Friday, May 12, 2017

Trump suggests there may be ‘tapes’ of his private conversations with former FBI director

The Washington Post's Marc Fisher describes how President Trump used recording devices during meetings as a businessman and what the implications could be now that he is in the White House. (Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post)

By Philip Rucker May 12 at 2:50 PM

President Trump suggested Friday that there may be “tapes” of his private conversations with FBI Director James B. Comey, whom he fired earlier this week, in what appeared to be an attempt to threaten Comey about “leaking to the press.”

Donald J. Trump

✔ @realDonaldTrump

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

8:26 AM - 12 May 2017

18,345 Retweets

In his tweet, Trump appears to suggest that he may have recordings of his communications with Comey. But it is unclear if such tapes exist.

Trump's tweet about Comey was likely a reaction to a New York Times report, published Thursday night detailing a one-on-one dinner Trump had with Comey shortly after the inauguration. The report said that Comey has told associates that Trump twice asked Comey during their conversation to pledge his loyalty to him, something the FBI director declined to do.

[Nixon’s lawyer says Trump should be afraid of tapes; Woodward explains why]

During his afternoon press briefing Friday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked repeatedly whether the president had listening devices installed in the Oval Office. Spicer refused to confirm or deny whether Trump was taping conversations.

“I’ve talked to the president; the president has nothing further to add on that,” Spicer said.

Spicer said that Trump's tweet about the tapes was “not a threat,” but he refused to elaborate further. The president “simply stated a fact, the tweet speaks for itself,” Spicer said.

[Trump, citing no evidence, accuses Obama of ‘Nixon/Watergate’ plot to wiretap Trump Tower]

In his tweet, Trump put the word tapes in quotation marks, indicating that there may be a some kind of record of his conversation with Comey, whether or not it's an actual audio or video recording. He used a similar construct in two of his March 4 tweets accusing President Barack Obama, without any evidence, of wiretapping his campaign offices. Trump put the words “wires tapped” in quotation marks, which Spicer later argued meant surveillance activities more broadly as opposed to physical wiretapping.

Since President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, the explanations for the dismissal have been getting murkier. Now Trump has tweeted a threat to cancel press briefings and a suggestion about "tapes" of his private conversations with Comey. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

In an interview Thursday with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Trump said that he spoke three separate times with Comey about whether he was the subject of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election — once over dinner and twice during phone calls.

Trump's tweet Friday drew immediate comparisons to President Richard Nixon's practice of taping his private conversations in the Oval Office. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss tweeted, “Presidents are supposed to have stopped routinely taping visitors without their knowledge when Nixon's taping system was revealed in 1973.”

Michael Beschloss

✔ @BeschlossDC

Presidents are supposed to have stopped routinely taping visitors without their knowledge when Nixon’s taping system was revealed in 1973.

8:59 AM - 12 May 2017

4,801 Retweets

Thailand gives Facebook 4-day deadline to remove ‘illicit’ pages

112-protester-940x580

12th May 2017

THAI authorities have given Facebook until 10am local time next Tuesday to remove web pages it says violates local laws, failing which legal action will be taken.

According to news reports, by order of the Thai court, the social media giant needs to remove a total of 131 pages, some of which are said to contain posts critical of the monarchy.

“If even a single illicit page remains, we will immediately discuss what legal steps to take against Facebook Thailand,” The Guardian quoted Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, as saying.

Thailand’s strict lese-majeste law makes it illegal to insult any member of the royal family, with those convicted facing a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

SEE ALSO: Thailand: Lese majeste suspects in Laos made death threats against PM

The commission confirmed that of the 309 pages identified by Thai courts as necessary for removal, Facebook has already restricted access to 178 of them.

There remaining 131 pages, however, are still accessible.

According to the Bangkok Post, Facebook has not explained why this is so.

The daily said, however, that if the government were to take action against Facebook, it would first have to ensure that Facebook Thailand is a full branch office of the parent company Facebook Inc.

