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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    BIRMINGHAM: Mickey Arthur has no doubt Pakistan will be "up for the fight" when they face his native South Africa in the Champions Trophy after a humiliating defeat by arch-rivals India.
    Pakistan´s crushing 124-run loss to title-holders India in their tournament opener at Edgbaston on Sunday was labelled the "Mother of all mismatches" by the Indian Express newspaper.
    Yet, worryingly for Pakistan coach Arthur, there is the potential for an even more lopsided match when they return to Edgbaston on Wednesday -- and that´s not simply because South Africa are top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day international rankings while Pakistan are eighth.
    Pakistan were outplayed in every department by an India side who were nowhere near their best.
    Having conceded 319 for three as India´s top order ran riot, Pakistan were dismissed for just 164, having never once threatened a rain-adjusted target of 289 in 41 overs.
    Painful to watch Pakistan's drab show against India
    Poor game plan and shoddy execution, besides abysmal fielding, nullified the toss advantage, says Shahid Afridi
    It led former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, to slam the current team´s "clueless" batting and "abysmal fielding".
    Now, in the space of just a few days, Pakistan must somehow raise their game to beat a South Africa side who defeated Sri Lanka by 96 runs at the Oval on Saturday in their opening Group B fixture if they are to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.
    ´Issue is fear´
    Arthur suggested too many Pakistan players had suffered ´stage fright´ against India in front of a capacity crowd of more than 24,000.
    "My issue is fear," he said. "My issue is getting out there and really looking to take the game on.
    "The worrying thing for me...is we just do the basics wrong.
    "We drop simple catches. We don´t run well enough between wickets. We don´t understand when to bowl our variations."
    But Arthur, a former coach of both South Africa and Australia, was adamant all was far from lost.
    "We´ll be thinking firmly of coming back and beating South Africa," he said. "Because that´s what I think our players can do.
    "So, we´re going to be up for the fight."
    Pakistan will be without Wahab Riaz after he was ruled out of the rest of the tournament on Monday with an ankle injury sustained when falling in his delivery stride against India.
    Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy/AFP But given by that stage the left-arm paceman had conceded a whopping 87 runs in 8.4 wicketless overs, his absence may not be that big a blow.
    Pakistan have applied to the ICC for an injury replacement, but they appear to have a stand-in already with them in Junaid Khan, who took four for 73 in a warm-up match against Bangladesh.
    Mohammad Amir provided rare moments of respite amid the India run-spree with a return of none for 32 in 8.1 overs.
    Yet, concerningly, the left-arm fast bowler was unable to complete his full allocation of overs because of cramp, despite being repeatedly on and off the field on what was a cool day.
    If Arthur has some ´inside knowledge´ on South Africa, the Proteas´ have a ´spy´ of their own in Pakistan-born Imran Tahir.
    The leg-spinner, who changed allegiance after falling in love with his South African wife, played a key role in Saturday´s match.
    Despite a fine hundred by South Africa´s Hashim Amla, Sri Lanka were well-placed to chase down a target of 300 at 116 for two.
    But man-of-the-match Tahir´s return of four for 27 turned the tide.
    Imran Tahir played a crucial role in South Africa's victory against Sri Lanka/Getty Images  "It was close to ten out of ten," said South Africa captain AB de Villiers of Tahir´s performance, which also included a run-out.

    "He takes wickets and he is also economical most of the time," added the skipper, who was equally delighted by Amla´s "amazing innings".
    The cliche of Pakistani ´unpredictability´ may be wearing thin, at least in ODI cricket.
    South Africa, however, have a nasty habit of not playing to their potential in ICC tournaments and de Villiers promised they were not about to "get ahead of ourselves".


  2. Waqas Dar
    Graduation day is a very special day in a student's life and everybody tries to make it special in their own ways.
    But, this teen did something which not only made her graduation day special but also made it memorable for life.
    Madeleine Tarin honoured her parents in the cutest way by recreating a photo close to her family's heart.
    Tarin was by her parents' side as her mom graduated from high school in 2000, and can be seen proudly celebrating her mom's accomplishment while sitting on her dad's shoulders in a family photo.
    "I've always had this photo framed in my room and I believe this photo was unique to me and represented who I am," Tarin said.
    "I also found it pretty cool that I was at my mom's graduation with her." Tarin added.
    So, 17 years later at her own graduation from Chino Hills High School, Madeleine had the idea to recreate the photo in honor of her parents' hard work, and the result is pretty adorable.




  3. Waqas Dar
    KABUL: A heavy explosion was heard in Kabul city on Tuesday morning, according to Khaama Press.
    Afghan security sources confirmed that the sound of an explosion was heard from the vicinity of Shash Darak area of Kabul city.
    The Ministry of Interior spokesman Najib Danish confirmed a rocket landed in a tennis yard in Shash Darak area but no casualties or collateral damage were reported.
    A rocket fired from an unknown location landed in the area, Afghan media reported.
    The attack comes at a sensitive time when Kabul is hosting a major summit, Kabul Process, aimed at establishing a regional and global census in the fight against terrorism and the Afghan peace process.
    Will not let Taliban bring down the govt: Afghan president
    'Kabul Process' begins in Afghanistan with several countries, including Pakistan and India, in attendance
    Kabul witnessed an episode of violence earlier on Wednesday after a vehicle packed with explosives was detonated leaving nearly 100 people dead and over 400 others wounded.


    The Wednesday bombing resulted in a violent protest that left several people dead, including the son of Senate House?s deputy chairman whose funeral was attacked by at least three suicide bombers.


  4. Waqas Dar
    Pakistani actress Mahira Khan is a perfect definition of beauty with brains who has not only proved herself in Pakistan but across the borders as well.
    The Bin Roye actress has recently made it to the cover of Vogue India.
    While the photo shoot has made its way all over the internet and social media platforms, the Internet has gone wild over it.
    The Humsafar actress is not only looking drop dead gorgeous but has stunned everyone with her charismatic beauty and Zaalima smile.
    Mahira Khan looks flawless as she poses with simplicity and sophistication in nude shades for the cover which goes along well with the summer trend.
    Back in 2016, Mahira Khan also won the title of Vogue Face to Watch Out For at India?s Vogue Beauty Awards 2016.





