highly specific pet peeve of mine when it comes to sab is that none of the characters act with any kind of wariness when they should. like the grisha would not be celebrating in the king’s court with genuine displays of emotion (and obvious shows of rivalry that can be exploited) for all of the otkazat’sya nobles to see. aleksander shouldn’t be showing so much genuine emotion in front of the king or any otkazat’sya (noble or not, they’re all threats to him after all). everyone should be tenser when they’re in court or around authority figures, and the ways they disregard authority are bizarre. that would have you flogged in any monarchy during that time period.

it feels like the writers don’t really grasp the setting or what it means to the characters. these people are soldiers, and even worse, they’re soldiers that are apart of a persecuted class. they should not be so comfortable in areas or around people where they would be thinking about their every little move and how it could be taken advantage of if it was shown. vulnerability should not be tossed around so carelessly by people who should be startlingly aware of life’s atrocities.

honestly, genya is the only character that even acts remotely like she should, in that she is always tense and wary and holding herself like someone who knows they can be hurt at any moment. and even then she’s loose in the king’s court (the king) when she would be at the height of her wariness and paranoia.

I know people have already talked about the changes Mal has gone through in his show adaptation vs his book self - most of which are changes people generally agree are for the better, since they’re sanding off some of his less endearing character traits. But something that baffles me are the changes that they didn’t make as a consequence to the changes that they did. And by that, I mean, some key pieces of dialogue.

And even more specifically, this dialogue choice:

And to explain why this line of dialogue doesn’t make sense to me in the show, I need to talk a bit about the original book context for it:

In the books, Alina has been harboring a one-sided crush on Mal for years. And I don’t mean she thought it was a one-sided crush, when really they were both mutually pining for each other. I mean that Mal genuinely didn’t have romantic feelings for her in the beginning. Or at least, not ones he acknowledged:

“Wrong. I was planning how to sneak into the Grisha pavilion and snag myself a cute Corporalnik.”

Mal laughed. I hesitated by the door. This was the hardest part of being around him - other than the way he made my heart do clumsy acrobatics. I hated hiding how much the stupid things he did hurt me, but I hated the idea of him finding out even more.

This is something Alina battles with herself over for most of the beginning of SaB, before she’s taken to the Little Palace. She had a close relationship with Mal in Keramzin, when they were both just two kids in an orphanage. And then they join the second army and Mal is suddenly a popular, capable, respected soldier in people’s eyes, while Alina is stuck battling her own resentment at her inability to fit in, as well as some pretty gnarly feelings of inadequacy.

Feelings of inadequacy that are a reoccuring issue with her - in the beginning, she describes herself as a mapmaker “and not even a very good mapmaker”. With Botkin, she’s unable to keep up with the other Grisha in physical combat, and with Baghra, she’s unable to master her Grisha abilities. It can be summed up nice and tidy in the Siege and Storm quote, when Alina isn’t using her powers because she’s in hiding with Mal:

I was so frail and clumsy that I’d barely managed to keep my job packing jurda at one of the fieldhouses. It brought in mere pennies, but I’d insisted on working, on trying to help. I felt like I had when we were kids: capable Mal and useless Alina.

So at the beginning of the books, Mal gets the chance to gain acceptance and respect from his peers, and Alina is stuck feeling inadequate and ineffectual. The natural progression of this type of rift is that they would begin to grow apart: Mal would make friends and find a sense of belonging, and Alina would remain alienated and isolated from her peers. Which is exactly what happens. It takes less than a year for them to change from being inseparable, to a normal, casual friendship:

“So what are you doing here?” When we’d first started our military service a year ago, Mal had visited me almost every night. But he hadn’t come by in months.

And that’s pretty much how their relationship stays until they’re reunited after the Little Palace. It comes to a head with Mal talking about his jealousy over seeing her with the Darkling, and with Alina admitting she’d been happier at the Little Palace than she’d been in a long time, largely because she’d finally found what Mal had found in the second army: A place she fits in and feels accepted:

“That night at the palace when I saw you on that stage with him, you looked so happy. Like you belonged with him. I can’t get that picture out of my head.”

“I was happy,” I admitted. “In that moment, I was happy. I’m not like you, Mal. I never really fit in the way that you did. I never really belonged anywhere.”

“You belonged with me,” he said quietly.

“No, Mal. Not really. Not for a long time.”

And this is where that “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you” line drops. It’s specifically about Mal acknowledging that he started taking Alina for granted when they joined the second army, because he was so caught up in finally feeling like he could belong somewhere, and feel pride in himself, he stopped prioritizing their friendship. Which is a very understandable thing!

The books don’t really go into this, but at this point in the story, it feels like something Alina might finally be in a place where she could understand how he felt: living a life where you’re taught to be grateful for other people’s charity, and that you’re a burden on other people, and then suddenly being put in a position where your existence isn’t just tolerated, but celebrated and respected, is a very validating and heady experience. It’s easy to get caught up in a new life where you don’t have to think about how ashamed you felt in your past, and can instead be the person you’ve always wanted to be. It’s a shared experience of theirs that I feel like would have been worth exploring. What actually happens is that they seem to play resentment tag around each other throughout the trilogy, with one of them getting the chance to be respected amongst their peers, and the other feeling inadequate and resentful about it, and then something coming along that flips the dynamic, over and over again.

But I digress - so here is the context of that line in the book:

“I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I’ve risked my life for you. I’ve walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I’d do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don’t tell me we don’t belong together,” he said fiercely. He was very close now, and my heart was suddenly hammering in my chest. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”

Now, when we look at the show... none of this is really relevant? We never get the sense that their relationship has changed from what they were like in Keramzin. Mal doesn’t grow distant from Alina - it’s almost the opposite. The only reason they aren’t together at the beginning of the show is because their units weren’t together. It’s not Mal creating distance, it’s their job. And the second that he gets the chance, he seeks her out. In the flashback, as well, we see him immediately look for her, and he goes so far as to hit someone with a glass, because he was told the guy said something shitty to Alina, just so he can be with her in a cell.

Similarly, instead of them sitting at separate tables in the mess hall, Alina simply doesn’t get served at all (because Racism), and so Mal goes out of his way to steal food from a Grisha tent, just to cheer her up.

He’s present, attentive, loyal, and completely in tune with her emotionally. He is, I would argue, also completely in love with her (which is something I think they flipped from the books - I get the impression that Mal’s been in love with Alina for a long time, and Alina is the one who hasn’t quite made the leap from “best friend” to “romantic interest” in the show, although that’s obviously a personal interpretation). So what, exactly, is he apologizing for in that scene? What about her didn’t he see?

The only way I can try to make sense of the scene now, is that he’s apologizing for perhaps not realizing she was a Grisha? Or maybe for inadvertently “making” her repress her powers for all this time, because she didn’t want to be separated from him? And that works, I guess, except that the lead up to this apology is Alina saying that Mal looked at her “with fear in his eyes” back in Kribirsk, after he finds out she’s Grisha. And that’s, again, a book thing. In the books, Mal apologizes for just standing there as she’s taken away, for not chasing after her. In the show... he does chase after her. He does literally everything in his power to go to her. There’s no pause, there’s no moment of doubt. The last time she sees him, he is afraid for her, as she’s being taken away, but he is not, for one moment, afraid of her. So I just... don’t get where that line comes from.

It seems weird to completely erase all of Mal’s flaws from the books, but then keep the dialogue where he apologizes for how those flaws have negatively impacted their relationship, without recontextualizing the apology into an appropriately impactful moment.

Fallen

(A starter for @deku-it-is / @dadzawa-silver1 from Sab’s new verse, set when they’re 25.)

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” The door on the front had a glass panel that reads “Alias Investigations”, the Private Eye company set up by Saburo Kusanagi. He too was once a Pro Hero, but then his career tanked... He spent months being mind controlled by the villain Puppet Master where he was abused in ways that still made him have flashbacks. He broke free because he was told to “take care of her”. To stop Pony Tsunotori permanently, she tried to reason with him but it didn’t do anything. All he could do was fulfill Akira’s order to kill her, and he did. His Quirk was called Supersoldier, it made him superhumanly powerful and allowed him to fly, the result of experimentation by the military to replicate One For All in exchange for curing his condition. Saburo had punched Pony in the chest so hard her heart stopped. She was dead, because of him. Her parents had lost their child, he was a killer and it haunted him. The shock of being forced to kill his colleague shattered the hold the villain had over him. He resigned from pro hero work and became a private investigator, he couldn’t call himself a hero anymore. Opening the door, Saburo had changed. His hair was messier, he had a little stubble but his eyes were the most drastic thing. “Is this business or personal, Deku?” He asked, taking a swig from his shot glass, opening the door.

Saboteur Musings

I lurk on a number of the unofficial SWTOR boards so I can get the latest info and datamining (although I will not get accounts- I really don’t want to get into all the drama). On one such board (that has a lot of dead-on accurate datamining, BTW), a poster made a suggestion that for saboteurs, when they official switch sides or are discovered to be sabs, they could have a showdown with a companion. It would be a good place for that former ally to express their shock, rage, heartbreak, whatever, for the saboteur’s betrayal of their original faction.  Since I’m not a member there, I’m going to mull it over here. In some cases I agree with their choices and in some cases I chose others.  Criteria:  1. The NPC still has to be alive in every player's game. Anyone who appeared at Nathema or had a kill option is thus ineligible. 2. The NPC has to be surprised. The NPC's who know the player's allegiance already, like Lana and the saboteur contacts, would not be shocked. Jedi Knight: Kira Carsen They're already setting this up, I think. Kira's borderline hostile to an Imperial Commander, and I think that she would lose her shit completely if she learned the Jedi Knight was now working for the Empire. After everything Kira went through I do not think she would be able to forgive that and would be very upset. Trooper: Elara Dorne and Fourex Elara's already tried to kill you if you turned against the Republic. If you side Imperial as a trooper she helps Jace Malcom try to take you out, and then tells you she wishes you were dead. It's not a stretch that she would keep attempting to achieve this wish. As for Fourex, he's programmed to support the Republic and massacre the Empire so much that there's no way he'd be cool about it. Sith Warrior: Pierce Pierce is only available to Imperial classes in KOTFE, he's a hardcore Imperial military man and his response to a saboteur Sith Warrior would likely be swift, angry, well planned and executed retaliation. Smuggler: Corso Riggs Corso has a special blaster he uses to kill Imperials, so I don't think he'd be happy with an Imperial-siding smuggler. On the other hand this seems like a stretch to me. I think he'd be more likely to walk away than to try to kill a saboteur smuggler outright. Imperial Agent: Raina Temple Raina once killed her own father, who by her own account loved her deeply and sent her to the Chiss to protect her. She's allied most strongly with the Chiss, who support the Empire. I don't think she would hesitate to try to take the Commander out if necessary if they were a saboteur, especially if the Chiss Ascendancy asked for it.   Jedi Consular: Zenith Oh, without a shadow of a fucking doubt, I think Zenith would go nuclear on a JC who had switched sides. Like, not even a maybe. Sith Inquisitor: Lord Kallig This was a hard one because I don't think any of the companions care. Talos would probably leave and return to the Empire but I don't think he'd try to attack. Xalek might have, but he's able to be killed so he can't be used here. So I come to Lord Kallig, who perhaps would be pissy about his descendant abandoning their ties to the Sith. How to get a ghost angry enough to take on a corporeal form and fight? Well it's not like that hasn't happened before. Not a clue: Bounty Hunter: I don't think Mako, Blizz or Gault are going to care. Mako's GF (you will never get me to believe they aren't an item) is from the Republic side and so is Gault's partner. Blizz wants gadgets and friends, not politics. Torian can be dead and I think he'd roll with the BH on their choice. Skadge isn't political, he's just slimy, and he can also be dead. Shae Vizla as Mandalore flying in, in a rage? Not every Bounty Hunter is a Mandalorian (mine are not); non-Mandos don't answer to Mandalore. So I really don’t know who would be the adversary here. 

So as some of you may have seen I’m a bit of a OC hoarder and I’ll give you a brief history on each of them. You can ask me about them if you want to know more!

1. RED Saboteur also known as Sabs- Harlow isn’t her real name as her name is actually a number. She came from a shady company called Revelation Tech where she was born and trained to kill. She escaped, her “siblings” came after her and she took most of them out, and then finally arrived at Mann Co.

2. RED Executioner- Halvar Oloffson- Swedish giant that was a national underground fighter that ranked 8 out of 10 best fighters. His family weren’t aware until they saw him beaten up and he caved. They convinced him to do a job less dangerous to support them, so he ended up finding Mann Co. and the job wasn’t too dangerous since he ended up coming back to life.

3. RED Bodyguard- Hasida Mizrahi- After a family tragedy, she moved from home of Israel to Austria and she needed a way to support her family. She found an ad in Mann Co. and she joined there.

4. Mediator- Nathan Red Hawk- Needing a way to support his father’s cancer treatment he worked for Mann Co. to settle any issues there may be between the mercenaries. Whether it be in their own team or the enemy it couldn’t interfere with the job. Poor man is in a done mood 99% of the time with them.

5. BLU Saboteur- Hikaru Kuwabara- Former hitman for the yakuza and after an incident on a hit he left. Without anything except his skills he looks for redemption and to do that he needs money to help start a new life. For that it was Mann Co.

6. BLU Bodyguard- Julio Ricardo Jr.- Celebrity from Mexico City as a lucha libre wrestler. His father was also a wrestler and was the Classic Bodyguard. After his first overdose and has hit rock bottom he goes to his roots and goes to work for Mann Co. to help him.

7. BLU Exectioner- Dakari Akintola- From a political family in Ethiopia and a soldier. Though after being dishonorably dishcharged he was shunned from his family and went to America and found work in Mann Co.

8. Therapist- Chahna Burman- A highly recommended therapist from India, she was hired on to evaluate and support each of the mercenaries. She provides a safe haven and a break from the stressful and intense environment that Mann Co. has brought on.

