TDB Top 5 International Stories: Wednesday 21st September 2016

5: U.S. Muslims Fear Hate Crimes & Overreaction by Law Enforcement in Wake of Chelsea Bombing

We host a roundtable discussion about the terrorist attacks, and the response to them, in New York, New Jersey and St. Cloud, Minnesota, where a man named Dahir Adan is accused of knifing 10 people. After police arrested 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, a suspect in Saturday’s bombings, concern has grown that the government may overreact with security measures and individuals may carry out hate crimes. “There is fear for our own personal security, especially for American Muslim women who identify as Muslim via wearing the hijab,” says Debbie Almontaser, president of the Muslim Community Network. We also speak with Ramzi Kassem, professor of law at the City University of New York School of Law, where he directs the Immigrant & Non-Citizen Rights Clinic.

Democracy Now!

4: Everything We Know About Australia’s Role in the Bombings That Ended the Syrian Ceasefire

On Monday morning, news broke of Australia’s involvement in the injury and death of over 150 Syrian soldiers, as part of a US-led military offensive. The Western coalition maintains that a team of five jet fighters was targeting ISIS positions on the Tharda mountain, but accidently struck a Syrian government military base.

The incident was first reported by the Syria Observatory for Human Rights. They alleged that after the Syrian position was destroyed, “IS militants were able to take control on the artillery brigade around the military airport.”

Australia’s misfire came in the midst of a fragile ceasefire, brokered by the US and Russia—an attempt to halt violence in the bloody five-year Syrian conflict. However, as this event coincided with another bungled attack, the Syrian military have since declared the ceasefire officially over.

So how did this all come about?

Vice News

3: WHY OBAMA SHOULD PARDON ALL LEAKERS AND WHISTLEBLOWERS — NOT JUST EDWARD SNOWDEN

OF COURSE PRESIDENT OBAMA should pardon Edward Snowden — and Chelsea Manning, too.

But this story is not about the excellent reasons for thanking rather than locking up the two most famous whistleblowers of the post-9/11 era. Plenty of people are already calling for that in powerful ways. A new petition on Snowden’s behalf has been signed by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey as well as Steve Wozniak, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Aragorn (also known as Viggo Mortensen). Organizations coming out in support of a pardon for Snowden, who is currently a political refugee in Moscow, include the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. And Oliver Stone has just released “Snowden,” a movie that emphasizes his good and patriotic intentions.

The Intercept

2: Russia denies responsibility for aid convoy strike

Neither Russian nor Syrian planes bombed an aid convoy in Syria’s Aleppo, Moscow says, as outrage mounted over an attack the UN said could be a war crime.

The Red Cross said on Tuesday at least 20 people were killed in the attack on the trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian relief to thousands of Syrians.

“The air forces of Russia and Syria did not conduct any strikes against the UN aid convoy in the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Konashenkov said the attack the previous night doesn’t appear to have been from an air strike.

The Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue group known as the White Helmets that operates in rebel-held areas, posted images of several vehicles on fire. A video of the attack showed huge balls of fire against the night sky as ambulances arrived on the scene.

Aljazeera

1: Global trade deal threatens Paris climate goals, leaked documents show

A far-reaching global trade deal being negotiated in secret could threaten the goals of the Paris climate deal by making it harder for governments to favour clean energy over fossil fuels, a leak of the latest negotiating text shows.

The controversial Trade in Services Agreement (Tisa) aims to liberalise trade between the EU and 22 countries across the global services sector, which employs tens of millions in Europe alone.

But a new EU text seen by the Guardian would oblige signatories to work towards “energy neutrality” between renewable energy and fossil fuel power, although amendments proposed by the EU would exempt nuclear power from this rule.

The document, marked “limited distribution – for Tisa participants only”, would also force member states to legislate against “anti-competitive conduct” and “market distortions” in energy-related services. This is viewed by campaigners as code for state support for clean power sectors, such as wind and solar.

A right to regulate is explicitly mentioned in the paper, but governments would first have to prove the necessity for regulations that legally constrain multinationals.

The Guardian