs Chinese goods that go up to 245%, while Beijing has hit back with 125% tariffs on US goods.
US President Donald Trump previously hinted at a de-escalation in the trade war, but Beijing has denied that there were negotiations between the two sides.
“The law and the prophets,” with the record of His own words and deeds, are the treasure committed to the disciples to be given to the world. Christ’s name is their watchword, their badge of distinction, their bond of union, the authority for their course of action, and the source of their success. Nothing that does not bear His superscription is to be recognized in His kingdom. DA 826.1
In 2023, the CNSA put out a call for applications to study its Chang’e-5 moon samples.
What’s special about the Chang’e-5 Moon samples is that they “seem to be a billion years younger” than those collected from Apollo missions, Dr Logsdon said. “So it suggests that volcanic activity went on in the moon more recently than people had thought”.
Space officials from the US and China had reportedly tried to negotiate an exchange of moon samples last year – but it appears the deal did not materialise.
It is not safe for us to turn from the Holy Scriptures, with only a casual reading of their sacred pages. Dig deep for truth as you would for hidden treasure. Every page of God’s word is illuminated by the light of the Sun of righteousness, and the utterances of prophets and apostles are full of freshness and power. Rein the mind up to the high task that has been set before it, and study with determined interest, that you may understand divine truth. Those who do this, will be surprised to find to what the mind can attain. As we endeavor to use our talents as God would have us, they strengthen and increase, until we can grasp sacred and elevated themes. YI June 29, 1893, par. 6
Besides Brown University and Stony Brook University in the US, the other winning bids came from institutions in France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the UK.
Shan, from the CNSA, said the agency will “maintain an increasingly active and open stance” in international space exchange and cooperation, including along the space information corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative
“I believe China’s circle of friends in space will continue to grow,” he said.
“When the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John.” The Spirit of God was waiting to enlighten souls, and convert them to the truth. Notice how much effort was put forth even for one man, an Ethiopian. “The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him…. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” (See Acts 8.) PH154 61.2
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Corinthians 10 : 4
U.S. officials say now-suspended programs across Africa were designed specifically to respond to national security threats and contain the spread of terrorism.
February 16, 2025 at 2:00 a.m. ESTYesterday at 2:00 a.m. EST
NAIROBI — President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance has threatened programs intended to counter al-Shabab bombmakers, contain the spread of al-Qaeda across West Africa and secure Islamic State prisoners in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials and aid workers.
Parents need to awake, and purify their souls by practicing the truth in their home life. When we reach the standard that the Lord would have us reach, worldlings will regard Seventh-day Adventists as odd, singular, straight-laced extremists. “We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” RH January 9, 1894, par. 10
Hours after taking office last month, Trump put a 90-day pause on foreign aid programs, signing an executive order that said the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests” and “serve to destabilize world peace.”
But four current and former U.S. officials, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared government retaliation, said that many of the affected programs were specifically designed to respond to national security threats, and that their suspension could endanger the United States and its international allies.
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Anything in Return?
The United States spends nearly $10 billion annually on foreign security assistance. More than half goes to Israel, Egypt and Ukraine, all three of which received exemptions from the spending freeze. Meanwhile, other American security partners in Africa and the Middle East, which receive a much smaller share of the foreign aid budget, have seen vital security programs grind to a halt.
The Capacity of Allies to Respond to “Extremist” Threats
Of particular concern is the Anti Terrorism Assistance program, which the United States spent $264 million on in 2023 to improve the capacity of allies to respond to extremist threats. Other programs counter transnational organized crime and narcotics and strengthen local law enforcement. Almost all are now suspended.
New World Order Apprentices Fired But How Long?, These Have One Mind With the Beast
“This is not ‘The Apprentice.’ You can’t just tell your partners: you’re fired,”
“This is not ‘The Apprentice.’ You can’t just tell your partners: you’re fired,” wrote one former U.S. security official. “Everything we give them from training and equipment to general advice is, by definition, foreign assistance, most of which they have come to depend on to sustain operations that WE have imposed to ‘keep America safe!’”
The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to “science falsely so called” will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. In the day time we look toward heaven but do not see the stars. They are there, fixed in the firmament, but the eye cannot distinguish them. In the night we behold their genuine luster. 5T 80.1
Africa’s growing security vacuum : Pope Our Guardian Angel of International Peace and Security installed at the United Nations
In Somalia, where Washington has supported the government in its long-running battle with al-Shabab, a powerful insurgent group aligned with al-Qaeda, a U.S. defense official said the sudden shutdown triggered security risks for some of the hundreds of American troops stationed there.
stop-work order came down
Contractors responsible for building and maintaining bases for U.S.-trained Somali special forces, known as Danab, left so abruptly that U.S. soldiers had to scramble to pick up the slack, he said. Nearly 400 Danab graduates were left outside an American military base with no provision for food, fuel or electricity.
