NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 5/5-MONDAY 5/6/2019

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



41 are dead in a plane fire at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport according to Russian officials.   The Aeroflot plane made an emergency landing and burst into flames on the runway.

78 were on board the aircraft and one of the dead is reported to be a US citizen.


Early Monday morning reports from the Palestinian side say a cease-fire is in force with Israel as of 430 am local time, 930 pm Eastern US time.

No comment on that from Israel but an announcement that restrictions from the Home Front Command of the Israel Defense Forces are ended as of 7 am local time, 12 Midnight Eastern US time.

Israel says that more than 650 rockets have been fired into the country from Gaza since mid-day Saturday.  four are dead, others wounded and treated for shock.

Israel has launched at least 320 retaliatory strikes into Gaza with 17 dead there and 110 wounded according to Hamas.

The second day of the rocket barrage saw rocket attacks deeper inside Israel.

Israel believes the Hamas group seeking more concessions from Israel.

Even as the two sides were fighting each other, Israel continued regularly scheduled fuel deliveries to Gaza under agreements between Israel's government and Hamas.     More from the "Instant News Alerts" Twitter feed......LINK

A statement from US National Security Adviser John Bolton Sunday stating that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a "bomber task force" will be deployed in the US Central Command region because of:

"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings"

The statement concludes:

"The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces"

The situation worsening this weekend in Syria with the possibility that the HTS jihadists, formerly Al-Qaeda in Syria, will attack Syrian government held areas.  

That's the estimate of Russian Major General Viktor Kupchisin, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria.

He says the jihadists have built up strength at the southern end of the Idlib Province de-escalation zone and may launch an offensive into neighboring Hama Province.

Shelling from the militants southwards and air attacks from Russian and Syrian aircraft in response have heated up in recent days.    More from Russia's Tass News Agency.....LINK

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met the Venezuelan Foreign Minister in Moscow Sunday.

This week Lavrov meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Helsinki with Venezuela expected to be on the table.

The Venezuelan official reported to have told Lavrov to convey a message about "dialogue" being needed on the issue of Venezuela.

The US along with more than 50 other nations support National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president while Russia is among the nations that support Nicolas Maduro's regime.

TV Venezuela News reported Sunday night that Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton met at the Pentagon to discuss military options in Venezuela, but appearing on ABC's "This Week" Sunday Pompeo again said that "all options are on the table".

The Venezuelan Ambassador to the US says that the left-wing "Code Pink" demonstrators occupying his country's embassy in Washington will have to be removed, but that is responsibility of US authorities.

President Trump tweeting Sunday that tariffs on some Chinese goods will be bumped up from 10 to 25 percent Friday.

Its an apparent effort to pressure China as trade talks resume this week.

In the UK Tommy Robinson beefing up his security following two straight days of attacks on him during  his political campaign for a seat in the European Parliament.  For now he's been doused with milkshakes but there are fears from his supporters that something worse is next.

Robinson, who's running as an Independent for a European Parliament in North West England, is asking for financial support to pay for additional security......LINK TO TOMMY ROBINSON CAMPAIGN

Attacker Danyaal Mahmud is described in media reports as an "anti-fascist protester".   Police have taken no action against Mahmud following the attacks.

United Kingdom Independence Party leader Gerard Batten says all party leaders should debate ahead of the May 23rd elections in the UK for the European Parliament.

Batten making his call as Nigel Farage, who now disdains UKIP as extremist, promotes his new Brexit Party and is now drawing attention to himself by calling for debate with Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Labor Party leaders upset with Prime Minister Theresa May saying they have no trust in her.

"The Times" reported details of May's talks with Labor to cut a compromise to push through Brexit triggering the Labor Party's.

Mrs. May wrote for the "Mail on Sunday" calling for a deal with Labor to get her controversial Brexit treaty with the European Union through Parliament.      Her plan is widely opposed as "fake", a "sellout" and even "treason" by supporters of the winning Leave side in the 2016 referendum.

Australian voters go to the polls on Saturday May 18th in a General Election.  Polling data out in recent days shows once all the preferences are whittled down to the two major parties the opposition Labor Party is slightly on top in the race for 151 House of Representatives seats. 

One poll shows Labor up 52-48, the other 51-49   Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal-National Coalition hopes to stay in office but Bill Shorten of the Labor Party is in contention to become the next Prime Minister.

In the race for the 76 seats in the Senate the voting system enables minor parties allocation of seats and neither of the major party groups is expected to win a majority,

The results from Panama's election for president Sunday show that Luarentio Cortizo of the Democratic Revolutionary Party is the winner with 33 percent of the vote in a large field of candidates.

Corruption a big issue in the election with a scandal involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and illegal payments to 17 Panamanian officials.

From France 42,858 is the total counted at 334 locations Saturday by "The Yellow Number" Facebook page which keeps track of Yellow Vests protests for Week 25.    The final total compiled on Sunday is higher than the official government estimate of 18,900 but both sides agree there were fewer protesters for this last weekend of Yellow Vests protests.

The island nation of Brunei backing away from the death penalty for homosexuality,

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty in the new Sharia (Islamic Laws) brought into force last month.

There was international criticism of the law as it related to homosexuality and boycotts being launched against businesses owned by the oil rich nation.

And what about the Kentucky Derby Saturday and the disqualification of the Maximum Security after the horse crossed the finish line first?

It was ruled that Maximum Security had impeded other horses in the race and 65-1 odds Country House was declared the winner.

In part President Trump tweeted Sunday:

"...Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur.   The best horse did NOT win the Kentucky Derby-not even close!"

And that's the way it really is on this Monday morning, May 6th, 2019.