FARUKH SHEHZAD

Atletico Madrid will be looking to win their first La Liga game against Barcelona in a decade at the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday.

A first league victory over Barca since 2010 would put Atletico nine points clear of their opponents and extend an impressive unbeaten run in the league to 24 matches.

They have played seven games so far this season, scoring 17 goals while conceding only two.

A convincing start, spearheaded by a flourishing Joao Felix and the invigorated Luis Suarez, has generated optimism but a real sense of opportunity has sprouted from the imperfections of their rivals.

Real Madrid have already lost twice, with Zinedine Zidane under pressure and all the guile and resilience that won them the title in July seemingly now absent four months later.

Barcelona are trying to begin again under Ronald Koeman but the teething problems that have them sitting eighth ahead of the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano are unlikely to be resolved soon, particularly with the upheaval of presidential elections to come in January.

Two teams at what feels like the end of two hugely successful cycles has created an opening for Atletico, whose own transition should be further along after their new crop proved raw last season but looks readier to capitalise this term.

The most obvious example of maturity is Felix, the 21-year-old who struggled to live up to expectations in his first year but has arguably been La Liga’s most influential player at this early stage of his second.

It is a great pity that Suarez, infected by coronavirus, will not face Barcelona, the club that so clumsily cast him aside in the summer.

But if Atletico are to win the title this season, it is likely to be with Felix as the driving force.

The Portuguese has already equalled the nine goals and assists he managed last season, with his instinctive, creative talents helping to unlock Atletico’s previously stodgy attack.

“He’s always had great moments for us but what he has now is consistency,” said coach Diego Simeone last month. “It’s a big year for him and hopefully he’ll keep getting better.”

Felix’s next challenge is to define games like this one and to give Simeone’s side even just a taste of the lethal touch in this fixture that Lionel Messi has given Barcelona.

Simeone was left applauding when Messi’s superb strike into the corner decided the contest at the Wanda Metropolitano last year, his 31st goal in 40 games against Atletico.

Messi is the thorn in Simeone’s side but the 33-year-old has not been his scintillating self in recent weeks, still weighed down perhaps by his blocked attempt to leave last summer.

There could be a lack of freshness in his legs too this weekend, given the Argentinian only finished playing 90 minutes against Peru in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Barca will also be missing Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets, both of them injured.

Even without Suarez, Atletico may feel then like the time is now to overcome their Catalan jinx, with the reward in the table potentially significant if a depleted Real Madrid also stumble away at Villarreal a few hours earlier.

Madrid’s defensive problems will not be helped by injuries to Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane while Villarreal are flying high in second, following four victories on the bounce.

But the benefits to Atletico in terms of belief could be even more valuable than places jumped or gaps extended, with major rivals vulnerable and a league title there for taking.

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Australia’s elite special forces “unlawfully killed” 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, including summary executions as part of initiation rituals, according to evidence in a searing military inquiry now being referred to a special war crimes prosecutor.

A years-long internal investigation into military misconduct was released Thursday, prompting the Chief of the Australian Defence Force to admit a “destructive” culture of impunity among special forces leading to a string of alleged murders and cover-ups spanning years.

“Some patrols took the law into their own hands, rules were broken, stories concocted, lies told and prisoners killed,” General Angus Campbell said, apologising “sincerely and unreservedly” to the people of Afghanistan.

“This shameful record includes alleged instances in which new patrol members were coerced to shoot a prisoner in order to achieve that soldier’s first kill, in an appalling practice known as ‘blooding’.”

The report also reported evidence that troops were engaged in “body count competitions”, and covered up unlawful killings by staging skirmishes, planting weapons and adding names to target lists retrospectively.

The military’s own inspector general produced the harrowing 465-page official inquiry into events between 2005 and 2016 that detailed dozens of killings “outside the heat of battle”.

It recommended 19 individuals be referred to Australian Federal Police, compensation be paid to the families of victims, and the military makes a slew of reforms.

Campbell went a step further, saying those involved had brought a “stain” on their regiment, on the armed forces and on Australia, and would be referred to the office of the special investigator for war crimes.

He also moved to revoke distinguished service medals awarded to special operations forces who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, more than 26,000 Australian uniformed personnel were sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside US and allied forces against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups.