9. Assistant- Liling Zhao- With organized crime roots in her family, Liling wanted nothing from it as she wanted to pursue knowledge. After they framed her at the university she worked at she went on the run. Then found Mann Co. as a hideout and a way to make money. She fills in and helps her co-workers and even have to fill in for the mercs if need be despite hating violence.

10. Swindler- Jules Rodriguez- A very well known theif and hoodwinker with a past that’s not solidly known she is seductive as she is charming. After getting pissing off the wrong people she went to work for Mann Co. to lay low for a while.

11. Kingpin- Ellsworth “Scrappy” Morrison- One of the biggest mob bosses from New York that ran Harlem with a firm grip. He was very well liked by the locals and even his rivals respected him until his cousin formed a coup and just about killed him had it not been for Miss Pauling pulling him from the brink of death. She brought him to Mann Co. and offered him the job there and having nothing left, but revenge in his heart he accepted.

12. Seramu- Just a non-binary (he/him, they/them) 10,000+ year old sassy wizard that loves to annoy the mercenaries, but also secretly lonely. Really doesn’t like Merasmus and basically calls him a poser.

13. Virulent- Rin Hamasaki- Expert in poisons, sociopath, goth before it was cool, hates people, and cares about her pets.

14. BLU Sniper- Ragni Pelenato- Aussie Samoan and expert marksman. Super chill and loves to annoy his RED counterpart.

15. BLU Medic- Abra Schulz- Ex-wife to RED Medic and widow to her second husband. She wanted a place to help provide for her clinic and her family and found Mann Co.

16. BLU Pyro- Siku Nakoyak- Former firefighter and a pyromaniac that had nowhere else to go and with nothing left to lose she found Mann Co.. A place where she can settle her pyromania and have a place to live.

17. Instigator- Elize Taylor- An actress looking to get into the mindset of the roles she’s been playing lately. From little ole Tulsa, Kansas, to Hollywood and New York, and now at Mann Co.

18. RED Guard Dog- Lou- Pit mix adopted from a shelter as a puppy and trained to be a K-9 unit for Mann Co. A big goofball who loves his humans and steals socks on the base and off he’s a great teammate.

19. BLU Guard Dog-Bud- German Shepherd descended from many K-9 units and military dogs. A very professional dog that does not mess around when it comes to spies.

20. Enforcer-Oscar- Sabs’s oldest “brother” from Revelation Tech. Searched for her since he aided in her escape(that she was unaware of) and after finding her and reconnecting her he started working for the company as someone who makes sure the rules are followed after a merc breaks them. With his enhanced strength and short temper he doesn’t mess around.

21. Watcher-Marshal- Sabs’s second older brother from Relevation Tech. After being nearly killed by her when he attacked her he lost interest and went on his own for a bit until the people from the program tried to take him back. They would have taken him had it not been for Oscar and dragging him to find Sabs. He started working for Mann Co. as someone who gets dirt on anyone. With his teleportation powers he can get in and out of anywhere with no problem.

22. Vigil- Valeria Gomez- A former nun from Columbia who is hailed a hero and a criminal back in her country for taking out cartels. She went to North America for a place to lay low for a while and was recruited by Miss Pauling for work.

And that be it! If you’d like to know more about any of them feel free to ask!

Lupine Publishers | Salisbury, Novichok and the OPCW

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/

Lupine Publishers | LOJ Pharmacology & Clinical Research 

Abstract

The poisoning of a former russian spy in Salisbury, England, in march 2018, led to the Discovery of several chemical weapons not included in the Chemical Weapons Convention, allegedly developed by the URSS and not declared by Russia. This, in some way, has made diplomatic pressure to modify the lists of chemicals forbbiden or controle by the CWC, with some reluctancia by the russian government and some of their alias. The Organización for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has started actions to include novichok agents in the lists of prohibited agents. This is the story.

Keywords: Novichok; Nerve Agents; Poisons; OPCW; Skripal; Salisbury

The Beggining

In the spring of 2018, Sergei Skripal (former russian spy) and his daughter Yulia, started to feel ill. It was found that they were poisoned with a chemical hard to identify; however, an excellent chemical analysis let the analytical team to say that the chemical(s) employed were some nerve agents that were not included in the control lists establishers in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), however, this compounds are chemical weapons of a new class, never declared by any state party member of the CWC. The scientists arrived at the conclusión that the chemicals employed belong to a group of nerve agents known as Novichok. These chemicals act as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, same as VX or Sarin, but more tonics (it is said that eight times as poisonous as VX, and with effects as rapid as 30 seconds [1-4].

According to Al Jazeera, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench outside a mall in Salisbury on March 4, 2018, poisoned. Skripal is a former Russian military intelligence officer accused of spying for the United Kingdom. He was imprisoned in 2006, and later was part of an exchange program for Russian citizens accused of espionage in the United States. He was granted asylum in the United Kingdom. It is considered that the poisoning was made through the knob of the main door of his house, since that was the place where the highest concentration of nerve agent was found. The first actions of the british government included that 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers were expelled from the UK. Before the analysis of the evidence gave a confirmation of the agent employed, a police officer who visited the Skripal’s home was admited in a hospital with symptoms characteristic with a nerve agent poisoning [5]. In the end, these three victims were capable of recovery. Several weeks later some civilians were found with similar medical condition in Amesbury, a town about 11 km from Salisbury. Charlie Rowley found a fake Premier Jour (Nina Ricci) parfume bottle that he recovered and gave to his wife, Dawn Sturges’. They assambled the atomizer and she applied the liquid in her wrists. And so, they were contaminated. The bottle contained not parfume but a nerve agent. This case was tested as terrorism by the british authorities [6]. Dawn went into ICU at Salisbury Hospital and died a week later. Charlie survived and was released from the hospital, but several days later he was admitted again with an acute case of meningitis and blindness, and unable to move his left arm. On March 12 Theresa May declared: “Either this was a direct action of the Russian State towards our country, or the russian government lost control over the substance with the potential for catastrophic destruction and allowed it to fall into the hands of others. On april 2018, scientists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the presence of Novichok in biological sampling from the Skripals as well as from the site of the presumed contamination. On september of the same year, a couple of suspects were identified, two russian citizens members of the russian intelligence body (GRU), that flew from Moscow to London just two days prior to the Skripal poisoning and were in Salisbury for only 30 minutes. They were identified as Alexander Mishkin, and Anatoly Chepiga Both were honored for their actions in Ukraine [7].

International Reacticos

This situation led to a series of diplomatic actions from several countries: USA expelled 60 russians from its territorial, including 12 officials from the Russia UN misión; UK made the same with 34 russian diplomats. Other EU countries expelled 34 diplomats, Ukraine did the same with 13 diplomats, the OTAN expelled 7 and other countries around the world added for 13 more expelled diplomats [8,9]. On its side, Russia retaliated by expelling 23 british diplomats and 60 from USA. And something bizarre: the russian government conducted a Twitter poll to let the russian people determine which USA consulate was to be closed. The winner was the St. Peterburg one.

In The 1970 Decade, the Soviets had a Nerve Agents Development Program Known as Folinate, that Intended to have Chemicals that were:

a) Non detected by conventional detection OTAN instrumentos;

b) Capable of penétrate the soldares’ body, even with full protecting clothes;

c) Safer to preparation, handling and storage.

By the end of the 1990 decade, the russian government was looking that this chemicals or their precursors were not mentioned by the CWC.

What we know and what we don’t:

Most of what we understood as of 2018 of Novichok agents comes from testimony and memoirs of Dr. Vil S. Mirzayanov, the Chief of the Department of Counteraction against Foreign Technical Intelligence at the Russian State Union Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (Gonio) [10]. In 1995, The Stimson Center published a document: Chemical weapons disarmament in Russia: Problems and prospects. 1995, The Stimson Center, consisting of several essays written by various specialists in chemical weapons and in Russia. Particularly, Mirzayanov wrote a paper: Dismantling the Soviet/Russian Chemical Weapons Complex: An Insider’s View. This can be read in this paper, Mirzayanov wrote that the soviets in 1978 finished the construction of a large facility for nerve agent’s production, with capacity to make 20,000 tons annually, and that they produced 15,000 tons of a chemical called Substance 33, similar to the nerve agent VX. He mentions a group of chemicals with the names A-230, A-232, and the series of chemicals called Novichok, intended to be handled as binary weapons, in response to the US Big Eye project, to produce Sarin in a binary way [11,12]. These Novichok chemicals (basically Substance 33, A-230 and A-232, as well as others named Novichok-5, Novichok-7 and a no-name Novichok, tested 1988-19989) were never mentioned in bilateral Memorandums of Understanding designed to promote mutual transparency among URSS/Russia and USA about chemical weapons programs.

Jonathan Tucker informed in 2000, that Russia denied any production of Novichok, but also signed an agreement with the Syria government to create a syrian center for chemical weapons defense, under the cover of a Syrian Center of Ecological Protection, and reports that three russian scientists working in that center were involved on the novichok program; Tucker also says that in 1999 a London based arabic newspaper reported that some Syrian missile warheads were loaded with VX and a novel agent called novichok [13]. So, for as long as 24 years the name novichok has been in the chemical weapons universe, but for over 20 of those years it was some kind of urban legend, untill 2018 when it surfaced publicly and with a lot of noise [14]. We now know that it is another chemical that interferes with the metabolism of the neuro transmitter acetylcholine, binding to the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, and that can result in death. And a recent technical report informs that it is much more toxic than VX because novichok (in a theoretical computer simulation) has fewer conformers than VX; while VX shows 6561 conformers, the novichok A-234 shows 486 and A-230 shows only 54, which leads to a faster binding among the neurotoxic agent and the acetylcholinesterase enzyme that governs the metabolic transformation of acetylcholinesterase.

Novichok and the OPCW

In the sixteenth session of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the OPCW, 4-6 April 2011, on the agenda item elevenNovel toxic compounds, two of the points discussed were related to novichok. I will reproduce them completelly, according to the published report. 11.1 The Chairperson introduced the topic of new toxic compounds that are not included in the schedules of chemicals. This has been attracting increasing attention in recent years, particularly among non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Although very little information has appeared in the public domain, there have been claims that a new class of nerve agents, known as “Novichoks”, has been developed. In December 2008, a former defence scientist published a book, which included information on structures reported to be those of the new agents. Some of these structures meet the criteria for Schedule 2 B4 (S2 B4); however, all others are non-scheduled chemicals [15]. The author claimed that the toxicity of certain “Novichok” agents may exceed that of VX. 11.2 In a discussion of the issue, SAB members emphasised that, to date, there has been no confirmation of the author’s claims, nor has any peer review been undertaken in regard to the information on these chemicals in the scientific literature on this subject. The SAB noted that those chemicals containing a phosphorus atom to which is bonded one methyl, ethyl or propyl (normal or iso) group but not further carbon atoms would be declarable as S2 B4 chemicals above a threshold of one tone [11]. The SAB asked the Secretariat if such chemicals had ever been declared. The Secretariat replied that it has no record of any such declarations. With respect to nonscheduled chemicals relevant to “Novichoks”, it was noted that for declarations under the other chemical production facility (OCPF) regime, the name of the chemical is not required, and therefore, the Secretariat would not be able to determine (from declarations received) if there are facilities producing “Novichok” agents that are also non-scheduled chemicals. So, as can be seen, the OPCW had an early information, but the internal procedures stablished by the CWC did not permit the organization to go further. However, the SAB understood that it was a serious danger and started working in two areas intended to prevent the resurgement of the chemical weapons, that is, education and outreach.

Because the Salisbury incident, the OPCW made an investigation and concluded (12 april 2018) that it was a toxic agent the chemical employed against Skripal and his daughter, that the identity of this toxic chemical coincided with the one obtained in UK analysis, and that it was of high purity. The name and stucture of the identified toxic chemical are contained in a classified report of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW, available only to CWC States Parties. On 2 May 2018, the OPCW Director General made a request for information from States Parties on new types of nerve agents, supported by the 12 april report; in the same date, the Director General made an equal request from the SAB [16]. Later, on 4 september 2018, a report from the OPCW Technical Secretariat the findings were that the analysis of a simple of the small bottle found by Charles Rowley and Dawn Sturgess showed that the simple consisted of the same toxic chemical found in the Skripal’s simple, with a concentration of 97-98%. Once again, the name and chemical structure of the toxic chemicals identified are contained in the full confidential report that the Technocal Secretariat of the OPCW made available to all State Parties. The Russian position was that, since novichok was not listed in the prohibited substances, there was no violation of the CWC.

On october 2018, Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU) was accused of a hacking intent against OPCW headquarters, which led to four russians being expelled from The Netherlands after this alleged cyber strike. This came after UK government accused the GRU of some other cyber-attacks across the whole globe. A proposal made jointly by Canada, The Netherlands and the United States was revised in a OPCW Executive Council and in January of 2019 was adopted by the council, so was informed by Sabine Nolde, Canada’s representative, and confirmed the Dutch foreign ministry. This opened a 90 days period to object or make observations to this adopted proposal. In april of 2019 it was expected that the majority of the OPCW members would vote supporting the addition of novichok in the annex of the CWC forbidding some substances.

Conclusion

This kind of poisoning actions by Russia is not new, just remember the Alexander Litvinenko’s murder. This whole case shows that no matter the compromise of an international agreement to ban weapons of mass destruction, there will always be rogué states or groups of non-state actors willing to produce and use them; so, the OPCW must be fiercely supported by all nations and all people concerned with global peace and understanding.

