Iconic 'Lovers' Arch' on Italian coast collapses on Valentine's Day

A popular rock structure in Italy known as the "Lovers’ Arch" collapsed on Valentine’s Day following days of poor weather. 

The natural formation, which was part of the Sant'Andrea sea stacks along southern Italy's Adriatic coast, was often used as a backdrop for tourist photos and wedding proposals, according to Reuters. 

"This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift," Maurizio Cisternino, the mayor of the nearby town of Melendugno, was quoted as telling a local newspaper. 

Cisternino described the collapse as a "very hard blow" for the area after days of heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas. 

2 SKIERS KILLED IN AVALANCHE ON POPULAR MONT BLANC SKIING ROUTE NEAR FRENCH-SWISS BORDER

"Nature has taken back what it created," Cisternino said. 

Photos taken at the scene showed a pile of rubble in an area where the arch used to soar over the water.

RECORD-SETTING WAVE OF MOUNTAIN DEATHS ROCKS ITALY AFTER AVALANCHES STRIKE

Officials are now warning that other parts of the rocky coastline are at risk of collapse, which cracks visible along the cliffs, Reuters reported.

The news agency also said that storms and heavy rains in recent days have damaged other parts of Italy’s coastline along the Ionian Sea, damaging beach structures and causing small cliff falls from Gallipoli to Ugento. 

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100 US troops land in Nigeria as Islamic militants threaten West Africa regional security

Around 100 U.S. troops and military equipment arrived in Nigeria Monday to help support local forces battling Islamic militants and other armed groups in the West African nation, the Nigerian military said.

The U.S. personnel touched down as part of a broader security cooperation effort between Washington and Abuja with 100 more arriving over time.

The arrival came at the request of the Nigerian government, which sought assistance with training, technical support and intelligence sharing as it confronts violence, the Associated Press reported.

About 200 U.S. Africa Command personnel are expected to deploy to Nigeria in total and in what officials have described as a support mission aimed at strengthening the capacity of Nigerian forces.

NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY SAYS US STRIKES WERE A ‘BLESSING,' WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH TRUMP

The effort is focused on combating Islamist extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have carried out attacks in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.

The first batch of troops represents the initial group of what is expected to be a roughly 200-person deployment of others, including U.S. intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers.

The move follows recent visits by senior U.S. Africa Command officials to Abuja to reinforce military-to-military ties and expand counterterrorism cooperation.

DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER

On Feb. 8, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level U.S. delegation led by U.S. Africa Command commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson at the State House in Abuja, according to Nigeria’s presidency.

The meeting included senior officials from Nigeria’s military, security and intelligence agencies and focused on expanding intelligence sharing and operational coordination.

Monday's deployment came as tensions between Washington and Abuja have eased following earlier friction over religious violence and civilian protection.

AMERICANS CAN’T CLOSE OUR EYES TO THE MURDER OF CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA

President Donald Trump had previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from what he described as a genocide, citing attacks by extremist groups and armed bandits.

Trump ordered airstrikes on Dec. 25 targeting Islamic State militants and said they were responsible for killing Christians.

Africom conducted strikes in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria targeting what it described as Islamic State terrorists and said they were coordinated with Nigerian authorities.

"The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the time.

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Iran operating secret ‘black box’ sites holding thousands in detention: reports

Tens of thousands of Iranians are being held in "black box" detention sites with no judicial oversight, official records, and no way for families to confirm whether their loved ones are alive, according to reports.

The facilities — which the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) says are modeled on prison camps from the 1980s — have sparked alarm among human rights advocates amid unrest across the country.

"These sites were initially used in the 1980s in Iran and were residential compounds inside Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran," he added.

FORMER IRANIAN PRISONERS REVEAL TORTURE HORRORS AS REGIME KILLS PROTESTERS ON SIGHT DURING CRACKDOWN

"Female prisoners affiliated with MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) were confined and subjected to torture," he added, describing how women were "forced to live in coffin-like boxes or sit in squatting positions, deprived of sleep and food."

"If they spoke, they were beaten. We have heard that similar prisons are being used today that operate outside the formal Iranian prison system," he said.

Iranian authorities have reportedly been using these unofficial detention sites for interrogation during the protests, where detainees are held without registration or access to legal counsel.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) described the facilities as "among the gravest concerns documented" by the organization.

In a new report, CHRI warned that when detainees are removed from the formal prison system, they effectively disappear into these sites.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS

There is no paper trail and no legal supervision, leaving individuals highly vulnerable to abuse.

CHRI said the risk of torture, coerced confessions, sexual abuse and deaths in custody inside these facilities is extreme.

Outside the facilities, families are often left traumatized after having to spend days outside courts and prisons that deny holding their children, the report said.

"The precise locations of these black box sites are unknown, which is part of their function," Safavi said.

IRANIAN SECURITY FORCES GUN DOWN AMATEUR BOXER AS FATHER SEARCHES MORGUES FOR MISSING SON: SOURCE

"This ensures total isolation and no access or contact. Agents inside are able to employ whatever methods they choose, much like at Ghezel Hesar Prison in the 1980s," he explained.