Australian combat troops officially left the country in 2013, but since then a series of often-brutal accounts have emerged about the conduct of elite special forces units.

They range from reports of troops killing a six-year-old child in a house raid, to a prisoner being shot dead to save space in a helicopter.

‘Brutal truths’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison attempted to cushion the blow of the report, telling Australians last week to brace for the “honest and brutal truths” contained within the heavily redacted document, which censors many highly infammatory details.

Morrison also called his Afghan counterpart Wednesday to foreshadow “some disturbing allegations” that the government was taking “very seriously”.

The office of President Ashraf Ghani said Morrison had “expressed his deepest sorrow over the misconduct”.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs labelled the actions detailed in the report as “unforgivable” but acknowledged its publication as an “important step towards justice”.

Last week, Morrison announced the appointment of a special investigator to prosecute the alleged war crimes, a move aimed at forestalling any prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

The revelations will “definitely” be used by the Taliban to restate calls “for foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan”, Srinjoy Bose, an international relations lecturer at the University of New South Wales, told AFP.

“I would imagine that the Australian presence in Afghanistan, for the coming weeks and months, will be afforded greater protection.”

The revelations are also a serious blow to the prestige of the country’s military, which is widely revered by Australians.

Its historic campaigns — from Gallipoli in World War I to Kokoda in Papua during World War II — have played a crucial role in fostering the country’s identity, independent of colonial power Britain.

“It speaks to a failure that is bigger and deeper than the soldiers involved in the atrocities,” said John Blaxland of the Australian National University, which has close ties to the security establishment.

“It speaks to an inadequate sense of perspective on what we were committing our forces to do and the circumstances they would face.”

Australia’s government had spent years trying to suppress whistleblower reports of the alleged wrongdoing, with police even investigating reporters involved in bringing those accounts to light.

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It's a collaboration between the WEF and govt

ISLAMABAD - The government of Pakistan and World Economic Forum have partnered to launch Parwaaz, a national accelerator that looks to close the skill gap and create employment opportunities in the country.

Top tier management from private companies and Special Advisor to PM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfi Bukhari held a press conference on Thursday to discuss the future of jobs in Pakistan in light of the WEF Report.

Pakistan has been featured in the ‘Future of Jobs’ Report for the first time. The Pakistan chapter showcases jobs and skills of the future, highlighting Pakistani employers’ perspectives on new job roles and skills that require attention and investment in the country in the age of technology and automation. The report features in-depth information on 15 global industries and 26 advanced and emerging countries.

Bukhari said the government’s job is not to provide jobs but to govern and provide policies. It is the responsibility of the government to provide a better environment for the private sector to create more jobs, he said.

At present, the market is full of young people with old skills that have little or no use today, he said. “Young people now need to learn new skills,” said the PM’s aide.

The government is trying to bring transparency in government affairs through digitalisation.

“Digitalisation in Pakistan can help curb corruption but the government is facing resistance,” he said. Bukhari said digitalisation could help end the culture of red-tape.

The Punjab Skills Development Fund serves as the secretariat for Parwaaz.

Parwaaz has facilitated an extensive employer-based survey conducted with over 50 top Pakistani companies and business leaders across six priority sectors. The profile on Pakistan provides a detailed snapshot of the future readiness of the workforce in the country.

The report insights reveal that in Pakistan, of the over 82 million working age population, 50% on average have requisite digital skills, 51% have business relevant skills, and almost 55% have acquired education with business relevance. While this looks promising for an emerging country, large challenges remain with 31% youth not featured in employment, education, or training, and 55% of working age population in vulnerable employment.

The results of the Pakistan survey do, however, have room for ‘measured optimism’, technology adoption especially in the areas of E-commerce, Big Data analytics and Cloud Computing is high (91% of the companies surveyed).

The report also highlights the unique economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and that while technology-driven job creation is still surpassing job redundancy over the next five years, the rate of growth in the jobs of tomorrow is reducing.  

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Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi has died in Lahore at the age of 54, his political party confirmed on Thursday night.

The cause of his demise wasn't immediately clear.