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/fulltext/salisbury-novichok-and-the-opcw.ID.000118.php

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/pdf/LOJPCR.MS.ID.000118.pdf

For more Lupine Publishers Open Access Journals Please visit our website: https://lupinepublishersgroup.com/

For more Pharmacology & Clinical Research Please Click Here: https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/

To Know more Open Access Publishers Click on Lupine Publishers

Follow on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/lupinepublishers Follow on Twitter   :  https://twitter.com/lupine_online

wotmey vagh

Sab decline, deteriorate v Sach expand v Sagh be serious v SaH be present (not absent) v SaH care (about), be concerned (about) v Sal ascend v Sam locate, seek and find v Sang obliterate v Sap volunteer v SaQ cry v Saq land v Sar be varied, various v SaS be horizontal v Saw marry (husband does this) v Saw' have a depth of v Say' be clean v Say'moH clean, cleanse v Say'qu'moH sterilize v SeH control v Seng cause trouble v Sep breed v SeQ be formal, be ritualistic, be ceremonial v Sev contain (an enemy) v Sey be excited v SeymoH excite v SIch reach v SIgh influence v SIH bend v SIj slit v SIm calculate v SIQ endure, bear v SIS rain v SIv wonder v SoD flood v SoH you pro So' encrypt v So' hide, cloak v So'Ha' decrypt v So'Ha' decloak, emerge from concealment v Sol quarrel v Son relieve v Sop eat v SoQ be closed, shut v SoQmoH close, shut v Sor speak literally v SorHa' speak metaphorically v Sorgh sabotage v Sot be distressed, be in distress v Sov know v Soy' be clumsy v Sub be solid v Such visit v SuD be green, blue, yellow v SuD gamble, take a chance, take a risk v Sugh install (in office) v Suj disturb v Sum be near, be nearby v Sup jump v Suq acquire, obtain, get v SuQ be toxic v Suq gain v Surgh skin v SuS blow (into musical instrument) to produce sound v Sutlh negotiate v Suv fight v taD be frozen v taDmoH freeze v tagh begin a process, initiate v taH be at a negative angle v taH continue, go on, endure, survive v tam be quiet v tammoH silence v tam exchange, substitute v tap mash, squash v taq be scarred v taQ be weird, bizarre, unnatural (maybe creepy) v taqmoH scar v tatlh return (something) v tav shake v tay be civilized v taymoH civilize v tay' be together v ta' accomplish v teb fill v teH be true v tem deny, contradict, disavow, claim as false v ten embark v tenHa' disembark v teq remove, take off v tet melt v tey scrape v tey be uncomfortable, be close v teybe' be comfortable, be easy v tey' confide v tIch insult v tIj board, go aboard v tIl salivate v tIn be big v tIq be long, lengthy (of an object) v tIQ be ancient v tIS be light (weight) v tIv enjoy v tIw react emotionally, behave emotionally v tI' fix, repair v tob test conclusively, prove v toD save, rescue v togh count v toj bluff, deceive, trick v toq be inhabited v tor kneel v toS climb v toy' serve (a master) v tuch forbid v tuD thunder v tuH be ashamed v tuHmoH shame v tuj be hot v tul hope v tun be soft v tung discourage v tungHa' encourage v tuQ wear (clothes) v tuQHa'moH undress v tuQmoH put on (clothes) v tur carry out, conduct (a mission), perform (duties) v tuS cough v tutlh be tattooed, have a tattoo v tutlhmoH tattoo v tuv be patient v tuy' spit v tu' discover, find, observe, notice v tu'lu' there is ... v tlhab be free, independent v tlhap take v tlhaQ be funny v tlhaS fight, battle (relatively minor fight) v tlhaw' hit (percussion instrument) with fist v tlhay' be tame, domesticated v tlha' chase, follow v tlheD depart v tlhej accompany v tlher be lumpy v tlhetlh progress v tlhe' turn v tlhIb be incompetent v tlhIH you (plural) pro tlhIj apologize v tlhIl mine v tlhIn be particular, individual v tlhIS spit out v tlhIv be insubordinate v tlhob ask v tlhob request, ask, plead v tlhoch contradict v tlhoD be somewhat obscured, filtered, smudged, fuzzy v tlhogh get married to, marry v tlhoj realize v tlhol be raw, unprocessed v tlhong barter, bargain v tlhorgh be pungent (referring to food) v tlhorghHa' be bland (referring to food) v tlhot land on water (like a bird) v tlhov wheeze v tlho' thank v tlhuch exhaust v tlhuD emit (energy, radiation etc) v tlhuH breathe v tlhup whisper v tlhutlh drink v tlhu' be tempted v tlhu'moH tempt v vaD be flexible v val be clever, smart, intelligent v van salute v vang act, take action v vaQ be aggressive, be effective, be vigorous v vaq mock v vay fight, battle (mid level ferocity) v veb be next (in a series, sequence) v vegh go through (an open door, a tunnel, etc.) v vel cover, coat, mask v vem wake up, cease sleeping v vemmoH wake (someone) up v ven be nerdy v ver be dizzy v ver be spiral v vergh dock v vev insert, put in v vev pin, attach or fasten with a pin v vey' be comfortable, be plentiful v vey'Ha' be uncomfortable, be meager v ve' travel with a purpose, for a specific reason, travel on a mission v vIb move through time toward the future, propagate v vIbHa' move through time toward the past v vID be belligerent v vIH move, be in motion v vIl be ridgy v vIng whine v vIt tell the truth v vItlh be high, great (in quantity, size, intensity) v vI' accumulate v von trap, entrap v vong hypnotize v voq trust, have faith in v voqHa' distrust v voQ choke v vor cure v vorgh be previous v vo' propel v vuj expel, eject v vul be unconscious v vum work, toil v vun order (in a restaurant, from a catalog, etc.) v vung cyclone, hurricane v vup pity v vuQ fascinate v vur be modern, up-to-date, state-of-the-art v vuS limit v vut cook v vuv respect v vuy be helpful, supportive v vu' manage v wagh be expensive v waH taste, try out (food) v waH try out, test, use experimentally v wal vibrate, be in a state of vibration v wam hunt v wan be straight v wanHa' be crooked, bent v waQ obstruct v waS be wrong, awry v watlh be pure v wav divide v way be striped v way' parry, deflect a lunge v web be disgraced v wech serve fermented food at its peak v wegh confine v weH raid v wel owe (someone) v wem violate v weq hit (percussion instrument) with palm v wer be creased, be wrinkled v wermoH crease, wrinkle v weS lose, no longer have, suffer a reduction of v wew glow v wIb be sour, be bitter, be tart v wID massacre (connotes indiscriminate killing) v wIH be ruthless v wIj farm v wItlh break something off v wIv choose, select v wob hurl a spear by means of a chetvI' v woch be tall v woD throw away v wogh transgress, do more than is acceptable v woH pick up v woj sterilise v wol be creased, be folded v wolmoH crease, fold v wom peck v woq confirm, substantiate, corroborate v wov be light, bright v wuD snore v wun be unprotected, vulnerable v wup burst into song v wuq decide, decide upon v wuQ have a headache v wuv depend on, rely on v yach pet, stroke v yach strum (a stringed instrument) v yaH be taken away v yaj understand v yajHa' misinterpret v yan use or manipulate a sword v yap be enough, sufficient v yatlh be pregnant v yay' be shocked, dumbfounded v yegh be spotted v yem sin v yep be careful v yepHa' be careless v yeq cooperate v yev pause v yIn live v yIQ be wet v yIr gather (items) v yIt walk v yIv annoy, bother, irk, irritate v yIv chew v yI' speak in an honorable or respectful fashion v yob harvest v yoD shield v yoH be brave v yon be satisfied v yong get in v yonmoH satisfy v yot invade v yov charge (military term) v yoy be upside down v yuD be dishonest v yuDHa' be honest v yugh include, consist of, be composed of (in chemistry) v yughmoH filter v yuq outwit, outsmart v yut distract, create a diversion v yuv push v yu' question, interrogate v 'ab have a length/height of (object is length) v 'aD have a length of, measure v 'agh show, demonstrate, display v 'al float (in/on air) v 'ang show, reveal v 'ap be dented v 'apmoH dent v 'argh worsen v 'av guard v 'aw' sting v 'el enter, go in v 'ep consume soup v 'eq be early v 'eS be low v 'ey be good, be delicious, be tasty, be harmonious v 'IH be beautiful, handsome v 'Ij listen v 'Il be sincere v 'Im render, boil fat v 'Ip vow, swear v 'IQ be sad v 'Iq be too much, be too many v 'Irgh bully, intimidate, pick on, harass v 'It be depressed v 'Itlh be advanced, highly developed v 'oD arbitrate, mediate v 'ogh invent, devise v 'oj be thirsty v 'ol verify v 'ol verify, check if (something) is true, make sure that (something) is true v 'om resist, fend off v 'ong be cunning, sly v 'or pilot, operate (an aircraft) v 'oS represent v 'ot withhold (information) v 'otHa' disclose, divulge v 'ov compete v 'oy' ache, hurt, be sore v 'uch grasp v 'uch hold, grasp v 'ugh be heavy v 'uH have a hangover, be hung over v 'um be qualified v 'umHa' be unqualified v 'up be unsavoury, be disgusting, be repugnant v 'ut be essential, necessary v 'uy press down v

The Old One

Cet calmly cut down the fleeing inhabitants with a steady beam of burning light as Uahl and Seld intercepted the single ship that had managed to make it off the ground. Cet slew perhaps more species in those few hours than he had in his entire military career, and the unarmed people of BN-225 were hapless before him. An orchestra of death howls surrounded him as the settlers burned, and he could hear screaming from one of the nearer huts as Sab helped himself to some poor individual; gender and species mattered not, so long as Sab could find a hole he liked. Cet chose to ignore him and his barbarism. Finally content with his work, he smiled as he lowered his beam focuser. The tubular lens radiated heat from the prolonged exposure, and he allowed it to cool before he began polishing it carefully with a fine cloth and a little mineral oil. Sab had left his empty plasma thrower lying in a puddle outside of the hut. The soft, damp ground beneath his feet felt spongy as he made his way between smoking corpses to the administrative building he had cleared out earlier. The computers would hold a plethora of information on the inhabitants as well as allow him access to the existing scanners to amplify their own.

The sky was a cool grey, and the local star’s light was dampened severely before it could reach the watery surface of the boggy world. BN-225 was a small planet, but an incredibly old one. One of the officials on Cet’s homeworld had suggested that life had existed on BN-225 before anywhere else in the galaxy, though at a glance it did not appear to have evolved much. Most of the life on the planet was plant or plant-like and thick groves of trees and vines spanned the globe. Cet wouldn’t have been surprised if the planet had been covered by a single ocean at one point, or if the plants were simply covering the water, accumulating enough dead organic matter to rot above the hidden seas to form soil and mud. He shuddered as he imagined what horrors the untold depths might hold, though he told himself that it was due to the chill in the air.

Cet slung the pristine beam focuser over one shoulder as he walked up several metal steps to the main entrance of the administrative building. Corpses littered the ground, and he was grateful that a sophisticated weapon like his cauterised instantly rather than allowing his victims to bleed everywhere. They were, after all, going to have to clean up and live here for the untold future. Cet waved a six-fingered hand before the computer tower as a scanner detected his species and the keyboard warped and reformed to suit his own needs. He had been a little worried; most computers had millions of keyboards and billions of languages to suit the broad array of species that may use them, but he had held no delusions that a forgotten settlement this far out would have the information on file for an ourou, his own race.

A greyscale holo-screen projected before him, and he activated the little gear widget to change a few settings. He expertly adjusted the projector to display a colour spectrum accessible by him and his comrades before he went delving into the records. A few deft activations and several keystrokes later he had the information he wanted. The planet had been home to a total of seventy-two settlers. Three families of kikn from SK-356, one family of eutphon from RT-579, three individual skur from SK-998, two humans from XT-110 (though the record said one had died several cycles ago), and one gurg from PT-293, all of whom had lived there for quite some time, with little contact other than with occasional supply ships and infrequent research vessels. Cet made a face. He didn’t remember killing a gurg, and the thought of one running loose on the planet filled him with apprehension for their mission. Cet closed the projector as he pulled his communicator from his pocket.

“All clear on this end. The computer says there are seventy-two individuals, but one of them is a gurg. I’ll have Sab help do a body count,” Cet spoke clearly and concisely into the black rectangular device, though his voice was likely to be garbled due to the cloud cover.

“Copy that, Cet,” Uahl called back, his voice crackling through the small device. “We just sent their transport down in flames, we’ll be right there.” Almost as if on queue, a massive explosion rattled the entire building, threatening to topple Cet. He remained upright, despite its efforts. Cet waited for a moment for an aftershock, then checked that his beam focuser wasn’t damaged before proceeding out of the administrative building. When he finally found Sab he was still busy with the corpse of the poor thing he had taken into the hut earlier.

“Put that thing down, Sab. We’ve got work to do.” Sab grunted in reply. “I need you to do a body count. There were seventy-two sentients on this planet before we came, and among them was a gurg.” Sab grunted again, too concentrated on the task at hand to dignify Cet with a proper response. “A gurg, which, I may not have dealt with. So if you want to sleep soundly tonight, you had best help me find out if it’s dead or not.” Rolling his eyes, Sab dropped the cadaver on the ground before collecting the nearby bodies and lining them alongside the first one. The hulking brute was bigger and stronger than an ourou had any right to be, and as dumb as he was stubborn, but he got the job done and that was all that mattered.

Cet sat on a rusted old pipe attached to a nearby water purifier and took a small orange triangle from his pocket and squeezed it slightly. The holo-screen opened up on the same page he had left off on, and a tiny triangle guided him to the exact spot he had ended on previously before it blinked out of existence to let him read unabated. He had always enjoyed reading mythology, especially those from other species. It was interesting to see how different myths and legends could be but even more so how similar. Certain trends appeared and reappeared despite vast differences in origins, and Cet found immense pleasure in connecting them together. The story before him was that of a valiant young Arrhun named Oedilek, who had gone into a mythological monsters den. The monster in question was a Turrurru, or in an old tongue of the Arrhun, “Many-Eyed.” The legends said that it took the eyes of any who looked upon it for itself, killing its victim instantly. Cet had read of several monsters now that killed those that viewed them; they turned their victims inside out or forced them to age rapidly, or even changed their flesh into stone. Cet’s concentration was broken as the gravity engines of their ship, the Forerunner, thrummed loudly in the atmosphere, slowing its descent to the muddy ground.

