Aza’zel

I keep on walking. Miles and miles of sand lie in front of me. I call myself Aza’zel, for I have lost my name, my identity and my people. For millenniums I have dawdled along this scorched earth.

Every few decades, some unfortunate soul stumbles upon me in this barren land. I have slaughtered, but no amount of blood has been able to quench my thirst.

The last person I killed carried a strange instrument. It had a reflective screen on it with knobs on the side. I tried to look at my face on it. I only saw the clouds above.

I had forgotten. I was dead.

It was somewhere … somewhere around here where I had lost my life. Sometimes I get glimpses. It was an ominous night in this desert. It’s been ages since that ungodly night. It was near an … an old fort.

Ah yes! I remember now.

I was being chased … chased by … yes, there were mercenaries after me. They carried spears. They called out my name.

I ran, not daring to look back. They were diabolical. There was bloodlust in their eyes.

They were after me because … yes! It was all because of Zahra. My Zahra. I was in love with her. She was the princess. Her father, the Pharaoh, would not enthrone me. He sent his assassins after me.

I continued running. Eventually I found myself on the top of the cliff. A dead end.

The mercenaries surrounded me. I turned around to face them. I saw them snigger at me. I closed my eyes. I felt the spears pass through my heart. I heard a cry. It was my Zahra. She was calling my name. I felt my soul leave my body.

I have been wandering since, since time immemorial.

I keep on walking, hoping of retribution.

May lord have mercy on my enemies. Because I won’t

-Suvanwesh Das

Geopolitical conflicts looming the upcoming decade

“Man steps on an ant when he can’t catch the fly.”

Many of the conflicts identified in the previous years have remained concerns for the approaching decade. However, climate change, terrorism and a possible armed confrontation between the United States and Iran along with North Korea remain the points of the most concern.

Western Hemisphere:

Organized crime–related violence in Mexico.

In 2018, the number of drug-related homicides in Mexico rose to 33,341, a 15 percent increase from the previous year—and a record high. Moreover, Mexican cartels killed at least 130 candidates and politicians in the lead-up to Mexico’s 2018 presidential elections.
After the Sinaloa Cartel’s Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested in 2014, re-arrested in 2016, and finally extradited to the United States in 2017, a power vacuum was created within the Sinaloa Cartel, resulting in an accompanying increase in violence between rival factions seeking new territory and influence. By 2016, drug-related homicides had increased by 22 percent, with more than twenty thousand killed, and in 2017 a mass grave containing the remains of more than 250 victims of crime-related violence was uncovered in Veracruz State. Criminal and drug trafficking organizations threaten to undermine the strength and legitimacy of the Mexican government, an important U.S. regional partner, as well as harm civilian populations in both countries.

Mass migration from the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras)

Certain actions by the Donald J. Trump administration in recent months, including separating migrant families and deploying the military to the border, have stirred significant controversy. Trump has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in Northern Triangle aid, and is holding back future funding until the region “take[s] concrete actions” to address migration. Migrants, including a growing number of women and children, are fleeing the troubled region in record numbers. On average, about 265,000 people have left annually in recent years, and this number is on track to more than double in 2019.
Some migrants seek asylum in other parts of Latin America or in Europe. However, most endure a treacherous journey north through Mexico to the United States.
El Salvador and Honduras have Latin America’s highest rates of femicide, or murders of women and girls, according to recent UN data.

Economic crisis and political instability in Venezuela.

Venezuela is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of people flee the country every day, mostly on foot. In April 2019, after years of denying the existence of a humanitarian crisis and refusing to allow foreign aid to enter the country—calling aid shipments a political ploy by the United States—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro allowed the entry of a shipment of emergency supplies from the Red Cross. Venezuela’s infrastructure has been poorly maintained, recently leading to a series of country-wide blackouts in March 2019 that left millions without power.

The curious Trade War of the United States and the 2020 presidential elections

The world is looking ahead at the 2020 elections. The next president will face serious foreign policy challenges. Trade has taken the centre stage. Donald J. Trump, who has set out to renegotiate long-standing deals and challenge a system that he says has been unfair to American workers. U.S. policymakers have struggled with how to confront an increasingly assertive China, which they say is relying on unfair trade practices that include export subsidies and intellectual property theft. Trump launched a full blown trade war with China, imposing tariffs on U.S. allies, signaled a more fundamental disruption of the global trading system in addition to threatening to withdraw from the WTO. (The Trump administration also withdrew from the UNESCO).

The 2020 United States presidential election is scheduled for November, 2020. Trump has launched a reelection campaign for the Republican primaries.

On October 31, 2019, the House of Representatives voted procedures governing public hearings regarding a possible impeachment of President Trump. These hearings began in mid-November 2019.The House then voted to impeach the president on December 18.
It is expected that more than 30 percent of eligible American voters will be nonwhite. African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic minorities, as well as “whites with a college degree”, are expected to all increase their percentage of national eligible voters by 2020, while “whites without a college degree” will decrease. This shift is potentially an advantage for the Democratic nominees like Tulsi Gabbard, Deval Patrick and Andrew Yang.

South East Asia

The Korean crisis

A severe crisis in the Korean Peninsula has emerged following the collapse of the denuclearization negotiations and renewed long-range missile testing by North Korea. Kim recently declared at the Fifth Plenum of the Korean Worker’s Party’s Central Committee that North Korea no longer feels beholden to its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental and intermediate range ballistic missile tests.
The United States has nearly 29,000 troops deployed in the Korean peninsula for that purpose. In addition to U.S. troops, many of South Korea’s 630,000 troops and North Korea’s 1.2 million troops are stationed near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), making it one of the most heavily armed borders in the world.
Kim Jong-un’s willingness to provoke the West with aggressive behavior has exacerbated the threat from North Korea’s weapons proliferation. These incitements have included firing missiles over northern Japanese islands, firing rockets across the South Korean border in August 2015, and a cyber attack on U.S.-based Sony Pictures in December 2014. Kim has also undertaken efforts to consolidate his power by purging high ranking officials, including his own family members. In February 2017, Kim’s half-brother was killed using a banned nerve agent in an airport in Malaysia. North Korea denies responsibility for the attack. There are reportedly between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners detained in North Korea.

Russia’s battle for dominance.

Putin says he wants a weaker presidency, a stronger parliament that will be responsible for picking the prime minister, and a beefed-up State Council—to be chaired, presumably, by him. The pace of change, it seems, will be quick: Putin named a new prime minister the same day he announced his proposals and called for an early popular vote to endorse them. These sudden moves underscore the president’s full control over the Russian political system. Russia has been doing its part to confront the United States, being it by developing next generation hyper-sonic missiles and fighter aircraft or providing support to countries sanctioned by USA like Venezuela and Iran. Russia is widely regarded as one of the major revisionist powers in the world, determined to upend the global liberal order. To be a global power, Russia must become a maritime power as well. Thus, it seeks to gain control in Eurasia and the region between the Black Sea and the Baltic region however the presence of the NATO has done its part in successfully putting a stop to its expansionism.

China’s battle with Coronavirus, Hong Kong and the sad state of the Uighur Muslims

Hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong have been demonstrating against a proposed law that would allow extraditions to mainland China, despite the local government’s announcement a day earlier that it was indefinitely suspending the bill.The mass protests have been among the largest in Hong Kong’s history and another sign of rising fear and anger over the erosion of the civil liberties that have long set the semi-autonomous territory apart from the Chinese mainland.

