NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT THURSDAY-FRIDAY 3/21-3/22/2019

(UPDATES AND ADDITIONS, EDITING ETC. POSSIBLE UNTIL 545 AM EASTERN TIME US)

The Battle of Brexit and Prime Minister Theresa May getting help from the European Union leaders with late night action Thursday.

The EU leaders agreeing to extension of the Brexit deadline beyond March 29th so May can continue to arm twist Parliament for her plan, called a "sellout" of British sovereignty by Brexit activists.

The EU says the deadline will be May 22nd if May's plan is approved next week and will be April 12th if its not.   

Brexit activists like United Kingdom Independence Party leader Gerard Batten and followers like Tommy Robinson along with Leave Means Leave that includes Nigel Farage and others calling for a pullout with and they will rally outside Parliament to that end next Thursday March 29th the deadline as it stands right now under British law.

Reacting to the overnight developments the tweet from "Mr Brexit" Nigel Farage Friday morning:

"Last night a national humiliation became an international humiliation."

A  top aide to Venezuela's Interim President Juan Guaido has been detained.  Guaido's Chief of Staff detained by secret police agents of SEBIN who raided his home early Thursday morning at 2am local time.  

Guaido demands his immediate release.   Roberto Marrero was taken away and his whereabouts are unknown.  Guaido tweeted that a grenade and two rifles were planted by the secret police in Marrero's home.

The home of an opposition legislator nearby Marrero's home also raided, but he was not detained.

There's concern this action signals a crackdown on the opposition.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Thurday morning that the US 'condemns' the raid on Marrero's home adding:

"We call for his immediate release.   We will hold accountable those involved"

US National Security Adviser John Bolton called it a 'big mistake'.

Also condemning the secret police raid taking Marrero away House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeting in part:

"We condemn the Maduro regime's middle of the night raid and kidnapping of Roberto Marrero..."

The latest news on the Yellow Yests crackdown by authorities in France includes bans on demonstrations in Metz, Marseille and Nice.

There were already bans announced on the Champs-Elysees and at the Place de l'Etoile  (in front of the Arc de Triomphe) in Paris plus key locations in Bordeaux and Toulouse.

Another new dimension to the crackdown on Yellow Vests protests announced by the government of President Emmanuel Macron this week involves using soldiers.

French military units will be deployed to secure "fixed points" including government buildings Saturday.

This triggered debate between various political leaders in a televised debate Wednesday night.

France's leading opposition politician Marine Le Pen of the National Rally deplored the "military response" to the protests using the "Sentinel" units of the military designated to deter terrorism.

Leftist leader Jean Luc-Melenchon of the LFI (France Insubordinate) Party went further:

"A soldier is not a policeman!  You put a soldier and he is still assaulted what does he do, he shoots...You went crazy, come on!"

Police already committed to new tactics, especially in Paris where the anarchists infiltrated the Yellow Vests protests last week committing various acts of looting and vandalism.

Tactics said to ensure that injuries will occur if they are used.

Yellow Vests calls for Week 19 protests tomorrow are aplenty online in cities across the country and in the Trocadero area of Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron's personal popularity is back down to 29 percent after being up above 30 percent for the first few months of 2019.   That's the latest polling in France from the BVA polling organization.

47 are dead following an explosion at a pesticide factory in Yangcheng, China Thursday.  90 were injured in the blast which came after a fire started at the factory.

A 2.2. magnitude tremor was caused by the explosion.

North Korea told South Korea Friday that its withdrawing from a liaison office between the two countries.   North Korean staff leaving the office by the end of the day.  South Korea expressed its regret and urged the staff from the North to return soon to the office in the city of Kaesong on the border of the two countries.

The Muslim call to prayer broadcast in New Zealand Friday and there was a two minute silence to mark one week since the mass murder attacks on two mosques.  50 killed dozens wounded in the attacks in Christchurch.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays a pre-election visit to the White House next week for a meeting with President Trump.   He's also in Washington for the annual AIPAC meeting.

News reports Thursday that Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, taken during the 1967 war,  would be supported by the United States.   President Trump affirmed US support for Israel's sovereignty in Golan with a tweet Thursday afternoon.

And then there's convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, seen doing something he needs permission from his parole officer to do.   Pollard sighted twice at Israel's consulate in New York, fueling speculation he will be allowed to move to Israel.

In November 2015 Pollard paroled with restrictions for five years while serving a life sentence for espionage connected to his spying for Israel.

Israeli politics with the main opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu getting the Trump Treatment.    A sort of Michael Steele dossier has emerged from Israel's intelligence community aimed at former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Party.

The story points to Gantz being compromised by a foreign power with Iran hacking his cell phone.

In addition a story has been spread about concerning a Gantz "sex tape".   Benny Gantz dismissing the drama leaked into the media by Israel's intelligence community as "political gossip".

Russian airstrikes against jihadist forces in northern Syria early Thursday.   The Russians pounding positions of groups that have violated a demilitarized zone guaranteed by Russia and Turkey in Idlib province.

Nicaragua's left-wing government says all opposition prisoners detained since last year's protests will be released.   Some 700 prisoners are to be set free in the next 90 days.

Peace talks in the country ended when more than a hundred people were arrested last weekend.

A crackdown by the Sandinista government on opposition protests last year killed some 300 people in the country.

The former president of Brazil, Michel Temer, arrested on corruption charges Thursday.  Temer being investigated in several cases.   He replaced leftist Dilma Rousseff when she was impeached in 2016 and left office when Jair Bolsonaro became president in January.

The Dutch provincial elections Wednesday and of the 570 seats elected in provincial legislatures 86 went to the new party that had no seats before, the Forum for Democracy.   The FvD a populist anti-mass immigration party, emerging out of nowhere now holding more seats than the 80 of Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberals.

The Party of Freedom led by Geert Wilders was reduced from 66 to 41 seats in the provincial legislatures.

The legislators elected Wednesday elect the 75 Senators in the Dutch Senate November 27th and the governing coalition of Prime Minister Mark Rutte will no longer hold a majority afterwards.

Getting back to the new Forum for Democracy, its leader Thierry Baudet is strongly opposed to mass immigration and takes other populist positions including friendlier relations with Russia.

But his style is said to be less "harsh" than that of Geert Wilders and the range of issues more broad-based.

The White House scene and President Trump signing an executive order for free speech on college campuses.

Its a symbolic move and any teeth in it could be challenged in court.

But it does have emotional wedge appeal going into the President's re-election year next year.

Conservative activists very concerned about censorship of their speakers and their ideas on college campuses Thursday.

A former President of the United States in now the longest living president.   The 39th president Jimmy Carter becoming 94 years and 172 days old Thursday night, surpassing George H.W. Bush.   Bush died 94 years and 171 days old last November.

And that's the way it really is on this Friday morning March 22nd, 2019.