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?Nehemiah 6 : 3
Another private contractor, which conducts medevacs for wounded Somali soldiers, had personnel in a remote combat zone when the stop-work order came down, the U.S. defense official said. It was unclear if they would be reimbursed for the return flight or any subsequent medevacs.
The funding freeze has also hit U.S.-supported laboratories in Mogadishu and Garowe, Somalia, that analyze ballistics, DNA, bombs and other evidence. Lt. Col. Mohamed Mohamud Ahmed, head of the police forensics team in the criminal investigation division, said the Mogadishu lab provided fingerprints and other crime scene data to Interpol and the FBI.
Last year, the lab worked on about 120 terrorist cases, Ahmed said, “but all the activity has collapsed within one month. Our mentors have left, our IT licenses have expired.”
A security expert who has worked extensively in Somalia put it bluntly: “If all U.S. money stops forever, this war [against al-Shabab] is over very fast,” he said.
Al-Shabab militants have launched deadly attacks over the years in neighboring Kenya, another staunch U.S. ally. In 2020, gunmen overran a military base on Manda Island, killing three Americans. Hundreds of people were killed in 2013 during a days-long siege at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi; another 21 died in a 2019 attack on an upscale hotel in the capital.
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In northern Somalia, where the Islamic State has built an operational and financial hub, local forces are locked in a bloody offensive aimed at dislodging the militants but have been unable to secure Western support.
A report this month from a U.N. panel of experts who study the Islamic State and al-Qaeda said the threat posed by the groups “remained undiminished,” and that both continued to shift their focus to Africa. The report also noted that al-Shabab was developing a “transactional or opportunistic” relationship with the Houthis in Yemen, whose fighters have targeted global shipping lanes.
Kenya is routinely the biggest recipient of anti-terrorism assistance in Africa. U.S. support helps Kenyan police secure the porous, 430-mile border with Somalia, counter the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) — which have killed hundreds of security forces and civilians — and respond to terrorist attacks, said the former U.S. security official.
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He pointed to one critical border program, now suspended, that uses U.S.-provided drones for surveillance, detection and interdiction of militants. The drones allowed Kenyan forces to discover caches of water in jerricans hidden in remote areas by al-Shabab, according to a Kenyan police report reviewed by The Washington Post. On another occasion, the report said, a patrol disrupted men trying to plant a bomb.
Also on hold now is a program to counter IEDs — including the creation of a database to detect patterns in bomb construction, forensically identify bombmakers and gather evidence for trials.
Kenyan security forces have a long record of human rights abuses. But American funding and guidance has made a real difference, current and former officials say, and U.S. funds support an independent police watchdog that prosecutes rogue officers.
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Kenya’s abysmal performance during the four-day siege at Westgate — when inept security forces looted shops while victims lay dead, then attempted to destroy evidence — improved significantly during the 2019 hotel attack, when U.S.-trained teams secured the site within hours.
“U.S. and international involvement is a game changer as far as the local units are concerned,” said Sam Mattock, director of the Halliday Finch security company, who personally responded to the 2019 attack.
Few involved in foreign assistance take issue with the claim that the system needs reform. “I agree with Trump and wish my government had the balls to stop the foreign aid and focus on our people,” said the security expert who has worked extensively in Somalia. “But why not give everyone 90 days to plead their cases on an individual basis and if they cannot, then stop the money?”
‘The worst possible timing’
The funding freeze also has major implications for West Africa, which has become a global hot spot for extremism. Affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have seized vast swaths of territory, killed thousands of civilians and repeatedly attacked government and military targets.
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In the coastal nation of Benin, a historically strong democracy menaced by al-Qaeda-linked militants, a multiyear program to train the army for counterterrorism operations has been put on hold, according to a senior U.S. military official. The country is reeling from deadly and complex attacks, including a Jan. 8 assault on a military post that killed around 30 soldiers.
“It is the worst possible timing to pause,” said Aneliese Bernard, a former State Department adviser who now runs Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a private firm that works with the U.S. military’s civil affairs team in Benin. “It is hugely disruptive to the government’s ability to repel terrorist attacks.”
In Ivory Coast, seen as a bulwark of stability in the volatile region, two four-year programs for U.S. contractors to train local troops have also been paused. Both initiatives had just begun in January; one focused on casualty care and the other on pre-deployment training, the senior military official said.
The programs were part of a pivot in U.S. counterterrorism strategy in the region — from going after militants directly to trying to contain them — necessitated by a rapid reduction in the United States’s military footprint.
Last April, U.S. forces left Chad, the last semi-stable nation in the Sahel; four months later, coup leaders in Niger expelled U.S. troops from their newly built $100 million drone base and invited Russian military instructors to replace them.
American influence in the Sahel was largely confined to humanitarian initiatives through the U.S. Agency for International Development. Most of that work is also on hold as Trump tries to dismantle USAID.