Seld waited until the ship’s stairs deployed before descending, followed by Uahl. The Forerunner was under Seld’s command, Sab’s older brother by a cycle and a half. Despite their relation, Cet couldn’t think of two ourous more different; Sab was a lumbering brute, the perfect soldier in His majesty Emperor Whel’s army. He frightened the other recruits into line, and was a literal monster on the battlefield, wreaking havoc with a plasma thrower and his huge hands; Seld was a relatively reserved and soft-spoken individual, and he maintained a cool head in the heat of battle. Seld’s aim with a beam focuser rivalled Cet’s, and he was a better pilot than not, as well as an exceptional gunman on the forward charged particle cannons. Sab had been Seld’s first pick when he was granted their mission.

“Cet, I’m transferring you the coordinates of the transport. Uahl and I have to set up the connection with their deep space scanners, and I need to report to homeworld,” Seld’s voice was barely audible over the sound of the cooling engines as he tapped his communicator screen several times. A thin mist had gathered at ankle height, weaving between the huts which made up the settlement, and dancing around the landing gear of the Forerunner.

Cet hadn’t forgotten the mission; BN-225 was the closest settlement to an all but forgotten hyperspace tunnel, and it was their job to monitor it and notify their homeworld in case a fleet happened to make the jump. The tunnel itself had begun to decay due to a lack of maintenance, and it meant nearly certain death to attempt a jump through it, but the Emperor’s generals were taking no chances. They would not risk His majesty’s royal army to some unforeseen flanking. Seld’s team were either to monitor jump activity from a cramped ship for an indeterminate time or take the closest settlement by force and set up their own scanners there to do their monitoring. They chose the latter.

Cet lightly brushed a delicate finger over his spot in the text as he shut off the holo-screen, placing the small orange triangle into a pocket and nodding in compliance. He carefully removed the beam focuser from its sheath on his back, chrome plating shining despite the dreary lighting. Sab dumped the last body in the line (fifty-three in total, none of which being the dreaded gurg) before sitting down on the front step of a wooden hut. Cet called upon Sab to join him, and he grunted in annoyance before standing up once more. Uahl had already begun unloading the delicate dishes from the Forerunner to prepare their satellite array.

“We’re going to go here,” Cet indicated the tiny map on his communicator screen, “and count the bodies on the ship.” Sab looked at Cet with dull eyes, mild annoyance briefly interrupting his glazed over expression. Upon happenstance, Cet spotted a pile of wood on the edge of the dense bog, with a large machete of sorts lodged into a tree stump. “Go grab that, Sab,” Cet said. Sab smiled as he saw the big blade, and he quickly collected it before he and Cet delved into the marsh. He swung it a few times, hacking off a couple tree limbs and slicing some vines. Looking pleased with himself, Sab followed Cet contentedly. The ancient trees were spaced out evenly, but Cet quickly lost sight of the Forerunner as the mist enshrouded their companions.  

The ground in the settlement had been soft and damp, but beyond its boundaries, the mud sucked noisily at the two ourou’s feet. Vines beneath the mud threatened to trip Cet as he gingerly picked his way through the muck, and Sab had fallen once, nearly losing his new found toy in the ancient bog and ending up soaked from head to toe in the vile decay. Cet almost tripped over his own feet when he found a solid bit of ground. Looking down he could see a pattern of old stones laid out beneath the cloudy water but above the mud. To his left the hidden path appeared to lead back to the main settlement, but to his right it looked as though it snaked in the general direction of the fallen transport. Cet showed Sab the hidden stones, and together they splashed onward towards the crashed ship and, hopefully, their missing gurg.

It wasn’t long before they came upon the ship. It hadn’t landed very far from the old stone steps, and the water, mud and vines had absorbed the impact, preventing it from gouging out a path due to its speed and trajectory, dissipating that energy throughout much of the surrounding area. Cet saw that most of the plants within the immediate vicinity of the crashed ship had been blackened or burned, but there were no fires to be seen. Steam still rose from the hull of the ruined ship in the cool air. The plants were too damp, and the air too humid, to facilitate so much fire and flame, and he was not shocked to find the ship extinguished and inert. Part of the hull had been torn away, allowing them a view of its burnt tenants. Cet and Sab stepped back into the muck to move around the ship and perform a body count, Cet holding his beam focuser close to his chest and away from the filth around his legs, Sab skewering bodies upon his machete and flinging them out of the ship and into the mud. Cet counted the bodies as Sab threw them out... fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. He counted seventeen bodies. That left two unaccounted for, and Cet still hadn’t seen the gurg anywhere.

Just then, Sab gave a massive grunt and Cet heard chitin cracking and tendons tearing as Sab wrenched the blackened corpse of the gurg from twisted metal pipes. One of the pipes broke, sending a short torrent of bright blue coolant pouring into the marsh. Sab threw the large body down, sending up a tremendous splash, nearly getting some on Cet and his weapon. That made eighteen bodies, Cet counted, which left one unaccounted for, but as long as the gurg was dead he could sleep easily. The first bodies had already begun to disappear beneath the shallow water as the bog swallowed them whole, and the coolant had all but disappeared as though the plants themselves had soaked it into their roots. The ship, as well, was partially sunken and would be fully submerged come the following night. Cet wondered; it was almost as though the planet was resisting change. The ancient bog hadn’t changed for millennia, and these mild disturbances gave it no reason to change now. Cet shuddered as he and Sab walked back onto the path.

The mist draped the bog in mystery, terminating the visible path as it snaked between the ancient trees, but Cet remembered that the ship had been to their left when they came upon it. Or had it been right? He tried to check his communicator for directions, but the digital compass only swung wildly, and when he tried to call up Seld or Uahl he only received static. Confused and a little anxious, Cet stood, pondering his conundrum as Sab stared unknowingly, waiting for Cet to make a choice for the both of them. Finally giving up, Cet decided that the path had to lead somewhere, and there was nowhere on the planet besides the settlement of recluses for it to lead back to if his initial decision didn’t bring them back to the ship. He turned to his left and began walking and Sab followed him unquestioningly.

The old growth surrounded them on both sides, ancient gnarled trees with too many branches and too few leaves threatening to grab them and pull them under like giant twisted hands. The primordial trees were peculiarly short and stunted, but their venerable trunks stretched further around than any tree ought to. Cet gripped his weapon tightly, listening closely to Sab’s heavy breathing. He often treated the big lout with disdain, but it was times like these he was glad to have the wall of muscle close by. As the two soldiers splashed through the watery marsh the mist gave way before them to reveal the twisted path they followed. Cet couldn’t say how long they had been walking, and just as he was considering turning back a dark shape materialised and loomed over them.

The structure was not much bigger than the simple huts within the main settlement, though it looked as though it had come from a completely different place. White paint peeled off of the derelict wooden walls, and upon the black tiles of the roof moss grew heavily and lichen dangled from the edges. Squares had been cut out of the walls and glass had been inserted almost artfully, although the glass was too obscured to see through. The humidity had condensed against the window panes, allowing a thin mucous like growth to conceal the contents of the neglected structure. Wooden steps that had once been white were blackened with mould, leading up to a heavy wooden door. Cet would have thought the forsaken structure deserted had it not been for that hideous noise; creeeek..... creeeeeek.... Over and over again, like wind swinging a door open and shut on time-worn hinges, though there was no wind that Cet could feel. Strange music bled through the old building, filling Cet’s ears and mind as though to hypnotise him. Immediately filled with apprehension, Cet turned on his heel to leave, only to bump into Sab.

Sab stood as still as a statue with what Cet thought was curiosity on his face, though he had never seen Sab express interest in anything other than his debased joys. Before he could say a word of warning, Sab wandered up to the ancient building. The soggy old wood should have cracked under his weight, but instead, it simply bent and squeaked when he made his way up the steps. He reached out for the latch on the heavy wooden door, rattling it back and forth before simply twisting it and breaking the locking mechanism. The music and the creaking stopped suddenly and Cet held his breath as Sab pushed the door inward, revealing a dark interior. There was a sudden BOOM like an explosion, and Sab’s corpse slowly teetered before falling backwards, writhing as it fell down the rotten steps.

Cet couldn’t stop staring in horror at the giant ourou. He could see rippling muscles spasm under scarred skin as he gazed in fear. Where his head once sat upon his short neck there was nothing more than shattered bone and torn flesh. It was as though his head had exploded right off of his shoulders... that would explain the loud noise Cet had heard. He jumped back in terror, nearly dropping his beam focuser in the mud as the big wooden door slammed shut. He sat there for a stunned moment. Then ....creeeeek... creeeeeek..... as the strange music seeped through the chilly air once more, trying to draw him closer.

Cet had never run so fast in his life. He ran and ran, his weapon dangling uselessly in his hand as he tried to escape the unknown horror lurking in that evil structure. Ancient sentinels flew by him as he tried to avoid slipping and falling, and he couldn’t say how long he had run before the path finally ended at the settlement. When he finally arrived back at the settlement he was dizzy with fear and exhaustion. He collapsed on the soft ground, finding small solace in the cool earth against his burning skin. His beam focuser lay in the dirt beside him, forgotten. Cet heard shouting, and then felt a pair of strong hands grip him and pull him to his feet, but he didn’t have the strength to resist as they pulled him forwards. Exhausted, he shut his eyes. He dreamt of the terrible unnamed thing beyond that dark doorway.

When Cet came to he was lying on a soft mattress in a dim room, his nightmare faintly etched on his mind, though already partially forgotten. Sterilised white walls and glaring white lights in the hall outside the door, as well as a biometric scanner aimed from the ceiling at Cet told him he was in a med bay, and from the lingering scent of burnt flesh and hair, he knew he was in the administrative building. Cet sat up, and saw at the foot of his bed Seld sitting down in deep thought, and Uahl moving coloured pieces to make patterns in a little game that involved a flat board and different shapes with different colours. Seld looked up at the noise and held out a hand as if to calm Cet down.

“Easy, easy. We’ve got your hydration levels back up and your temperature is returned to normal, but your heart rate still hasn’t slowed much. Can you tell us what happened? Where’s Sab?” Seld asked, his steady voice calming and reassuring. A sudden torrent of memories came flooding back to Cet, and he tried to stutter out a coherent answer.

“I-I-I d-don’t know! H-he j-j-just looked at it, a-and his h-h-h-head....” Cet trailed off, his jaw shaking wildly as he tried to choke out an answer. He avoided eye contact with Seld as though he, too, might spontaneously die before his very eyes.

“Hey, Cet, calm down! You’re safe now. You’re safe. Was it the gurg?” Uahl stood up from the game to hand Cet a couple pills and a glass of purified water. Cet gulped the pills down without question and without water. An artificial peace washed over him as they took effect almost immediately, and he stopped shaking.

“N-no. The gurg was dead, burned up in the crash. But... but we also found an old stone path beneath the water and we followed it. We found a building, a wooden building, out there in the swamp. There were strange sounds coming from it, and I... I wanted to leave. Sab walked up to the door and opened it, but as soon as he saw whatever was inside, h-his... his head exploded,” Cet finished the story, and looked up to see their incredulous faces.

“Exploded? What do you mean exploded?” Uahl asked.

“I mean, he just looked through that old doorway and his head exploded. There was a loud boom, and the next thing I knew his head had blown up and he was dead,” Cet left out the details of Sab’s writhing corpse.

“Did you see what was inside?” Uahl pressured him as Seld stood silently, thinking.

“No! If I did, I wouldn’t be here! I t-t-told you guys, he looked in the building and his head exploded. Th-that’s all I know, that’s all I know...” Cet could feel the fleeting effects of the pills begin to wear off, and he stared intently at the end of his bed rather than at his two companions.

“Listen, Cet. I know you’re scared right now, but I need you to get a hold of yourself. I believe you. I believe you, but we need to go and find out what that thing in the swamp was. Okay? Do you have the coordinates?” Seld asked him gently, seemingly unperturbed by his brother’s death. Cet shook his head. He should have taken the coordinates, but he had been too scared of the unseen horror. “Then I’m sorry Cet, but I have to ask that you bring us there.” Cet looked up at Seld, his eyes wide in fright.

“N-no! I can’t go back! We should just burn the whole swamp down, we should just burn it down. We shouldn’t go back. There’s something evil out there,” Cet reached instinctively to his beam focuser on his shoulder but it wasn’t there.

“Cet, we’ve got to go. The three of us can’t stay here if there’s something out there with ill intent for us. You have to bring us there,” Seld’s tone was firm. Against his better judgement, Cet nodded his head.

“Okay.”

An hour later they had suited up, wearing light body armour and wielding beam focusers. Cet had found his beam focuser lying in the dirt where he had left it and had furiously tried to wipe away the dirt and smears, grimacing as he imagined the filth it had lain in. The path hadn’t been hard to find once they knew what to look for, and Cet led the way through the dreary swamp with his newly polished weapon pointed straight ahead. A half an hour in they found the half-sunken ship, and Cet noticed the bodies Sab had thrown upon the watery ground had disappeared beneath the mud and the vines. It was another hour of walking before they came upon the decaying structure. It loomed overhead as though it were about to swallow him up, and Cet could hear the dreaded creeeek.... creeeeeeek... creeeek... and unholy music emanating from within. Sab’s body had vanished, swallowed up by the swamp... or swallowed up by the unknowable horror inside the wooden building. Cet shivered, and this time, he knew it wasn’t due to the chill.