Rizvi was said to be ill for quite some time and passed away during treatment at the Farooq Hospital in Lahore's Allama Iqbal town. His body is being transported to his residence.

Pir Aijaz Ashrafi, a senior leader of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), in a statement said the timings of his funeral prayers will be announced later.

The firebrand cleric made his last public appearance at a sit-in staged by thousands of TLP followers at Islamabad's Faizabad Interchange to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in France.

The group had decided to end the sit-in on Monday after successful negotiations with the government.

Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri expressed grief and sorrow over the TLP chief's demise. He said "Pakistan has lost a respected religious scholar and true admirer of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)", adding that Rizvi's services for Islam will be remembered for long.

Who is Khadim Hussain Rizvi?

Born in 1966 in the Pindi Gheb area of Attock district, Punjab, Rizvi was said to be an introvert who shied away from talking about his personal life even among his close circles, let alone with media personnel. A Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith, Rizvi used to deliver Friday sermons at Lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid, located near Daata Darbar, during his time in the Punjab Auqaf Department.

Rizvi had been confined to a wheelchair since 2006 ever since an accident near Gujranwala. Contrary to rumours, Rizvi was injured because the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to Lahore.

Many mistook him as a Shia because of his last name, but in truth, he was a staunch follower of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, the 19th-century founder of the Barelvi sect.

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Islamabad - Closing ceremony of Exercise DRUZBHA – V was held at National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) near Kharian.

Russian Ambassador  Danila Ganich, Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) Lieutenant General Sher Afgun and seniorMilitary officials from both sides witnessed the closing ceremony.Special Forces’ Pakistan-Russian Federation Contingent demonstrated real-time skilful drills & procedures of  Counter Terrorism Operations.

The two week long Durzbha-V  was conducted at Tarbela and NCTC PABBI . During the exercise, teams shared valuable experience in Counter Terrorism domain and displayed highest standards of training and professionalism.

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BEIJING, Nov 19 : A Pakistani woman Almas Ilyas won a prize of Highest Potential Overseas Author at the China Online International Literature Festival in Shanghai, Gwadar Pro reported on Thursday.

The Online literature is a distinguished form of literature which has prevailed in China in the past 15 years.

As online literature booming in the Chinese market, Webnovel (webnovel.com), a cross-platform Internet service aiming to bring online literature to the world, was launched by Tencent’s China Literature Group in Apr 2018.

Webnovel has attracted more than 100,000 overseas writers and published more than 160,000 online literature works.

Most of them are original authors from BRI countries, including Pakistan, Singapore, Philippines and Bangladesh and so on.

At the same time, China has exported more than 10,000 Chinese online literature works to more than 40 BRI countries.

Almas started her writing career in Dec 2018, “In the past two years, my novels have become very popular, and one of them has been read more than ten million times on Webnovel,” she said.

“Webnovel has changed my life completely. I not only got a platform to share my stories, but also found a way to communicate with my readers from around the world. Webnovel enabled me to be financially independent and realize my dream,” she added.

She also believed that online literature is a new way for communication between Pakistan and China. “People from Pakistan can understand Chinese culture better through thousands of stories. Webnovel has provided a good stage for Pakistanis to realize our dream.”

Cheng Wu, CEO of China Literature Group, Vice President of Tencent Group and CEO of Tencent Pictures, said that with the convenience of the Internet, online literature, due to its huge user base, rich themes and interactive co-creation, has endowed cultural communication with a bigger stage and richer connotations.

Yan Feng, professor at Fudan University, believes that online literature is a new cultural form embryo for mankind in the future.

Through online literature, people create a universe, a new world and an imaginary community, which goes beyond the limit of time and space, he added.

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KABUL, NOV 19 - During his maiden visit to Kabul on Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan will do everything possible to help reduce violence in Afghanistan and establish durable peace.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace, the premier said that the two countries have historical links.

"The idea of visiting at a time when violence is increasing [in Afghanistan] is to assure you, President Ghani, that the people and the government of Pakistan have only one concern; peace in Afghanistan.

"The Afghan people have suffered for four decades," he said. The premier also noted that despite the role Pakistan has played in getting the Taliban to speak with Americans and with regards to intra-Afghan dialogue, the level of violence has risen in Afghanistan.