SEE ALSO: Thailand asked Google to make censorship easier – leaked document

“If Facebook Thailand was registered as a separate entity, it cannot be sued since it has no power to control illegal [Facebook] content,” said Dhiraphol Suwanprateep, partner for information technology and communications at law firm, Baker & McKenzie Ltd, told the Bangkok Post.

Dhiraphol added that the government would also find it difficult to sue Thailand’s Internet Service Providers as they were not the ones who posted the offending content.

“It can only press charges against the ISPs as supporters if it has proof they have ignored [orders] to remove the illegal content,”the lawyer said.

The move to censor Facebook follows the Junta government’s recent ban on all online interactions with three prominent and outspoken overseas critics of the monarchy.

SEE ALSO: Thai junta projecting weakness by banning on online contact with critics – watchdog

In early April, Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry threatened prosecution against those who engage in any form of online interaction with historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, journalist and author Andrew MacGregor Marshall, and former diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun.

The warning stated that anyone who follows, contacts or shares posts online with the three, be it “directly or indirectly”, would be prosecuted under the Computer Crimes Act.

“Members of the public are asked to refrain from following, contacting, spreading or engaging in any activity that results in spreading content and information of the persons mentioned in this announcement on the Internet system, social media; either directly or indirectly,”Khaosod English quoted the ministry’s statement.

The news outlet, however, reported that the order did not cite any legal basis.

Over 100 people have been charged with lese-majeste since Thailand’s military coup in 2014, seven of whom were detained just last month. Some of the recent arrests have been linked to social media posts.

Massive ransomware cyber-attack hits 74 countries around the world

More than 45,000 attacks recorded in countries including the UK, Russia, India and China may have originated with theft of ‘cyber weapons’ from the NSA

Global cyber-attack – live updates

Julia Carrie Wong and Olivia Solon in San Francisco-Friday 12 May 2017

A ransomware cyber-attack that may have originated from the theft of “cyber weapons” linked to the US government has hobbled hospitals in England and spread to countries across the world.

Security researchers with Kasperksy Lab have recorded more than 45,000 attacks in 74 countries, including the UK, Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Italy, and Egypt. In Spain, major companies including telecommunications firm Telefonica were infected.

By Friday evening, the ransomware had spread to the United States and South America, though Europe and Russia remained the hardest hit, according to security researchers Malware Hunter Team. The Russian interior ministry says about 1,000 computers have been affected.

Markus Jakobsson, chief scientist with security firm Agari, said that the attack was “scattershot” rather than targeted.

“It’s a very broad spread,” Jakobsson said, noting that the ransom demand is “relatively small”.

“This is not an attack that was meant for large institutions. It was meant for anyone who got it.”

The malware was made available online on 14 April through a dump by a group called Shadow Brokers, which claimed last year to have stolen a cache of “cyber weapons” from the National Security Agency (NSA). At the time, there was skepticism about whether the group was exaggerating the scale of its hack.

On Twitter, whistleblower Edward Snowden blamed the NSA.

“If @NSAGov had privately disclosed the flaw used to attack hospitals when they *found* it, not when they lost it, this may not have happened,” he said.

“It’s very easy for someone to say that, but the reality is the US government isn’t the only one that has a stockpile of exploits they are leveraging to protect the nation,” said Jay Kaplan, CEO of Synack, who formerly worked at the NSA.

“It’s this constant tug of war. Do you let intelligence agencies continue to take advantage of vulnerabilities to fight terrorists or do you give it to the vendors and fix them?”

The NSA is among many government agencies around the world to collect cyber weapons and vulnerabilities in popular operating systems and software so they can use them to carry out intelligence gathering or engage in cyberwarfare. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a user’s data, then demands payment in exchange for unlocking the data. This attack was caused by a bug called “WanaCrypt0r 2.0” or WannaCry, that exploits a vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft released a patch (a software update that fixes the problem) for the flaw in March, but computers that have not installed the security update remain vulnerable.