“When you take that away, our ability to shape the environment is gone,” the senior military official said. “And if nature abhors a vacuum, we know that predator nations will dive in.”
Elusive exemptions
There are similar fears of a security void in northeastern Syria, home to two camps that house around 41,000 relatives of suspected Islamic State militants — a vestige of the U.S.-led bombing campaign that destroyed the group’s self-declared caliphate.
The funding freeze led to a three-day stoppage in humanitarian aid to the al-Hol and Roj camps before temporary waivers were issued to organizations working there, said an aid worker with knowledge of the situation. The guards’ waivers need to be renewed every two weeks to avoid further disruption, and aid work across the rest of Syria remains paused.
“When people don’t have the water, the food, the things that they are relying on, they’re going to look for someplace else to find it,” the aid worker said. “The concern, especially in Syria with [the Islamic State] looking for opportunities to regroup, is that they will step into that vacuum.”
The freeze has forced the Iraqi government to suspend the repatriation of families from al-Hol. The camp in southern Iraq where returnees were being sent for rehabilitation has ceased operations due to lack of funding, according to Evan Jabro, the country’s migration and displacement minister.
Under Trump’s executive order, programs that deliver lifesaving assistance or are judged to be “mission-critical” are exempt from the freeze. But members of Congress are still in the dark about how the administration is granting exemptions, a congressional aide familiar with discussions said.
“We’ve not seen criteria for the waiver process … and the few publicized waivers are barely being implemented,” the aide said. “We see no evidence of a review process.”
The State Department has said it is terminating $1 billion worth of programs, he said, but Congress has “no way to assess the legal, financial, or national security risks.”
Chason reported from Dakar, George from Dubai and Salim from Baghdad. Louisa Loveluck in London and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.Ecclesiastes 1 : 9
Arrian, the most famous biographer of Alexander the Great, was a soldier, statesman, philosopher, and author. Credit Alexander Gale / Greek Reporter
Over 2,300 years have passed since the death of Alexander the Great, but he remains one of the most famous historical figures of all time. The conqueror’s fame might have dimmed, however, were it not for the biographers who committed his exploits to the written word.
Arrian (Greek: Arrianos) is considered by many historians to be the most reliable source on the life of Alexander. This is despite the fact that he was writing in the second century AD, roughly four centuries after Alexander’s death.
Many falter and fall because of the indulgence of a perverse temper. Alexander and Caesar found it much easier to subdue a kingdom than to rule their own spirits. After conquering nations, the world’s so-called great men fell, one of them through the indulgence of appetite, a victim of intemperance, the other through presumption and mad ambition. 4T 348.1
Although Arrian’s name has been overshadowed by the subject of his most famous biography, the life of this ancient Greek writer was also quite extraordinary. Arrian befriended emperors and philosophers, rode to war in Asia Minor, and held offices in Rome, Athens, and Cappadocia.
And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.Daniel 1 : 5, Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.Daniel 5 : 1, And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.Revelation 14 : 8
Prophecies are being fulfilled, and stormy times are before us. Old controversies which have apparently been hushed for a long time will be revived, and new controversies will spring up; new and old will commingle, and this will take place right early. The angels are holding the four winds, that they shall not blow, until the specified work of warning is given to the world; but the storm is gathering, the clouds are loading, ready to burst upon the world, and to many it will be as a thief in the night. SpTA01b 38.1
Youth and education of Arrian
Arrian was born between 85 and 90 AD in Nicomedia, an ancient Greek city in the Anatolian region of Bythynia in what was then a part of the Roman Empire. His parents were Greeks but also held Roman citizenship.
We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people on every side. Intensity is taking hold of the human family. It is permeating everything upon the earth…. Study Revelation in connection with Daniel, for history will be repeated…. We, with all our religious advantages, ought to know far more today than we do know. TM 116.2 – TM 116.3
The family had probably enjoyed Roman citizenship for several generations and adopted the Roman surname, “Flavius”. The family must have been important in the region since Arrian was granted the priesthood of Demeter and Kore as a young man. These two deities were the most important in Bythynia.
Sometime during his youth, Arrian traveled to Nicopolis, a city in Epirus on the western coast of Greece, to study philosophy under the tutelage of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus.
Most of what we now know of Epictetus’ philosophy is thanks to Arrian. He wrote the Discourses of Epictetus and Enchiridion of Epictetus based on the lecture notes he took during his time as a pupil in Nicopolis.
Whilst in Nicopolis, Arrian met the future Roman emperor Hadrian, and the pair would go on to become lifelong friends. No doubt this helped immensely with the former’s military and political career.Arrian (left) and emperor Hadrian (right). Credit: WikiSysop / CC BY 2.5 / Capitoline Museums / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Political and military career
Sometime after his studies, probably around 107 AD, Arrian probably served as an officer in the Roman legions. This was prompted by a sense of duty and a desire to advance his political career, which was typically dependent on some prior military service in the first centuries of the Roman Empire.