Uahl placed a hand on Cet’s shaking shoulder as she and Seld stepped by him, weapons in hand. Cet followed closely, standing directly behind Uahl and concentrating on staring at his weapon. Uahl reached out to the door, but he hardly touched it when the old wooden rectangle began to swing inwards with a creeeeeeek of its own. The music and the creaking noise ceased at the sound of the door swinging open, and Cet could see the distorted reflection of the horror in the house in the gleaming chrome plating of his weapon. There was a successive BOOM BOOM and Cet felt warm blood splatter the back of his head and neck as he turned to flee once more. He didn’t need to turn around to know that his two companions were now headless corpses.

He ran as far as his legs would take him, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Finally, he had made his way back to the half-sunken transport, ducking inside and sitting down in a partially burnt seat as he tried to catch his breath. What was that thing? He had never seen anything like it, though admittedly he had only seen its reflection. Its reflection. Cet would have laughed if it weren’t for the terror which gripped his mind so completely. He hadn’t looked directly at the thing. Seld, Sab, and Uahl had, and now they were dead. Could it be? he wondered. Both encounters with the unseeable terror had resulted in the deaths of his companions but not himself, and it was they who had looked directly upon the thing. Cet let out a nervous laugh. It was just like one of the monsters in myth, which killed with a glance. Perhaps those mythological monsters were based on some primordial mode of life that could actually kill with a glance. It made sense that those creatures would die out as heroes hunted them down, and be reduced to legends, but on an old world like this one, they may still exist.

Gripping tightly to his theory, Cet quickly began working on removing a piece of chrome plating from the inner wall of the slowly sinking transport. The smoke had blackened it, and it had been warped by heat, but it was all he had. He tore at the fabric of one of the seats in the ship and scrubbed at the chrome shard beneath the water. Satisfied with his work, he dried it off and began polishing it with his fine cloth and the mineral oil he had kept in his pocket. He lost track of time as he prepared the makeshift mirror for his upcoming fight, and the ship had all but sunken by the time he was satisfied. Holding it up he could see his reflection quite clearly, and when he held it at an angle he could see behind him quite easily. Cet risked a smile before he began the long walk back to the ancient evil in the heart of the swamp.

When Cet arrived the bodies of his friends had disappeared and he considered turning around and leaving that God forsaken planet altogether. Creeeek... creeeeek... creeeek.... The dreaded sound seeped between chords of the mysterious music and Cet slowly climbed the steps. Holding the polished chrome mirror up to look behind him and awkwardly holding his beam focuser to point behind him, he pushed the door open and the noises stopped.

Within the dim room sat the horror, perched upon a peculiar wooden chair. Upon its lap was a blanket with a floral pattern draped over its bottom half. From its scalp grew tendrils, snaking their way down its wrinkled and sagging flesh. Its face looked as though it were melting and as it turned to face him Cet could see the drooping flesh wobble and shake. Upon its head, or what Cet thought was a head, were several orifices. Two held eyes that glared right through him as though to tear his very soul from his body, and one on the bottom held teeth yellowed with age. Cet’s eyes widened in dismay as all hope fled his body and he felt his bowels empty. His beam focuser clattered to the ground, forgotten in his intense fear.

“W-w-what are you?” he managed to stutter.

“I’m retired, and you ourou bastards are tresspassing!” the ancient horror rasped through its age-old mouth. Cet’s head exploded into a cloud of viscera as Old Lady Kowalski pulled the trigger, her late husband’s 12 gauge spitting hot lead into the invader across the room.

AFP chief promotes importance of patriotism during hometown visit

#PHinfo: AFP chief promotes importance of patriotism during hometown visit

ZAMBOANGUITA, Negros Oriental, March 3 (PIA) -- The chief of the staff of the country’s armed forces stressed the importance of having a strong sense of patriotism and nationalism to achieve sustainable peace.

“I believe the only way that we can achieve long and lasting peace in our country is to enhance the sense of patriotism and nationalism among our people. We must learn how to love our country,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), in his message to fellow residents of Zamboanguita during his visit on Feb. 28.

“When I assumed command as the chief of staff of the AFP that was one of my guidance to adopt that battle cry: love of country,” he added.

AFP Chief Lt. Gen.. Cirilito Sobejana underscores the importance of cultivating a sense of patriotism among Filipinos to achieve sustainable peace during his speech at the honoring ceremony organized for him by the Zamboanguita municipal government held Feb. 28, 2021 at Pure Beach Resort, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. (ral/PIA7-NegOr) 

Sobejana also underscored that the public should strive to be good citizens of the nation by giving quality service to the country and by giving their best in all their endeavors.

“Ang dapat manatili sa ating sarili ay iyong sense of service (We should always promote a sense of service within ourselves),” he emphasized.

The AFP chief visited his hometown over the weekend to attend the honoring ceremony organized for him by the municipal government of Zamboanguita.

Mayor Glenson Alanano handed a plaque of commendation to Sobejana in recognition of his achievement of being the top general of the country’s armed forces which brought pride to the municipality.

Sobejana thanked the municipal government for the welcome and the honor.

He said he is proud to be from Zambonguita and he always carries this identity wherever he goes.

He also told the youth not to be discouraged from the hardships they experience as he, too, have been through the same struggles.

He also noted that it is also important to honor the Lord above all.

Alanano also lauded Sobejana for his accomplishments.

“Nagpasalamat ko niya kay sa iya hard work, namunga ug ang lungsod sa Zamboanguita naila (I am very grateful. All his hard work has paid off and the municipality of Zamboanguita was recognized because of him),” Alanano told reporters in an interview after the event.

The local chief executive was asked if Sobejana made a commitment to improve or support peace and development initiatives in Zamboanguita.

“Iya sab gi-assure ang peace and order sa among lungsod. Sa tanan programs and projects mosuporta siya (He assured he will provide help in our peace and order situation. He also gave his support to all programs and projects implemented here),” Alanano said.

The municipality of Zamboanguita has two barangays identified as priority areas for the government convergence efforts to address poverty under the Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) Program.

These are barangays Mayabon and Calango.

In relation to ELCAC, Sobejana said the AFP has crafted “catch-up plans” to speed up the government’s pursuit of peace and development in ELCAC areas.

“During my term as the chief of staff, my first instruction is to think of something that will make us win quickly with the short period of time. Kailangan may 'catch-up' plans tayo (we must have catch-up plans). We have that already and we are now starting to implement it across the country to include Negros Oriental,” Sobejana explained.

Sobejana is optimistic that the country will be able to achieve its goal of attaining sustainable peace because it has dedicated personnel in the military and all mechanisms were also set in place like Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 which directs a “whole of nation” approach to end local communist insurgency. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)

***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "AFP chief promotes importance of patriotism during hometown visit." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1068701 (accessed March 05, 2021 at 08:31PM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "AFP chief promotes importance of patriotism during hometown visit." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1068701 (archived).

Behind Pakistan’s cartographic hallucination on Kashmir lies Imran’s domestic woes, China’s invisible hand

Imran Khan is in trouble, to put it mildly. The Pakistan prime minister initially dismissed COVID-19 as common flu and had advised citizens to stay at home even if showing symptoms. When the pandemic raged beyond control, Imran’s answer was to implement a ‘Corona tiger force’, a youth recruitment program to “wage jihad” against the virus.

The virus was unmoved by such gimmicks. As the crisis deepened, an alarmed World Health Organisation shot off a letter in June slamming hasty lifting of lockdown in provinces without meeting any of the requisite conditions and expressed concern over Pakistan’s high positivity rate and lack of testing.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s already fragile, debt-burdened economy is collapsing. According to World Bank estimates, Pakistan is heading towards “major recession”. The New York Times quoted Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, an independent research firm, to report that “up to 18 million of Pakistan’s 74 million jobs could be lost.”

A broke Pakistan is set to become the first large developing country to apply for a debt repayment relief under a G-20 initiative.

Alongside and unsurprisingly, Pakistan’s rickety public health infrastructure is also in a coma. Doctors and caregivers are functioning without basic protective gear and risking public ire to boot.

This is Karachi Civil Hospital. Doctors say over 70 persons attacked it's ER tonight at around 11am. Docs & staff remained unhurt. They say the attackers had iron rods, knives. "KOI CORONA NAHEN HAI. YE SAB DOCTORS KA DRAMA HAI," they shouted. pic.twitter.com/MZsHllxbJ7

— Sameer Mandhro (@smendhro) May 29, 2020

Amid the healthcare disaster, Pakistan is also staring at a food security crisis. Mishandling of the pandemic, lack of government planning, supply chain disruption, unseasonal rains and pestilence may result in a 3.5 million-ton shortfall of wheat, Pakistan’s staple, raising fears that the country is limping towards a famine. It is worth noting that Imran’s popularity was nosediving even before the pandemic. Last year, hardline Islamists hit the streets demanding his ouster. Forced to take a $6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund in last May  — Pakistan’s 13th such bailout since 1980s — Imran had no option but to cut subsidies, devalue further the rupee and raise taxes — all unpopular moves in a struggling economy. While the interventions didn’t work, all that Imran managed to do was to trigger more inflation, slash consumption and witness mass layoffs in private sector. To quote Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) who led the protests against Imran last year, “Khan was ‘selected’ earlier but he has now been rejected.” Imran’s ascension to power was widely believed to have been engineered by Pakistan’s all-powerful military, and Rawalpindi was growing increasingly impatient with Imran’s hubris, inefficiency and incompetence. Imran’s botched  response to coronavirus, falling popularity and waning influence saw Pakistan Army tighten its grip on the civilian government and squeeze further the space for democracy. At the best of times, Imran was a military puppet. His masters have now clipped his wings and taken full control. All major policy decisions on the pandemic are now being taken either by Rawalpindi or army-backed political appointees. Since March, the military has been overruling Imran and releasing public advisories on army letterheads. Imran is aware and unhappy, threatening abruptly to leave press conferences when questioned on his authority. Scholar Madiha Afzal, fellow of Center for Middle East Policy writes in Brookings, “For a time after his election, it seemed that Khan’s closeness with the military might give him the space to implement the domestic policies that he wanted. It seems that period is over. Khan is now clearly constrained by a military whose role has grown progressively through Khan’s term in office and has expanded to the ambit of domestic policy during the pandemic.” The picture that emerges is of a politician rapidly losing popularity, power, influence and control and increasingly given to ranting in Parliament. To add to his pressure, terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has kept up the squeeze. Last October, Pakistan received a “clear warning” from the FATF for addressing only five out of 27 action items to tackle terror financing. The FATF had threatened to blacklist Islamabad unless it does more and does so quickly. Pakistan has managed to get one more extension from FATF until October 2020 owing to the pandemic, but it received more setbacks on this front with the US state department bringing out a report on terrorism in June that continues to designate Pakistan as a “safe harbour for regionally focused terrorist groups.” Then there is Kashmir. India’s decision last year to remove Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and bring the erstwhile state under New Delhi’s direct control effectively buried Pakistan’s dreams of seizing the prized real estate for which it has launched multiple wars against India and used terrorism as a State policy since the 1990s to carry out a relentless proxy war and stoke militancy within Indian borders. Kashmir is not only Pakistan’s “jugular vein” or an article of faith, it is central to Pakistan’s national and ideological frontiers. Pakistan never had operation control over Kashmir that acceded to India during Partition except the portion that it had invaded, but a never-ending battle against India to grab Muslim-majority Kashmir remains the fulcrum of Pakistan’s existence as a nation-state. It also makes space for Pakistan military’s outsized role in its polity since it is deemed to be the only institution that can turn that improbability into a reality. As C Christine Fair, author and scholar of South Asian political and military affairs, noted in her book Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War, for the Pakistan Army, failure lies not in unsuccessful attempts to wrest Kashmir from India but in abandoning the effort. In perpetual struggle lies victory. New Delhi’s move to abrogate Article 370 and turn Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory made it even more difficult for the Pakistan to sell its revisionist agenda back home — a despondency best expressed by Opposition leader Sherry Rehman.

Its not only about inappropriate speeches in parliament. Who will stop your PM from destroying Pakistan? Three more years and nothing may be left. Economy is worse, debts r higher,mafias on the rampage, PIA being cannibalised, Kashmir gone, what’s left ?https://t.co/6LTPk8BfWc — SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 2, 2020

In its latest edition of the Green Book, an internal confidential publication of the Pakistan military containing essays by serving officers and others (mostly for in-house consumption), Pakistan’s chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa admitted that Balakot airstrikes and abrogation of Article 370 have transformed the geopolitics of the region and restricted Pakistan’s options.

The battle for Kashmir isn’t just an existential totem, it is also the silver bullet to paper over all the cracks of a failing State. Stunned by India’s decision, and hamstrung by lack of options, an unprepared Imran launched a vitriolic campaign against India and threatened nuclear holocaust in a column for The New York Times and even from the podium of United Nations last year, but he had little to show for his efforts.

Not just the international community, Khan failed to gain sympathy for his anti-India campaign even in the Arab world.

Imran’s frustration was palpable. At the UN last year, the Pakistan prime minister admitted that he has failed to find any buyers for his apocalyptic narrative on Kashmir, and there was “no pressure on Narendra Modi”.

The reasons behind Pakistan’s failure to corner India on Kashmir have been explained well by Ashley Tellis, former top US government official and now a senior fellow at Carnegie in a report by London-based Financial Times: “India is seen as a great power in waiting, and nobody messes around with the claims of a great power… The Pakistanis have discredited themselves with their use of jihadi terrorism as a means to change the status quo.”

Imran had not only run out of options, but his inefficacy on Kashmir also had a bearing on Pakistan military’s domestic stature. The people in Pakistan were beginning to see that not only will they never get control over their promised land, their ‘infallible’ army actually had a very weak hand. What damaged Pakistan the most was that India’s move went a long way towards decoupling the adjective ‘disputed’ from Kashmir and made it an issue ‘internal’ to India.

