NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 5/12/-MONDAY 5/13/2019

(WORK IN PROGRESS, ADDITIONS, EDITING, UPDATES ETC. THROUGH MONDAY MORNING)

An attack on a church in the African nation of Burkina Faso Sunday.  Six dead including the priest with the church burned down.

A group of 20 to 30 participated in the attack leaving the church to set fire to shops and a cafe, then they looted a local health center.

Islamic terrorists including Islamic State are active in the country.

"It was the army that came to the rescue"

the words of France's leading opposition politician Marine Le Pen in relation to the rescue of four hostages from Islamic terrorists in Burkina Faso Thursday night.   Le Pen said of Macron's welcoming of the hostages this weekend:

"Every time he performs an act...there is a feeling of discomfort behind, because it is not in connection with the French people"

Le Pen suggested that Macron should have spent some time with the families of the two French soldiers killed in the operation to free the hostages.   She appeared on BFM-TV's Sunday politics program.


A Christian town in northern Syria rocketed by jihadists Sunday.  Six were killed in the attack on al-Suqilibiyah.

The attack coming amidst an offensive by the Syrian military backed by Russian Aerospace Forces against the jihadists in northern Hama and Idlib provinces.

The town of Arimah taken Sunday by the Syrian government forces.   More details from Southfront…….LINK

Jihadist sources in Syria claim that a Turkish observation post was hit by Syrian government forces but the Turks only say that the shells landed close to one of their military observation sites in northern Syria.

Almost a year after he was arrested live streaming outside a child sex abuse trial involving dozens of Muslim defendants summarily tried and sent off to prison  British activist Tommy Robinson will again face that possibility of prison this Tuesday May 14th.   

For the third time since he was released last summer Robinson will again in court at the Old Bailey in London.   Prosecutors have been dragging his case out keeping it over Robinson's head with constant delays.   There are new modified charges against Tommy Robinson.

More at the link to "TR.NEWS" and a video interview with Tommy explaining the situation...HERE

There will be a "Free Tommy" rally outside the courthouse at 1 pm Tuesday.

The United Arab Emirates is claiming that four commercial ships were targeted by "sabotage operations" near its territorial waters just east of the Persian Gulf in the Gulf of Oman.

The UAE says this is a "dangerous development" and called on the international community to step in and "prevent such actions".

Saudi Arabia is now saying that two of its oil tankers were targeted and "significant damage" was caused.  Reports say the oil tankers were bound for the United States.

Iran calls the development "worrying" and says there should be an investigation.

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani says his country is facing "total war" because of the political and economic sanctions imposed by the United States.

Rouhani says the sanctions are unprecedented and even worse that those imposed on Iran during the 8-year war with Iraq in the 1980's.

Late word is that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is delaying his trip to Moscow so he can stop in Brussels, where NATO is headquartered, to talk about Iran.   Pompeo will be in Sochi, Russia tomorrow to meet President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Mainstream media and internet chatter both raise notions of Iran's knowledge of what happened and or its involvement with the shipping sabotage.

Monday is mid-term election day in the Philippines with 12 of the nation's 24 Senate seats up for grabs.

President Rodrigo Duterte hopes his supporters will win enough seats today to give him control of the Senate.    Duterte already has a majority in the country's House of Representatives supportive of his get tough policies including his war against drugs.

Some reports of vote buying and voter intimidation through mid-day Monday.

Latest polling in France for the European Parliament elections being held there May 26th shows the National Rally of Marine Le Pen at 22.5 percent, followed closely by the La Republique En Marche of President Emmanuel Macron at 22 percent.

The Republicans are back at 12.5 percent and France Insubordinate of Jean Luc-Melenchon stands at 10 percent.    A Greens-Ecology party is at 7 percent.

All parties above a five percent threshold will be allocated French seats in the European Parliament with other parties including France's Socialist not able to break the five percent mark in the polling.

As is often the case in politics the leader of the party in the lead under attack.   A call for an investigation into connections between Marine Le Pen and American political operative Steve Bannon, who worked with Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign for President of the United States.

Various members of parliament  from other parties want a special commission of investigation after a report by France 2 government television tying Le Pen and her National Rally to Bannon.   Some suggest her actions and those of her party are treasonous.

Week 26 of the Yellow Vests in France with Saturday's protests at 252 locations with some 45,235 participants according to "The Yellow Number" census taken by the Yellow Vests.  The government estimate of protesters was 18,600.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says there is a breakdown in trust between the people and politicians in the UK in a BBC-TV appearance Sunday.

Farage told BBC host Andrew Marr during a bombardment of hostile questions on immigration, climate change and Vladimir Putin among other things:

"You're in denial, the BBC is in denial, the Tory and Labour parties are in denial"

He said they are all in for a bigger surprise when voters go to the poll for the European Parliament elections a week from Thursday (May 23rd).

The hostile questioning of Farage can be seen at this link to his Twitter page with the viral video pinned to the top of the feed.....HERE

New polling shows Farage's Brexit Party at 34 percent with other parties trailing (the Conservatives in fourth place).

Former Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair told Sky News that Labor is not firmly supporting remaining in the EU and urged those dissatisfied to vote for a "Remain" party, an apparent reference to the new Change UK Party contesting the European Parliament elections.

Detroit Congresswoman Rashida Talib in part tweeted this Sunday night:

"Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work.   All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably..."

She's responding to the reaction to her interview with a podcast on "Yahoo" over the weekend.  More on that from "Israel National News"......LINK

And then there's the British broadcaster Danny Baker under police investigation and fired from his BBC job after he tweeted a picture of the latest addition to the royal family depicting the babe as a chimpanzee dressed in a suit.

Baker performed a live show in Nottingham over the weekend starting off by saying his tweet was "revolting" and "misjudged" but he denied there was anything "racist" in it.

One of his lines for the audience was:

"When life deals you lemons, you chuck them at the people calling you a racist"

At the end of his performance, a standing ovation.

More from the BBC......LINK

And that's the way it really is on this Monday morning, May 13th, 2019.