He may have served for a time as a cavalry officer in Noricum, in what is modern-day Bavaria. This theory is based on his extensive knowledge of the region. His military career must have been more extensive, however, since he was later given command of two legions. Therefore, it is possible that he fought in Dacia under emperor Trajan. He may also have fought against the Parthians between 115 and 117 AD.
When his friend Hadrian became emperor in 117 AD, Arrian was probably made a praetor (a judicial officer) in the 120s, and then very likely became a proconsul (governor) of Andalusia around 125 AD.
Although the picture of Arrian’s early career is largely speculative, historians are certain that he was appointed consul in Rome in 129 or 130 AD. He served alongside another consul named Severus. His duties in Rome would have kept him very active because the emperor was in Egypt and Greece at the time.
Governor of Cappadocia
After his consulship, Arrian was appointed governor of Cappadocia. It is due to this position that historians are sure of Arrian’s extensive military experience despite the lack of direct evidence. Arrian’s extensive writings on military matters also hint at his in-depth knowledge.
Cappadocia was on the frontier of the Roman Empire and under constant threat from attack. Thus, the governorship of the region also came with the added responsibility of commanding two legions. A military novice would not have been appointed to govern this region.
Fighting Aliens /Deniers/Fundamentalists by Gospel Nonviolent Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti : he wrote and published Order of Battle Against the Alans, a military treatise that gave other Roman commanders advice on fighting the nomadic tribes.
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.Luke 21 : 20
Arrian’s time as governor was eventful. In 134 AD, the Alans – a nomadic tribe from the steppes of what is today Kazakhstan – invaded the region. Arrian took two legions, the XV Apollinaris and XII Fulminata, and defeated the Alans in battle. After the battle, he wrote and published Order of Battle Against the Alans, a military treatise that gave other Roman commanders advice on fighting the nomadic tribes.
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.John 17 : 14
[1] In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. [3] And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; [4] Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. Daniel 1 : 1, 3-4
In 137 AD, Arrian left Cappadocia and settled as an honorary citizen of Athens where he also held political office. He died sometime around the year 160 AD.Map of the Roman province of Cappadocia in the second century AD. Credit: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Arrian and the biography of Alexander the Great
Arrian is mostly remembered for the Anabasis of Alexander, which documented the life and campaigns of Alexander the Great.
Since he was writing hundreds of years after the death of Alexander, Arrian drew most of his accounts of Alexander’s life from Aristobulus and Ptolemy. In his mind, these were the best sources because one had served alongside Alexander, and the other ruled over a Hellenistic successor state after his death. He also drew on other sources like Nearchus, a naval officer who served the Macedonian king.
Arrian is highly regarded by modern historians because he named most of his sources and speculates as to their validity within the text. In this way, Arrian possessed a sort of precursor to the academic rigor expected of modern historians.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;Psalm 107 : 23, And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:Revelation 18 : 11
Andrea Shalal
Sat, April 26, 2025 at 1:09 AM GMT+33 min read
FILE PHOTO: Yantian port in Shenzhen, Guangdong province
By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Spiking trade uncertainty is compounding rising debt and sluggish growth problems facing emerging markets and developing countries, but cutting their own tariffs could provide a big boost, said Indermit Gill, the World Bank’s chief economist.
Gill said global economists were rapidly lowering their growth forecasts for advanced economies and somewhat less so for developing countries, at least for now, in the wake of a tsunami of tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
All heaven is looking upon God’s commandment-keeping people of this age. Its inhabitants view the dissension and strife among the nations of the earth, who are controlled by the power of the prince of darkness. Strife, strife, is on every hand. Men are striving for place and position in the world, and will use every means possible in their efforts to gain the end they seek. But shall they see this spirit permeating the church? Shall strife and dissension hold sway among the people who have seen great light? Shall corruption leaven the people whom God has set to be the light of the world? Shall not, rather, the pure, holy truth of God be cherished, and be kept burning upon the altar of every heart, and be diffused to the world? RH May 30, 1899, par. 8
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings this week in Washington have been dominated by worries about the economic fallout from century-high U.S. tariffs – and retaliatory ones announced by China, the European Union, Canada and others.
The IMF on Tuesday slashed its economic forecasts for the U.S., China and most countries and warned that more trade strife would further slow growth. It forecast global growth of 2.8% for 2025, half a percentage point lower than its January forecast.
The spirit of the world, the ambitious strife for the supremacy, will eventually bring every soul who cherishes this spirit to discord and disunion. Deception will come to human minds, paralyzing spiritual discernment, and the deceiver will succeed in mingling the common fire with the sacred, until sacred things are brought down to a level with common, earthly imaginations, and conducted after the manner of worldly maxims, meeting the world’s standard, but having not the superscription of heaven. RH May 30, 1899, par. 9
Uncertainty indices, spiked after Trump’s April 2 tariff moves
The World Bank won’t issue its own twice-yearly forecast until June, but Gill said a consensus of global economists showed sizeable downgrades in forecasts for growth and trade. Uncertainty indices, which were already running far higher than a decade ago, also spiked after Trump’s April 2 tariff moves.