Something had to give. And it did. On the first anniversary of India’s abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan released a “new political map” claiming the entire Kashmir and Ladakh, along with Sir Creek and Junagadh in Gujarat.

Among other oddities, the so-called map also has an “undefined frontier” to let China draw its own line while keeping Shaksgam Valley and Aksai Chin out of its parameters. There has also been another change in nomenclature. ‘Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir’ is now ‘Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’ — the extra ‘i’ apparently loosens India’s and fortifies Pakistan’s claim.

The political map of Pakistan unveiled by PM @ImranKhanPTI earlier today. pic.twitter.com/q4jyMTNmlB

— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) August 4, 2020

The “undefined frontier” apart — which indicates that Pakistan is petrified of China and has no clue what Beijing will claim tomorrow — the so-called map evidently is Pakistan’s answer to India’s move on Kashmir.

While India has revoked Kashmir’s ‘semi-autonomous’ status — a temporary constitutional measure — abrogated Article 370 and 35-A, bifurcated the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and brought Kashmir under the ambit of Indian Constitution, Imran and his cabinet waited for a year to finally take some coloured pencils and redraw the map to snatch Kashmir away from India.

Depending on how one looks at it, Pakistan’s act was a strategic masterstroke or a fool’s errand. Imran will certainly hope that his countrymen believes the former. Not just ‘one mapmanship’, Imran had more aces up his sleeve to reclaim Kashmir — such as renaming Kashmir Highway in Islamabad as Srinagar Highway.

The claim on Junagadh (that voted to join India in 1947 in a plebiscite when Pakistan received 91 votes) isn’t new. Pakistan’s survey maps have included it on earlier instances unlike Sir Creek but in both of these cases as in Kashmir, Islamabad’s reliance on cartography reflects its helplessness on Kashmir and desperation at home.

At this point, Imran is less worried about his strategic and diplomatic options on Kashmir than in placating the Pakistani public and showing that within a span of a year, he has made some progress in wresting back the prized land. What better way than to redraw a map?

Imran was perhaps inspired by Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who recently pushed through a new map claiming sovereignty over Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipu Lekh and Kalapani. Oli’s cynical plan had a political motive. Nepal’s beleaguered prime minister is battling to save his seat and political future and saw in the cartographic misadventure a chance to whip up nationalism to sail through the polls.

However, in Pakistan’s cartographic hallucination — that India has dismissed as “ridiculous”, “untenable” and a “political absurdity” lacking in “legal or international credibility” — lies a blunder and a self-inflicted wound.

By claiming the entire Valley, Pakistan has ended up exposing its own lies on Kashmir’s “self-determination” and UN-monitored plebiscite. In one stroke, Pakistan has also invalidated the so-called ‘self-determination’ movement by ‘separatists’ and revealed it for what it is — an asymmetric war planned and executed for decades by Pakistan through ‘non-State actors’ and jihadist forces to create unrest within India’s borders and seize Kashmir.

All Imran and his ‘crayon cabinet’ has managed to do is to bust its own lie and remove the fig leaf of legitimacy.

The dragon’s invisible hand

In dismissing Pakistan’s cartographic aggression, however, India has no reasons to be smug. A coordination on the Kashmir issue between Pakistan and its patron China is evident and increasingly intensifying.

China has never been a disinterested party in Kashmir, and its interventions are getting more frequent in tune with Beijing’s hold over its client State. The strategic importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Beijing’s holding of considerable real estate in Kashmir make China a crucial and influential third party in the Kashmir issue.

There’s one more good reason for China to get involved. Beijing uses Islamabad as a cat’s paw against India, and it is in China’s interest to stabilize Pakistan so that it may play the role Beijing wants it to play.

The client-patron relationship is evident from the fact that China — as ORF’s Sushant Sareen points out — “is not just emerging as the largest debtor to Pakistan but is also the largest investor. What is more, China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and the lender of last resort to bail out Pakistan from its chronic deficit on the external account. In short, China is virtually the only game in town as far as the tottering Pakistan economy is concerned.”

The Sino-Pakistan coordination on Kashmir since India’s move to abrogate Article 370 has played out in interesting ways. Security Council member China has initiated the issue three times at the United Nations — ostensibly to ‘internationalise’ the dispute at the behest of its iron brother — and while each of these attempts have proven unsuccessful, the calibrated steps leading to the first anniversary is worth noting.

On 27 July, China held a virtual foreign ministers’ meeting with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal — an alternative quadrilateral mechanism bang in India’s immediate neighbourhood — and Wang Yi urged his counterparts from Afghanistan and Nepal to follow Pakistan’s footsteps to promote CPEC and tighten interconnectivity. Chinese economic imperialism in India’s backyard raises New Delhi’s security and strategic concerns.

In addition, as ORF senior fellow Sareen points out in “Alt Quad+ with Chinese characteristics”, China has been openly interfering in Nepal’s political process to ensure Oli’s survival, debt-trapping Nepal with white elephant projects, offering trade deals to Bangladesh that Dhaka can’t refuse end up being dependent on Chinese market and “encouraging Imran Khan to reach out to Bangladesh and move towards normalisation of ties.”

Interestingly, just a few days before the ‘Alt Quad’ meeting was held, Imran made a rare phone call to Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ostensibly discussed Kashmir.

A day after Pakistan released its ‘new map’, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on 5 August called India’s Kashmir move “unilateral, illegal and invalid” and glossed over a question on Pakistan’s cartographic aggression. On that very day, China initiated the third attempt to stir the Kashmir pot at UN.

These attempts have all been thwarted but, as Syed Akbaruddin, who served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations points out in Hindustan Times, India should be ready for a diplomatic two-front war at the UN.

A short-on-options Pakistan may be blundering its way even more on Kashmir, but the real joker in this pack is China.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/3a4lzt1

Happy Disability Pride Month to the SaB characters! Here are more HCs:

some in-universe hcs to match this post about alternate universe hcs

Genya is a genderqueer bi lesbian with chronic pain and reduced mobility in her left arm. The scarring covers most of her body, but especially her face and her shoulder, leaving her blind on her left side and partially deaf in her left ear.

Genya struggles with C-PTSD and intense flashbacks. She’s autistic and married to her autistic husband, David. She's spymaster to the crown, and takes great pride in her ability to keep those under her care safe and protected.

At David's encouragement, she eventually gets with Zoya and Alina, even finding a fast friend in Mal, who can relate to her many struggles.

Alina is a bisexual, nonbinary person (she/they) with OCD, BPD, and schizophrenia. Her intense bouts of depression often align with suicidal thoughts, and the worsening of her other symptoms, including chronic fatigue and chronic migraines.

When Alina lost her powers, it affected her senses and her body, as well as her mind. Mal helps her through her phases of grief and depression, staying with her at her lowest moments of loneliness and isolation, to her highest moments of joy at her new life and what she is building with him.

For a long while, it was only her and Mal, but she slowly reformed contact with her old friends again. First entering a relationship with Genya - when she realizes Genya has assigned spies to check up on her and watch her house - and then with Zoya, who finally comes to visit in person after many years of simple letters and the occasional gift.

Zoya is pansexual, polyamorous, and bigender, identifying as both a woman and a demiwoman, and she is deaf. She is also autistic, and deals with insomnia and night terrors as the result of her PTSD.

After learning her dragon form, Zoya lost her ability to hear as a human. As a dragon, she is still becoming acquainted with her new senses and the dragon's very different methods of thought. The adjustment is not an easy one, and Zoya spends many hours sparring to reacquaint herself with both of her bodies, as well as meditating in an attempt to handle her new bouts of dissociation.

Zoya is in a close relationship with Nikolai, who shares her experiences in many ways. He struggles with his new monster form, and is also deaf because of this. They work together to recover from their losses, and Zoya also finds comfort in her other partners - Alina, Genya, and Mal - as well.

Mal is a bisexual trans man with ADHD, SSD, and PTSD. He is an amputee that experiences chronic pain, and has essential tremors in his left hand.

When Alina was forced to take his bones and wear them to gain her powers, they had to amputate his right arm to keep the infection from spreading. He, David, and Genya often work together to create prosthetics for his arm as well as her eye, and have formed a close friendship because of this. Mal even begins a relationship with Nikolai, after the man visits him one too many times to be normal, and they eventually invite Alina into the relationship as well.

Mal lives with Alina in their small orphanage, taking care of their children and finally settling into his retirement from military life. While he often has flashbacks to old battles, and especially the deaths of his friends, Alina and his new family are always there to help him through them and show him he is loved and safe.

Shade Bands Market: Growth, Current Trends & Forecast 2026

The latest market analysis report on the Shade Bands market performs industry diagnostic as a way to accumulate valuable data into the business environment of the Shade Bands market for the forecast period 2019 - 2026. The subject matter experts behind the research have collected vital statistics on the market share, size and growth as a way to help stakeholders, business owners and field marketing personnel identify the areas to reduce costs, improve sales, explore new opportunities and streamline their processes. Unbiased perspective on intangible aspects such as key challenges, threats, new entrants as well as strengths and weaknesses of the prominent vendors too are discussed in this market intelligence report.

Request Sample copy of Report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/30766

Scope of the Report:

To offer granularity, the study accurately screens through and validates various information pertaining to this business vertical including the important definitions, product types, and application. The research further looks into other critical factors such as investment feasibility, estimated return on investment, supply chain management, consumption power, product pricing and import and export status to enable business owners to reach the right conclusion for successful returns. Data on core competencies to the prominent market players and market opportunities are presented through self –explanatory charts, tables and graphic images.

Market segmentation by manufacturers, the report covers the following companies-

Xinyi Glass Holdings, Eastman Chemical Co, American Glass Products, SABIC, Shanxi Lihu Glass, Guardian Industries Corporation, Freeglass GmbH, Corning, Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC, NordGlass, Sekisui, DuPont, BSG Auto Glass, Asahi Glass Co Ltd, Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd., Saint Gobain, Central Glass, Vitro SAB de Cv, Research Frontiers, Fuyao Group, Sisecam, Covestro

Market segmentation by geographical regions, the report has analysed the following regions-        

·         North America

·         Europe

·         China

·         Japan

·         Middle East & Africa

·         India

·         South America

·         Others

Most widely used downstream fields of Shade Bands market covered in this report are:

·         Commercial

·         Civil

·         Military

Buy Full Report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/30766

Furthermore, the research takes into account the performance of the top manufacturer, with a special focus on investment feasibility, product sales and industry development trends. Comprehensive coverage of the recent developments in the industry such as acquisition and merger, collaborations, product launches and new entrants to shows where the industry is heading and will be for the forecast period, 2019 - 2026.

There are 13 Chapters to thoroughly display the Shade Bands market.

This report included the analysis of market overview, market characteristics, industry chain, competition landscape, historical and future data by types, applications and regions.

Chapter 1: Shade Bands Market Overview, Product Overview, Market Segmentation, Market Overview of Regions, Market Dynamics, Limitations, Opportunities and Industry News and Policies.

Chapter 2: Shade Bands Industry Chain Analysis, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers, Major Players, Production Process Analysis, Cost Analysis, Market Channels and Major Downstream Buyers.

Chapter 3: Value Analysis, Production, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type of Shade Bands.

Chapter 4: Downstream Characteristics, Consumption and Market Share by Application of Shade Bands.

Continue…

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Shade Bands are as follows:

·         History Year: 2013-2017

·         Base Year: 2017

·         Estimated Year: 2019

·         Forecast Year 2019 to 2026

Read Full Report Description @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/shade-bands-market

About Us: Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges.

Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: [email protected] News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-news

totke vashikaran

https://vashikaran.mobi/totke-vashikaran/

totke vashikaran

Vashikaran is very powerful ways to solve your problems and provides you effective results what you want in your life. By Using Mantra and Spells you can fulfill your all desires and see how magic goes & help you to hypnotize the desired person.

It is a Tarika verb, so therefore it is a very necessary to follow the rules and regulation. There are such a lot of Vasikaran mantras but to chant these large no of mantra is very difficult. Today by this post, I am going to tell you some fast effective Vashikaran Totke, Upay, Tarika or Mantra in Hindi.

totke vashikaran

Vashikaran Mantra to Control Lady/ Girl:

By Using this Vashikaran Mantra you can guarantee control over the mind of any lady/Girl.  Place her photo or hair never about yourself while chanting this mantra. Chat one lakh times on holi day.

“Om Hrim Sah”

Chant this mantra 21,000 times and keep a diet in front of you and eat it afterward and eat it later.

“Om Kshan Ksham Kshah Sau H H Sah Thaha thah thah thah swaha”

sammohan vashikaran yantra

get your love back by vashikaran mantra

most powerful vashikaran mantra for husband

Love Vashikaran Mantra:

To get your desired love, Ex-Girlfriend or boyfriend Back, Or lost love Back chant this vashikaran mantra. With the help of a drop of blood, written the name of a person to who you want back in your life. Chant this mantra 1108 times and keep Bhoj pita in honey for 21 days.

“Om namoh aadi rupay (apne premi/premika ka naam) akarshanam kuru kuru swaha”

Vashikaran Mantra for Husband:

The woman can subdue her husband by this mantra. Chant 108 times this Mantra 108 days daily. The husband will remain intact and the wife will be happy.

“Om Asy sri sundrimantra swarth varn Risi iti swhipas swaha”

Vashikaran Mantra for Men:

Make a mixture of Kumkum, Chandan, Saffron, and Neem leaves on an auspicious day and make a picture of the pulp over the Bhoj letter. Worship must be done in a ritual manner. Take neem wood and put hay to garnish and treat mantras.

“Om Hreen Kreem Amukam akarshay vashyam kuru kuru swaha”

This Vashikaran Mantra is very powerful. Don’t chant this mantra without the guides of any Black Magic Specialist to get love back.

What is VashikaranTotka or Totke? What does vashikarantotka means?