  5. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has submitted the entire record of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Panama case, it emerged on Tuesday.
    Sources said the entire record of all the businesses owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?s family was submitted to the JIT, which also investigated officers officers of the SECP.
    Letter from Qatari prince delivered to JIT: sources
    JIT had recently written again to Qatar's royal family asking them for their statement
    Picture of Hussain Nawaz waiting before JIT session goes viral
    PML-N workers question who leaked the photo taken from a CCTV in Federal Judicial Academy








    Sources said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar?s confessional statement regarding money laundering in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills is also part of the record.
    Dar had recorded this statement before the district magistrate Lahore, Arif Nadeem, during Gen(retd) Pervez Musharraf?s presidency.
    The finance minister dismissed claims of the confessional statement following Musharraf?s presidential era.
    ?I recorded the confessional statement under duress,? Dar had said. 



  6. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Nehal Hashmi asked the Senate chairman on Tuesday not to consider his resignation from the upper house.

    Hashmi had submitted his resignation as a PML-N senator after instructions from the PML-N leadership following his recent controversial remarks against the judiciary.
    As a result, Hashmi ? who was also suspended from the party ? had submitted his resignation to Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. On Monday, Hashmi failed to show up in Rabbani's office to personally verify his resignation, as asked by Rabbani. 
    Confirming the development, Senator Mushahidullah Khan told the media outside the Senate on Tuesday that the party's lawmakers stand with the prime minister's decision [ordering Hashmi to resign from the Senate]. He said the party's lawmakers do not agree with Hashmi's reversal on his resignation, and urged him to follow the party leadership's guidelines on the matter. 
    The speech

    Nehal Hashmi's contempt hearing adjourned till June 16
    Citing reluctance from lawyers, former PML-N leader asks for time to find counsel
    In a speech to workers in Karachi at a Youm-e-Takbeer event, which went viral on May 31, Hashmi had threatened the prime minister's unidentified 'enemies'.

    Before losing his position, Hashmi was the party's general secretary for Sindh.
    "The one you are investigating is the PM's son," roared Hashmi. "Those investigating us [must know] we will observe your day of judgment,? he stated further.
    The statements were taken to be directed at the judiciary and the Joint Investigation Team probing the prime minister's family in light of the Supreme Court's April 20 judgment in the Panama case.
    In the video, Hashmi also lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, casting doubts over the money trail of his Bani Gala estate. ?We will reduce the space in this country for your kids and your family," he added.  
    Later, the prime minister suspended Hashmi?s party membership and directed him to tender his resignation from the Senate.
    On June 3, the Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf also initiated action against Hashmi, asking the Sindh government to file a criminal case against Hashmi. Following this, a case was registered against him at the Bahadurabad Police Station in Karachi.

    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/53eefa106ff5730fc408f4c826b86af7.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni82LzIwMTcgNzoyODowMSBBTSZoYXNoX3ZhbHVlPTY0aURLYkZNUFZManNqeFJXM08vZVE9PSZ2YWxpZG1pbnV0ZXM9NjAmaWQ9MQ== style=center]
    Contempt case
    The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of Hashmi's speech and initiated contempt of court proceedings against him.
    On Monday, a three-judge bench of the apex court ? headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan ? asked Hashmi to submit his reply to the contempt notice. Hashmi informed the bench that he cannot submit his reply as he does not have a transcript of his speech. He then asked for time to find a counsel, to which the court agreed. 
    The bench then adjourned the hearing till June 16.
    Speaking to the media after the hearing, Hashmi thanked the Supreme Court for listening to his plea.

    Referring to the PTI, he said they [PTI] distorted my speech. ?This is a criminal act as per the relevant laws,? he said, adding that [PTI Chairman] Imran Khan is the one who has committed contempt. He further claimed that his reply to the court will prove this.
    The former PML-N leader also called himself a patriot. He also disclosed that he has asked the Supreme Court to perform Umrah.
    While entering the court premises, answering a journalist's question of whether he will want ask for forgiveness from the Supreme Court, Hashmi said he only seeks forgiveness from Allah.




  7. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Nehal Hashmi asked the Senate chairman on Tuesday not to consider his resignation from the upper house.

    Hashmi had submitted his resignation as a PML-N senator after instructions form the PML-N leadership following his recent controversial remarks against the judiciary.
    As a result, Hashmi ? who was also suspended from the party ? had submitted his resignation to Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. On Monday, Hashmi failed to show up in Rabbani's office to personally verify his resignation, as asked by Rabbani. 
    Confirming the development, Senator Mushahidullah Khan told the media outside the Senate on Tuesday that the party's lawmakers stand with the prime minister's decision [ordering Hashmi to resign from the Senate]. He said the party's lawmakers do not agree with Hashmi's reversal on his resignation, and urged him to follow the party leadership's guidelines on the matter. 
    The speech

    Nehal Hashmi's contempt hearing adjourned till June 16
    Citing reluctance from lawyers, former PML-N leader asks for time to find counsel
    In a speech to workers in Karachi at a Youm-e-Takbeer event, which went viral on May 31, Hashmi had threatened the prime minister's unidentified 'enemies'.

    Before losing his position, Hashmi was the party's general secretary for Sindh.
    "The one you are investigating is the PM's son," roared Hashmi. "Those investigating us [must know] we will observe your day of judgment,? he stated further.
    The statements were taken to be directed at the judiciary and the Joint Investigation Team probing the prime minister's family in light of the Supreme Court's April 20 judgment in the Panama case.
    In the video, Hashmi also lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, casting doubts over the money trail of his Bani Gala estate. ?We will reduce the space in this country for your kids and your family," he added.  
    Later, the prime minister suspended Hashmi?s party membership and directed him to tender his resignation from the Senate.
    On June 3, the Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf also initiated action against Hashmi, asking the Sindh government to file a criminal case against Hashmi. Following this, a case was registered against him at the Bahadurabad Police Station in Karachi.
    Contempt case
    The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of Hashmi's speech and initiated contempt of court proceedings against him.
    On Monday, a three-judge bench of the apex court ? headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan ? asked Hashmi to submit his reply to the contempt notice. Hashmi informed the bench that he cannot submit his reply as he does not have a transcript of his speech. He then asked for time to find a counsel, to which the court agreed. 
    The bench then adjourned the hearing till June 16.
    Speaking to the media after the hearing, Hashmi thanked the Supreme Court for listening to his plea.