“This was eminently predictable in lots of ways,” said Ryan Kalember from cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. “As soon as the Shadow Brokers dump came out everyone [in the security industry] realized that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to install a patch, especially if they used an operating system like Windows XP [which many NHS computers still use], for which there is no patch.”

The ransomware demands users pay $300 worth of cryptocurrency Bitcoin to retrieve their files, though it warns that the “payment will be raised” after a certain amount of time. Translations of the ransom message in 28 languages are included. The malware spreads through email.

“Attacks with language support show a progressive increase of the threat level,” Jakobsson said.

The attack hit England’s National Health Service (NHS) on Friday, locking staff out of their computers and forcing some hospitals to divert patients.

“The attack against the NHS demonstrates that cyber-attacks can quite literally have life and death consequences,” said Mike Viscuso, chief techology officer of security firm Carbon Black. “When patients’ lives are at stake, there is no time for finger pointing but this attack serves as an additional clarion call that healthcare organizations must make cybersecurity a priority, lest they encounter a scenario where lives are risked.”

Ransomware attacks are on the rise. Security company SonicWall, which studies cyberthreats, saw ransomware attacks rise 167 times in 2016 compared to 2015.

“Ransomware attacks everyone, but industry verticals that rely on legacy systems are especially vulnerable,” said Dmitriy Ayrapetov, executive director at SonicWall.

A Los Angeles hospital paid $17,000 in bitcoin to ransomware hackers last year, after a cyber-attack locked doctors and nurses out of their computer system for days.

Jakobsson said that the concentration of the attack in Russia suggested that the attack originated in Russia. Since the malware spreads by email, the level of penetration in Russia could be a sign that the criminals had access to a large database of Russian email addresses.

However, Jakobsson warned that the origin of the attack remains unconfirmed.

'Heart attack risk' for common painkillers

Image copyrightSCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Image copyrightISTOCK

By Smitha Mundasad-10 May 2017

A fresh study suggests there may be a link between taking high doses of common anti-inflammatory painkillers - such as ibuprofen - and heart attacks.

The paper, published in The BMJ, builds on a previous body of work linking these drugs to heart problems.

This research suggests the risk could be greatest in the first 30 days of taking the drugs.

But scientists say the findings are not clear cut. They say other factors - not just the pills - could be involved.

In the study an international team of scientists analysed data from 446,763 people to try to understand when heart problems might arise.

They focused on people prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib and naproxen) by doctors rather than those who bought the painkillers over the counter.

'Raise awareness'

Studying the data from Canada, Finland and the UK, researchers suggest taking these Nsaid painkillers to treat pain and inflammation could raise the risk of heart attacks even in the first week of use.

And the risk was seen especially in the first month when people were taking high doses (for example more than 1200mg of ibuprofen a day) .

But scientists say there are a number of factors that make it difficult to be absolutely certain of the link.

Are the painkillers definitely to blame?

Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of statistics at The Open University, said the paper threw some light on possible relationships between Nsaid painkillers and heart attacks.

But he added: "Despite the large number of patients involved, some aspects do still remain pretty unclear.

"It remains possible that the painkillers aren't actually the cause of the extra heart attacks."

He said if, for example, someone was prescribed a high dose of a painkiller because of severe pain, and then had a heart attack in the following week, it would be "pretty hard" to tell whether the heart attack had been caused by the painkiller or by whatever was the reason for prescribing it in the first place,

It could even be down to something else entirely, he said.

Prof McConway also pointed out that other influences on heart health - such as smoking and obesity - could not be taken into account fully and could be partly to blame.

What should patients do?

Doctors are already aware from previous studies that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could increase the risk of heart problems and strokes.

And current UK guidelines state that Nsaids must be used carefully in people with heart problems and in some cases (such as very severe heart failure) they should not be used at all.

Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation, suggests patients and doctors weigh up the risks and benefits of taking high doses of these common painkillers, particularly if they have survived a heart attack or are at higher risk.

Meanwhile, GP leader Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard said it was important that any decision to prescribe was based on a patient's individual circumstances and medical history, and was regularly reviewed.