2008-2009 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic! TRUST IN GOD! 💕
Compared to earlier shocks, including the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the current shock is the result of government policy, which meant it could also be reversed, Gill said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
Christ was appointed to be the light of the world: and if those who are in darkness will receive that light, will permit themselves to be enlightened; if they will no longer walk in the sparks of the fire of their own kindling, but in the light of him who is to lighten every man that cometh into the world, they will shine amid the darkness of the world. RH May 30, 1899, par. 10
current crisis would further depress growth in emerging markets
He said the current crisis would further depress growth in emerging markets, after steady declines from levels around 6% two decades ago, with global trade now slated to grow by just 1.5% – well below the 8% growth seen in the 2000s.
“So it’s a sudden slowdown on top of a situation that wasn’t particularly good,” he said, noting that portfolio flows to emerging markets and foreign direct investment (FDI) were also declining, much as they did during earlier crises. “FDI was 5% of GDP in emerging markets during good times. Now it’s actually 1% and so both portfolio flows and FDI flows are down overall,” he said.
NEGOTIATE TRADE DEALS
High debt levels mean that half of some 150 developing countries and emerging markets are either unable to make debt service payments or at risk of getting there, a rate that was double the level seen in 2024, and could grow further if the global economy slowed, Gill said.
“If global growth slows down, trade slows down, more countries and interest rates stay high, then you are going to get many of these countries getting into debt distress, including some that are commodity exporters,” he said.
Romanism in the Old World, and apostate Protestantism in the New, will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts. The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger,—a faith that will not faint, though severely tried. Those who now exercise but little faith are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel conscience. YI July 12, 1904, par. 6 – YI July 12, 1904, par. 7
Net interest payments as a share of gross domestic product – a measure of how much countries spend to service their debts – now stand at 12% for emerging markets, compared to 7% in 2014, returning to levels last seen in the 1990s. The rates are even higher for poor countries, where debt servicing costs eat up 20% of GDP now, compared to 10% a decade ago, he said.
That means countries are spending less on education, health care and other programs that could boost development, he said.
Interest rates are also slated to stay high, given rising inflation expectations, which means countries’ debt could rise further if they needed to roll over existing debt, Gill said.
He said his advice to developing countries was to quickly and urgently negotiate agreements with the U.S. to lower their own tariff rates and avert high U.S. tariffs, and to extend lower tariff rates to other countries.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.Isaiah 55 : 1
Doing so now made sense, with U.S. pressure potentially easing domestic resistance. World Bank modeling showed that such moves could boost growth substantially, Gill said.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.1 Timothy 4 : 6
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigns in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario
By Ismail Shakil
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Israel to allow the World Food Programme to work in Gaza, saying food must not be used as a ‘political tool’, hours after the UN agency ran out of stocks due to a sustained Israeli blockade on supplies.
The WFP said on Friday it had delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens providing hot meals in Gaza and that the facilities were expected to run out of food in the coming days.
“The UN World Food Programme just announced that its food stocks in Gaza have run out because of the Israeli Government’s blockade — food cannot be used as a political tool,” Carney said on X.
As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: “Show us from the word of God our error“—the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. GC 607.1
The UN agency said no humanitarian or commercial supplies had entered Gaza for more than seven weeks because all main border crossing points were closed, the longest closure the Gaza Strip had ever faced.
“Palestinian civilians must not bear the consequences of Hamas’ terrorist crimes,” Carney said. “The World Food Programme must be allowed to resume its lifesaving work.”
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.Acts 5 : 29
Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. The military accuses the Hamas militants who run Gaza of exploiting aid, which Hamas denies, and says it must keep all supplies out to prevent the fighters from getting it.
The Gaza government media office on Friday said that famine was becoming a reality in the enclave of 2.3 million people.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: Amos 8 : 11
Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.Hosea 4 : 6
An attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023 killed 1,200 people, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 51,300 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to health officials.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.1 Timothy 4 : 6
“We will continue to work with our allies towards a permanent ceasefire and the immediate return of all hostages,” Carney added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the Gaza Strip.
Canadians will vote to elect a new government on Monday, and polls show Carney’s Liberals have a slim lead over the Conservatives.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.Revelation 3 : 20
China just raised the stakes in its standoff with Washington. Despite President Trump’s recent attempts to dial down the rhetoric and hint at possible tariff relief, Beijing isn’t budging. A spokesperson from China’s Commerce Ministry flatly rejected any notion of progress, calling U.S. claims of renewed dialogue groundless. The message: if the U.S. wants to talk, it needs to first undo the damagestarting with a full rollback of unilateral tariffs, now as high as 145%. China also made it clear that future talks hinge on more than just kind words; Washington needs to get serious about core issues like sanctions and Taiwan.