Meanwhile, a deadly reminder of the SARS epidemic has emerged, threatening the very fabric of society in China – a mysterious virus with no cure. And its spreading to other countries as well. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed this week that a traveler from Wuhan was identified with the coronavirus in Thailand, and suspected cases have been reported in Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia. Several countries have issued travel advisories and some like India have undertaken measures like installing thermal scanners in all its airports to screen travelers from China. The new virus belongs to the same family as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which afflicted China and thirty-six other countries in 2002–03, killing more than 770 people worldwide.

China is also sending shock waves across the globe with its treatment of Uighur Muslims. China’s Communist Party is waging a hardline campaign against the Uighur ethnic minority, which has seen more than 1 million people detained in prison camps.
Muslim women whose husbands have been detained in Chinese internment camps are reportedly being forced to share beds with male government officials assigned to monitor them in their homes.
The government depicts its wider crackdown on Xinjiang’s Muslims as a “war on terror” launched following a series of alleged extremist attacks in 2014. After initially denying the existence of internment camps, the government later began referring to them as voluntary “vocational training centres”.But former detainees have alleged that inmates are subjected to torture, medical experiments and gang rape.

The long standing proxy war between India and Pakistan

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It provides a path to Indian citizenship for members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecutionfrom Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014.
The passage of the legislation caused large-scale protests in India. Some states have announced they will not implement the Act. The Union Home Ministry has said that states lack the legal power to stop the implementation of the CAA. Student groups such as those from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad – a student wing of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, held rallies in support of the amended Citizenship Act. Hindu refugee families in Assam, living since the 1960s in a refugee camp and who had been denied Indian citizenship so far, said that the Amendment had “kindled hope” at first. They added that the recent protests against the Act and demands for its cancellation have made them fearful of the future.
Protests against the bill were held in several metropolitan cities across India, including Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaipur. Smaller rallies were also held in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka.

On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status, or limited autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region administered by India as a state, and a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. The Home Minister introduced a Reorganization bill in the Indian Parliament, seeking to divide the state into two union territories to be governed by a lieutenant governor and a unicameral legislature

The revocation of Article 370 was passed by an “overwhelming majority” of support in the Indian parliament. It has attracted not only the support of the Hindu nationalist parties such as the BJP, but many other Indian political parties that typically oppose the BJP.

There was opposition too. Hundreds of people protested in New Delhi to protest against the Indian government decision and called it a “death of Indian democracy”. The protestors asked Indian government to reconsider its decision. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, called the Indian government move “an assault on Indian constitution”.

These decisions by the Indian administration did not go well with its neighbour Pakistan leading to ever more escalations between the two nuclear armed neighbours.
The heightened tensions stemmed from a suicide car bombing carried out on 14 February 2019 in which 40 Indian security personnel were killed. A Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility for the attack.India blamed Pakistan for the bombing and promised a robust response.
Some twelve days later, India and Pakistan conducted airstrikes against targets in each other’s territory.
On 7 August, a meeting of the National Security Committee decided to downgrade Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with India. Pakistan’s ambassador from India was recalled and the Indian ambassador to Pakistan was expelled.
On 9 August 2019, Pakistan formally suspended its trade relations with India and banned all exports and import to/from India.
On 20 August 2019, Pakistan announced that it will take the dispute to the International Court of Justice, adding that its case would centre on alleged human rights violations by India.
The two countries have been exchanging regular artillery gunfire ever since.

The everlasting conflict in Middle East and Africa

The dangerous Iran crisis

The U.S. government withdrew in May 2018 from the nuclear agreement with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran in November of the same year.
In June 2019, two explosions paralyzed two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital passage for a third of the world’s oil, according to media reports at the time.
The images of a ship on fire, with more than half of the structure destroyed, gave Secretary of State Mike Pompeo grounds to accuse Tehran of the attack.
Further investigations determined that the matter had more to do with the interests of an Iraqi sheikh and the economic lobbying of some in the region to overthrow Iran’s government.

During the last weeks of 2019, a U.S. civilian died after Iran attacked an Iraqi base with missiles, leaving multiple members of the U.S. military service dead.
Likewise, President Donald Trump’s abandonment of Syria’s northern border left the door open for the massacre of thousands of Kurdish militants, strongly supported by the Tehran government.
The consequence was the escalation of tensions during the last months that now seems to have reached a point of no return with the assassination of the most important Iranian intelligence commander in the country’s power scale, Major General Qassem Suleimani, who was killed in a drone attack authorized by Trump on 3rd January 2020.
Suleimani was the highest-ranking military officer in Iran and was considered an extremely important diplomatic figure, especially for his leadership in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His assassination, along with several officers from Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, took place when a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone fired missiles at a convoy leaving the airport.
For its part, Tehran leadership, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement calling for three days of public mourning and a subsequent retaliation.
“His departure to God does not end his path or his mission,” the statement said, “but forceful revenge awaits the criminals who have his blood and the blood of the other martyrs last night on their hands.”
The situation turned far worse when Iran mistakenly shot down a commercial Ukrainian airliner plane resulting in the death of all 176 people on board. The aircraft was downed when Iran’s air defences had been on high alert hours after its armed forces fired more than 20 ballistic missiles at US targets in Iraq.
The USA has since imposed punishing sanctions on Iran resulting in a crippled economy and widespread anti American anger.

The tense situation in Israel

After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel declared the Gaza Strip under Hamas a hostile entity and approved a series of sanctions that included power cuts, heavily restricted imports, and border closures. Hamas attacks on Israel continued, as did Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. After months of negotiations, in June 2008 Israel and Hamas agreed to implement a truce scheduled to last six months; however, the truce was threatened shortly thereafter as each accused the other of violations, which escalated in the last months of the agreement. On December 19 the truce officially expired amid accusations of violations on both sides. Broader hostilities erupted shortly thereafter as Israel, responding to sustained rocket fire, mounted a series of air strikes across the region—among the strongest in years—meant to target Hamas. After a week of air strikes, Israeli forces initiated a ground campaign into the Gaza Strip amid calls from the international community for a cease-fire. Following more than three weeks of hostilities—in which perhaps more than 1,000 were killed and tens of thousands were left homeless—Israel and Hamas each declared a unilateral cease-fire.
A series of border protests in Gaza in 2018, in which demonstrators attempted to cross the border into Israel and sent incendiary kites and balloons into Israel, was met with a violent response by Israel. The situation reached a peak on May 14, when about 40,000 people participated in the protests. Many of the protesters attempted to cross the border at once, and Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing about 60 people and wounding some 2,700 others. The violence continued to escalate, leading to Israeli air strikes and Hamas rocket fire into Israel and lasting several months.

The Sudan Crisis

Sudan has been in the midst of a political crisis since long-serving ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in April. The military and pro-democracy movement have been locked in a tussle for power that has led to mass protests and killings.
The security forces have used brute force to strengthen the position of the generals. In the worst such case, dozens of people were killed – and some had their bodies thrown into the River Nile – in a crackdown on protesters in the capital, Khartoum on 3 June.
But tens of thousands of protesters returned to the streets a few weeks later to stage the biggest demonstration since Mr Bashir’s overthrow. This forced the junta to resume talks on a power-sharing government and an agreement has now been reached.

