NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT THURSDAY 3/12/2020

(LIMITED SERVICE THROUGH LATE THURSDAY WHEN ABLE)

The stories of the stock market and coronavirus but first.......

US District Judge Anthony Trenga ordering the release of former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning saying the grand jury probing the Wikileaks case is no longer active and Manning's testimony is not needed in the case being made against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, currently awaiting extradition in the UK.

Manning reported to have attempted suicide in jail this week.  She was held since last May in connection with the Wikileaks case  Manning still facing stiff fines for refusing to testify......BREITBART NEWS STORY

Iraqi leaders condemning yesterday's rocket attack in Iraq that killed two American and a Briton.

The attack on a military base north of Baghdad killed a member of the US military and a civilian contractor along with a British soldier.

Retaliatory strikes believed to have been launched on Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units last night on the Iraq-Syria border with 18 reported killed but the number said to be 25 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group.

But the US does not claim responsibility for those attacks instead claiming responsibility for  "precision airstrikes" on ammunition depots of the Iranian supported Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq today.....TASS NEWS STORY

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that Israeli airstrikes in Syria like the March 5th attack from Lebanese airspace  "undermine regional stability and heighten tensions".....TASS NEWS STORY

The US General in charge in the Middle East Kenneth McKenzie of Central Command says that Iran is more dangerous because of the serious coronavirus situation in the country......REUTERS NEWS PUBLISHED BY YNET NEWS ISRAEL

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar says that Turkey and Russia have largely reached common ground on the operation of a cease-fire in northwestern Syria.    The leaders of the two nations agreed to the cease-fire last week after fighting between Turkish forces and Syrian jihadists with Syrian army forces backed by Iran and Russia.   Talks are going on this week in Ankara, Turkey.....TASS NEWS STORY

Markets are reeling again today with a sharp drop on Wall Street triggering an automatic pause.   The drop at mid-day (12 Noon Eastern US)  over 8.5 percent and in end it was ten percent with Wall Street now down some 30 percent from its highest level.

WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS?   THIS STORY FROM WALES TODAY MAY GIVE US AN INDICATION......BBC NEWS STORY

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON HELD AN EMERGENCY COBRA MEETING AND THEN APPEARED BEFORE THE MEDIA  SAYING THERE ARE LIKELY MORE CASES THAN HAVE BEEN DETECTED AT THIS POINT AND THE SPREAD OF IT WILL GET WORSE IN THE COMING WEEKS....VIDEO LINK.....JOHNSON NOTING THAT THERE WILL BE 'SEVERE DISRUPTION' FOR 'MANY MONTHS' IN THE UK.

A close aide to Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro who met with President Trump recently has tested positive for the coronavirus....BNN BLOOMBERG NEWS STORY

Coronavirus here in the USA and New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio announcing a state of emergency with some 95 cases in New York City.    DeBlasio says he expects one thousand cases by next week.

Public venues and sporting events closing or being cancelled from Broadway shows in New York to Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida.     The NCAA basketball tournament is cancelled.

Some 1,611 cases nationwide in the United States tonight with 442 in Washington state where 31 have died.    The total number of deaths nationwide at 40.

As of late today Thursday some 22 cases confirmed here in Pennsylvania.    Governor Tom Wolf ordering the closing of schools in suburban Philadelphia's Montgomery County.   On Friday a conference call with all Pennsylvania school superintendents and the state's education secretary.  

Some earlier reporting was that two new positive tests confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control, but still 71 other tests of the 173 done here in Pennsylvania outstanding with 100 coming up negative.   This reported by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh late Wednesday.

In Italy all businesses ordered shut down except pharmacies and food stores to prevent Covid-19 spread.   Italy experienced another sharp spike in cases and deaths today (Thursday) with the totals 15,113 cases and 1,016 deaths in spite of the nationwide shutdown of school and work activities......SPUTNIK NEWS STORY

In Spain 84 are reported dead today, up from 47 yesterday.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressing the coronavirus in a Thursday evening speech   140 cases reported in Australia.  Morrison stressing economic supports to deal with Covid-19.....VIDEO LINK

Israel now has 100 plus confirmed cases of the coronavirus some 131 in a later report than the linked story......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY....the late word from Israel is that there will be a complete shut down of schools in the country.....ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY......

BBC blog coverage of the coronavirus story.....BBC NEWS LIVE BLOG CORONAVIRUS

The High Court in Australia reserving its judgement on the appeal of Cardinal George Pell's conviction on child sex abuse charges.   Pell sentenced to six years in prison after his conviction for abusing two choirboys in the 1990's......ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA STORY

That's the way it really is Thursday March 12th, 2020.