    Referring to the PTI, he said they [PTI] distorted my speech. ?This is a criminal act as per the relevant laws,? he said, adding that [PTI Chairman] Imran Khan is the one who has committed contempt. He further claimed that his reply to the court will prove this.
    The former PML-N leader also called himself a patriot. He also disclosed that he has asked the Supreme Court to perform Umrah.
    While entering the court premises, answering a journalist's question of whether he will want ask for forgiveness from the Supreme Court, Hashmi said he only seeks forgiveness from Allah.




  8. Waqas Dar
    geo_embedgallery
    MARIA GUGGING: Nestled in the hills of Austria sits Gugging, an artists´ colony with a difference where the worlds of psychiatry and art collide -- with spectacular success.

    Over the past 50 years, mentally ill patients here have churned out an astounding 75,000 recognised artworks, some selling for over 100,000 euros ($110,000).
    In particular, it is a wellspring for "Art Brut", producing some of the giants in the popular genre like August Walla, Oswald Tschirtner and Johann Hauser.
    "Raw art" or "outsider art", as it is known in English, is art by those untrained in -- and untainted by -- artistic conventions.
    To the Frenchman who coined the term, Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), it is found in the works of "primitive societies", of children -- and of the mentally ill.
    Until July 2, Dubuffet´s sensation-causing 1949 "L´Art Brut" exhibition in Paris that started it all is being staged again at the Gugging Museum.
    Featured are works by those Dubuffet met while scouring Europe´s care homes for people with mental illnesses, like Adolf Woelfli, a Swiss suffering from psychosis and hallucinations.
    Others include schizophrenic Aloise Corbaz who would use, at first in secret, juice from petals and toothpaste to create colourful and fantastical images, often of lovers.
    "Up until then (1949), what they produced was seen, at best, as a kind of curiosity, certainly not as works of art," Johann Feilacher, director of the Gugging Art Brut Centre, told AFP.
    Nazis to Bowie
    The early history of the Gugging psychiatric hospital, in the forested hills north of Vienna, is dark. During World War II, the Nazis killed hundreds of its patients.
    In the 1950s though, its new director, Leo Navratil, began to diagnose his patients by getting them to draw.
    In 1981, Navratil founded at Gugging an art and psychotherapy centre, later renamed the House of Artists.
    A commercial gallery and museum followed, drawing a growing stream of visitors. One was David Bowie, who bought several works for his art collection.
    The psychiatric clinic itself closed around a decade ago, but the artists´ colony remains.
    "For us, the residents are first and foremost artists with special needs, not patients," said Feilacher, who took over from Navratil in 1986.
    Walla, Tschirtner and Hauser are dead now but half a dozen Gugging artists still generate works today bought by galleries and collectors the world over.
    They include Franz Kernbeis, who, when first admitted in 1955, would remain immobile for hours, Karl Vondal, who specialises in erotic works, and Johann Garber.
    "Along with the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland (California), Gugging is one of the rare places in the world to have produced so many great artists," said Sarah Lombardi, director of the Art Brut Collection in Lausanne, Switzerland, home to Dubuffet´s legacy.
    ´Beautiful to paint´
    The artists split the proceeds from sales 50:50 with the gallery, in which they are also shareholders.
    Garber, whose busy surrealistic designs adorn Gugging´s walls and whose technicolour ear sculpture is a Vienna landmark, also has an exhibition on.
    "I am an artist and a genius," Garber told AFP. "It is beautiful to draw and paint. We are happy that we have a place where we can live and draw."
    Just being part of Gugging is no guarantee of success, however.
    Not all of the 15 residents produce work "particular enough to be recognised artworks," said Feilacher.
    "Some of them develop late, some of them never."


  9. Waqas Dar
    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/961b6823eb84f6cb8f492a926042ab85.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni82LzIwMTcgNjoyMzowOCBBTSZoYXNoX3ZhbHVlPXcxdGJWeUZGVTZwczNJcjJ3UUJVT2c9PSZ2YWxpZG1pbnV0ZXM9NjAmaWQ9MQ== style=center]
    RAWALPINDI: Ayyan Ali?s request seeking exemption from appearance in the currency smuggling case was rejected by the Customs court on Tuesday.

    The judge had summoned Ayyan to the court on Tuesday but she failed to show up. Following this, the judge issued warrants of arrest, and directed the police to ensure the suspect?s presence in court on June 21.
    The model was arrested on March 14, 2015 from the Islamabad airport on charges of money laundering after customs officials recovered $506,000 from her luggage while she was en route to Dubai.
    Customs inspector murder case: Arrest warrants issued for model Ayyan Ali
    The local court magistrate Ghulam Latif while issuing the arrest warrants, ordered that Ayyan Ali should be arrested within 10 days and presented before the court
    The customs court indicted Ayyan in November 2015 for attempting to smuggle over half a million dollars in cash out of the country, to which she pleaded not guilty.
    She was granted bail in July, 2016 after spending around four months in Rawalpindi?s Adiala Jail.
    Later, she was also nominated in a case relating to a customs official?s murder, who was killed in mysterious circumstances in June 2015 while he was reportedly investigating the money laundering case against the model.
    Ayyan Ali leaves for Sri Lanka as govt removes her name from ECL
    She went to Dubai from Karachi after govt issued notification
    It was on this basis that the model was placed on the Exit Control List by the Interior Ministry, however the courts struck down the ban and allowed Ayyan to travel abroad. 