The possible re-emergence of ISIS

Now, as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran in the wake of the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani this month, it is worth remembering that the Islamic State is regrouping in Iraq. Indeed, the militant group’s 14,000-18,000 fighters are returning to their guerrilla roots, assassinating tribal elders, taxing local populations, kidnapping soldiers, burning crops, laying roadside ambushes, and engaging in night-time hit-and-runs. Training and support from U.S. forces in Iraq is essential to preventing its full-blown revival, but the standoff with Iran may yield the opposite result: removing the U.S. presence from Iraq altogether.

Climate Change – An approaching catastrophe.

Men argue. Nature acts.
Withstanding all the above issues, one cannot but ignore the greatest threat to the future of humanity- Climate Change.
We are facing an existential threat and rapid prioritization of attention and action is necessary. If we continue along our current path, scientists say that the consequences will be devastating, having implications on where we live, how we grow food and other services vital to our well-being. A 2°C increase could mean more heat waves, a ten-fold increase in Arctic ice-free summers and a complete wipe-out of the world’s coral reefs, home to millions of species.

In 2013 the IPCC provided more clarity about the role of human activities in climate change when it released its Fifth Assessment Report. It is categorical in its conclusion: climate change is real and human activities are the main cause.
Fifth Assessment Report
The report provides a comprehensive assessment of sea level rise, and its causes, over the past few decades. It also estimates cumulative CO2 emissions since pre-industrial times and provides a CO2 budget for future emissions to limit warming to less than 2°C. About half of this maximum amount was already emitted by 2011. The report found that:

• From 1880 to 2012, the average global temperature increased by 0.85°C.
• Oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and the sea level has risen. From 1901 to 2010, the global average sea level rose by 19 cm as oceans expanded due to warming and ice melted. The sea ice extent in the Arctic has shrunk in every successive decade since 1979, with 1.07 × 106 km² of ice loss per decade.
• Given current concentrations and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that by the end of this century global mean temperature will continue to rise above the pre-industrial level. The world’s oceans will warm and ice melt will continue. Average sea level rise is predicted to be 24–30 cm by 2065 and 40–63 cm by 2100 relative to the reference period of 1986–2005. Most aspects of climate change will persist for many centuries, even if emissions are stopped.

There is alarming evidence that important tipping points, leading to irreversible changes in major ecosystems and the planetary climate system, may already have been reached or passed. Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic tundra, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying. Mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months will have repercussions that transcend generations.

2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires and the 2019–20 Australian bushfires

Dark clouds of smoke smothered cities in Brazil as parts of the Amazon burned at a rate not seen in years, and the world responded with outrage.
For a few weeks in August, the world’s eyes were fixed on Brazil and its government’s response. When the burning of the Amazon was at its peak in August, there were thousands of individual fires, almost three times as many that month – 30,901 – compared with the same period last year.
At the other side of the world, Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia. Some 30 people have so far been killed – including four firefighters – and more than 10 million hectares (100,000 sq km or 24.7 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia has burned in addition to the death of half a billion animals.
An estimated 25,000 koalas were killed when flames devastated Kangaroo Island in the state of South Australia on 9 January.
The total area of land affected by fires across Australia – more than 10 million hectares – is now comparable to England’s land area of 13 million hectares.

Because, underneath all of this is the real truth we have been avoiding: climate change isn’t an “issue” to add to the list of things to worry about, next to health care and taxes. It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us that we need to evolve. The world has had a long and bloody history of conflict. Humans have been at loggerheads against each other since the dawn of history. It is high time we look at ourselves as one species , one people and put in all our resources to tackle the dangerous flames of climate change and global warming, before they decide to devour us off the face of this world.

The Manhattan Mystery

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Ross woke up at once. ‘Who would it be at this unholy hour?’ he thought. His eyes moved over to glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It was a quarter after midnight. Exhaling a deep breath, he jumped out of his bed and walked to the door, pausing to pick up his .53 along the way.

He opened the door to reveal a tall and gangly man, about six feet and three inches, in uniform, his NYPD badge flashing on his crisp white shirt.

“Mr. Taylor, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Inspector Adam Bush, from the NYPD. There has been a situation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We are in need of your help.” The man looked serious.

“Can’t this wait till daylight?”

“The matter is rather serious, I fear. I would not have bothered you otherwise.”

“This ought to be interesting. Come on inside then.”

“Do hurry, there’s a car waiting for us outside. We shall be meeting Professor William Gladstone in an hour.”

This was news for Ross. Gladstone was among his oldest acquaintances. Being the curator of the Department of Asian art at the Met, he was a rather popular figure. Ross jogged back to his bedroom without another question.

Adam took the time to inspect the room. The room was filled with ornate paintings and other antiques. He had never met this man, Ross, but had heard all about him. He was a private detective who often aided the police. He had been involved in some of the biggest cases of New York at a rather young age of twenty six. Adam knew if there was one man who could solve this case, it was Ross.

Meanwhile Ross appeared. He had collected all the necessary instruments and packed them in a suitcase. This invitation was sudden but the name of Professor Gladstone had successfully managed to pique his interest. A police car was waiting for them outside his flat. Without a word spoken they both got into the backseat and the situation remained the same until the car arrived at the grand museum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or simply “the Met” was the largest art museum in the United States and was home to some of the most precious artifacts in the history of mankind. The museum was well known for its unsurpassable security. Professor Gladstone’s quarter was to the eastern side in the direction of which the two men were presently headed. A very attractive lady was waiting by the porch. “Ah, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Bush! I had been waiting for you. I have heard so much about you Mr. Taylor.” Ross shook hands with the woman, “Pleasure meeting you! You can call me Ross.” The lady continued, “I am special agent Alice Wilson from the FBI’, Alice showed her badge to the men, ‘Let’s go in. Gladstone is waiting for us.

The hall inside was dimly lit and full of people. The couch at the centre of the room was occupied by a plump middle-aged man having an anxious look on his face. Beside him was a chair on which sat a rather heavily built bald man. He had a silver coin with him which he was spinning on the table. His eyes were closed deep in thought but his ears were open for any unfamiliar noise for his eyes flew open as soon as Ross approached.

“Professor Gladstone, what happened?” Ross asked after greeting the plump man. The Professor motioned his audience to sit on the couch. “Where do I start Ross? Hell has come forth upon my family. I presume you had met my daughter Violet the last time you were here? I am afraid to say that she was kidnapped yesterday while returning home from her school.”

Ross was taken aback for a minute. It was just days a few weeks ago when he had met Violet at Central Park.

“How did this happen? Why are so many agents here?”

“Because the crime is not just limited to the kidnapping. While everyone in this hall was busy searching for the little girl, someone snuck into the Department of Asian art this evening and stole the 11th century Nataraja statue from India. The statue was lent to the museum by my company and I want full compensation.” The bald man stood up. He spoke with a deep Russian accent which meant business.

Ross was irritated with the man’s attitude, “Have we met before?”

“I presume not Taylor. I am a busy man. My name is Victor Gruberovich, CEO of Ellsworth Ltd. Gladstone here tells me you can solve any crime. I need my money back Taylor. I will be back soon for it” Victor moved out of the room.

Ross nodded.

“How did this happen?”

“The sculpture is taken out once a year from its display for inspection. It was taken out yesterday and brought to the east wing. But it should not have been possible to steal it because the security features are the very best in the world. We checked all CCTVs and motion sensors near the entrances but no reading had been recorded. I was to inspect the sculpture Ross. I am in huge trouble.” Gladstone was visibly distressed.

