Brief international news

John Geraghty


Sen. Obama Suggests He Would Expand Pentagon Budget
In political news, Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has suggested he would increase the Pentagon's budget if elected president. Obama made the comment during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said that because the Iraq war has depleted our military "there's probably going to be a bump under an Obama presidency in initial spending just to get back to where we were." –democracynow.org


Not reported following the death of Watergate burglar and CIA agent, E.Howard Hunt was the revelation that in his latest book, ‘American Spy: My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate & Beyond’ Hunt accuses Lyndon Johnson and CIA agent William Harvey of planning the assassination of President John F Kennedy. Hunt lost a libel suit in 1995 regarding his presence at the scene of Kennedys assassination.

A US Navy strike group led by the assault ship USS Bataan steamed through the Suez Canal on Tuesday on its way to join the buildup of American forces in the Middle East.
The Bataan, which entered Egyptian waters Monday, spent the night at the Mediterranean harbor of Port Said and was expected to leave the Egyptian part of the Red Sea later Tuesday, a Suez Canal official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The seven-vessel Bataan group includes 2,200 US Marines and sailors, helicopters and Harrier fighter jets, the Navy said in Bahrain.
The US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, will be overseeing around 50 warships in the Mideast after the arrival of the Bataan and an American aircraft carrier group in February, said US Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown. This move has been seen as a possible build up of force in the gulf in preparation for an attack on Iran. Journalist and author Seymour Hersh speculated last Summer that an attack on Iran was in the planning and was likely to e carried out early in 2007. Mr. Hersh is regularly given stories by military insiders and frequently recounts meetings with agents of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.

Peace group Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) are currently going to court as a result of the revelation that BAE, Britains largest arms dealer had placed an insider in the organisation. BAE are said to be closely linked with Prime Minister Tony Blair, Blair having shut down an inquiry that alleged that BAE had bribed Saudi officials in return for lucrative contracts in 2006. Mr.Blair is said to have made a personal trip to Riyadh and also sent John Reid and Des Browne to clinch the order.

The European parliament has approved a report on CIA detention flights passing through or stopping in European nations. The report lists states that have been party to the illegal renditions of captives, who may undergo some form of torture after their journey. A majority of 382-256 passed the resolution. The use of Shannon airport has proved to be a public relations failure for the current government as it contravenes Irish law, which states that Irish airspace may not be used by the military of any other nation who are either on their way to combat or are engaged in training operations. Last summer, Ireland was mentioned in another report published by the council of Europe, a human rights organisation, as having cooperated in illegal renditions.