Monday, February 09, 2026
La police britannique «examine» des informations selon lesquelles Andrew aurait transmis des rapports confidentiels à Epstein
LE FIGARO : Dans un communiqué transmis à l’AFP, la police régionale de Windsor a confirmé avoir été saisie à la suite de ces informations contenues dans des courriels diffusés par le ministère américain de la Justice.
La police britannique a indiqué lundi « examiner » des informations selon lesquelles l'ex-prince Andrew pourrait avoir transmis au pédocriminel Jeffrey Epstein des informations confidentielles alors qu'il était envoyé spécial au Commerce en 2010. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 9 février 2026
La police britannique a indiqué lundi « examiner » des informations selon lesquelles l'ex-prince Andrew pourrait avoir transmis au pédocriminel Jeffrey Epstein des informations confidentielles alors qu'il était envoyé spécial au Commerce en 2010. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 9 février 2026
"Journalism Deserves Better": Ex-Washington Post Staffers Slam Billionaire Bezos for Gutting Paper
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IHIP News: JD Vance Booed at Olympics, Sending Him into a Stage 5 Meltdown
Very strong language alert!
Steve Schmidt: Love Will Defeat Trump’s Hate
Giovanni Siracusa: Rustic Italian Chicken and Potatoes: Easy One Pan Family Dinner — Pollo alla contadina
Jan 10, 2026 | This is the kind of dish my grandmother used to make for us growing up. It’s a simple, one-pan meal made with real ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen.
My family had a farm in Sicily, which is why we ate this so often. It's called Pollo alla Contadina, which means "Farmer" or "Country-style" chicken.
In the countryside, you ate off the land, and that is exactly what authentic Italian home cooking is all about.
My family had a farm in Sicily, which is why we ate this so often. It's called Pollo alla Contadina, which means "Farmer" or "Country-style" chicken.
In the countryside, you ate off the land, and that is exactly what authentic Italian home cooking is all about.
UK-Saudi Arabia Relations: Prince William’s First Official Trip to Riyadh
Hong Kong Court Sentences Jimmy Lai to 20 Years
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The media tycoon, a Chinese-born British citizen, had been a persistent critic of Beijing. The sentence is the harshest penalty so far under a national security law.
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul who spent decades as a defiant thorn in Beijing’s side, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison, the harshest penalty ever handed down for a national security offense in the semiautonomous territory.
The landmark ruling completes a yearslong effort by Beijing to dismantle the influence of a man it blamed for masterminding Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
Mr. Lai, 78, smiled and waved at the public gallery after his sentencing. His wife, Teresa Lai, sat emotionless with her arms folded, and weeping could be heard in the back of the gallery.
His daughter, Claire Lai, said the sentence was “heartbreakingly cruel.” She added: “If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars.”
In December, Mr. Lai was found guilty of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” that stemmed from meetings he had held with politicians in the United States. He was also convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious material in Apple Daily, the now-shuttered Chinese-language pro-democracy newspaper he founded in 1995. » | David Pierson and Francesca Regalado | Published: Sunday, February 8, 2026. Updated: Monday, February 9, 2026
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul who spent decades as a defiant thorn in Beijing’s side, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison, the harshest penalty ever handed down for a national security offense in the semiautonomous territory.
The landmark ruling completes a yearslong effort by Beijing to dismantle the influence of a man it blamed for masterminding Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
Mr. Lai, 78, smiled and waved at the public gallery after his sentencing. His wife, Teresa Lai, sat emotionless with her arms folded, and weeping could be heard in the back of the gallery.
His daughter, Claire Lai, said the sentence was “heartbreakingly cruel.” She added: “If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars.”
In December, Mr. Lai was found guilty of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” that stemmed from meetings he had held with politicians in the United States. He was also convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious material in Apple Daily, the now-shuttered Chinese-language pro-democracy newspaper he founded in 1995. » | David Pierson and Francesca Regalado | Published: Sunday, February 8, 2026. Updated: Monday, February 9, 2026
Europe’s ‘Painful’ Realisation It Must Be Bolder with US Set Out in Security Report
THE GUARDIAN: Need for greater military autonomy also accepted, says report for Munich Security Conference, which takes place this week
Europe has come to the painful realisation that it needs to be more assertive and more militarily independent from an authoritarian US administration that no longer shares a commitment to liberal democratic norms and values, a report prepared by the Munich Security Conference asserts.