“Tell me more about the kidnapping.” Ross asked Adam. The Inspector motioned Ross to follow him and took out a map of Manhattan. “According to our sources, Violet was returning from her day school like every other day. Her bus dropped her off at Fifth Avenue at this point here. An SUV came and stopped in front of her, blocking the view of the CCTVs in the area and that was the last time we saw her. We tracked the SUV however and found it about a block away. However there was no documentation and its number plate was a fake. The police was clueless until this morning when this letter arrived at the doorstep of Gladstone.”

Adam handed over a piece of thick paper to Ross. It ran as thus:

 

“I am in trouble. They gave me a glass of milk and this piece of paper and a pen to write. I am doing okay. I haven’t had food in over twelve hours. I have been kidnapped, dad, they said they will make me write another letter with their demands. This room is full of dirt and water keeps dripping down the ceiling. The rain is relentless. I hear it thrumming on the metal roof and running down the broken pipe into the mud, and I moisten my cracked lips with my tongue. I wonder if they’ll bring me food and water. I wonder if they’re coming at all.”

 

Ross sighed. He inspected the letter. He then took the paper sheet to his nose and took a sniff. His eyes lit up. “Fire. I need fire.”

“What is it that you are trying to achieve Taylor?” Agent Wilson asked.

“Violet wrote that she had been given a glass of milk. I found it a rather unusual way to begin a letter in this situation. She has written us an invisible message. Bring in the fire and all shall be clear.”

A lighter was produced and the letter was held above it. To everyone’s astonishment, words began to appear on the blank side of the sheet.

“Of course, milk has lactic acid in it and has a pH less than seven. Being an organic compound, it burns a bit slower than the rest of the paper and thus the fat deposits make up as the invisible message. It’s pretty simple!” Adam said in excitement. Ross nodded in approval.

The new text ran as follows:

 

“The idiots handed me over a glass of milk. They didn’t allow me to write any details in the original message so here it goes. A black SUV was what they came in. I hear a church bell strike every hour. I don’t remember being in the car for more than thirty minutes for I kept the count in my mind. I should not be a long way from home.”

 

There was a look of triumph on Ross’s face. However his face quickly turned into a frown.

“This was all that came in?”

“Yes, we are waiting for further notice from the kidnappers.” Adam said. Alice quickly interjected, “Do you make anything of this hidden message, Ross?”

“I am afraid I am of no further use until the next message comes. The hidden letter, though disheartening to read, gives me nothing. However, I want to look into the security features of the museum and then have a chat with some of you. Professor Gladstone, if you may.”

Ross was done with his investigations within an hour. “I need time to think and rest’, declared Ross, ‘Inspector Adam, I must request you to drop me back home.”

As soon as the two men left the building, Ross grabbed Adam and took him aside. “Listen to me carefully, as of now; I can only confide my trust in you. The girl’s message is the key to her location. The thief was present in the building we just left and Agent Wilson is a fake. Quick! Gather your best men. I need all information about Victor’s properties in Broadway. And I shall be taking your laptop.”

Adam worked without question. Sure enough, a garage registered in the name of Victor was present in Broadway. Ross was elated. “Ah! My hunch was correct. It has been raining in Broadway since yesterday. There’s the Trinity Church near this location the bell of which was heard by Violet. And look at this distance from here. It’s about sixteen kilometers from here. So it must have taken them about thirty minutes to reach. I bet Violet is kept here. Hurry up and send your best men to that garage to keep their eyes on Violet. We do not want the captors to get suspicious and change her location. Do not engage because that would ruin everything. We need to play by their rules for now.”

“But how do you know Victor is the captor? And is it true that Alice is a fake?”

“I shall explain in time. Now hurry and follow my instructions if you want to save the girl. I have got a plan.”

 

**** THE NEXT DAY ****

 

Professor Gladstone was pacing across his study. His eyes were swollen for he hadn’t got the luxury of sleep in over forty hours. How could he? His daughter had been kidnapped. A sculpture worth millions of dollars had been stolen under his watch. Lucifer’s blessings had fallen on him.

However, Ross had assured him that he knew who the thief was. He still remembered the events of the previous day.

 ** Ross had taken Gladstone on a walk and brought him to his study. He had then asked for the blueprints of the east wing. To the Professor’s horror, the original prints were missing. Later when producing a copy, Ross studied them for several minutes.

“I knew it!”

“What is it, Ross?”

“Agent Wilson was the one who stole your prints, Professor. She is a fake. I knew it at the first glance at her FBI badge. I had asked her about her investigations and she hadn’t followed any standard protocols. FBI badges meant for agents have a golden eagle on top. Her badge didn’t have it. Even the material was all wrong. Come here with me!’, Ross pulled Gladstone to a dark corner of the study, ‘See this trail of ash? An untrained mind would have missed this. This ash here is from a Greek cigar called Karelia. Agent Wilson had one in her pocket. And then there are blood stains here as well as in that sharp paper weight in the drawer you had kept the blueprints in. Both are no more than a day old. She cut herself while searching for the prints. I had noticed bandages on her index finger. And look, these stains lead up to this closed air duct here. And checking by the prints, these ducts come straight from the East wing, where the sculpture was kept. This was why the motion sensors had failed to capture anything because the thief didn’t enter the room through its only door. They got your daughter kidnapped, so everyone in this house would be on their feet. And when the police arrived, everyone was too busy to keep an eye out for the study. Agents were all over the house and she used the same excuse to enter your study without anyone noticing. Also, she could spend enough time in your study from which the East wing is at a hackable distance. She hacked into the museum server and altered the footage of the CCTVs. It’s all quite brilliant.”

Professor Gladstone was shaken. “What do we do now, Ross?”

“She could not do it without inside help. We have evidence enough to arrest Alice now but that would do us no good. We need to get a confession out of the kingpin and I have got a fair idea of who he is. We cannot afford the slightest of suspicion. I have a plan.” Ross winked. **

 There was a sharp knock on the door which dragged Gladstone back to the present. The Professor immediately went to open the door. Ross and Inspector Adam walked in. “We have set our trap. There are men all over the museum dressed as tourists. We also have men waiting to ambush the building where your daughter is held.” said an excited Inspector Adam.

Ross continued, “I followed one of Victor’s minions this morning in disguise. He led me straight to an underground ring of smugglers based here in New York. Victor has found a dealer from Japan, a man from the Yakuza. After selling his sculpture, he shall also be filing a lawsuit on the museum. We have sent a message of urgency to Victor and Alice. We now have sufficient evidence but getting a confession out from Victor would save us a lot of time Professor. I have got this facsimile of the sculpture. You shall be showing it to Victor. Leave the rest to me.”

Soon enough, there was another knock following which Victor and Wilson walked in. “What is it Gladstone? Has the museum finally agreed to compensate me?” Victor had a ruthless smirk on his face.

“I am afraid not, Victor. I am sure you will be glad to know that Ross here has found the sculpture!” Professor brought out the facsimile. Victor’s eyes widened immediately and he gave Ross a look of deep loathing.

“It’s a fake. I know it.”

“Just by the look of it?”

“I just know it.”

“Your time is up Victor. We know of the truth now. I sent a message to our team the moment your car entered the premises. Your garage near Trinity Church has been raided and Violet has been found. And we know Agent Wilson is a fake too. The Japanese gentleman you dined with a few hours back shall be arrested within the minute. There will be no takers for your sculpture now. You lost this battle, Victor.”