  10. Waqas Dar
    Model Ayyan Ali. Photo: AFP RAWALPINDI: Ayyan Ali?s request seeking exemption from appearance in the currency smuggling case was rejected by the Customs court on Tuesday.
    The judge had summoned Ayyan to the court on Tuesday but she failed to show up. Following this, the judge issued warrants of arrest, and directed the police to ensure the suspect?s presence in court on June 21.
    The model was arrested on March 14, 2015 from the Islamabad airport on charges of money laundering after customs officials recovered $506,000 from her luggage while she was en route to Dubai.
    Customs inspector murder case: Arrest warrants issued for model Ayyan Ali
    The local court magistrate Ghulam Latif while issuing the arrest warrants, ordered that Ayyan Ali should be arrested within 10 days and presented before the court
    The customs court indicted Ayyan in November 2015 for attempting to smuggle over half a million dollars in cash out of the country, to which she pleaded not guilty.
    She was granted bail in July, 2016 after spending around four months in Rawalpindi?s Adiala Jail.
    Later, she was also nominated in a case relating to a customs official?s murder, who was killed in mysterious circumstances in June 2015 while he was reportedly investigating the money laundering case against the model.
    Ayyan Ali leaves for Sri Lanka as govt removes her name from ECL
    She went to Dubai from Karachi after govt issued notification
    It was on this basis that the model was placed on the Exit Control List by the Interior Ministry, however the courts struck down the ban and allowed Ayyan to travel abroad. 


  11. Waqas Dar
    The World Bank on Monday said robust agriculture sector and Chinese-led infrastructure development would lead to 5.5 percent growth in Pakistan?s economy during the fiscal year 2017-18.
    The Washington-based lender also projected the country?s growth at 5.8 percent in FY19 and the subsequent fiscal year.
    ?In Pakistan, favourable weather and increased cotton prices are supporting agricultural production, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure project and a stable macroeconomic environment have contributed to an increase in private investment,? the Bank said in its flagship report Global economic prospects: A fragile recovery.
    ?Agricultural output rebounded following the end of a drought, while the successful completion of an IMF- (International Monetary Fund) supported program enhanced macroeconomic conditions and foreign direct investment.?
    The latest projections were kept unchanged compared with those for the next three fiscal years in the Bank?s January?s report. The report is released on semiannual basis.
    The government set growth target at six percent for FY18. The World Bank, however, warned that perturbed law and order situation could discourage local and foreign investments.
    ?Security concerns in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan could hold back investment and business confidence,? it said. The World Bank?s group said growth in the South Asia region has picked up in 2017.
    It forecast growth in the South Asia to advance to a 6.8 percent pace in 2017 and accelerate to 7.1 percent in 2018, ?reflecting a solid expansion of domestic demand and exports.?
    ?Excluding India, regional growth is anticipated to hold steady at 5.7 percent this year, rising to 5.8 percent in the next, with growth accelerating in Bhutan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, but easing in Bangladesh and Nepal.? The Bank, however, said setbacks to reform processes would slow the removal of supply constraints, dampen productivity growth, and hinder integration into global value chains.
    ?Despite progress in fiscal consolidation, public debt remains high across the region, and contingent liabilities are building up,? it added. ?While South Asia is less integrated into the global economy than other regions, and therefore less likely to be affected by negative external shocks, several external risks remain a concern.?
    The slowdown in remittances in the wake of strict immigration policies in developed countries and oil crisis-stricken Gulf Cooperation Council poses a challenge to external sector. There is also a possibility of weaker-than-expected demand, or a rise in trade restrictions in advanced economies, which could weigh on exports. In India, an increase in government spending, including on capital formation has partially offset soft private investment in India. The Bank projected the country?s growth at 7.2 percent for FY18, 7.5 percent for FY19 and 7.7 percent for FY20.
    The World Bank said solid agricultural activity and robust services, despite external and domestic challenges supported growth in Bangladesh, while in Sri Lanka, a resumption of Chinese-funded investment and infrastructure projects have lifted private investment and foreign direct investment inflows.
    In Bhutan and the Maldives, it added that growth has continued to gain traction and Nepal?s growth has rebounded strongly following a good monsoon.


  12. Waqas Dar
    File photo  We will not let Taliban take down the Afghan government, said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday. 
    He was speaking at the Kabul Process ? a multinational peace conference hosted by Afghanistan ? which began on Tuesday under the chair of the Afghan president.
    Ghani explained that the purpose of the conference is to defeat terrorism and ensure peace. "Foreign fighters have increased in the last two years," he said, adding that this is the last chance for the Taliban to become part of the national mainstream. 
    Ghani also assured the Taliban that he will provide them space to open up an office for conducting peace negotiations. 
    The peace conference will include discussions on the talks with Taliban, as the capital reels from a wave of bombings and clashes that left more than 100 people dead and hundreds wounded in the last week.
    Much of Kabul remains in lockdown ahead of the conference, with tighter than usual security including more armed checkpoints and armoured vehicles patrolling the streets, and tight restrictions on civilian traffic.
    Representatives of around 25 countries, including Pakistan, India, China and the US, along with European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and the United Nations, will attend the meeting, which aims to build international support on ways to restore security in the conflict-torn country.
    Pakistan, Afghanistan, China agree to promote trilateral cooperation
    The three sides note trilateral cooperation among Pakistan, Afghanistan and China is conducive to development of Afghanistan and region
    "The Kabul Process is meant to reach a consensus with the region and the world for peace in Afghanistan," said Afghan presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi, while talking to AFP.

    Media reports said Pakistan will be represented by senior officials of the Foreign Ministry. 


