NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT THURSDAY 12/19/2019

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE THURSDAY)

A federal judge in Portland, Oregon will rule tomorrow as environmental groups seek to revoke the grazing permit for Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the ranchers pardoned by President Trump last year.

The Hammonds were jailed serving a mandatory terrorism sentence for lighting a backfire to protect their land from a brush fire.

Their case brought to the attention of the world by Ammon Bundy,  LaVoy Finicum and others involved in the Oregon Standoff protest in early 2016.

Maxine Bernstein of "Oregon Live" has more on the legal wrangling in court today.....LINK

A deadly shooting attack in downtown Moscow.   An unidentified individual opened fire at the FSB security headquarters and a police officer is reported killed.    The news agency Tass says the attacker has been neutralized.

Five are reported injured.

The attack is being called an act of terrorism by authorities.

More from Tass......LINK.......Another report on the injured.....LINK.   An earlier Tass report..........LINK

The attack took place during Russian President Vladimir Putin's marathon year end news conference.

The British government moving forward with the agenda of Prime Minister Boris Johnson following last week's election as Her Majesty the Queen made a throne speech Thursday in Parliament.   Topping the agenda Brexit with Boris Johnson's notion of it to be approved by January 31st.

Also today in the debate following her speech Mr. Johnson confirmed that his government will follow through with the Conservative Party manifesto promise to ban local councils in the UK from boycotting Israel.

More on this from "Israel National News"......LINK

A new Prime Minister designated in Lebanon today.  University professor and former education minister Hassan Diab nominated to the post by President Michel Aoun.    Diab has the backing of the Shia factions Hezbollah and Amal along with the Christian Free Patriotic Movement but the Sunni faction of the outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri does not support Diab.

THREE DIED THURSDAY IN CONTINUING PROTESTS BY MUSLIMS AGAINST INDIA'S NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW.

THOUSANDS PROTESTING DESPITE A BAN ON PROTESTS IN PARTS OF THE CAPITAL CITY OF DELHI AND TWO STATES.

THE NEW LAW GRANTS CITIZENSHIP TO NON-MUSLIMS WHO ENTER INDIA FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.    PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI SAYS ITS DESIGNED TO HELP THOSE FLEEING RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

The French Premier Edouard Philippe meeting union leaders today with no sign of agreement to end the strike over President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plan.

The European Court of Justice has ruled in favor of a jailed Catalan independence leader saying he is entitled to immunity to be involved in the European Parliament.

Oriol Junqueras was on trial for sedition in Spain when he was elected last May and later convicted of sedition.

More on this ruling from the BBC.....LINK

In Syria more than 100 Russian and Syrian airstrikes reported in a 24 hour period ending yesterday.     The attacks in the northwest (Greater Idlib Region) with several jihadist opposition fighters killed.

More with some embedded videos of the air strikes from the "Southfront" website......LINK

THE LATE WORD IS THAT SYRIAN SPECIAL FORCES HAVE BEGUN GROUND OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN IDLIB.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 50-thousand people are fleeing the Idlib region and entering Turkey.    Erdogan promoting his plan to resettle Syrian refugees in territory now under Turkish control in northeastern Syria.

More on this from the pro-government "Yeni Safak" website.....LINK

The Turkish government is denying a report in the British newspaper "The Telegraph".    It claims that the Hamas organization that controls the Gaza Strip and launches attacks against Israel uses Istanbul as a base for foreign operations.

A ban on face coverings in a Swedish town's schools.

That was the result of a 22-19 vote of council in the town of Skurup.    The measure aimed at Islamic face coverings applies to both student and staff of the town's schools.

It passed with the support of other political parties besides the Sweden Democrats who promoted the measure.

More from Russia's "Sputnik" news site....LINK

And for now that's the way it really is for Thursday December 19th, 2019.