Vashikarantotke or totka is an easy method of vashikaran to control and bewitch someone. It is easier to perform vashikarantotka than chanting vashikaran mantras for hours because vashikarantotke only need some tricks and physical actions to get result of vashikaran.  Later, we have discussed comprehensively the types of vashikarantotkas with procedure to do vashikarnatotke in hindi and english.

totke vashikaran for love

Khamkhya Devi is the goddess of vashikaran. To use vashikaran totke you should have good knowledge of vashikaran vidya. Every problem can be solved with vashikaran vidya, such as control over your love, money, and love back. Vashikaran mantras are available in every language. A yantra is used to chant the mantra before to get result. These mantras are very powerful and should be done under supervision of specialist. Without any supervision this mantra can do negative impact on your target. Vashikaran totke are very useful in stri vashikaran, girlfriend vashikaran, husband vashikaran, purush vashikaran.

vashikaran mantra for son in hindi

inter caste marriage problem solution

photo se vashikaran karna in hindi

Vashikaran totke are very useful in your day to day life. Everyone wants to attract or put under control to their desired one and get them into right path. Love is a wonderful creation of nature. Love comes from heart and goes beyond the imaginations. Lovers always ready to fight with anyone. Love makes the man blind. This happens with everyone. I don’t think this is wrong because it is comes from heart. This is your own action and need not to ask anyone.

But when it comes to breakup it hurts very badly. Some lovers cannot tolerate it and result comes on suicide. But they couldn’t realize that every problem has a solution. Vashikaran vidya is a solution for this type of love problems. Not only love problems but day to day life problems where you need to put under control your lover or desired person.

Vashikaran totke: 

Sehdevi aur gaurechan ko ek saath ghiskar tilak lagane wala sabko vash me kar leta hain.

Sarson aur devlal ko ektrit kar goli banaye aur apne much me rakhkar vartalap kare to doosra vyakti vashinhoot ho jata hain.

Gooler ka phool ki batti banakar, raat ko safed makhan me jalaye aur uska kajal paar kar tilak karne se jag mohit ho jata hain.

Bud ke ped ki jad ko paani me ghiskar tilak lagane se sab log vashibhoot ho jate hain.

Ghigwar ki jad aur bhang ke beej ek patar me pees wa mila kar jo koi uska tilak kare to sabhi uske vash me ho jaate hain.

Apne haath pair ka nakh aag me jala kar ravivaar ke din paan me rakhkar jis stri ko khilwaye wah vash me ho jaaye.

Agar ko koot kar usme hartaal aur keshar milaye aur anamika anguli ka lahoo nikal kar usme milaye jiske lagawe wah dekhte hi vash me ho jaaye

Kamroop desh me aai kamakhsha devi jahan ismail jogi ki lagi fulwari, jahan base lona chamari, jahan jaaye hamare phool ki baas so aawe hamare paas, dohai lona chamari ki.

Chandan aur bargad ki jadd ko paani me pees aur barabar matra me bhashm milakar mastak per tilak lagane se dekhne wale log vashinhoot ho jaate hain.

vashikaran puja worked anyone

vashikaran in delhi

photo se vashikaran karna in hindi

Bhoj patar ke ooper lal chandan se satru ka naam likhkar sehad me dubo dene se stru vashibhoot ho jata hain.

Aakash bail ko rui me lappet kar ravivaar ko barah baje raat ko chameli ke tail me jawaye aur suhag ka itar paan ka ek beeda aur phool Deepak ke paas rakhe aur kajal upad kar aankho me lagaye jiske saamne jaoge wo mohit ho jaaye, parantu sehat achi rakhe.

totke vashikaran for home

  Vashikaran totke The Daytona totke is defined as a method mantra chanting and some learning from our traditional drop things. Vashikaran totke help your mind to switch one of the formulas and remedies. In these ten years before use. There are some programs that we discussed briefly. Vashikaran force of attraction is an ancient method of earning. Vashikaran totke can help you solve your problem it’s your life to create interference Totke to retrieve lost love. You can 12 hours vashikaran totke which is guaranteed Sin door vashikaran totke for her husband to get back your ex love. Vashikaran photos and can also be carried out by the hair.

Vashikaran totke As to this totke you can control your husband. This totke give you that control your husband Vashikaran totke this totke help you protect your children from people. This totke save your child from military. Love and Marriage totke this totke help you get loveless marriage vashikaran through photographs and hair you can get the girl you love or your dreams. With vashikaran totke girl will use vashikaran through photographs and hair easily fall in love with you? In another this girl can easily get the boy she hoped that vashikaran totke one of them Vashikaran totke any problem fast results. Vashikaran totke will help you solve all your questions this is your life Vashikaran totke trouble solving daily problems of useful techniques.

Vashikaran tantra totke If you think that one such as smoking drinking and other bad habits like making money the way you love has bad habits even your husband spouse lover does not like you give important ex-girlfriend even to forgive you like holes in the morning. You just leave such Pandit Ji and individual counseling session to solve your problem. As he is an expert Pandit and his vashikaran totke and vashikaran through photographs and hair mantra will help you recover and fix your marriage arrangements and love you will get the advantages of the benefits when you use them one by one. Control of your life just like any husband do what you command and even his thoughts and opinions same thing again life is back to match track. Most people are using this technology but they do not know what we’re doing because he or his later years his family had been using this totke in our lives so we habitually this technology but the new generation are not aware of it.

vashikaran mantra in gujarati language

vashikaran in one day mantra

get ex love back by vashikaran

From the early times people are curious to learn about their future and destiny, the Astrology is the science which helps in learning about what is going to happen in the future life of the person. If the person is going have unwanted incidents in his life than Astrology also helps in removing those incidents. There are many methods and remedies available in this field to resolve the problems of the people. Vashikaran Totke, are the home remedies which you can practice at your own level. These methods are very simple and easy to perform and they show their results instantly.

Vashikaran Totke is all about the process which helps you to attract others. Here, we are going to explore some of the very popular Vashikaran Totke in short.

totke vashikaran fo girlfriend

If you have fallen in love with someone and wish to attract him/her, these Totke will help you to make a special place in their heart.

5 Vashikaran Totke

To attract someone towards you, there is a very popular and beneficial totka. Take the oil of KADVI LOKI and prepare Kajal with the help of cotton BATTI. Use this Kajal on a regular basis. To put it into your eyes play a major role to attract the desired one.

Take BILAVA leaves and let them try into shade. Now prepare a paste using Kapila cow milk. This paste is very important to attract someone towards you. Apply this paste on your forehead in the form of Tilak. When you will go applying this Tilak, you will find yourself able to attract the one standing in front of you.

There is another Vashikaran Totka, let’s come to know about it. Take Kapoor and Mensil, you need to prepare a paste using Banana. Apply this Tilak on your forehead. It is considered very important to attract others. You must use this totka.

Apart from the above mentioned, you may mix these four things in a proper manner like Kesar, Sindoor, Gorochan and Amla. Use this paste as a Tilak on your forehead. When you step out using this Tilak, people attract towards you. Your personality gets attractive.

You may also go along with this Vashikaran totka. In the morning, place a Haldi Tilak on your forehead, in the middle of Haldi Tilak put the little amount of blood of your little finger on it. Doing this attract the desired woman towards you.

intercast love marriage problem

nari vashikaran totke

vashikaran love marriage specialist

Vashikaran Totke are derived from the old holy Vedas so they are available in Sanskrit texts and we are here providing Vashikaran Totke in Hindi which will be very easy for you to understand. These remedies are very effective and strong and used form the Ancient times and with the time they have proven their proficiency. These remedies were first used to cure mental and physical diseases of the people and to remove other general problems of the people then our Astrologers discovered their powers in the others fields also. Now these remedies have all the powers to overcome all types of problems which rise in our daily lives.

totke vashikaran for get love

Vashikaran tone totke is very best yantra to get solution of any problems. You can use tone totke vashikaran ka for get quick response for problems solutions. Many people have use vashikaran tona totka to get your ex love back, for getting husband love, control your lover under your hand, any family problem solutions, other problem like girlfriend boyfriend misunderstanding issues etc. You can here get vashikaran tona totka in hindi, English or any other regional language as you feels comfort. Jadu tona vashikaran is a predefined process of mantra and yantra using it you are able to do anything as you wish. For apply Vashikaran tone totke you should have to know about basic procedure for totke to get desired result and also some timing and day will matter what type of problem you going to get solutions so get contact us for getting any problem solution.

Planet Day History And Impact.

To capture the honest and also wonderful instants of a wedding is the single reason of any professional photographer. Ultimately, the Sixth century, Religious Congregation co-opted the day in tribute from the Feast of the Purification from the Fortunate Virgin Mary. Today, it is actually just large pain to see that this particular day which ought to have been actually celebrated inside our houses along with our senior citizens is celebrated even more outdoors in advancing years and penniless homes. However I likewise assume that's reasonable to point out that PM UNITED STATE needs to have less considering that they possess even more dependence and also in fact are actually using a considerable amount of their information that they create from SAB Miller, off the Sese etc to actually have some costs tension off from themselves in the industry. As opposed to occupying a knowledgeable sporting activity like golf or even practicing a therapeutic physical exercise including doing yoga - like the majority of his Hollywood friends - the 'Fury' superstar has been spotted moving in to a craft center in Los Angeles and also investing around 15 hours a day certainly there sculpting. Meet Thomas Morton from Merrymount Considerable graphic, musical as well as textual research studies of American Might Day custom-mades because the very first Maypole Revels were kept at the Ma-Re Mount or Merrymount vineyard on Massachusetts Bay in Could 1627, organized by Englishman Thomas Morton; as well as, in 2015 the condition from Massachusetts' Guv Deval Patrick announced May 1 as Thomas Morton Time. They were actually inevitably discovered, as well as at some point became the core from the Military's Missile advancement course at Redstone Toolbox in Huntsville, AL When you have actually prepared a day for your holiday, appear online to find what activities are actually intended. Exactly what he concluded is that the managers from the manufacturing plants became rich while the workers made salaries barely sufficient to survive. He did rule out that guys were leaving the ranches to function in the manufacturing facilities since the income was actually stable and there was actually one day off a week, much better conditions compared to on the ranch. . Hispanic family members will normally celebrate 3 Masters Time with a mouth watering dinner that is actually topped off along with the Master's Bread (Rosca de Reyes) for treat. Amongst Corporates which have actually affected their web content in response to the economic slump, 45% say they have actually been actually blogging extra concerning how our institutions are actually set up and also collaborate. International Female's Time is actually a happy times to commemorate all the women which took us this much and also take a great check out at the planet to realize most of us still possess a very long way to go. Kudos Peachy! This doesn't need to be actually saved for Mothers Day truly as maybe given for Valentine'ses, Birthdays, Daddies Day or for some other celebration truly. When Tim arrived residence from work Beryl informed him she had actually prepared every little thing up along with Christie to offer her an abortion the following time, that night. Hey, you know what, I would certainly mention on the datacenter edge, the particular opportunity that I make sure you are actually thinking of the majority of significantly is actually the one-socket, disruption of the general two-socket market. Our company likewise provide you distinct options like same time delivery for mommy and there are actually several linked with gifts for mommy. Although at that time the isle was unoccupied, that was thought to have been occupied through Polynesians as just click the following page recently as the overdue 15th Century, but had been left by its citizens.

When the government has a change of heart, so does the rebel

#PHinfo: When the government has a change of heart, so does the rebel

Davao del Norte, (PIA) - With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many people have associated the year with losses.

However, in the many wars that the Philippines is currently facing, there is one that the country is evidently winning—the war against insurgency.

In the last decades, the Philippines has dealt with what seems to be an unsolvable insurgency. With the operation of the Communist Party of the Philippines linked with the New People’s Army, citizens in the far-flung areas have had to live their daily lives in the sound of gunshots, sights of bloodshed, and in state of fear. 

This writer had the chance to visit to Sitio Kaylawan in Barangay Sto. Nino last October 2, 2020 with team members of Provincial Information Communication and Knowledge Management Office (PICKMO) Documentary Film. 

As we were sent to document a story related to  ending local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), we spent time having conversation with the two high-ranking married former rebels living there,  and we realized how far the government has come in finally finding the key to this particular war.

This writer in Sitio Kaylawan in Talaingod

The government has understood that this war cannot be won through force and overpowering the rebels, but rather by winning their hearts.

This time, for the government, it was about eliminating the rebels’ struggle for survival, treating them well, and showing them that the military has come not to hurt but to help.

“Lahi na kaayo sauna ug karon. Kita na namo na pinangga man diay mi sa gobyerno. Buotan kaayo ang mga sundalo dinhi (It’s very different now. We see now that the government is taking care of us. The military soldiers are very nice here),” Former high-ranking NPA rebel, Aye Apuga, said.

“Gihatagan mi ug panginabuhian, naa mi sariling gulayan, naa na sab mi kuryente ug ginabuhat na sad nila ang dalan para panaog sa lungsod arun mabaligya namo among mga tanom (They gave us livelihood, we have our own vegetable farm, we have electricity, and they’re building the roads going down so we can sell our harvests),” she added.

Having experienced this sincerity, the rebels have not only come to the folds of the government but are also now courageously extending their arms for the other rebels to join them back to mainstream society. 

The national and local governments have made these successes through intensively pursuing the whole of nation approach to end local communist armed conflict embodied in Executive Order No. 70 issued by President Roa Rodrigo.

Some line government agencies have found their way hauling various government services with  the provincial and municipal governments together with the 56th Infantry Battalion. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)  for one has introduced Solar panel project, organic poultry raising and  organic vegetable farming among other projects.

“Naog na mo. Saakong mga paryente nga nabilin, kabalo ko nasuko mo sa ako ug andam kong mudawat sa inyong paghukom (Come down. To all my relatives left behind, I know you are angry at me and I am ready to accept your judgment),” Victor Apuga, another former high-ranking rebel, pleaded after citing how he and his family have benefited from  various government services delivered right at their community which was once secluded and unreachable.