The report sets the scene for an all-out ideological confrontation with the Trump White House at the high-level annual meeting of security policy specialists, which starts on Friday.
In a now infamous speech to last year’s MSC, the US vice-president, JD Vance, claimed European elites were suppressing free speech and “opening the floodgates” to mass migration. The address marked the moment Europe realised the Trump administration would no longer be a reliable trading and security partner.
Since then European leaders and Donald Trump’s team have waged a series of running battles over topics including the US push to force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia, Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, and a series of protectionist US measures ranging from tariff barriers to inward investment bans.
The divide was starkly set out in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month by the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, who warned of a rupture between the US and its western allies.
Vance’s assessment of Europe’s decline was reinforced in the latest US national security strategy, which accused European leaders of overseeing “civilisational erasure”. More recently, Trump disparaged the courage with which European members of Nato fought in Afghanistan, remarks that caused deep offence among Europe’s military leaders. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, February 9, 2026
Europe has come to the painful realisation that it needs to be more assertive and more militarily independent from an authoritarian US administration that no longer shares a commitment to liberal democratic norms and values, a report prepared by the Munich Security Conference asserts.
The report sets the scene for an all-out ideological confrontation with the Trump White House at the high-level annual meeting of security policy specialists, which starts on Friday.
In a now infamous speech to last year’s MSC, the US vice-president, JD Vance, claimed European elites were suppressing free speech and “opening the floodgates” to mass migration. The address marked the moment Europe realised the Trump administration would no longer be a reliable trading and security partner.
Since then European leaders and Donald Trump’s team have waged a series of running battles over topics including the US push to force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia, Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, and a series of protectionist US measures ranging from tariff barriers to inward investment bans.
The divide was starkly set out in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month by the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, who warned of a rupture between the US and its western allies.
Vance’s assessment of Europe’s decline was reinforced in the latest US national security strategy, which accused European leaders of overseeing “civilisational erasure”. More recently, Trump disparaged the courage with which European members of Nato fought in Afghanistan, remarks that caused deep offence among Europe’s military leaders. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, February 9, 2026
How Peter Thiel Is Destroying Democracy
Dec 7, 2025 | This is Peter Thiel - a major player in Silicon Valley who wants to transform humanity. But what does he actually want? What’s his problem with democracy? And is there an endgame?
Portugal Elects Socialist as President But Far-right Rival Takes Record Vote Share
THE GUARDIAN: António José Seguro scores resounding win despite André Ventura’s populist Chega party securing 33.2% of votes
The moderate socialist António José Seguro won a resounding victory in the second round of Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, triumphing over his far-right opponent, André Ventura, whose Chega party still managed to take a record share of the vote.
Seguro won 66.8% of votes to Ventura’s 33.2% in the election, which went ahead despite weeks of disruption caused by deadly storms. The vote to elect a successor to the outgoing president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was marked by a cross-party push to head off the prospect of a Chega victory, with some senior rightwing figures throwing their weight behind the centre-left candidate to keep Ventura from entering the presidential palace.
“The response the Portuguese people gave today, their commitment to freedom, democracy, and the future of our country, leaves me naturally moved and proud of our nation,” said Seguro.
Ventura, a former football pundit, columnist, seminarian and novelist who founded Chega seven years ago, said the result showed that “the message from the Portuguese people is clear”, adding that Chega was now the main party on the right and would “soon be governing Portugal”. Earlier on Sunday, he had accused “the entire political system” of uniting against him. » | Sam Jones in Madrid, and agency | Monday, February 9, 2026
The moderate socialist António José Seguro won a resounding victory in the second round of Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, triumphing over his far-right opponent, André Ventura, whose Chega party still managed to take a record share of the vote.