Victor burst out laughing. “Ah Mr. Ross, I am sure you understand that the meagre amount which the museum pays me for lending the sculpture is no good for me. Do not worry about my dealer. There’s a whole bunch of people waiting to get their hands on the sculpture. As for you three, unfortunately you shall have to die. I am afraid I shall have to leave this place. Wilson! Go for the head.”

Wilson took out her pistol in a swift motion but Ross was already there in front of her. A swift kick landed on her elbow knocking the pistol away which was quickly followed by a punch on Victor’s ribs producing a satisfying crunch. Five men burst into the room and the two were soon in handcuffs.

“Thank you so much Ross. You have once again managed to catch one of the most determined criminal minds in New York.” said Professor Gladstone.

“And owing to this small device here, we have recorded our entire conversation. The only thing left now is to find the sculpture but leave that to the NYPD. We shall have Victor quack like a duck in no time.” Adam chuckled.

Ross laughed along and wished everyone the best. He walked out of the building and put on his favourite hoodie. He walked along the road and was humming to his favourite tune when a black sedan came to a swift stop beside him. The door flew open and a grim voice spoke from within.

‘Detective Taylor, there has been a situation. We are in need of you.”

Ross sighed and got in the car.

“I am listening.”

The biggest Holocaust in the history of Planet Earth.

This is not some anti religious article. Merely the truth it is. To provide justice to the 80 million men and women brutally murdered. Who are all but ignored today. What is Holocaust? You may ask. According to Wikipedia, the Holocaust, also referred to as the Shoah, was a genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, between 1941 and 1945. Jews were targeted for extermination as part of a larger event involving the persecution and murder of other groups, including in particular the Roma and “incurably sick”, as well as ethnic Poles and other Slavs, Soviet citizens, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, gay men and Jehovah’s Witnesses, resulting in up to 17 million deaths overall. We have all heard about it. there are hundreds of movies about the German Holocaust and thousands of movies. So, 17 million deaths. That’s a huge ass number indeed. But today, what if I tell you there was a bigger Holocaust? A holocaust accounting to 80 million deaths? Yes, I am talking about the holocaust that took place in India. One which is ignored by the world, whitewashed by our very own government.

Let me make some things clear. I have nothing against Islam. I have several Musalman friends whom I dearly love. I won’t blame them for what happened centuries ago. But that also doesn’t mean I can stay mum about what happened then. These are things our present education system doesn’t teach us and that is understandable. It is to control hate and prejudice, we Indians are an immature lot who will blame our fellow countrymen for what their ancestors did. Even I didn’t know about the following facts. I found this on an article in Quora and I could not resist sharing it here.

We are talking about the Hindu Holocaust.

The genocide suffered by the Hindus of India at the hands of Arab, Turkish, Mughal and Afghan occupying forces for a period of 800 years is as yet formally unrecognised by the World.

With the invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazni about 1000 A.D., began the Muslim invasions into the Indian subcontinent and they lasted for several centuries. Nadir Shah made a mountain of the skulls of the Hindus he killed in Delhi alone. Babur raised towers of Hindu skulls at Khanua when he defeated Rana Sanga in 1527 and later he repeated the same horrors after capturing the fort of Chanderi. Akbar ordered a general massacre of 30,000 Rajputs after he captured Chittorgarh in 1568. The Bahamani Sultans had an annual agenda of killing a minimum of 100,000 Hindus every year.

The history of medieval India is full of such instances. The holocaust of the Hindus in India continued for 800 years, till the brutal regimes were effectively overpowered in a life and death struggle by the Sikhs in the punjab and the Hindu Maratha armies in other parts of India in the late 1700’s.

We have elaborate literary evidence of the World’s biggest holocaust from existing historical contemporary eyewitness accounts. The historians and biographers of the invading armies and subsequent rulers of India have left quite detailed records of the atrocities they committed in their day-to-day encounters with India’s Hindus.

These contemporary records boasted about and glorified the crimes that were committed – and the genocide of tens of millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhist and Jainist, mass rapes of women and the destruction of thousands of ancient Hindu/ Buddhists temples and libraries have been well documented and provide solid proof of the World’s biggest holocaust.

Quotes from modern historians-

Dr. Koenraad Elst in his article “Was There an Islamic Genocide of Hindus?” states:

“There is no official estimate of the total death toll of Hindus at the hands of Islam. A first glance at important testimonies by Muslim chroniclers suggests that, over 13 centuries and a territory as vast as the Subcontinent, Muslim Holy Warriors easily killed more Hindus than the 6 million of the Holocaust. Ferishtha lists several occasions when the Bahmani sultans in central India (1347-1528) killed a hundred thousand Hindus, which they set as a minimum goal whenever they felt like punishing the Hindus; and they were only a third-rank provincial dynasty.”

The biggest slaughters took place during the raids of Mahmud Ghaznavi (ca. 1000 CE); during the actual conquest of North India by Mohammed Ghori and his lieutenants (1192 ff.); and under the Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526).

It is written in the book “Negation in India”:  “The Muslim conquests, down to the 16th century, were for the Hindus a pure struggle of life and death. Entire cities were burnt down and the populations massacred, with hundreds of thousands killed in every campaign, and similar numbers deported as slaves. Every new invader made (often literally) his hills of Hindus skulls. Thus, the conquest of Afghanistan in the year 1000 was followed by the annihilation of the Hindu population; the region is still called the Hindu Kush, i.e. Hindu slaughter.”

Will Durant argued in his 1935 book “The Story of Civilisation: Our Oriental Heritage” (page 459):

“The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period.”

Alain Danielou in his book, Histoire de l’ Inde writes:

“From the time Muslims started arriving, around 632 AD, the history of India becomes a long, monotonous series of murders, massacres, spoliations, and destructions. It is, as usual, in the name of ‘a holy war’ of their faith, of their sole God, that the barbarians have destroyed civilizations, wiped out entire races.”

“Their temples were razed, their idols smashed, their women raped, their men killed or taken slaves. When Mahmud of Ghazni entered Somnath on one of his annual raids, he slaughtered all 50,000 inhabitants. Aibak killed and enslaved hundreds of thousands. The list of horrors is long and painful. These conquerors justified their deeds by claiming it was their religious duty to smite non-believers. Cloaking themselves in the banner of Islam, they claimed they were fighting for their faith when, in reality, they were indulging in straightforward slaughter and pillage…”

A sample of contemporary eyewitness accounts of the invaders and rulers, during the Indian conquests.

The Afghan ruler Mahmud al-Ghazni invaded India no less than seventeen times between 1001 – 1026 AD. The book ‘Tarikh-i-Yamini’ – written by his secretary documents several episodes of his bloody military campaigns :

“The blood of the infidels flowed so copiously [at the Indian city of Thanesar] that the stream was discoloured, notwithstanding its purity, and people were unable to drink it…the infidels deserted the fort and tried to cross the foaming river…but many of them were slain, taken or drowned… Nearly fifty thousand men were killed.”

In the contemporary record – ‘ Taj-ul-Ma’asir’ by Hassn Nizam-i-Naishapuri, it is stated that when Qutb-ul- Din Aibak (of Turko – Afghan origin and the First Sultan of Delhi 1194-1210 AD) conquered Meerat, he demolished all the Hindu temples of the city and erected mosques on their sites. In the city of Aligarh, he converted Hindu inhabitants to Islam by the sword and beheaded all those who adhered to their own religion.