  13. Waqas Dar
    Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her last novel, The God of Small Things. Photo: AP/file  NEW DELHI: Arundhati Roy´s eagerly-awaited second novel goes on sale Tuesday, two decades after her prize-winning debut The God of Small Things propelled her to global fame and launched her career as an outspoken critic of injustice in her native India.
    Roy became the first Indian woman to win the prestigious Booker Prize with her 1997 work, which sold around 8 million copies and turned the young author into a star of the literary world.
    In the years that followed, she turned to non-fiction writing, taking on issues ranging from poverty and globalisation to the conflict in Kashmir in essays that were often highly critical of India´s ruling class.
    Her campaigning earned her the wrath of many in the Indian establishment and has clearly influenced her latest novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which she has said took 10 years to produce.
    Publisher Penguin says it takes the reader "from the cramped neighbourhoods of Old Delhi into the burgeoning new metropolis" and on to the troubled Kashmir Valley and the jungles of central India, wracked by a long-running Maoist rebellion.
    "There was this huge sense of urgency when I was writing the political essays, each time you wanted to blow a space open, on any issue," Roy told The Hindu daily in an interview published last week.
    "But fiction takes its time and is layered... It is not just a human rights report about how many people have been killed and where. How do you describe the psychosis of what is going on? Except through fiction."
    Roy was lauded at home when she became the first resident Indian to win the Booker for her novel about twins growing up in the southern state of Kerala. Previous Indian winners had lived outside the country.
    Book Review: The Accidental Prime Minister
    In countries where the premier is only a symbolic leader with the real power lying elsewhere, such premiers are often referred to as 'accidental' or 'dummy' prime ministers
    Roy recalled in a recent BBC interview how she was suddenly on the cover of every magazine -- until she spoke out against India´s nuclear tests a year later.
    "Not that I had a say in it, but I was being marketed as this new product of the global India," she said.
    "And then suddenly the government did these nuclear tests... And I wrote this essay condemning the tests, and at that point the fairy princess was kicked off her pedestal in a minute."
    ´Scarring´
    Roy, now 55, went on to become one of India´s most famous and polarising authors.
    She was briefly jailed for contempt of court over her activism and still faces a sedition charge for challenging India´s right to rule over the disputed Kashmir region in 2010.
    She argues that India´s economic boom has made a small minority rich on the suffering of the poor, and has spent time researching the work of Maoist rebels fighting for land rights in the resource-rich jungles of central India.
    Her criticism of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been particularly fierce. She once called for India´s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be put on trial over the deadly anti-Muslim riots that occurred in the state of Gujarat in 2002, when he was chief minister.
    Modi has been dogged by accusations he turned a blind eye to the violence, but a Supreme Court-ordered investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing in 2012.
    Internationally she remains a huge draw, lauded both for her activism and her writing, and the reviews for her second novel have been broadly -- though not universally -- positive.
    The Financial Times said it was "as remarkable as her first", and promised her admirers would not be disappointed, while The New Yorker called it a "scarring novel of India´s modern history".
    But some critics were sceptical about her attempts to introduce her political causes into her fiction.
    "´Ministry´ is two decades of polemic distilled into one book, with a superstructure of fiction to hold it together," said The Economist. "It does not work."


  14. Waqas Dar
    Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan said on Monday that unlike literature his songs were meant to be sung not read and that they only needed to move people, not to make sense.
    The Swedish Academy's decision to award last year's prize for literature to Dylan, who had "created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition", was seen by some as a slap in the face by some mainstream writers of poetry and prose.
    In his Nobel lecture, the notoriously media-shy Dylan said: "Our songs are alive in the land of the living. But songs are unlike literature. They?re meant to be sung, not read."
    "If a song moves you, that?s all that?s important. I don?t have to know what a song means. I?ve written all kinds of things into my songs. And I?m not going to worry about it ? what it all means," he said in the speech posted on the Academy's website.
    Dylan, the first singer-songwriter to win the prize, was silent about the award for weeks after it was announced and he did not attend the prize ceremony and banquet.
    Nobel laureates need to give a lecture within six months from the Dec. 10 award ceremony in order to receive an 8-million-crown ($900,000) prize sum. It does not necessarily need to be delivered in Stockholm.
    In his lecture, Dylan tells how Buddy Holly and a Leadbelly record transported him as a teenager into an unknown world, and he discusses three of his favorite books: Moby Dick, All Quiet on the Western Front and The Odyssey.
    "The speech is extraordinary and, as one might expect, eloquent. Now that the lecture has been delivered, the Dylan adventure is coming to a close," Swedish Academy secretary Sara Danius said in a statement.


  15. Waqas Dar
    Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York September 26, 2015. Photo: Reuters   DUBAI: Kuwait's emir urged Qatar's Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Monday to calm tensions with allies and refrain from escalating the worst diplomatic rift among Gulf Arab states.
    Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah "expressed his wish" that Qatari ruler "work on easing tensions and refrain from taking any decision that might cause escalation", the Kuwait state news agency Kuna said.
    Al-Sabah called on Tamim to give efforts at mediation a chance to contain differences, Kuna said, adding the two leaders spoke over a phone call.


  16. Waqas Dar
    Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York September 26, 2015. Photo: Reuters   DUBAI: Kuwait's emir urged Qatar's Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Monday to calm tensions with allies and refrain from escalating the worst diplomatic rift among Gulf Arab states.
    Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah "expressed his wish" that Qatari ruler "work on easing tensions and refrain from taking any decision that might cause escalation", the Kuwait state news agency Kuna said.
    Al-Sabah called on Tamim to give efforts at mediation a chance to contain differences, Kuna said, adding the two leaders spoke over a phone call.


  17. Waqas Dar
    Pakistani Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said his country will have plenty of economic opportunity in coming years that could be at risk from violence in neighboring Afghanistan. Photo: APP/file  WASHINGTON: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that Pakistan Army has eliminated terrorists from the tribal areas.

    Pakistan is no longer a safe haven for the terrorists, he remarked in an interview with The Washington Times.
    However, the success of the operations could be compromised if the border with Afghanistan is not brought under control.
    He also said Pakistan is waiting for the Trump administration to clarify its strategy for the Afghanistan conflict.
    He further remarked that Pakistan?s image as a ?source of instability? and haven for militants is ?out-of-date.?
    India suspended talks with Pakistan, says Aizaz Chaudhry
    Ambassador says since both countries had suspended talks, it further exacerbated bilateral relations
    Pakistan on path of economic prosperity: Aizaz Chaudhry
    This was the first public event of Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.








