NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 7/12/2020

ARE THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE GLOBE A PLAN THAT'S DESTROYING BRICK AND MORTAR BUSINESSES?

HEALTH FREEDOM IDAHO TALKING ABOUT SUCH A NOTION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED BY IDAHO'S REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR BRAD LITTLE.     THE GROUP GATHERED FOR AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL PROTEST OUTSIDE IDAHO'S STATE CAPITOL IN BOISE SATURDAY EVENING......FACEBOOK VIDEO POST

21 injuries reported (17 military, 4 civilian) after an explosion and fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious asault ship in San Diego.     The fire reported just before 9 am local time, 12 Noon Eastern US time.   No cause is known for the fire as crews continue to battle it tonight....FIRE VIDEO

THE EXIT POLL IN POLAND'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TODAY SHOWS INCUMBENT NATIONALIST ANDRZEJ DUDA  HOLDING A NARROW LEAD OVER THE SOCIALLY LIBERAL MAJOR OF WARSAW RAFAL TRASKOWSKI 50.4 PERCENT TO 49.6 PERCENT.   FULL RESULTS COMING ON MONDAY.......

Iran's civil aviation organization announced this weekend that an air defense radar operator had misaligned the system leading to the accidental shoot down of a Ukrainian airliner in January.

176 people died on the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 that went down moments after takeoff from Tehran on January 8th.

Iranian air defenses were on high alert at the time due to tensions with the United States following the US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iran's retaliatory strike at a US base in Iraq.....PRESS TV IRAN

Pope Francis says he is "pained" by Turkey's decision to make Hagia Sophia in Istanbul a mosque again.     The Pope spoke today in a service at the Vatican.......BBC NEWS STORY

IN ISRAEL TONIGHT ORTHODOX JEWS PROTESTING IN JERUSALEM DECRYING THE SHUTOWNS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES PUSHING AGAINST THE BARRICADES PUT UP IN THE NAME OF PREVENTING COVID-19 SPREAD.    ANGER AT AUTHORITIES AND POLITICIANS IN ISRAEL OVER THEIR TREATMENT......YNET NEWS.......TRASH CANS SET ON FIRE DURING TONIGHT'S PROTEST AND AT LEAST TWO ARRESTS REPORTED.......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS (VIDEO REPORT EMBEDDED)

A massive protest rally in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square Saturday night organized by business owners devastated by coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Israel.      In the aftermath of the rally streets and highways nearby were blocked by some demonstrators leading to clashes with police.     At least 19 arrests made......SPUTNIK NEWS RUSSIA....Today Israel's cabinet approving grants of up to 2,250 dollars to self-employed workers and business owners in the country.....YNET NEWS ISRAEL

RUSSIA SAYS THAT ITS AIR DEFENSES DOWNED TWO COMBAT DRONES APPROACHING ITS HMEIMIM AIR BASE IN SYRIA.      THE ATTACK SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE DRONES TAKEN DOWN FIVE KILOMETERS FROM THE BASE.    NO RUSSIAN CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE TO THE AIR BASE......TASS STORY

Under pressure from Russia and China the UN Security Council agreeing to allow only one route for UN humanitarian aid to enter Syria instead of the present three.    After vetoing previous attempts to allow two routes, Russia and China abstained to allow aid to enter the country only in the opposition jihadist controlled Idlib area.     Aid will no longer enter Syria in government controlled areas...VOICE OF AMERICA STORY......TASS STORY

"Our relations are still nearly at their lowest point"

That's how Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sees US-Russian relations right now.    In a Russian TV interview today Peskov made his comments adding that "the situation is very bad" in terms of bilateral and multilateral relations.

He expressed concern about a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty saying that Russia and the US have arsenals greater than that of China and other nations.  The US is pushing Russia to bring China into a new START treaty......TASS STORY

MILITARY FORCES OF TWO NATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY EXCHANGING FIRE TODAY.      BOTH AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA REPORTING THE SHELLING IN THE DISPUTED NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION WHERE A CONFLICT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 1988.     AZERBAIJAN SAYS TWO OF ITS SOLIDERS KILLED,   FIVE WOUNDED.  RUSSIA HAS A MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA AND TURKEY SUPPORTS AZERBAIJAN.......TASS-ARMENIAN VERSION.......TASS-AZERBAIJANI VERSION

In Iraq a three truck convoy carrying vehicles and supplies for US forces stopped by gunmen with local contract drivers forced out.     The trucks then torched......JERUSALEM POST STORY...."Southfront" reporting that the attack was carried out by an "anti-US Iraqi resistance group".......SOUTHFRONT STORY (VIDEO LINKS)

The President of the African nation of Mali trying to quell unrest that has gone on for months and killed four more people on Friday.   Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dissolved the country's constitutional court that dissolved parliamentary election results earlier this year.....BBC NEWS

15,300 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES REPORTED IN FLORIDA TODAY ACCORDING TO WORLDOMETERS, A SINGLE DAY RECORD......

US SURGEON GENERAL JEROME ADAMS SAID TODAY THAT THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION IN THE US WOULD IMPROVE WITHIN TWO OR THREE WEEKS IF 'EVERYONE DOES THEIR PART" AND PRACTICES SOCIAL DISTANCING AND USES FACE COVERINGS (MUZZLES)......BUSINESS INSIDER STORY

 THE SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI URGED IRANIANS TO OBEY RULES REGARDING COVID-19, NOTING  A RESURGENCE OF CASES IN THE COUNTRY...... PRESS TV IRAN (VIDEO EMBEDDED)

RESEARCHERS IN ISRAEL PAINTING A DIRE PICTURE OF THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION THERE AND RECOMMENDING THAT STRICTER MEASURES INCLUDING A POSSIBLE RETURN TO NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN MAY BE NEEDED NEXT WEEK......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

The coronavirus story worldwide today as interpteted by BBC News on a daily blog......BBC NEWS CORONAVIRUS BLOG 7/12/2020

That's the way it really is Sunday July 12th, 2020, another day in the Dictatorship of Covid-19.