She said that as new research was published, it was important that it was taken on board to help inform guidelines.

But she added: "The use of Nsaids in general practice to treat patients with chronic pain is reducing, and some of the drugs in this study are no longer routinely prescribed in the UK, such as coxibs, as we know that long-term use can lead to serious side-effects for some patients."

What about over-the-counter use?

This paper looks at patients prescribed painkillers rather than people buying them in a shop or taking them without medical advice.

And it suggests higher doses than those often recommended for one-off use (for example more than 1200mg of ibuprofen a day) carry some of the greatest risks.

But Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard said the study should also raise awareness among patients who self-medicated with Nsaids to treat their pain.

According to NHS advice, people should generally take the lowest dose of Nsaids for the shortest time possible.

And if people find they need to take Nsaids very often or are taking higher doses than recommended, medical advice should be sought.

How big are the risks?

Independent researchers say one of the main pitfalls of the study is it does not clearly spell out what the absolute risk - or the baseline risk of people having a heart attacks - is.

And they say without an understanding of the baseline, it is then hard to judge the impact of any possible increase in risk.

Meanwhile, Prof Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said though the study indicated that even a few days' use was associated with an increased risk, it might not be as clear as the authors suggested.

He added: "The two main issues are that the risks are relatively small, and for most people who are not at high risk of a heart attack, these findings have minimal implications."

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Recruiting unskilled animal catchers is unethical - Animal Rights Movements

May 10, 2017

The Public Service Animal Rights Movements, addressing the media today, condemned the current decision of the Colombo Municipal Council to recruit unskilled persons to catch dogs and cattle.

Recently, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) published an advertisement to externally recruit unskilled persons on casual basis to capture dogs and cattle in the Western Province.

The Public Service Animal Rights Movements, held a press briefing today (May 05) in Colombo at the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) about this unethical move of the CMC.

Addressing the media Hasini Silva, secretary of the Alliance for the Protection of the Community Dogs said that it is essential to adhere to humane methods when reducing the dog population instead of killing the animals.

“Following the publishing of this advertisement we informed Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Faizer Mustapha. He was unaware of such a decision,” Silva added.

Explaining the current situation with recent examples, Silva said that removal of community dogs from the Sri Jayawardhanapura University premises also fall in to this inhumane practice and no one still know the fate of those animals.

“We have a solution to control the dog population and we urge and greatly appreciate if the government is ready for a joint effort with us,” she said.

Speaking at the press briefing, Convener of ‘Parapuraka balaya’ Chamara Nakandala said that as we all treat a dog as a part of the family it is important to treat them humanely.

Talking to Lanka News Web, Left Centre Co-convener questioned the government’s respect towards practicing ethical values of Buddhist teaching.

He said that it is contradicting for the Government to allow the CMC to take such a decision when the Government, during this Vesak season, has given a pledge to protect and practice teachings of the Buddhist philosophy.

“It is in this Vesak season that the government has allowed the CMC to take a decision to recruit dog and cattle catchers in order to get rid of these animals from the Colombo city. This is unethical and inhuman. Following several discussions animal welfare organisations had with Minister Mustapha in the aim of finding an amicable solution, the government agreed to support animal welfare organizations and collaborated with them,” he added.

“We are shocked to witness this current development and as citizens we doubt the government’s commitment to ethical and humane values,” said he.

He also commented about the adverse remarks made by Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka which stated that stray dogs, cattle and beggars are an obstacle for the development. “This sort of ridiculous comment, a formula, on development has been never heard of,” he explained.

Adding further he said that Minister Ranawaka has been blaming the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime for creating obstacles for development through financial and administrative malpractices but he seems to have taken a turn and now blaming poor animals and beggars.

Despite this CMC decision, lacking compassion and kindness, the Government continues with its grand National Vesak celebrations in Colombo and other main cities with the participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari. According to media reports, 72 countries have confirmed their participation for the National Vesak day celebrations accepting the invitation from the Sri Lankan Government.