The Persian historian Wassaf writes in his book ‘Tazjiyat-ul-Amsar wa Tajriyat ul Asar’ that when the Alaul-Din Khilji (An Afghan of Turkish origin and second ruler of the Khilji Dynasty in India 1295-1316 AD) captured the city of Kambayat at the head of the gulf of Cambay, he killed the adult male Hindu inhabitants for the glory of Islam, set flowing rivers of blood, sent the women of the country with all their gold, silver, and jewels, to his own home, and made about twentv thousand Hindu maidens his private slaves.

This ruler once asked his spiritual advisor (or ‘Qazi’) as to what was the Islamic law prescribed for the Hindus. The Qazi replied:

“Hindus are like the mud; if silver is demanded from them, they must with the greatest humility offer gold. If a Mohammadan desires to spit into a Hindu’s mouth, the Hindu should open it wide for the purpose. God created the Hindus to be slaves of the Mohammadans. The Prophet hath ordained that, if the Hindus do not accept Islam, they should be imprisoned, tortured, finally put to death, and their property confiscated.”

Timur was a Turkic conqueror and founder of the Timurid Dynasty. Timur’s Indian campaign (1398 – 1399 AD) was recorded in his memoirs, collectively known as ‘Tuzk-i-Timuri.’ In them, he vividly described probably the greatest gruesome act in the entire history of the world – where 100,000 Hindu prisoners of war in his camp were executed in a very short space of time.
During his campaign in India – Timur describes the scene when his army conquered the Indian city of Delhi : “In a short space of time all the people in the [Delhi] fort were put to the sword, and in the course of one hour the heads of 10,000 infidels were cut off. The sword of Islam was washed in the blood of the infidels, and all the goods and effects, the treasure and the grain which for many a long year had been stored in the fort became the spoil of my soldiers. They set fire to the houses and reduced them to ashes, and they razed the buildings and the fort to the ground. All these infidel Hindus were slain, their women and children, and their property and goods became the spoil of the victors. I proclaimed throughout the camp that every man who had infidel prisoners should put them to death, and whoever neglected to do so should himself be executed and his property given to the informer. When this order became known to the ghazis of Islam, they drew their swords and put their prisoners to death. “

Elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh, a historian of Lodhi dynasty times, described the state sponsored religious violence as follows,

He [Lodi] was so zealous…[as a Musulman] that he utterly destroyed diverse places of [infidel] worship… he entirely ruined the shrines of Mathura, [and] the minefield of heathenism. Their stone images were given to the butchers to use…as meat weights,and all the Hindus in Mathura were strictly prohibited from shaving their heads and beards, and from performing ablutions. He stopped the idolatrous rites of the infidels there. Every city thus conformed as he desired to the customs of Islam.— Táríkh-i Dáúdí

The atrocities of the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan (who ruled India between 1628 – 1658 AD) are mentioned in the contemporary record called : ‘Badshah Nama, Qazinivi & Badshah Nama , Lahori’ and goes on to state : “When Shuja was appointed as governor of Kabul he carried on a ruthless war in the Hindu territory beyond Indus…The sword of Islam yielded a rich crop of converts….Most of the women (to save their honour) burnt themselves to death. Those captured were distributed among Muslim Mansabdars (Noblemen)”
“Abdali’s soldiers would be paid 5 Rupees (a sizeable amount at the time) for every enemy head brought in. Every horseman had loaded up all his horses with the plundered property, and atop of it rode the girl-captives and the slaves. The severed heads were tied up in rugs like bundles of grain and placed on the heads of the captives…Then the heads were stuck upon lances and taken to the gate of the chief minister for payment.
“It was an extraordinary display! Daily did this manner of slaughter and plundering proceed. And at night the shrieks of the women captives who were being raped, deafened the ears of the people…All those heads that had been cut off were built into pillars, and the captive men upon whose heads those bloody bundles had been brought in, were made to grind corn, and then their heads too were cut off. These things went on all the way to the city of Agra, nor was any part of the country spared.”

You think Akbar was really that great? A historian Nizamuddin Ahmad recorded the violence during the conquest of Nagarkot (modern Himachal Pradesh), as follows, “The fortress of Bhun, which is an idol temple of Mahámáí, was taken by valor of the (Muslim) assailants. A party of Rajputs, who had resolved to die, fought till they were all cut down. A number of Brahmins, who for many years had served the temple, never gave one thought to flight, and were killed. Nearly 200 black cows belonging to the Hindus, during the struggle, had crowded together for shelter in the temple. Some savage Turks, while the arrows and bullets were falling like rain, killed these cows one by one. They then took off their boots and filled them with the blood, and cast it upon the roof and walls of the temple.— Nizamuddin Ahmad, Tabakat-i Akbari

Banda Singh Bahadur was tortured to death after being imprisoned for 3 months. The heart of Banda Singh’s son was put in his mouth in an attempt to humiliate him.

The World seems to either ignore or just does not seem to care about the many millions of lives lost during the 800 – year long holocaust of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists in India.

The Indian historian Professor K.S. Lal estimates that the Hindu population in India decreased by 80 million between 1000 AD and 1525 AD, an extermination unparalleled in World history. This slaughter of millions of people occurred over regular periods during many centuries of Arab, Afghan, Turkish and Mughal rule in India.
Many Indian heroes emerged during these dark times – including the 10th Sikh Guru – Guru Gobind Singh and also the Hindu Maratha king – Shivaji Maratha – who led the resistance against this tyranny and eventually led to its defeat by the late 1700s – after centuries of death and destruction.

Shocked? So was I. Unfortunately the present educational system doesn’t teach us these stuff. Or maybe, we just aren’t ready for the truth.

What will the “Avengers Infinity War” sequel be called ?

With an estimated budget in the range of $316–400 million and global collections amounting to $2.046 billion, Avengers Infinity War has been one of the most awaited and expensive movies ever made.

When “Infinity War” and its sequel were first announced in 2014, Marvel studios intended it to be a movie split into two parts. In 2016, “Avengers 4” was confirmed to be untitled. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige told Cinemablend that the title of the next movie hasn’t been revealed because it’s a spoiler and that the two films are “very different movies.”

So one of the greatest mysteries hovering around the world today is the title of the movie coming up next year. We Indians are instantly reminded of a question which surrounded the country in 2015 when the epic Baahubali: The Beginning was released, “कटप्पा ने बाहुबली को क्यों मारा?” (English: Why Kattapa killed Bahubali?)

The iconic scene from the movie where Kattapa stabs Bahubali.

Coming back to the question, I have here compiled my pick of the top 5 names possible for the untitled Avengers 4.

5) Avengers: Forever

The only reason I put this on the list is because there was a really famous Comic series of the same name from the 90s. Also considering the fact that we shall be probably bidding adieu to many of the iconic characters next year (the contracts of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and that of Chris Hemsworth are expiring next year). It also rhymes with the now iconic phrase “Wakanda Forever” so it would be a good marketing strategy too.

I’m 100% convinced it’s Avengers: Forever. Marketing wise, everybody has already taken to “Wakanda Forever” and so they can work that in there. Plus if there’s any time travel weirdness it works on that level too. Works on so many levels.

— Blessing Adeoye Jr. @ PAX West (@BlessingJr) April 30, 2018

4) Avengers: Disassembled

The ‘Avengers: Disassembled’ was a crossover event which saw the team torn apart by wave after wave of disaster. Hawkeye and Ant-Man were killed and a rampaging She-Hulk tore the Vision to pieces. It saw the beginning of Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers run with the destruction of the existing “traditional” roster and exile of several key members of the team.