    Pakistan?s economy is on a sharp upswing and relations with Washington are also stronger as compared to some times back, he added.
    ?There are some perceptions which are not fully up to speed with the new reality of Pakistan, a reality that has changed only very recently,? remarked Chaudhry, adding ?We have reversed the tide of terrorism, which had come down heavy on us.?
    Chaudhry also maintained a neutral response to Trump administration?s foreign policy, he remarked that as ?an honoured guest? of the US, he is looking forward to work with the man who was chosen by American voters. 


  18. Waqas Dar
    File photo  Pakistan will participate in a multinational peace conference ? Kabul Process ? hosted by Afghanistan on Tuesday. 
    The peace conference on Afghanistan will include discussions on the talks with Taliban, as the capital reels from a wave of bombings and clashes that left more than 100 people dead and hundreds wounded in the last week.
    Much of Kabul remains in lockdown ahead of the conference, with tighter than usual security including more armed checkpoints and armoured vehicles patrolling the streets, and tight restrictions on civilian traffic.
    Representatives of around 25 countries, including Pakistan and India, along with European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and the United Nations, will attend the meeting, which aims to build international support on ways to restore security in the conflict-torn country.
    "The Kabul Process is meant to reach a consensus with the region and the world for peace in Afghanistan," said Afghan presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi.



  19. Waqas Dar
    Members of Australian police's bomb squad unit walk near the site of the incident. Photo: Reuters Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday police were treating a deadly siege in the southern city of Melbourne as an "act of terrorism" after a claim by the Islamic State group that one of its fighters was the gunman responsible.

    Police shot dead gunman Yacqub Khayre on Monday after he held a woman hostage inside an apartment building in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.
    Police confirmed on Tuesday that Khayre, who was acquitted of a plot to attack a Sydney army base in 2009, had shot a man dead in the foyer of the building.
    Yacqub Khayre walks from a court appearance in Melbourne on Dec 23, 2010. Photo: Reuters "This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in the capital, Canberra.

    "It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism," he said.
    Victoria state police commissioner Graham Ashton said police were still investigating after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency.
    "We're aware of them having claimed responsibility, but then they always tend to jump up and claim responsibility every time something happens so we note that that has happened," he said.
    Amaq said the attack was launched because of Australia's membership in a US-led coalition fighting against the militant group in Syria and Iraq.
    Police were also investigating a telephone call made to the newsroom of Australian TV broadcaster Seven Network during the siege. Seven reported that a male caller said the attack was related to Islamic State.
    Ashton said Khayre, an 29-year-old Australian of Somali heritage, had a long criminal history and was on parole at the time of the attack.
    He did not specify the charges related to Khayre's parole. Khayre was acquitted of a plot to attack Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks in 2009. Three other men were convicted.
    Ashton said evidence collected from a raid on the home that Khayre lived in with his mother indicated he likely acted alone and that the threat from this attack was now over.
    Khayre arranged to meet a female escort at a block of serviced apartments in the beachside Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday, and then killed a staff member when he arrived, Ashton said.
    After holding the woman hostage for several hours, Khayre burst out of the building firing at police, who shot back and killed him. The woman was rescued unhurt, but three police officers suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds.
    A policewoman directs traffic near the site of the incident. Photo: Reuters Australia, a staunch ally of the United States, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, or their supporters, since 2014. Police have foiled several major plots in recent years.

    In December 2014, a gunman killed one hostage during a 17-hour siege at a popular Sydney cafe. Another hostage was killed by fragments of a bullet fired by police who stormed the cafe and killed the gunman, who was not affiliated to any militant groups and acted alone.
    Six people were arrested over a plan to set off bombs in Melbourne on Christmas Day last year.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Qatar Airways plane. Photo: Reuters/File KARACHI: Hundreds of Pakistanis were left stranded at Doha airport after Saudi Arabia banned all flights from Qatar Airways into its airspace following the diplomatic disruption in the Middle East.

    Saudi Arabia, Gulf states cut ties with Qatar; Iran blames Trump
    Egypt, Bahrain, UAE all accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, extremism; Qatar denies charges
    On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, among other countries, cut off all ties with Qatar on allegations that Doha supports terrorism and extremism. The move followed severing of all land, air and sea links with Qatar and vice versa.

    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/70bc53b2274ffa817eec405c24df746d.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni82LzIwMTcgNToxMjo1OSBBTSZoYXNoX3ZhbHVlPWpXSWYzN240L2k0NUNTNCtzOVdTR3c9PSZ2YWxpZG1pbnV0ZXM9NjAmaWQ9MQ== style=center]
    As a result, Pakistani pilgrims proceeding to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah were left in a limbo as Qatar Airways was barred from entering Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the airline failed to provide accommodation to the Pakistani passengers, forcing them to settle in at the airport?s departure lounge.

    It has been almost 48 hours that the passengers ? said to be around 500 ? have been stuck at the airport. Passengers told Geo News that the Pakistani embassy in Doha is yet to contact them to provide any sort of relief.
    The relevant Pakistan International Airlines officials have been instructed to arrange a special flight to take the stranded Pakistanis out of Doha. 


  21. Waqas Dar
    Qatar Airways plane. Photo: Reuters/File KARACHI: Dozens of Pakistanis were left stranded at Doha airport after Saudi Arabia banned all flights from Qatar Airways into its airspace following the diplomatic disruption in the Middle East.

    Saudi Arabia, Gulf states cut ties with Qatar; Iran blames Trump
    Egypt, Bahrain, UAE all accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, extremism; Qatar denies charges
    On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt, among other countries, cut off all ties with Qatar on allegations that Doha supports terrorism and extremism. The move followed severing of all land, air and sea links with Qatar and vice versa.
    As a result, Pakistani pilgrims proceeding to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah were left in a limbo as Qatar Airways was barred from entering Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the airline failed to provide accommodation to the Pakistani passengers, forcing them to settle in at the airport?s departure lounge.
    It has been over 24 hours that the passengers ? said to be over 200 ? have been stuck at the airport. Passengers told Geo News that the Pakistani embassy in Doha is yet to contact them to provide any sort of relief.
    The relevant Pakistan International Airlines officials have been instructed to arrange a special flight to take the stranded Pakistanis out of Doha. 