Lawrence Ferdinando

Harsha de Silva: Are You Contributing To Instability?

By Amrit Muttukumaru –May 11, 2017

Amrit Muttukumaru

Reference your article published in the ‘Colombo Telegraph’ – “Sri Lanka’s Role In The Indian Ocean & The Changing Global Dynamic” you have shamefully IGNORED MY QUERY:

Open Quote

“How could you state:

“THE GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA HAS A CLEAR VISION OF WHAT IT WANTS TO BE IN THE WORLD TODAY”

when the yahapalanaya government of which you are a key minister demonstrably does not have the WILL to address the scourge of corruption and impunity in the country. This includes its own transgressions such as the alleged Central Bank Treasury Bond scams and the failure to introduce in parliament a credible National Audit Bill which was a major campaign promise.

After the January 2015 presidential election one does not witness the OUTRAGE demonstrated by you in its run-up which includes your press conference on 17 December 2014 in the presence of Eran Wickramaratne another Yahapalanaya minister where with a slew of files in tow you inter alia referred to casino, drug, ethanol MAFIAS and alleged MONEY LAUNDERING in locations such as St. Nevis & Kitts, Seychelles and Dubai.

Here is the link to your 17 December 2014 press conference. This must be a ‘new low’ for promises being reneged with impunity.

In the run-up to the elections you also referred to alleged unlawful EPF investments in the stock market.

Work on the ‘Colombo Port City’ project (now renamed) which you reportedly called “Colombo’s largest land scam.” in partnership with ‘China Harbour Engineering Company’ you alleged was “banned by the World Bank” from 2009 to 2017 is continuing.

What is the difficulty in pursuing these cases consistent with the rule of law if you have the evidence to back-up your claims?” CLOSE QUOTE

My question was raised in the ‘RESPONSE’ section of your said article in the ‘Colombo Telegraph’. Normally they are answered on the SAME DAY. You too have followed this practice in your response to Dr Laksiri Fernando vis-à-vis your same article. Whether he is satisfied is a matter for him. It is now FOUR DAYS since my query.

Stock Market ‘Mafia’

Image courtesy of Narendramodi.in.---PM Modi visited Sri Lanka in March 2015.

MAYA MIRCHANDANI.-11/05/2017

This week, Sri Lanka is “Dhammadvipa”, the island of Buddhist philosophy, as it celebrates United Nations Vesak Day to mark the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha on Friday. There have been fourteen international celebrations, but this is Sri Lanka’s first time as host, even though it was instrumental in the UN’s declaration of an international day for it. India had backed the resolution in 1999 by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar (later assassinated by an LTTE sniper at his Colombo residence). So it is only fitting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak as chief guest at a massive, international conference on Buddhism, organised for the occasion in the Sri Lankan capital. For a small country with a bloody contemporary history, the significance of celebrating UN Vesak Day that recognises Buddhism’s contribution to spirituality, humanity, universal peace and compassion worldwide is not lost on anyone. The Sri Lankan government continues to face an international challenge over charges of human rights violations against civilians when it crushed the LTTE to end a brutal three-decade-long civil war in 2009.

For India too, the visit is significant. Against the backdrop of growing incidents of communal violence at home and uncharitable global commentary around cow vigilantes and anti-Romeo squads targeting Muslims and mixed religion couples, the Prime Minister will use this chance to project India’s own constitutionally-protected core values of secularism and tolerance at a global forum. According to reports, 72 out of 85 countries invited have confirmed their attendance.

This is Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to Sri Lanka since he assumed office. In March 2015, he made history as the first Indian PM to go there on an official, bilateral visit in 28 years, and the first one to visit Jaffna, ever. Along with three visits by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and two by President Maithripala Sirisena to India since the 2015 elections, these trips reflect Delhi’s aggressive diplomacy to rebuild the relationship with Colombo that hit rock bottom in the years immediately after the war. Delhi pushed then president Mahinda Rajapaksa to focus on relief and rehabilitation for Tamil civilians who had been caught in the crossfire. Currently, Delhi’s portfolio of financial assistance to Sri Lanka is at 2.6 billion dollars, out of which nearly 450 million dollars is in the form of grants.