"The clandestine sites eliminate witnesses and prevent documentation that could lead to leaks," Safavi said.

The findings come amid reports of escalating executions in Iran following recent protests, during which thousands of people were killed at the hands of the clerical regime.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported Monday that at least 17 prisoners were executed across Iran over a two-day period.

The CHRI report came as Iranians living in exile gathered in Europe to protest against the regime and as others commemorated the 40th day since the Jan. 2026 uprising.

At the same time, the HANA Human Rights Organization said that at least 24 children, including a 3-year-old, were killed by direct fire from security forces during nationwide protests.

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Iran launches war drills in Hormuz Strait as US carrier is flying missions 24/7 before Geneva talks

Iran launched live-fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday in preparation for potential security and military threats in the strategic waterway, according to the country’s state-run IRNA news agency.

The drill, called "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz," was led by the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the supervision of IRGC Commander in Chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, according to Iran International.

State media said the exercise was organized to assess the readiness of operational units, review security plans and rehearse scenarios for responding to any security and military threats in the area.

SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS 'BRUTE FORCE' AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF

The exercises came within hours of renewed diplomatic efforts starting in Geneva between the U.S. and Iran that are aimed at reviving negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

"I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Monday "What is not on the table: submission before threats," he said.

President Donald Trump has ordered a buildup of U.S. military forces in the Middle East and has threatened to strike Iran if its leadership does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.

VANCE WARNS IRAN THAT 'ANOTHER OPTION ON THE TABLE' IF NUCLEAR DEAL NOT REACHED

On Friday, Trump also offered an endorsement of regime change in Tehran and said it would be the "best thing that could happen" for Iran.

U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, went on to show U.S. military presence in the region Monday.

In a post on X, it shared images of EA-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 133 and F-35C Lightning IIs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 preparing for launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

"Operating in international waters in the Middle East, the aircraft carrier conducts around-the-clock flight operations in support of regional security," the post said.

TOP IRAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SEEN IN OMAN DAYS AFTER INDIRECT NUCLEAR TALKS WITH US

The Pentagon has been building up what Trump has described as an "armada" in the region.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is present flanked by three warships equipped with Tomahawk missiles and is at the center of a broader U.S. naval buildup in the region.

Meanwhile, Tehran said the second round of talks would be held on Tuesday "with the mediation and good offices of Oman."

Negotiations restarted in Muscat on Feb. 6, after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June that sparked a 12-day war and escalated tensions across the region.

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there was "significant and legitimate doubt that the Iranians will ever agree to something that would cause them to lay down any ambitions of nuclear weaponry."

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Iran says US must 'prove they want to do a deal' on nuclear talks in Geneva

Iran claims it is open to compromise with the U.S. on a nuclear deal if the administration is willing to discuss lifting sanctions, a senior Iranian official said Sunday.

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, also said in an interview that the ball was "in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal," adding: "If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement."

"We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions," Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.

TRUMP SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS IN OMAN WERE 'VERY GOOD,' CLAIMS IRAN WANTS A DEAL 'VERY BADLY'

Takht-Ravanchi’s comments came as Iran’s top diplomat traveled to Geneva for a second round of indirect talks with the U.S. delegation.

Abbas Araghchi left for the Swiss city following an initial round of negotiations last week with Oman again mediating the next round of talks, according to Iranian state media and the Associated Press.

U.S. officials, however, have emphasized that Iran — not the U.S. — is holding up progress in negotiations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Feb. 14 that President Donald Trump would prefer to reach an agreement but warned it was "very hard to do" one with Iran.

Past diplomatic efforts had collapsed in 2025 after Israel launched what became a 12-day war with Iran and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS 'BRUTE FORCE' AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF

But on Sunday, Takht-Ravanchi pointed to Tehran’s offer to dilute its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity as evidence of its willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.

Asked whether Iran would ship its stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium abroad, as it did under the 2015 deal, Takht-Ravanchi said it was "too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations."

One of Iran’s main demands is that talks focus on the nuclear issue. "Our understanding is that they have come to the conclusion that if you want to have a deal you have to focus on the nuclear issue," Takht-Ravanchi said.

Takht-Ravanchi also said the "issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table anymore."

TRUMP SAYS IRAN 'SERIOUSLY TALKING TO US' AS MILITARY SHIPS HEAD TO MIDDLE EAST

Trump has since threatened further military action if a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program cannot be reached.

The U.S. has also reinforced its military presence in the region amid heightened tensions and after spiraling protests across the country in December left thousands reportedly dead at the hands of the clerical regime.

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Man who burned Quran in London may get US asylum as case draws Trump administration attention

The Trump administration is weighing involvement in the case of a protester who was fined for burning a Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London, as U.K. prosecutors look to reinstate his overturned conviction, according to reports.

Officials are said to be discussing granting 51-year-old Hamit Coskun refugee status if the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) wins its appeal, with a senior U.S. administration official telling The Telegraph the case is one of several "the administration has made note of."

