Sam Gad Jones

Possibly the most self-destructive reaction towards the US antagonism against the EU is by national leaders offering national partnerships.

This is exactly the kind of avenue for the US/Trump to split Europe and reign over smaller European countries.

Russia’s hybrid warfare puts Europe to the test Officials suspect a campaign of sabotage that once looked opportunistic may be a strategic escalation

Deterring Russian sabotage is fraught with difficulty. “Containment is not enough,” Italy’s minister of defence argued. But what does being proactive look like when it comes to an adversary as unpredictable as Putin?

Today's Big Read by @samgadjones.bsky.social is on #FTEdit 👉 on.ft.com/44ffqrh

Russia sends stolen Ukrainian children to North Korea to become militarized.

Ex-Wirecard boss Jan Marsalek linked to multibillion-dollar laundering network Link is latest revelation in a years-long probe into Smart and TGR, which move money for criminals and sanctioned individuals

Ex-Wirecard boss Jan Marsalek linked to multibillion-dollar laundering network on.ft.com/4abx6aK

Made in Moscow: The “U.S. peace plan” for Ukraine was substantially formulated months ago by Kremlin operative Kirill Dmitriev Since it was first published on Nov. 20, the much-discussed 28-point plan for ending the war in Ukraine has borne all the signs of a Kremlin information operation. In fact, many of its most controvers...

New: @theins.press saw the Witkoff-Dmitriev plan six months ago in draft form—except it was all Dmitriev. Bloomberg reports now Dmitriev told Ushakov he’d pass along a Russian plan and the Americans “can present it as their own”: theins.press/en/politics/...

Touched by Gold: Elton John | World Gold Council Elton John’s life has been touched by gold in fascinating ways, both on and off the stage. Hear his story, in a new exclusive access documentary.

What the hell…

"I was confident that Ryanair would match your public spiritedness by refunding you the £100 fee as a goodwill gesture. I was naive."

Some epic shithousery from Ryanair here, impressive.

Well yes, apart from half term weeks. But that’s still not enough to save February. Also skiing is v close in November… most high resorts you can ski from next week! (Or now in lots of places. Friends already went this weekend in Engelberg)

Not if you live in northern Germany 😭. Treacherous March and April.

I like November. How anyone could say any month is objectively worse than February - cold, bleak, and nothing to celebrate except the awfulness of Valentine’s Day - I do not know.

Paranoid espiocracy negotiates with corrupt plutocracy = chaos.

Lawmakers say US secretary of state rowed back on Ukraine peace plan [FREE TO READ] Senators said Marco Rubio told them that a contentious 28-point proposal was not a Trump administration policy

This is just such a shitshow

Trump’s world view: cynical, self-interested and money-grabbing [FREE TO READ] Latest Ukraine peace plan presented by the US would be a capitulation to Moscow

FT Editorial.

“This was the week when any ambiguity surely disappeared. The true cynical, money-grabbing and self-interested nature of his world view was laid bare.”

Labour MPs Call For A More Serious Review Of The Government's Use Of X Labour MPs are calling for ministers to take control of decisions over the government’s continued use of X, as concerns grow about the platform’s s...

I’m calling on the UK Government to seriously review its presence on X (formerly Twitter) and then leave. It’s not just a communication channel anymore. Read more:
www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/10

That’s basically the (most benign) encapsulation of Trumpism isn’t it?

This, written by Teddy Roosevelt just prior to US intervention in WW1, seems apt to quote re. America:

“The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”

Choose dignity.

Once lost it is the hardest of things to regain.

America has already lost its.

Former leader of Reform UK in Wales jailed over pro-Russian bribes Nathan Gill sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting money to make statements in European parliament

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been jailed for 10 and a half years after he accepted money to make pro-Russian statements in the European parliament.

www.ft.com/content/9959...

Some notable things in what's being called the "Trump peace plan" but which could not have been more clearly written in Moscow if it came with a 2 for 1 deal on tickets to the Bolshoi Ballet. 🧵

Narrator: But the chip sales… were the bubble…

Russia, Europe fight for custody of operative linked to DHL bomb plot A Russian national, now in Azerbaijan, is suspected of coordinating a 2024 parcel plot targeting air cargo planes in Europe.

Exclusive: Russia’s spy agencies and Western security services are engaged in a secret struggle to gain custody of a Russian operative suspected of coordinating attacks last year that caused air cargo packages to burst into flames in Europe.

Former MI6 chief Richard Moore: Britain must regain the ‘power of example’ [FREE TO READ] The outgoing head of the Secret Intelligence Service on the rise of China, why Putin is not interested in talks — and how screen spies aren’t always far from the truth

“I fundamentally assess that Putin is not interested in negotiations. There are no negotiations, not real negotiations. He’s attempting to play us… [But] this is a very, very winnable contest… It’s particularly important that we don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.”

The Freedom of Russia resistance movement set fire to dozens of locomotives on the territory of Russia - Ukrainian Defense Intelligence

Russian locomotives are used to transport weapons, ammunition, and equipment during combat operations against Ukraine.

Take a look at this extraordinary story by the @financialtimes.com investigations star Alison Killing:
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...

The Swiss have upset me.

Squeaky shoes are so ‘embarrassing’ that wearers have filed a lawsuit [FREE TO READ] Customers launched a class-action lawsuit against On trainers in the US. But loud clothes and accessories are everywhere

Of course. The noise. That’s what makes On shoes embarrassing.

on.ft.com/492l9Uq

Let’s take a look at the whole “there are too many black people on TV” thing, shall we?

After Pochin claimed Black people in TV adverts “made her mad”, all her supporters tried to use 👇🏼 as their excuse for why she was somehow justified in her overt racism.

Spoiler - she isn’t! 🤨

🧵
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Unlike my cursed handheld Dyson, which looks so sleek hung discreetly in my cupboard but still only deigns to perform for ten continuous seconds within any two hour period of time.

I could solve the West’s rare earth crisis with the number of lithium batteries I’ve bought to try and make it go.

Paging @katie0martin.ft.com