NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 6/7/2020

(SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE SUNDAY)

Germany under intense pressure to scuttle the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to bring natural gas from Russia underwater to Germany.    That's the assessment of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The United States behind that pressure.    On Friday a White House official told the media that nine thousand US troops were going to be withdrawn from Germany.

TASS NEWS STORY

A Russian disc jockey arrested in Berlin at the request of the United States.     The Justice Department accusing Denis Kaznacheev of money laundering and being part of the "cyber mafia".......TASS NEWS REPORT

A Florida judge who has refused to release grand jury records related to the late Jeffrey Epstein has close ties to politicians involved in an investigation of Epstein 15 years ago.     A grand jury was convened that led to a lowering of charges against Epstein and a plea deal over his involvement with a 14-year old girl.     Epstein served a limited sentence with work release privileges as well.......MIAMI HERALD NEWS STORY

Reports from Syria say that government troops are massing in the southern part of the Greater Idlib region.    The Al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) says the government forces are readying for an offensive against them.......SOUTHFRONT NEWS STORY....On Saturday Syrian government forces shelled jihadist positions in southern Idlib with Russian aircraft and drones reported active over the region.......SOUTHFRONT NEWS STORY 2

LEBANON'S PRESIDENT CALLING FOR NATIONAL UNITY AFTER A NIGHT OF FIGHTING INVOLVING VARIOUS POLITICAL FACTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.   GUNFIRE WAS HEARD DURING THE DISTURBANCES IN PARTS OF THE CAPITAL CITY BEIRUT WITH THE LEBANESE MILITARY DEPLOYED.   YESTERDAY PROTESTERS CLASHING WITH THE POLICE AND MILITARY OVER ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY......REUTERS NEWS STORY

A MAJORITY OF THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL HAS COMMITTED ITSELF TO "BEGIN THE PROCESS OF ENDING" THE CITY'S POLICE DEPARTMENT.     WHAT THIS APPARENT ATTEMPT TO APPEASE PROTESTERS WILL MEAN REMAINS TO BE SEEN?........MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE

The worldwide protests continue today over the killing of George Floyd with ferocity.    In the UK Bristol, England the scene of a demonstration that led to the toppling of the statue of a slave trader.   The statue then rolled through the streets and dumped into the water at a local boat dock..............VIDEO LINK STATUE TOPPLED......LIVE VIDEO FEED BRISTOL, UK.....

Saturday night in Portland, Oregon confrontation at a fence around the "Justice Center" downtown with police declaring an "unlawful assembly" and a sheriff's deputy injured by an incendiary device thrown over the fence.     A view of the confrontation offered in this video from "Oregon Cop Watcher".......VIDEO LINK PORTLAND PROTEST SATURDAY NIGHT.....

Also protesters using the name of "Breonna Taylor" at demonstrations.     Taylor, an Emergency Medical Technician, was shot eight times during a "no-knock" police raid on her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13th....BBC NEWS STORY

The Russian father and daughter allegedly poisoned by Russian intelligence with the nerve agent Novichok have been moved to New Zealand by British intelligence.      The "Sunday Times" reporting these new developments regarding Sergei and  Yulia Skripal.

Sergei Skripal was convicted in Russia for spying but later exchanged for Russian spies.  When his daughter Yulia visited him in the UK in March of 2018 its alleged that they were poisoned with the nerve agent.  

The Skripals were hospitalized for the poisoning which Russia strenuously denies involvement in.   A British couple found the poison at a different location in June and one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died of poisoning.....TASS NEWS STORY

JAPAN DECIDING NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DENUNCIATION OF CHINA OVER ITS NEW HONG KONG SECURITY LAW.    THE US, BRITAIN AND OTHER NATIONS ISSUING CONDEMNATION OF CHINA'S ACTION.....KYODO NEWS AGENCY STORY PUBLISHED BY JAPAN TIMES

Coronavirus fears running strong in Israel this weekend.   Its been decided that train service will not resume tomorrow following a rise in the number of cases in Israel to nearly 200 more per day.    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says opening up the economy has caused more cases and also cited what he called "lack of adherence to the rules".........YNET NEWS STORY......Health officials have identified "hotspots" in the country for Covid-19......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY

Worldwide coronavirus statistics today showing more than 400-thousand deaths attributed to Covid-19.......

The coronavirus story around the world as reported by BBC News on its blog......BBC NEWS CORONAVIRUS BLOG 6/7/2020

In other news......

Today is the 80th birthday of singing legend Sir Tom Jones who says:

"God has been good to me and my voice is still there.  So as long as it's there I wanna get up...singing live to people is the thing."

BBC NEWS TOM JONES STORY

And that's the way it really is Sunday June 7th, 2020........