Coskun, of Armenian-Kurdish descent, had initially sought asylum in the U.K. from Turkey, where he says Islamic extremists "destroyed" his family’s life and where he was jailed for protesting Islamist governance.

DAN GAINOR: ENGLAND DOESN’T HAVE FREE SPEECH AND WANTS TO TAKE OURS AWAY, TOO

On Feb. 13, 2025, he traveled to the Turkish Consulate in London and set fire to a copy of the Quran while shouting slogans including "Islam is [the] religion of terrorism" and "f--- Islam."

There he was attacked by Moussa Kadri, a passerby who chased him with a knife, kicked him and spat on him.

Kadri later received a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of assault and having a bladed article in a public place.

Initially charged with harassing the "religious institution of Islam," Coskun’s case drew intervention from the National Secular Society and the Free Speech Union, who argued prosecutors were effectively reviving blasphemy laws already abolished in 2008.

MARCO RUBIO VOICES CONCERN THAT AMERICANS MAY SOMEDAY BE ARRESTED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WHEN VISITING EUROPE

Coskun was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offense and fined in June 2025.

That October, Coskun’s conviction was overturned when a judge ruled that while burning a Quran was "desperately upsetting and offensive" to many Muslims, the right to free expression "must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb."

The CPS is now seeking to reverse that decision at London's High Court, with Coskun telling The Telegraph that if the appeal goes against him, he may be forced "to flee" the country.

IRISH COMEDIAN SAYS UK PM STARMER HIDES FROM CULTURE WARS AS 'ORDINARY PEOPLE' FIGHT DAILY BATTLES

"For me, as the victim of Islamic terrorism, I cannot remain silent. I may be forced to flee the UK and move to the USA, where President Trump has stood for free speech and against Islamic extremism," he told the outlet.

"If I have to do so, then, to me, the UK will have effectively fallen to Islamism and the speech codes that it wishes to impose on the non-Muslim world," he added.

President Donald Trump and the U.S. administration have already criticized the U.K. and European governments over increased restrictions on expression.

In 2025, Trump slammed the U.K.'s laws around online speech, saying "strange things are happening" there and that it was "not a good thing."

At the Munich Security Conference in 2025, Vice President JD Vance also said, "In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of State for comment.

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2 skiers killed in avalanche on popular Mont Blanc skiing route near French-Swiss border

Two skiers were killed and another injured Sunday when an off-trail avalanche tore through a popular freeride route on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif near the French-Swiss border, officials said.

Three skiers were swept up in the Sunday morning slide along the Couloir Vesses, a well-known off-piste route in Courmayeur’s upper Val Veny, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue, The Associated Press reported.

Search and rescue operations involved 15 rescuers, three canine units and two helicopters. One victim was transported to a hospital in serious condition but later died, the agency said.

Authorities said another person was partially buried in an avalanche in Trentino but was pulled to safety by companions.

LINDSEY VONN TRAINS WITH KNEE BRACE AFTER COMPLETELY RUPTURING ACL ONE WEEK BEFORE OLYMPIC RETURN

The deadly slide comes amid a particularly dangerous stretch in the Italian Alps. Italy’s Alpine Rescue said last week that 13 backcountry skiers, climbers and hikers died in the Italian mountains in the week ending Feb. 8 – a record toll – with 10 of those deaths caused by avalanches linked to an unusually unstable snowpack.

Officials said recent storms have dumped fresh snow onto fragile underlying layers, while strong winds have created unstable drifts, producing hazardous conditions across the Alpine arc bordering France, Switzerland and Austria.

The main issue is caused by "persistent weak layers in the snowy cloak, often covered by fresh snow or wind, conditions that make detachments unpredictable and easily triggered even by the passing of a single skier or alpinist," the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps said. "The dangerous points are many and difficult to identify, even for an expert."

LINDSEY VONN CRASHES IN WINTER OLYMPICS ALPINE SKI WOMEN'S DOWNHILL EVENT

Federico Catania, a spokesperson for Italy’s Alpine Rescue Corps, said recent snowstorms have drawn visitors eager to take advantage of fresh slopes, "and as a result, the number of accidents, and therefore fatalities, has increased proportionally," The AP reported.

Courmayeur, a town of roughly 2,900 residents, sits about 200 kilometers – or 124 miles – northwest of Milan, a host city for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The incidents occurred as the Winter Olympics were kicking off in the region on Feb. 6.

AMERICAN SKIERS RESCUED AFTER GETTING LOST NEAR OLYMPIC VENUE IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

Authorities stressed that competition sites – located in Lombardy near the Swiss border, Cortina d’Ampezzo in Veneto and Val di Fiemme in Trentino – remain safe, well-maintained and closely monitored.

"There is no danger for people skiing within managed ski resorts, and, in particular, no risks to the Olympic sites," Catania said previously. "All of these areas are constantly monitored and are generally safe regardless of Olympic events."

Prior to the start of the Winter Olympics, Vigili del Fuoco said crews would maintain safety measures for all visitors to the sites.

Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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