  22. Waqas Dar
    Retired Massachusetts physician Roger Kligler, a plaintiff in a right-to-die lawsuit, speaks to reporters outside a courtroom in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, Massachusetts, US, on March 8, 2017. PHOTO: Reuters  A Massachusetts judge ruled that two doctors may move forward with a lawsuit seeking an order that the state's murder and manslaughter laws do not apply to physicians who offer lethal medications to terminally ill patients.
    Superior Court Judge Mary Ames in Boston in a ruling last week declined to dismiss the lawsuit by the doctors, one of whom is suffering from cancer, who argued a cloud of uncertainty was preventing physicians from providing such medications.
    The doctors have proven there is a controversy regarding the law that is worth the court's time to consider, Ames said in the decision, noting that she had not yet made a determination on the merits of their argument.
    The lawsuit aims to include Massachusetts among states such as Oregon, Washington, Vermont, California and Colorado and the District of Columbia that allow physicians to provide aid in dying, according to right-to-die advocates.
    The Massachusetts ruling was in response to a lawsuit by Roger Kligler, a retired doctor diagnosed with stage-four prostate cancer, and Alan Steinbach, a physician who says he is willing to write prescriptions for lethal medication but fears prosecution.
    The lawsuit seeks a ruling holding that manslaughter charges cannot be applied to physicians who write a prescription to terminally ill competent adults who request medication that they could choose to self-administer to aid in their death.
    "We are pleased with the court's decision because it will allow our clients to challenge the constitutionality of the law without having to take actions that could risk prosecution by an aggressive district attorney," said John Kappos, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
    A spokeswoman for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who was named as a defendant along with the Cape and Islands County district attorney and is defending the case, declined to comment.
    Healey's office had in court argued the court should defer to the state legislature to decide the issue and ensure safeguards are enacted to protect vulnerable patients and the integrity of the medical community.
    The lawsuit is being pursued by nonprofit right-to-die organisation Compassion & Choices.
    The Massachusetts legislature has considered but never enacted, legislation to allow physicians to provide aid in dying. In 2012, voters narrowly defeated a ballot initiative that would have legalised the practice.


  23. Waqas Dar
    Asian stocks retreated on Tuesday after Wall Street's stumble overnight, while oil inched up from the previous day losses as lower Libyan oil production assuaged concerns that the severing of ties with Qatar by other Arab states could impede a deal to cut crude output.
    MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS fell 0.2 percent in early trade, pulling back from a two-year high hit on Monday.
    Japan's Nikkei .N225 dropped 0.4 percent.
    South Korean markets were closed for a holiday.
    Australian shares tumbled 0.9 percent, while the Australian dollar AUD=D3 slipped 0.1 percent to $0.7481, but retained most of Monday's 0.6 percent gain ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision later on Tuesday where the benchmark rate is expected to be kept at a record low 1.5 percent.
    Overnight, the major Wall Street indexes slipped between 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent, with Apple Inc. AAPL leading losses on the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI.
    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain closed transport links with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting extremism and undermining regional stability. Although oil prices initially rose on fears about possible supply disruptions, they ended the day lower.
    Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest oil exporter, and Qatar is the top liquefied natural gas and condensate shipper.
    "While we would not want to read too much into this in terms of looming trouble for OPEC, the fact that Qatar's stance towards Iran is a key element in this issue does make for a potentially more complicated setup at future meetings should the issue not have been resolved in due time," JBC Energy analysts said in a note.
    U.S. crude CLc1 added 0.2 percent to $47.50 a barrel early on Tuesday, after falling 0.55 percent on Monday.
    Global benchmark Brent LCOc1 rose about 0.25 percent to $49.60.
    Sterling, the euro and the dollar were all hugging tight ranges before the European Central Bank meeting and the UK's national election on Thursday.
    British Prime Minister Theresa May's lead over the opposition Labour Party ahead of Thursday's national election has narrowed to just 1 percentage point, according to a poll by Survation for ITV television on Monday, conducted before the attacks in London on Saturday.
    Opinion polls by other leading polling firms have given wider leads for the Conservatives in recent days, ranging as high as 11 and 12 points.
    Sterling GBP=D3 was marginally higher at $1.291 on Tuesday.
    "Even if May does just about enough to increase the majority - that could still potentially be sterling positive," said ING currency strategist Viraj Patel.
    ECB policymakers are set to take a more benign view of the economy when they meet on Thursday and will even discuss dropping some of their pledges to ramp up stimulus if needed, four sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters last week.
    But the expectations for a less dovish central bank could see the euro weaken further if the ECB doesn't deliver.
    The common currency EUR=EBS was slightly higher at $1.126 on Tuesday.
    The dollar slid 0.1 percent to 110.36 yen JPY= on Tuesday. U.S. services sector activity slowed in May as new orders tumbled, but was offset by a jump in employment to a two-year high.
    The dollar index .DXY, which tracks the greenback against a basket of trade-weighted peers, was flat at 96.787.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Members of the media photograph a prototype Apple HomePod during the annual Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, US June 5, 2017. Photo: Reuters  Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Monday introduced the HomePod, a voice-controlled speaker that can make music suggestions and adjust home temperatures, taking aim at Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Alexa feature and Echo devices.
    The move is the first into a completely new area by Apple for more than two years as the world's most valuable technology company looks to make up for a dip in iPhone sales and new ways to get customers to use more of its money-making apps and services.
    Apple's Siri assistant will be integrated into the $349 speaker, and can make music recommendations that pair with the company's Apple Music service, send text messages, check news and sports scores and control compatible home gadgets like lightbulbs and thermostats.
    HomePod users may initially be constrained by Siri's lack of capabilities as compared to Alexa, which also boasts the ability to order millions of Amazon products as well as food from restaurants like Domino's.
    Apple is expected to announce plans this week to make its Siri voice assistant work with a larger variety of apps, but initial changes were expected to add just a small number of capabilities.
    The HomePod speaker stands just under seven inches (18 cm) tall and is covered in fabric mesh that will come in white or gray. A computer processor will tune sound to the room and beam specific parts of music, like a singer's voice, toward the listener.
    Apple will begin shipping the HomePod to the United States, Britain and Australia in December.
    The speaker, while expected by some industry watchers, marked Apple's first new product announcement since the Apple Watch in September 2014. As a music-playing device, it will also be a challenger to Sonos, whose wifi-controlled speakers are used by many smartphone users for home entertainment.
    The Cupertino, California-based company said Siri, which also competes with Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google Assistant, will now work across devices.
    A new Siri interface on the Apple Watch will also blend users' calendar information with other useful details, like airline tickets they may have booked, the company said.
    Apple shares closed down 1 percent at $153.93, not far below the all-time high set last month.
    Apple also used its annual developer meeting in San Jose, California - its largest ever with some 5,000 people attending - to offer hints about so-called augmented reality technology.
    The technology, a feature of the wildly successfully smartphone game Pokemon Go, overlays digital information on real-world images and is seen as an area in which the keenly awaited 10th-anniversary iPhone can stand out from competitors.
    New indoor maps of areas like malls and airports indicated that Apple might be laying groundwork to display information over images of those places in the future.
    The company also rolled out tools for developers to create augmented reality applications for iPhones and iPads. To show the tools off, Apple invited Wingnut AR, the company formed by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, on stage.
    Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Monday introduced the HomePod, a voice-controlled speaker that can make music suggestions and adjust home temperatures, taking aim at Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Alexa feature and Echo devices.
    The move is the first into a completely new area by Apple for more than two years as the world's most valuable technology company looks to make up for a dip in iPhone sales and new ways to get customers to use more of its money-making apps and services.
    Apple's Siri assistant will be integrated into the $349 speaker, and can make music recommendations that pair with the company's Apple Music service, send text messages, check news and sports scores and control compatible home gadgets like lightbulbs and thermostats.
    HomePod users may initially be constrained by Siri's lack of capabilities as compared to Alexa, which also boasts the ability to order millions of Amazon products as well as food from restaurants like Domino's.
    Apple is expected to announce plans this week to make its Siri voice assistant work with a larger variety of apps, but initial changes were expected to add just a small number of capabilities.
    The HomePod speaker stands just under seven inches (18 cm) tall and is covered in fabric mesh that will come in white or gray. A computer processor will tune sound to the room and beam specific parts of
    Apple will begin shipping the HomePod to the United States, Britain and Australia in December.
    The speaker, while expected by some industry watchers, marked Apple's first new product announcement since the Apple Watch in September 2014. As a music-playing device, it will also be a challenger to Sonos, whose wifi-controlled speakers are used by many smartphone users for home entertainment.
    The Cupertino, California-based company said Siri, which also competes with Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google Assistant, will now work across devices.
    A new Siri interface on the Apple Watch will also blend users' calendar information with other useful details, like airline tickets they may have booked, the company said.
    Apple shares closed down 1 percent at $153.93, not far below the all-time high set last month.
    Apple also used its annual developer meeting in San Jose, California - its largest ever with some 5,000 people attending - to offer hints about so-called augmented reality technology.
    The technology, a feature of the wildly successfully smartphone game Pokemon Go, overlays digital information on real-world images and is seen as an area in which the keenly awaited 10th-anniversary iPhone can stand out from competitors.
    New indoor maps of areas like malls and airports indicated that Apple might be laying groundwork to display information over images of those places in the future.