The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns shall cause “the earth and them which dwell therein” to worship the papacy—there symbolized by the beast “like unto a leopard.” The beast with two horns is also to say “to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast;” and, furthermore, it is to command all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,” to receive the mark of the beast. Revelation 13:11-16. It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy. But in this homage to the papacy the United States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power. “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Verse 3. The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet , “his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Paul states plainly that the “man of sin” will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy: “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life.” Revelation 13:8. In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, students of prophecy in the United States have presented this testimony to the world. In the events now taking place is seen a rapid advance toward the fulfillment of the prediction. GC 578.3 – GC 579.1
While Trump has publicly said everything’s active and even tried reconnecting with Xi Jinping, Beijing is keeping its distance. Chinese officials, including central bank governor Pan Gongsheng, warned at the G20 that prolonged friction could erode trust in the global economic system. No face-to-face meetings have been scheduled. And even as Trump softens his tone, China’s Defense Ministry blamed the U.S. for souring military ties, adding to the pile of unresolved tensions. From Beijing’s perspective, symbolic gestures won’t cut itWashington must first show sincerity before anything moves forward.
On the economic front, China may hold off on launching new stimulus, at least for now. First-quarter GDP came in strong at 5.4%, giving policymakers breathing room. But pressure is building. The Politburo’s upcoming meeting could reveal whether Beijing plans to prop up its export engine, especially if tariffs start to bite harder. Conglomerates such as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), heavily exposed to China’s trade mood, remain vulnerable as the geopolitical fog thickens. Until both sides back their words with action, investors shouldn’t expect a clear runway anytime soon.
Eyal Zamir, then Major General of the Israeli armed forces, is pictured after signing the purchase of the Arrow 3 missile defence system in Berlin. The chief of the general staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Eyal Zamir, warned on Thursday of an expanded military operation in Gaza if there is no progress in securing the return of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Britta Pedersen/dpaMore
The chief of the general staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Eyal Zamir, warned on Thursday of an expanded military operation in Gaza if there is no progress in securing the return of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“If we do not see progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activities into a more intense and significant operation until we reach a decisive outcome,” he said during a visit to troops in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, a military statement said.
But Rome had fixed her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her supremacy. In the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion of the heathen Saxons. They were received with favor by the proud barbarians, and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith. As the work progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered the primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter were simple, humble, and Scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners, while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only that submission which was due to every follower of Christ. Repeated attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble Christians, amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit of the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: “If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of death.”—J. H. Merle D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to submit to the authority of the pope. GC 62.4
The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. The Protestant world today see, in the little company keeping the Sabbath, a Mordecai in the gate. His character and conduct, expressing reverence for the law of God, are a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord, and are trampling upon his Sabbath; the unwelcome intruder must by some means be put out of the way. The same masterful spirit that plotted against the faithful in ages past is still seeking to rid the earth of those who fear God and obey his law. Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church-members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false representations and angry appeals, they will stir up the passions of the people. Not having a “thus saith the Scriptures” to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for Sunday laws. Those who fear God can not accept an institution that violates a precept of the decalogue. On this battle-field comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Now, as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate his truth and his people. RH January 23, 1908, par. 21 – RH January 23, 1908, par. 22
“Hamas is mistaken about our capabilities, our intentions, and our determination,” he added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz recently echoed similar threats, stating that the longer Hamas withholds the hostages, the more severe Israel’s strikes would become.
Katz also suggested that Israel could permanently occupy parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities believe 24 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas and its allies hold the bodies of 35 others.
Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.Jeremiah 10 : 22
After the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, ignited the devastating war in Gaza, a deadly new reality also took hold for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank grew in size, frequency and intensity. The army launched the stepped-up campaign to counter what it says is a growing militant threat.
The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. The Protestant world today see, in the little company keeping the Sabbath, a Mordecai in the gate. His character and conduct, expressing reverence for the law of God, are a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord, and are trampling upon his Sabbath; the unwelcome intruder must by some means be put out of the way. RH January 23, 1908, par. 21
Here’s a look at where things stand, with data collected by the U.N.’s humanitarian office and Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement tracking group.
The same masterful spirit that plotted against the faithful in ages past is still seeking to rid the earth of those who fear God and obey his law. Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church-members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith RH January 23, 1908, par. 22
Since the war in Gaza erupted, the majority of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank have been shot during military raids in villages and towns.
Israel says the operations are needed to stamp out militancy. Many of the dead were militants killed in clashes, or youths throwing stones or firebombs.