Assuring the Afghan leadership that Pakistan will play its part in reducing violence in the country, he said: "If you feel there is somewhere Pakistan can help [in reducing violence], please let us know.

"We assure you that we will do whatever is within our reach," he said. He stated that one of the reasons Islamabad was pushing for peace in Afghanistan is because of Pakistan's tribal areas which were devastated by the 'war on terror'.

"The only way to help people on both sides of the border is by peace, trade and connectivity," he said.

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The return of England's cricket team to Pakistan next year, their first visit since 2005, is a vote of confidence in the country's improved security — but challenges remain, analysts say.

Cricket-obsessed Pakistan spent a decade in international sporting isolation after gunmen targeted the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Lahore during a Test series, killing eight people and wounding several players and officials.

The assault marked another dark chapter in Pakistan's long battle with militancy and extremism that has led to tens of thousands of deaths and ruined the country's international image.

But a years-long army clampdown has seen steady improvements in Pakistan's security situation, and several nations have softened travel advisories as a result.

“Perceptions of Pakistan need to catch up with the reality, and things have changed here a lot in the last five years,” Christian Turner, the British high commissioner to Pakistan, told Britain's Sky News.

“We assess a huge decrease — an 80 per cent decrease — in security incidents since about 2015. I think Pakistan deserves credit for that.”

England will play two Twenty20 internationals in Karachi on October 14 and 15 in their first visit to Pakistan in 16 years.

The announcement follows Pakistan's trip to England over the summer, when they played Tests and T20s despite Britain being one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Pakistan, one of international cricket's financially poorer leading sides, thus helped spare England, one of the wealthiest, an estimated 280 million pounds ($366 million) loss if all the ECB's scheduled matches were wiped out.

Pakistan have recently hosted Zimbabwe, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and a World XI. Several English players have also played in Pakistan's Twenty20 league.

Security analyst Qamar Cheema said such events can improve Pakistan's image overseas.

“After making colossal gains against extremism and radicalisation, Pakistan wants the world to look at it as a normal country,” Cheema told AFP.

“Pakistan's security environment is now conducive for international sports [...] the military and law enforcement agencies have done enough,” he added.

But observers warn that Pakistan is not tackling the root causes of religious extremism and militancy, and armed groups retain the ability to carry out attacks, including in urban areas.

“Room for ideologically motivated individual attacks always remains,” Cheema noted.

Armed convoys

Still, officials hope major sporting events will help shift an international perception of Pakistan from “terrorism to tourism destination” — a phrase Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party has used.

“It is a big achievement for the security apparatus of Pakistan. The more sports come to a country, the more the name of that country goes out [internationally],” security analyst Imtiaz Gul told AFP.

Last year, Islamabad introduced an electronic visa system, making it easier for visitors to come, and British Airways announced its return to Pakistan after more than a decade. Virgin Atlantic will launch flights from Britain to Pakistan in December.

Pakistan greets foreign teams with presidential-level security, with elite commandos providing protection for players.

Squads travel in heavily armed convoys, with roads to venues sealed off, creating a headache for commuters and fans trying to reach matches.

Snipers are positioned on nearby rooftops and spectators have to go through multiple security barriers after parking their cars far from the venue.

“Security arrangements do create some inconvenience for the time being for common people, but this is a price that is worth paying for organising an international sports event”, Gul said.

Before England come, South Africa are due to visit Pakistan in early 2021.

“Once the England tour is completed next year I am sure other major countries will also have confidence in our arrangements,” said Pakistan's head coach and former captain Misbahul Haq.

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Islamabad: Ambassador Ali Alizada reiterated Azerbaijan gratitude to Pakistan for unwavering political and moral support for the just cause.

ISLAMABAD, NOV 19  (DN) - Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Akan Rakhmetullin met with Ambassador Japan to Pakistan, Matsuda Kuninori, on Thursday.

During the meeting they discussed issues of strengthening economic cooperation between the countries of the region.

Both ambassadors also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on processes in the regions of Central-South Asia.

Ways to prevent spread of 2^nd wave of Covid-19 also came under discussion during the meeting.=DN

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The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman recalled that over 3,000 refugees had returned to Nagorno-Karabakh since November 14