Seguro won 66.8% of votes to Ventura’s 33.2% in the election, which went ahead despite weeks of disruption caused by deadly storms. The vote to elect a successor to the outgoing president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was marked by a cross-party push to head off the prospect of a Chega victory, with some senior rightwing figures throwing their weight behind the centre-left candidate to keep Ventura from entering the presidential palace.
“The response the Portuguese people gave today, their commitment to freedom, democracy, and the future of our country, leaves me naturally moved and proud of our nation,” said Seguro.
Ventura, a former football pundit, columnist, seminarian and novelist who founded Chega seven years ago, said the result showed that “the message from the Portuguese people is clear”, adding that Chega was now the main party on the right and would “soon be governing Portugal”. Earlier on Sunday, he had accused “the entire political system” of uniting against him. » | Sam Jones in Madrid, and agency | Monday, February 9, 2026
Michael Popok on Trump's Illegal Moves to Take Over the World | The Weekend Show
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
JD Vance: A Monstrosity of Dishonor.
Landslide Win for Centre-left Candidate António José Seguro in Portugal’s Presidential Runoff
THE GUARDIAN: Moderate socialist defeats far-right populist André Ventura, with exit polls putting him comfortably above two-thirds of vote
Moderate socialist António José Seguro secured a landslide victory and a five-year term as Portugal’s president in a runoff vote on Sunday, beating his far-right, anti-establishment rival André Ventura, exit polls and partial results showed.
A succession of storms in recent days failed to deter voters, with turnout at about the same level as in the first round on 18 January, even though three municipal councils in southern and central Portugal had to postpone voting by a week due to floods.
“The response the Portuguese people gave today, their commitment to freedom, democracy, and the future of our country, leaves me naturally moved and proud of our nation,” Seguro, 63, told reporters. » | Associated Press in Lisbon | Sunday, February 8, 2026
Moderate socialist António José Seguro secured a landslide victory and a five-year term as Portugal’s president in a runoff vote on Sunday, beating his far-right, anti-establishment rival André Ventura, exit polls and partial results showed.
A succession of storms in recent days failed to deter voters, with turnout at about the same level as in the first round on 18 January, even though three municipal councils in southern and central Portugal had to postpone voting by a week due to floods.
“The response the Portuguese people gave today, their commitment to freedom, democracy, and the future of our country, leaves me naturally moved and proud of our nation,” Seguro, 63, told reporters. » | Associated Press in Lisbon | Sunday, February 8, 2026
Sunday, February 08, 2026
Video Essay: “Luca Guadagnino: Projecting Desire” | MUBI
The Fallout and Impact of the Epstein Files | BBC News
Feb 6, 2026 | The list of some of the world's most rich and powerful people with ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has lengthened, after the US government released millions of new files from its investigation into the disgraced financier.
The latest drop of material on 30 January included three million pages, 180,000 images, 2,000 videos, and a number of household names like Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Elon Musk
. There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents implies any wrongdoing. Many people who have featured in previous releases have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
One would be forgiven for concluding that all people at the top, all the one-percenters, are crooked, corrupt, bent, and perverted! And that goes for many members of royal families, too, it seems. What a pack of wankers all these sad people are! Seemingly, even shedfuls of money—amounts of money that most people could only dream of—aren’t enough for them. They also apparently need to be turned on by perversion as well!
And these people expect everyone to respect them! Those days are well and truly over. These depraved people have shown us all just who they really are. — © Mark Alexander
The latest drop of material on 30 January included three million pages, 180,000 images, 2,000 videos, and a number of household names like Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Elon Musk
. There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents implies any wrongdoing. Many people who have featured in previous releases have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
One would be forgiven for concluding that all people at the top, all the one-percenters, are crooked, corrupt, bent, and perverted! And that goes for many members of royal families, too, it seems. What a pack of wankers all these sad people are! Seemingly, even shedfuls of money—amounts of money that most people could only dream of—aren’t enough for them. They also apparently need to be turned on by perversion as well!
And these people expect everyone to respect them! Those days are well and truly over. These depraved people have shown us all just who they really are. — © Mark Alexander
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