    The company also rolled out tools for developers to create augmented reality applications for iPhones and iPads. To show the tools off, Apple invited Wingnut AR, the company formed by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, on stage.


  25. Waqas Dar
    An aerial view of the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters in Ft. Meade, Maryland, U.S. January 29, 2010.  Photo: Reuters  The US Department of Justice on Monday charged a federal contractor with sending classified material to a news organisation that sources identified to Reuters as The Intercept, marking one of the first concrete efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on leaks to the media.
    Reality Leigh Winner, 25, was charged with removing classified material from a government facility located in Georgia. She was arrested on June 3, the Justice Department said.
    The charges were announced less than an hour after The Intercept published a top-secret document from the US National Security Agency that described Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least one US voting software supplier and send "spear-phishing" emails, or targeted emails that try to trick a recipient into clicking on a malicious link to steal data, to more than 100 local election officials days before the presidential election last November.
    The Justice Department declined to comment on the case beyond its filing. Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    While the charges do not name the publication, a US official with knowledge of the case said Winner was charged with leaking the NSA report to The Intercept. A second official confirmed The Intercept document was authentic and did not dispute that the charges against Winner were directly tied to it.
    The Intercept's reporting reveals new details behind the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence services were seeking to infiltrate state voter registration systems as part of a broader effort to interfere in the election, discredit Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help then Republican candidate Donald Trump win the election.
    The new material does not, however, suggest that actual votes were manipulated.
    The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winter's mother also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    While partially redacted, the NSA document is marked to show it would be up for declassification on May 5, 2042. The indictment against Winner alleges she "printed and improperly removed" classified intelligence reporting that was dated "on or about May 5, 2017."
    Classified documents are typically due to be declassified after 25 years under an executive order signed under former President Bill Clinton.
    The NSA opened a facility in Augusta in 2012 at Fort Gordon, a US Army outpost.
    The FBI and several congressional committees are investigating how Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and whether associated of President Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian intelligence operatives during the campaign.
    Trump has dismissed the allegations as "fake news," while attempting to refocus attention on leaks of information to the media.
    Winner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2011. Investigators determined she was one of only six individuals to print the document in question and that she had exchanged emails with the news outlet, according to the indictment.
    US intelligence agencies including the NSA and CIA have fallen victim to several thefts of classified material in recent years, often at the hands of a federal contractor. For example, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 disclosed secret documents to journalists, including The Intercept's Greenwald, that revealed broad US surveillance programs. 


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