But even as Delhi provided funds and resources for de-mining, hospitals (the PM opens a new one in Dickoya on this visit), rail and road construction and housing in Jaffna and adjoining areas, Rajapaksa made clear his preference for Beijing as a regional, global partner over Delhi. Rajapaksa’s singular motive: to ensure he had the backing of a global power who would take on the West at the UN and support his aggressive military solution to the civil war, even if it meant turning a blind eye to questionable violations against Tamil civilians in the bargain. So Rajapaksa, riding a wave of victory and popular support, baited India by awarding the crucial Hambantota port and other infrastructure projects to the Chinese – moves that also ultimately raised the suspicion of his own countrymen. The hero who won them the war has since become a political pariah charged with corruption and accused of leading Sri Lanka into a nasty debt-trap with the Chinese for projects that have not yielded economic returns even today.

As Delhi now uses these opportunities to seize primacy once again, Rajapaksa is also trying to win back lost ground. He has backed voices like the Thera Buddhist MP Wimal Weerawansa, calling for black flag protests against India during the Prime Minister’s visit, accusing the current United National Party (UNP) government of allowing India to “colonise” Sri Lanka. These voices are especially significant in the context of recent protests by unions of the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s oil workers against an agreement giving India the rights to develop and use a World War 2 era oil tank farm with 99 storage tanks in Trincomalee on the island’s north-eastern coast. Ironic, given that it is a revival of an old deal struck by India and Sri Lanka nearly two decades ago, while the war was still on. The agreement is now part of a mega Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation that covers energy, power, roads, infrastructure, agriculture and the fisheries sectors that was signed when PM Wickremesinghe was in Delhi last month, many of them aimed at making the Trincomalee area a hydrocarbon hub of critical geo-strategic importance for the region.

But domestic sensitivities in Colombo that stalled the original agreement on the tank farm for years are now the reason for the current government keeping it low key. The MoU has been tabled in the Sri Lankan parliament, and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has defended it vigourously, but in order to prove he is not “selling out” to India, his government is quick to point out two things. One, that development at Trincomalee will take place under a Japan-India-Sri Lanka Joint Working group to be set up; and two, that no bilateral agreements will be signed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit this week. (Curious, given the detailed MoU also provided timelines by when individual project agreements will be signed and become operable). In fact, Ranil Wickremesinghe leaves Colombo for Beijing on the 13th, to attend China’s Belt and Road Initiative summit- the very project that threatens India’s geo-strategic importance, as it incorporates the seas of the Indian Ocean to the south and east, and the lands of South and Central Asia to the north and west, to expand China’s sphere of influence. With Beijing’s advances, time is clearly of the essence, and the need to regain ground lost to China is of paramount strategic importance for India.

But India must know that in spite of having assiduously worked to revive its flailing relationship with Colombo since Rajapaksa’s ouster, the overall improvement in bilateral ties comes at the cost of diverting some attention from progress on the Tamil question. The Sirisena/Wickremesinghe government is yet to address concerns over missing persons, yet to fulfil promises for a new constitution that devolves more powers to the Tamil North and East, and yet to return lands overtaken by the Sri Lankan army during the last phases of the war. A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance, led by its leader R Sambandan, will meet Prime Minister Modi during his 24-hour visit to in an attempt to ensure India is still paying attention to their issues.

As India becomes a factor in domestic politics and Mahinda Rajapaksa plots his Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) political return by taking on Delhi, the diplomatic tightrope has gotten trickier. Colombo’s continued engagement with China is a concern, but India cannot tell Sri Lanka who to deal with. Under the circumstances, the Prime Minister’s visit to commemorate Vesak is a chance not only to project India’s constitutional values, but also reassure the people of Sri Lanka – both Sinhala and Tamil – that India’s commitment to development in Sri Lanka is in both countries’ mutual interest.

This commentary originally appeared in NDTV.