At the end of the storyline, the team was disbanded and replaced by two new versions. This is quite similar to what Marvel wants to do in Phase 4. We also know that right now the team does require some ‘reassembling’ so the name would be quite fitting.

avengers: disassembled. may 3, 2019. pic.twitter.com/8AKLDkWze4

— mari (@chbellamy) April 2, 2018

3) Avengers: Infinity Crusade

The Infinity Crusade was a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1993.  A sequel to The Infinity Gauntlet and The Infinity War, it saw Adam Warlock using the fully-powered Infinity Gauntlet to expel his good and evil aspects to become totally logical, and the personified good aspects, known as The Goddess, soon targeted the Marvel heroes. Adam Warlock was teased in the post credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2  where Ayesha creates a new artificial being with whom she plans to destroy the Guardians, naming him Adam. Infinity Crusade is yet another title which can work pretty well.

If I can give a name to the fourth Avengers movie,
I think I should call it: Avengers: Infinity Crusade.
Sounds logical, am I right? Being a direct sequel to Infinity War, fits perfect in naming.

— Jere ‘Big Boss’ Peltonen (@BigBossPeltonen) August 31, 2018

2) Avengers: Endgame

When Tony Stark suggested taking the fight to Titan, Stephen Strange made it clear, no matter what happens, he would never let the time stone fall into the hands of Thanos. In Titan, we see Doctor Strange using the time stone to glance into the future to 14,000,605 possibilities. When Tony asks if they won in any, he replies, “One“.

Later in the movie when Tony gets stabbed by the same weapon he conjured using nano tech., Doctor Strange hands over the time stone to Thanos. He tells Tony Stark that they’re in the endgame now. So did Doctor Strange let Thanos win only to defeat him in the long run? Most probably yes. Considering the fact that Marvel continues to ascertain that Avengers 4 will serve as a conclusion to everything that has happened in the MCU till now, the title really seems appropriate.

I believe the title will be Avengers:End Game. Remember the words of Dr. Strange

— KicksNamesTakesAss (@akaDafni) August 30, 2018

1) Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet

My best bet is on the name Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet. First of all, The Infinity Gauntlet was a six-issue limited series from July to December 1991. As the main piece of a crossover event, some plot elements were featured in tie-in issues of other Marvel publications. The events of Infinity Gauntlet have been one of the most important ones in the history of the comic universe. The story’s events continued to be referenced in-story by comics for decades. The movie Infinity War is mostly adapted from the story.

For example at the beginning of the movie, we see Dr. Bruce Banner aka Hulk being sent to the Sanctum Sanctorum to warn Doctor Strange.

This is directly adapted from the comics where the Silver Surfer is sent to Strange to warn him of Thanos’ arrival.

In the comics, Thanos is successful in wiping out half the population of the universe and then we see the Avengers defeat him to reverse it’s effects. And as we all know, something about the same will probably happen next year in Avengers 4.

Actress Zoe Saldana, who plays the role of Gamora, seemingly said the title would be “Infinity Gauntlet” to BBC’s Lizo Mzimba.

Lizo Mizimba had an interview up with Saldana where she said that they were “in the middle” of Infinity War and then she said  “we all have to go back for Gauntlet” later that year.

No wonder Marvel killed off Gamora in the movie xD.

Imagine at the end of avengers 4 tony uses the infinity gauntlet and uses all the gems and everything goes blank, suddenly deadpool appears saying “we’re home baby” and the x-men and fantastic four appear behind him through a portal — David〽️ (@Funky_Basterd) August 28, 2018

Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet feels like a safe bet for the name of Avengers 4 but I can also see it being New Avengers given that it starts the next phase of the Avengers and the MCU.— Brad Stephenson 🌈 (@Shuttlecock) May 1, 2018

One thing for sure, 2019 shall be a hell of a year. Although what we really need to be excited off as of now is Brie Larson starring as Captain Marvel in March 2019.

Marvel has teased that Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel shall be the strongest Avenger introduced till date and considering the fact that Nick Fury contacted her at the face of death, we can be sure that she will be playing a huge role in defeating Thanos.

“We Are All Made of Stars”

We have all heard Moby’s popular 2002 song “We Are All Made of Stars.” Simulations by space agencies around the world reveal that up to half the material in our galaxy arrived from smaller galactic neighbours, as a result of powerful supernova explosions.

Nearly half of the atoms that make up our bodies may have formed beyond the Milky Way and travelled to the solar system on intergalactic winds driven by giant exploding stars, astronomers claim. Powerful supernova explosions can fling trillions of tonnes of atoms into space with such ferocity that they escape their home galaxy’s gravitational pull and fall towards larger neighbours in enormous clouds that travel at hundreds of kilometres per second. Much of the hydrogen and helium that falls into galaxies forms new stars, while heavier elements, themselves created in stars and dispersed in the violent detonations, become the raw material for building comets and asteroids, planets and life.

The researchers ran supercomputer simulations to watch what happened as galaxies evolved over billions of years. They noticed that as stars exploded in smaller galaxies, the blasts ejected clouds of elements that fell into neighbouring, larger galaxies. The Milky Way absorbs about one sun’s-worth of extragalactic material every year.

“The surprising thing is that galactic winds contribute significantly more material than we thought,” said Anglés-Alcázar. “In terms of research in galaxy evolution, we’re very excited about these results. It’s a new mode of galaxy growth we’ve not considered before.” The simulations showed that elements carried on intergalactic winds could travel a million light years before settling in a new galaxy, according to a report in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“We Are All Made Of Stars”

Growing in numbers
Growing in speed
Can’t fight the future
Can’t fight what I see
People they come together
People they fall apart
No one can stop us now
‘Cause we are all made of stars

Efforts of lovers
Left in my mind
I sing in the reaches
We’ll see what we find

People they come together
People they fall apart
No one can stop us now
‘Cause we are all made of stars

People they come together
People they fall apart
No one can stop us now
‘Cause we are all made of stars

Slow slow slow, come come
Someone come come come
Even love is goin’ ’round
You can’t ignore what is goin’ ’round

Slowly rebuilding
I feel it in me
Growing in numbers
Growing in peace

People they come together
People they fall apart
No one can stop us now
‘Cause we are all made of stars

People they come together
People they fall apart
No one can stop us now
‘Cause we are all made of stars

People they come together
(People they come together)
People they fall apart
(People they fall apart)
No one can stop us now
(No one can stop us now)
‘Cause we are all made of stars
(We are all made of stars)

We are all made of stars
People they come together
We are all made of stars
(People they fall apart)
We are all made of stars
(No one can stop us now)
‘Cause we are all made of stars
(We are all made of stars)

 

 

Chapter 9- The Action Day

Chapter 9- The Action Day

It was about five in the morning and I could not sleep. Suddenly there was a loud tap at the window. It turned the blood to ice in my veins. I crawled to the window with my pistol.

“Oh! Come on Watson, open up.”

Ah! Holmes. Of course, I opened the window. He jumped inside.

“It’s cold outside and I thought I should stay inside.” said he.

“You are mighty close about this affair Holmes. What’s in the game now?” I asked.

“I have already informed Lestrade. It’s going to be a foggy day today. You just need to be on your schedule and leave the rest to me.” he smiled.