Not having a “thus saith the Scriptures” to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for Sunday laws. Those who fear God can not accept an institution that violates a precept of the decalogue. On this battle-field comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Now, as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate his truth and his people. RH January 23, 1908, par. 22
But Palestinians and rights groups say scores of uninvolved civilians have been caught in the crossfire. Of those killed since the Hamas attack, at least 182 have been children under 18, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, some of whom Israel says were involved in stone-throwing and militancy. Rights groups accuse Israel of using excessive force.
In the near future we shall see these words fulfilled, as the Protestant churches unite with the world and with the papal power against commandment-keepers. The same spirit that actuated those who persecuted the true church in ages past, will lead Protestants to pursue a similar course toward those who will maintain their loyalty to God. Church and state are now making preparations for the last great conflict. RH January 23, 1908, par. 20
Israeli offensives evicted 40,000 from refugee camps
Israel is staging a massive offensive across four major refugee camps in the north of the West Bank. The raids, at their height, pushed 40,000 people from their homes. Many are now sheltering with relatives in neighboring villages, others racking up debt renting apartments while they wait to return.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said those displaced will not be allowed to go back for at least a year.
[11] And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: [12] Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. [13] And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. [14] But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. [15] And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.Acts 10 : 11-15
Israel says it is dismantling terrorist infrastructure.
Forces have ripped up roads, destroyed infrastructure and demolished hundreds of homes. Israel says it is dismantling terrorist infrastructure. But civilian homes have also been destroyed.
In another escalation, the military has resumed previously rare tactics, like drone strikes, in these densely populated areas.
Settler attacks on Palestinians occur almost daily
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.Psalm 56 : 2
Settler attacks causing injury or death to Palestinians surged
Settler attacks causing injury or death to Palestinians surged in the wake of the Hamas attack. For Palestinians living in small Bedouin villages in areas under full Israeli control, the attacks have become a near-daily occurrence as settlers — emboldened by Israel’s pro-settler government— build new unauthorized outposts on nearby hilltops.
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.Psalm 74 : 22, They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.Psalm 88 : 17, And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.Luke 21 : 20
Israel says it opposes settler violence and blames it all on a small, extremist fringe. Palestinians say that the Israeli army does little to protect them, and that the attacks are part of a systematic attempt to expel them from their land.
Settlers have established about 80 new outposts since the war began. Rights groups say the outposts, often populated by extremist activists, are the main drivers of violence against Palestinians. The tiny unauthorized land grabs are tolerated and even encouraged by Israel, which over the years has converted many outposts into authorized settlements as it cements its hold on the territory and moves to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
We shall be attacked on every point; we shall be tried to the utmost. We do not want to hold our faith simply because it was handed down to us by our fathers. Such a faith will not stand the terrible test that is before us. We want to know why we are Seventh-day Adventists, what real reason we have for coming out from the world as a separate and distinct people…. The powers of darkness will open their batteries upon us; and all who are indifferent and careless, who have set their affections on their earthly treasure, and who have not cared to understand God’s dealings with His people, will be ready victims. No power but a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, will ever make us steadfast; but with this, one may chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. Mar 217.6 – Mar 217.7
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.Psalm 56 : 6, For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.Psalm 35 : 7, For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.Psalm 59 : 3, For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,Psalm 71 : 10
Israel’s government, dominated by settler leaders and supporters, has established 13 new settlements since the war began, at least five of which originally sprung up as outposts. That brings the total number of settlements to 140.
Most of the international community considers settlements illegal, though U.S. President Donald Trump has supported them.
Meanwhile, movement between Palestinian towns and cities has only grown more difficult. New checkpoints have further divided the territory and created choke points the Israeli army can shut off on a whim.
Our people have been regarded as too insignificant to be worthy of notice, but a change will come. The Christian world is now making movements which will necessarily bring commandment-keeping people into prominence.94 The whole world is to be stirred with enmity against Seventh-day Adventists, because they will not yield homage to the papacy, by honoring Sunday, the institution of this antichristian power. It is the purpose of Satan to cause them to be blotted from the earth, in order that his supremacy of the world may not be disputed. Mar 217.2 – Mar 217.3
Crossings that had been open 24/7 started closing during morning and evening rush hours, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and turning once-routine commutes into hours-long journeys.
As the war in Gaza continues and the West Bank seethes, Palestinians say life is only growing more difficult.
[10] And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. [11] Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.Zephaniah 1 : 10-11
Caught in the tariff net: U.S. trade war threatens Chinese fish town
Workers sort their catches in a fishing net as they catch fish at a reservoir in Maomin
By Ella Cao, Xiaoyu Yin and Florence Lo
Satan has taken the world captive!
MAOMING, China (Reuters) -In Maoming, a southern Chinese city where a giant tilapia statue watches over traffic at an intersection, the fish isn’t just a budget-friendly dinner, but a profession, income and way of life for thousands.
Today, all of that is at risk from the trade war.
An area roughly one and a half times the size of San Francisco is given over to tilapia farms in Maoming. Fish nurseries and feed lots in turn sustain the farms. Sixteen factories dot the city churning tilapia into fillets for export, much of it to supermarket freezers in the U.S..