Poultry raising project of TESDA in Sitio Kaylawan

“Apan gusto nako mahibalo mo nga mao kini ang kamatuoran ug mao kini ang tinood nga gobyerno (I want to let you know that this is the truth and this is the true government),” he said.

Of course, leaving the rebellion can make one a target of the NPAs, so when asked about the danger of exposing himself to the camera, Victor Apuga bravely said, “Andam gani ko ihatag akong kinabuhi sa kalihukang way tumong, kini pa kaha na adunay kasiguraduan ug nahibalo na ko sa kamatuoran ug sa akong mga karapatan (I was ready to give my life to the senseless rebellion, how much more for this where there’s certainty and now I know the truth and about my rights).”

When Victor uttered those powerful words, it proved that the government’s change of approach—one that is more coming from a place of love and sincerity--worked.

The change of heart of these two married former rebels was the most evident sign that the government is winning and the insurgency is weakening.   (Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI)

              ***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "When the government has a change of heart, so does the rebel." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1061944 (accessed December 18, 2020 at 09:27AM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "When the government has a change of heart, so does the rebel." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1061944 (archived).

Imran Khan is in trouble, to put it mildly. The Pakistan prime minister initially dismissed COVID-19 as common flu and had advised citizens to stay at home even if showing symptoms. When the pandemic raged beyond control, Imran’s answer was to implement a ‘Corona tiger force’, a youth recruitment program to “wage jihad” against the virus. The virus was unmoved by such gimmicks. As the crisis deepened, an alarmed World Health Organisation shot off a letter in June slamming hasty lifting of lockdown in provinces without meeting any of the requisite conditions and expressed concern over Pakistan’s high positivity rate and lack of testing. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s already fragile, debt-burdened economy is collapsing. According to World Bank estimates, Pakistan is heading towards “major recession”. The New York Times quoted Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, an independent research firm, to report that “up to 18 million of Pakistan’s 74 million jobs could be lost.” A broke Pakistan is set to become the first large developing country to apply for a debt repayment relief under a G-20 initiative. Alongside and unsurprisingly, Pakistan’s rickety public health infrastructure is also in a coma. Doctors and caregivers are functioning without basic protective gear and risking public ire to boot. This is Karachi Civil Hospital. Doctors say over 70 persons attacked it's ER tonight at around 11am. Docs & staff remained unhurt. They say the attackers had iron rods, knives. "KOI CORONA NAHEN HAI. YE SAB DOCTORS KA DRAMA HAI," they shouted. pic.twitter.com/MZsHllxbJ7 — Sameer Mandhro (@smendhro) May 29, 2020 Amid the healthcare disaster, Pakistan is also staring at a food security crisis. Mishandling of the pandemic, lack of government planning, supply chain disruption, unseasonal rains and pestilence may result in a 3.5 million-ton shortfall of wheat, Pakistan’s staple, raising fears that the country is limping towards a famine. It is worth noting that Imran’s popularity was nosediving even before the pandemic. Last year, hardline Islamists hit the streets demanding his ouster. Forced to take a $6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund in last May  — Pakistan’s 13th such bailout since 1980s — Imran had no option but to cut subsidies, devalue further the rupee and raise taxes — all unpopular moves in a struggling economy. While the interventions didn’t work, all that Imran managed to do was to trigger more inflation, slash consumption and witness mass layoffs in private sector. To quote Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) who led the protests against Imran last year, “Khan was ‘selected’ earlier but he has now been rejected.” Imran’s ascension to power was widely believed to have been engineered by Pakistan’s all-powerful military, and Rawalpindi was growing increasingly impatient with Imran’s hubris, inefficiency and incompetence. Imran’s botched  response to coronavirus, falling popularity and waning influence saw Pakistan Army tighten its grip on the civilian government and squeeze further the space for democracy. At the best of times, Imran was a military puppet. His masters have now clipped his wings and taken full control. All major policy decisions on the pandemic are now being taken either by Rawalpindi or army-backed political appointees. Since March, the military has been overruling Imran and releasing public advisories on army letterheads. Imran is aware and unhappy, threatening abruptly to leave press conferences when questioned on his authority. Scholar Madiha Afzal, fellow of Center for Middle East Policy writes in Brookings, “For a time after his election, it seemed that Khan’s closeness with the military might give him the space to implement the domestic policies that he wanted. It seems that period is over. Khan is now clearly constrained by a military whose role has grown progressively through Khan’s term in office and has expanded to the ambit of domestic policy during the pandemic.” The picture that emerges is of a politician rapidly losing popularity, power, influence and control and increasingly given to ranting in Parliament. To add to his pressure, terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has kept up the squeeze. Last October, Pakistan received a “clear warning” from the FATF for addressing only five out of 27 action items to tackle terror financing. The FATF had threatened to blacklist Islamabad unless it does more and does so quickly. Pakistan has managed to get one more extension from FATF until October 2020 owing to the pandemic, but it received more setbacks on this front with the US state department bringing out a report on terrorism in June that continues to designate Pakistan as a “safe harbour for regionally focused terrorist groups.” Then there is Kashmir. India’s decision last year to remove Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and bring the erstwhile state under New Delhi’s direct control effectively buried Pakistan’s dreams of seizing the prized real estate for which it has launched multiple wars against India and used terrorism as a State policy since the 1990s to carry out a relentless proxy war and stoke militancy within Indian borders. Kashmir is not only Pakistan’s “jugular vein” or an article of faith, it is central to Pakistan’s national and ideological frontiers. Pakistan never had operation control over Kashmir that acceded to India during Partition except the portion that it had invaded, but a never-ending battle against India to grab Muslim-majority Kashmir remains the fulcrum of Pakistan’s existence as a nation-state. It also makes space for Pakistan military’s outsized role in its polity since it is deemed to be the only institution that can turn that improbability into a reality. As C Christine Fair, author and scholar of South Asian political and military affairs, noted in her book Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War, for the Pakistan Army, failure lies not in unsuccessful attempts to wrest Kashmir from India but in abandoning the effort. In perpetual struggle lies victory. New Delhi’s move to abrogate Article 370 and turn Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory made it even more difficult for the Pakistan to sell its revisionist agenda back home — a despondency best expressed by Opposition leader Sherry Rehman. Its not only about inappropriate speeches in parliament. Who will stop your PM from destroying Pakistan? Three more years and nothing may be left. Economy is worse, debts r higher,mafias on the rampage, PIA being cannibalised, Kashmir gone, what’s left ?https://t.co/6LTPk8BfWc — SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 2, 2020 In its latest edition of the Green Book, an internal confidential publication of the Pakistan military containing essays by serving officers and others (mostly for in-house consumption), Pakistan’s chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa admitted that Balakot airstrikes and abrogation of Article 370 have transformed the geopolitics of the region and restricted Pakistan’s options. The battle for Kashmir isn’t just an existential totem, it is also the silver bullet to paper over all the cracks of a failing State. Stunned by India’s decision, and hamstrung by lack of options, an unprepared Imran launched a vitriolic campaign against India and threatened nuclear holocaust in a column for The New York Times and even from the podium of United Nations last year, but he had little to show for his efforts. Not just the international community, Khan failed to gain sympathy for his anti-India campaign even in the Arab world. Imran’s frustration was palpable. At the UN last year, the Pakistan prime minister admitted that he has failed to find any buyers for his apocalyptic narrative on Kashmir, and there was “no pressure on Narendra Modi”. The reasons behind Pakistan’s failure to corner India on Kashmir have been explained well by Ashley Tellis, former top US government official and now a senior fellow at Carnegie in a report by London-based Financial Times: “India is seen as a great power in waiting, and nobody messes around with the claims of a great power… The Pakistanis have discredited themselves with their use of jihadi terrorism as a means to change the status quo.” Imran had not only run out of options, but his inefficacy on Kashmir also had a bearing on Pakistan military’s domestic stature. The people in Pakistan were beginning to see that not only will they never get control over their promised land, their ‘infallible’ army actually had a very weak hand. What damaged Pakistan the most was that India’s move went a long way towards decoupling the adjective ‘disputed’ from Kashmir and made it an issue ‘internal’ to India. Something had to give. And it did. On the first anniversary of India’s abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan released a “new political map” claiming the entire Kashmir and Ladakh, along with Sir Creek and Junagadh in Gujarat. Among other oddities, the so-called map also has an “undefined frontier” to let China draw its own line while keeping Shaksgam Valley and Aksai Chin out of its parameters. There has also been another change in nomenclature. ‘Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir’ is now ‘Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’ — the extra ‘i’ apparently loosens India’s and fortifies Pakistan’s claim. The political map of Pakistan unveiled by PM @ImranKhanPTI earlier today. pic.twitter.com/q4jyMTNmlB — Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) August 4, 2020 The “undefined frontier” apart — which indicates that Pakistan is petrified of China and has no clue what Beijing will claim tomorrow — the so-called map evidently is Pakistan’s answer to India’s move on Kashmir. While India has revoked Kashmir’s ‘semi-autonomous’ status — a temporary constitutional measure — abrogated Article 370 and 35-A, bifurcated the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and brought Kashmir under the ambit of Indian Constitution, Imran and his cabinet waited for a year to finally take some coloured pencils and redraw the map to snatch Kashmir away from India. Depending on how one looks at it, Pakistan’s act was a strategic masterstroke or a fool’s errand. Imran will certainly hope that his countrymen believes the former. Not just ‘one mapmanship’, Imran had more aces up his sleeve to reclaim Kashmir — such as renaming Kashmir Highway in Islamabad as Srinagar Highway. The claim on Junagadh (that voted to join India in 1947 in a plebiscite when Pakistan received 91 votes) isn’t new. Pakistan’s survey maps have included it on earlier instances unlike Sir Creek but in both of these cases as in Kashmir, Islamabad’s reliance on cartography reflects its helplessness on Kashmir and desperation at home. At this point, Imran is less worried about his strategic and diplomatic options on Kashmir than in placating the Pakistani public and showing that within a span of a year, he has made some progress in wresting back the prized land. What better way than to redraw a map? Imran was perhaps inspired by Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who recently pushed through a new map claiming sovereignty over Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipu Lekh and Kalapani. Oli’s cynical plan had a political motive. Nepal’s beleaguered prime minister is battling to save his seat and political future and saw in the cartographic misadventure a chance to whip up nationalism to sail through the polls. However, in Pakistan’s cartographic hallucination — that India has dismissed as “ridiculous”, “untenable” and a “political absurdity” lacking in “legal or international credibility” — lies a blunder and a self-inflicted wound. By claiming the entire Valley, Pakistan has ended up exposing its own lies on Kashmir’s “self-determination” and UN-monitored plebiscite. In one stroke, Pakistan has also invalidated the so-called ‘self-determination’ movement by ‘separatists’ and revealed it for what it is — an asymmetric war planned and executed for decades by Pakistan through ‘non-State actors’ and jihadist forces to create unrest within India’s borders and seize Kashmir. All Imran and his ‘crayon cabinet’ has managed to do is to bust its own lie and remove the fig leaf of legitimacy. The dragon’s invisible hand In dismissing Pakistan’s cartographic aggression, however, India has no reasons to be smug. A coordination on the Kashmir issue between Pakistan and its patron China is evident and increasingly intensifying. China has never been a disinterested party in Kashmir, and its interventions are getting more frequent in tune with Beijing’s hold over its client State. The strategic importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Beijing’s holding of considerable real estate in Kashmir make China a crucial and influential third party in the Kashmir issue. There’s one more good reason for China to get involved. Beijing uses Islamabad as a cat’s paw against India, and it is in China’s interest to stabilize Pakistan so that it may play the role Beijing wants it to play. The client-patron relationship is evident from the fact that China — as ORF’s Sushant Sareen points out — “is not just emerging as the largest debtor to Pakistan but is also the largest investor. What is more, China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and the lender of last resort to bail out Pakistan from its chronic deficit on the external account. In short, China is virtually the only game in town as far as the tottering Pakistan economy is concerned.” The Sino-Pakistan coordination on Kashmir since India’s move to abrogate Article 370 has played out in interesting ways. Security Council member China has initiated the issue three times at the United Nations — ostensibly to ‘internationalise’ the dispute at the behest of its iron brother — and while each of these attempts have proven unsuccessful, the calibrated steps leading to the first anniversary is worth noting. On 27 July, China held a virtual foreign ministers’ meeting with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal — an alternative quadrilateral mechanism bang in India’s immediate neighbourhood — and Wang Yi urged his counterparts from Afghanistan and Nepal to follow Pakistan’s footsteps to promote CPEC and tighten interconnectivity. Chinese economic imperialism in India’s backyard raises New Delhi’s security and strategic concerns. In addition, as ORF senior fellow Sareen points out in “Alt Quad+ with Chinese characteristics”, China has been openly interfering in Nepal’s political process to ensure Oli’s survival, debt-trapping Nepal with white elephant projects, offering trade deals to Bangladesh that Dhaka can’t refuse end up being dependent on Chinese market and “encouraging Imran Khan to reach out to Bangladesh and move towards normalisation of ties.” Interestingly, just a few days before the ‘Alt Quad’ meeting was held, Imran made a rare phone call to Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ostensibly discussed Kashmir. A day after Pakistan released its ‘new map’, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on 5 August called India’s Kashmir move “unilateral, illegal and invalid” and glossed over a question on Pakistan’s cartographic aggression. On that very day, China initiated the third attempt to stir the Kashmir pot at UN. These attempts have all been thwarted but, as Syed Akbaruddin, who served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations points out in Hindustan Times, India should be ready for a diplomatic two-front war at the UN. A short-on-options Pakistan may be blundering its way even more on Kashmir, but the real joker in this pack is China.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/behind-pakistans-cartographic.html