It was a foggy day indeed as Holmes had predicted and Lestrade had his excuse. James was as frightened as ever. We started for the station but we could not find a cab. Must be Holmes. We walked to the station. I saw something of Holmes sitting about 20 metres away from me. I relaxed. At the instant James gave a spine shuddering yell and threw himself face downward. I sprang, my inert hand grasping my pistol, my mind paralyzed by the dreadful creature which had sprang upon James. It was a leopard and it glowing bright crimson red. With long bounds it was leaping after James. I fired at it. It snarled. I thought the bullet hit it in the hind leg. Suddenly Holmes appeared.

He fired about six barrels of his revolver at the creature’s throat. It fell down dead. James made a weak effort to stand. Holmes thrust his brandy flask between his teeth.

“What is it Mr Holmes?” he asked

“We have laid the family ghost once and for all.”

“This is some kind of concentrate.” Arthur said. He collected a powder from the creature’s body.

“Strontium aluminate.” replied Holmes.” Mr James, you must wait here until I return, the rest of the work must be done.”

“It’s already done.” said Lestrade. “When Mr Holmes was battling the leopard, I thought that I should make myself useful. I chased Mortimer into a morass which sucked him in. he is now forever buried in it.” Lestrade sniggered winningly.

We found many traces of Mortimer in the forest later on. We found his cottage. We found the strontium aluminate paste in a jar which was used to make the leopard look hellish. A case had been solved once again with Holmes’ intelligence.

“And now Watson, I am content to go to the opera and have dinner at Marini’s before another dreadful case comes in our way”

Chapter 8- The Return of Holmes

Chapter 8- The Return of Holmes

I knew this voice out of all the voices on earth. I hardly believed my ears but I had witnessed this before. “Holmes!” I almost shouted. I came out of my hiding place. He was sitting on the chair, smoking his favourite pipe. I could sense that he was amused. He had grown thinner than usual and was wearing a tweed suit like a tourist.

“I had no idea that you found my cottage and were sitting in ambush until about fifteen paces away.” he said.

“My hat, I presume?” I asked.

“No Watson not your hat. Your hat I saw much later near the door. I have already told you before. If you desire to deceive me, you must change your tobacconist.” he said innocently.

“Did you really go for the case of Mr Peter?” I asked.

“Nope. There is no such dispute which is troubling Peter right now. I found out that as long as I am there in the scene, the murderer won’t do anything. So I felt that it was better to leave the residence but not go more than a few miles away. I now know that he will know that you all are going out of Bohemia and so he shall act tomorrow. You must pretend that you know nothing. Continue with your schedule. You must return now to the Stoner’s mansion.”

I returned to the mansion more happy than angry that Holmes had tricked me. AGAIN.I found everyone at place, all worried about me.

“Where were you doctor ? We thought you were now in the leopard’s stomach.” Lestrade laughed.

“I didn’t realize when I got lost. At least I found my way back without being eaten.” I said.

“We should now rest for we have a busy day tomorrow.” James said

“Of course! Tomorrow will be a day of much importance indeed.” I smiled.

 

Chapter 7- The Confusion

Chapter 7- The Confusion

The next morning we woke up as usual. During breakfast at the hall, Holmes startled us.

“Mr James, I have received a telegram from the clergyman of Cornwallis regarding a family dispute between the Tregennis; Brenda, Owen and George. I have to reach there today itself. Watson here will take care of you and I will send Inspector Lestrade to you. He will reach here by midnight. I will try to return as soon as possible.” Holmes said.

James was taken aback. I was confused. Holmes always liked me to join him in his cases and this one seemed important. This may be one of his plans or maybe not, who knows? After breakfast we went upstairs.

“You must not let James go out of your sight and always keep your revolver with you.” Holmes said.

“But are you really going to Cornwallis?” I asked. Sherlock Holmes just smiled. One thing I have always hated about Holmes is that despite the amount of trust he has put on me, he never discloses all his plans.

Arthur went with Holmes to the station. Holmes was still smiling and James was more terrified than ever. We didn’t went out again. Lestrade reached at half past eleven at night. That made us feel better. Lestrade was perhaps the best detective after Holmes but he depended on his brute strength unlike Holmes who played the mind game. The next seven days were of no importance.

I had woken up early in the morning one day and was sipping my favourite cup of coffee.

Arthur bought a letter which was addressed to me –

Dear Watson,

I hope everything is fine there. The clergyman’s case will take several more days. So I think all of you should come here before something unfortunate happens. Come by the evening train tomorrow.

Sherlock Holmes

I showed the letter to Lestrade. He agreed with me. Sam booked four tickets for us- James, Lestrade, Arthur and I.

James wanted to visit the nearby forest for the last time. Everyone except Lestrade and I agreed. So we had to go with him.

“Are you armed Lestrade?” asked I.

“As long as I have my trousers, I have my hip pocket and as long as I have my hip pocket, I have my .44 in it.” he smiled.

We entered the forest. We had a strange feeling of being followed. Suddenly Arthur screamed. We looked where he signaled. There was a tall man standing about 100 m from us. Lestrade suggested following him. We pursued the man but he had vanished. We started running in his direction and didn’t realize that that we had changed our directions. I saw a tiny bit of light. I walked in that direction. I saw a small hut there and entered it. There was nothing else except a chair, some books and food. This must be the house of the murderer. I took my revolver and hid myself in the darkest corner. I was ready to shoot the brains out of the murderer. I heard footsteps and it paused indicating that he had stopped. And I realized that in the hurry I had left my hat outside. But it didn’t matter now. The footsteps continued and stopped right outside the door.

“It’s not the right time for an ambush, Dr Watson.” said a voice which was known very well to me.

Chapter 6- The Stolen Shirts

Chapter 6- The Stolen Shirts

I was surprised to find Holmes standing near me when I woke up.

“Sorry to wake you up Watson. I have seen footprints of an animal and a man at the backside.” Holmes said suddenly.

“What!” I almost jumped out of my bed.

“Yes, I had gone on my morning stroll when I saw them. But you must not speak about them to anyone, especially James or Sam.” said Holmes.

“Yes of course.” replied I.

“Now time for some enquiries. Come on.” said Holmes. We descended to the dining hall. James was already seated there.

“Well, do you know of anyone in this mansion who goes on a morning walk?” asked Holmes.

“None.” said James warily.

“Do you know someone who has a height of about 6’3″ and smokes Indian Cigar?” asked Holmes

“The features certainly match with my younger brother Mortimer.” he chuckled.

“Thank you. We will have our breakfast upstairs. Come Watson!” said Holmes. Upstairs I asked Holmes.” Who was the man you were querying about?”

“He was the murderer in my opinion. He had come to the back wall of the mansion just below the window of James Mortimer. He must have come to snip away something to give the leopard a scent. He climbed James’s window and then he jumped down and ran to the gate with the leopard behind him.

“How can you say that?” I asked.

“I saw the footprints of him and his pet. It went all the way to below the window. He climbed easily being so tall. I deduced his height from the length of his stride. He jumped down. The place where he jumped was much more pressurized than the other footprints and it was just below the window. So he jumped. Then he ran all the way to the gate and the pet was also running. Outside he had smoked. And my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to find that it was Indian Cigar.”

Just then there was a loud tap at the door.

“Come in!” said Holmes.

James rushed inside, “Two shirts of mine are stolen.”

“I feared as such.” Holmes said nodding to me.