Several rounds of U.S. tariffs mean China’s $425 million in tilapia exports to the United States are subject to duties of 170%, all but pricing them out of their largest export market.
Processors are idle and many farmers say they are making losses at today’s prices.
In late April, fish nurseries in Maoming visited by Reuters talked of not getting orders for new fry; feed makers said customers are cutting back. Processors are idle and many farmers say they are making losses at today’s prices.
But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.Exodus 5 : 17, And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,Matthew 20 : 3
Tongwei, one of China’s biggest aquaculture businesses, said this month that one-in-10 tilapia farmers in the country could lose their jobs.
And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?Luke 2 : 49, They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;Psalm 107 : 23
“These high tariffs have hit us brutally,” said Huang Songfei, a longtime buyer in Maoming. “The whole chain is hurting. People are at risk of losing their jobs.”
Men who claim to be Christians may now defraud and oppress the poor; they may rob the widow and fatherless; they may indulge their Satanic hatred because they cannot control the consciences of God’s people; but for all this God will bring them into judgment. They “shall have judgment without mercy” that have “showed no mercy.” (James 2:13.) Not long hence they will stand before the Judge of all the earth, to render an account for the pain they have caused to the bodies and souls of His heritage. They may now indulge in false accusations, they may deride those whom God has appointed to do His work, they may consign His believing ones to prison, to the chain gang, to banishment, to death; but for every pang of anguish, every tear shed, they must answer. God will reward them double for their sins. Concerning Babylon, the symbol of the apostate church, He says to His ministers of judgment, “Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” Revelation 18:5, 6. COL 178.4
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Tilapia may be a small segment of trade between the U.S. and China but the threat to livelihoods in Maoming is also being felt in both countries as the trade war throws up massive tariffs on imports.
Or, as Huang, put it: “We’re stuck.”
TO BREED OR NOT TO BREED
But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. Nahum 2 : 8
March to May is usually the peak stocking season for tilapia. Recently hatched fish are typically in high demand, swiftly sold and sent off to farmers. This spring, orders are scarce.
And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.Exodus 7 : 18, I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.Amos 4 : 10, The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.Isaiah 19 : 8
Night Fishing : This is the hardest year ever! Ripping off farmers who ‘feed nations’
“This is the hardest year ever,” a worker said, asking not to be identified. “Normally, we’d have sold a lot by now. But no one’s buying. Farmers are scared.”
[17] And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. [18] And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.Mark 1 : 17-18
Her boss said sales have fallen by more than half.
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.John 21 : 3
“Some aren’t even exporting to the U.S., but they are panicking anyway,” he said, also requesting anonymity. “It’s a chain reaction.”
Tilapia prices crashed 17% in early April as Washington and Beijing traded tariff blows. Despite a modest recovery, prices are dangerously low and some farmers are struggling to make ends meet, Huang said.
The city’s 16 export processors are also struggling. They once exported about 100,000 tonnes of tilapia a year, mostly to the United States and Canada, according to the local government, enough to satisfy the average annual fish intake of 25 million Americans.
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4 : 34
“If this keeps going, everyone will go bankrupt,” said Zhu Huazhi, a buyer for several processing plants. More than 60% of their tilapia once went to the U.S..
From India, from Africa, from China, from the islands of the sea, from the downtrodden millions of so-called Christian lands, the cry of human woe is ascending to God. That cry will not long be unanswered. God will cleanse the earth from its moral corruption, not by a sea of water as in Noah’s day, but by a sea of fire that cannot be quenched by any human devising. “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time Thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1. COL 179.1 – COL 179.2
COMPANIES SEARCHING 🔎 FOR A LIFELINE
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.Psalm 68 : 11, Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.John 6 : 68
In nearby Hainan province, the U.S. accounts for half of its tilapia exports and the local aquatic products’ association urged companies this month to find new markets at home and abroad.
However, replacing American demand is difficult. While markets exist in the European Union, Africa and the Middle East – they can’t quickly or completely replace U.S demand. Africa, for example, largely imports whole fish with minimal processing, according to a tilapia exporter.
Intemperance dethrones reason; sensual indulgence, strife, and bloodshed follow. Satan delights in war, for it excites the worst passions of the soul and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another, for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God. GC 589.1
The domestic economy is no easy fix either. The local market is weak, consumers are cautious and spending is slow.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.Isaiah 55 : 1, And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:Revelation 18 : 11
In Maoming, people are pinning their hopes on a trade deal.
“We’ll see who can survive this,” Zhu said. “I believe in China’s economy. If the tariffs are resolved, orders will come back.” ($1=7.2995 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Ella Cao, Xiaoyu Yin and Florence Lo in Maoming; Editing by Lewis Jackson and Neil Fullick)
Adventist Angels Watchman Radio 