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Coalition of the Willing calls for transatlantic unity for Ukraine

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Coalition of the Willing calls for transatlantic unity for Ukraine

Members of the “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine called for continued transatlantic unity as Europeans seek to exert greater influence in the peace talks with Moscow as Washington ups pressure for a quick deal.

“We are working to ensure that the security guarantees include serious components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports these efforts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the virtual meeting attended by 34 mostly European countries.

Zelenskyy also said he had had “a constructive and in-depth discussion with the American team” that comprised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Generals Keane and Grynkewich, and Josh Gruenbaum from the Federal Acquisition Service, on the topic of security guarantees.

“Security guarantees are among the most critical elements for all subsequent steps,” he wrote on X, adding: “It was agreed that the teams will work actively to ensure that, in the near future, there will be a clear understanding of the security guarantees. I thank everyone who is helping!”

Other European leaders who attended the meeting also offered words of support to Ukraine, stressing the need for transatlantic unity and to continue to exert pressure on Russia.

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US President Donald Trump has made it clear he expects European allies to shoulder most of the burden when it comes to security guarantees, with 26 countries already declaring they will provide equipment and assistance post-truce. France and the UK, which co-chair the Coalition of the Willing format, are also among those ready to take part in a so-called reassurance force.

But many of the plans are dependent on a US backstop, mainly in the form of air protection and intelligence sharing.

‘The coming week will be decisive’

One card the Europeans are holding close to their chest to exert influence in the negotiations they have been largely excluded from is the issue of the €210 billion inRussian sovereign assets they have immobilised within their jurisdictions and which they plan to use to fund Ukraine’s financial needs over the coming two years.

On Thursday, the European Union agreed to indefinitely immobilise the assets of the Russian Central Bank, a central element of the reparations loan to Ukraine, still under intense negotiations ahead of a make-or-break summit next week.

By doing so, the EU will lock the assets under its jurisdiction amid concerns that the US would seek control of the frozen assets and use them in a future settlement with Moscow as it negotiates an end to the war.

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This is part of efforts made to assuage Belgium, where the bulk of the assets are held, which has rejected the creation of the loan over fears of retaliation from Russia and over unequal burden sharing.

“I updated the leaders on our work to secure financing for Ukraine for 2026-2027,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said after attending the Coalition of the Willing meeting.

“Our proposals are on the table, and the sense of urgency is clear to everyone. The coming week will be decisive,” she added on X.

A potential Europe-Ukraine-US meeting this weekend

The meeting on Thursday came a day after France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer talked on the phone with Trump to discuss the latest developments in the peace talks following a meeting in London with Zelenskyy.

“The main issue here is what territories and concessions Ukraine is prepared to make. That is a question that must be answered primarily by the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people. We made that clear to President Trump as well,” Merz told reporters on Thursday.

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“And if we now proceed with this process as we envisage, there will be talks with the American government over the weekend. And then there may be a meeting here in Berlin at the beginning of next week, whether the American government participates or not.That also depends very much on the joint drafting of the papers that are currently being worked on,” he also said.

Earlier in the day, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told a conference that the initial 28-point plan drafted by Washington and Moscow that was seen to heavily favour Russia as it included a demand for Ukraine to cede the entire region of the Donbas, “is no longer existing”.

“We had some influence on it,” he said. “We have a new plan, which is a 20-point plan, and which has really changed. So do we have to be engaged with the United States more than before? Yes. Is it possible to find a common ground? Yes.”

Speaking alongside him, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte concurred.

“Do I think that when it comes to Ukraine, the US and Europe can get to one page? Yes, I’m positive. I think we can. Am I sure that the Russians will accept? I don’t know,” he said.

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“So let’s put Putin to the test. Let’s see if he really wants peace or if he prefers the slaughter to continue. It is essential that all of us keep up the pressure on Russia and support the genuine effort to bring this war to an end.”

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Netflix Unveils Turkish Slate, Headlined by Series Adaptation of Nobel Prize-Winning Author Orhan Pamuk’s ‘The Museum of Innocence’

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Netflix Unveils Turkish Slate, Headlined by Series Adaptation of Nobel Prize-Winning Author Orhan Pamuk’s ‘The Museum of Innocence’

Netflix has unveiled its Turkish production slate for 2026, which is headlined by a hotly anticipated series adaptation of Turkish Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk acclaimed book “The Museum Of Innocence” and several other high-end shows with international reach.

The previously announced nine-episode “Museum of Innocence” series – that will drop on Netflix Feb. 13 – starts out in 1970’s Istanbul where a wealthy man named Kemal becomes romantically obsessed with his poor and distant young relative, a shopgirl named Füsun. Their romance unfolds over a decade against the backdrop of the changing city, after which he spends the rest of his life creating a museum in her memory that contains “his beloved’s earrings, her hair clips, and even her discarded cigarette butts,” as the synopsis puts it.

Directed by Zeynep Günay, “Museum of Innocence” is written by Ertan Kurtulan and produced by Turkish TV Powerhouse Ay Yapım known for International Emmy-winning series “Endless Love,” and also “Fatmagul,” “Ezel” and “Forbidden Love,” among other global hit series.

Other standout titles in Netflix’s new Turkish that have not been previously announced comprise:

— “Seni Tanıyorum,” a series written by Tuğba Doğan (“Hepimiz Birimiz Için”), directed by Mert Baykal (“Hot Skull”) and produced by Bonbon Studios. “After taking a break from painting following childbirth, Funda finds the nanny she has been searching for,” reads the synopsis. “But the mystery and unsettling nature of Nazlı begins to change the lives of Funda and her husband İlker forever. What starts as a simple encounter turns into a long-running game in which each of them is tested in their loyalty and desires.”

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— “Sonra Gözler Görür,” a series penned by Ece Yörenç (“Fallen Leaves,” “Forbidden Love”), directed by  Bertan Başaran (“Shahmaran”) and produced by Ay Yapim. “A quiet coastal town is shaken by the mysterious death of a young girl. When a renowned journalist returns to the place she grew up years later to investigate the case, her search uncovers not only a killer, but long-buried secrets and the truth about her own past,” the synopsis says.

New upcoming 2026 instalments of popular pre-existing Netflix Turkey originals shows include fresh seasons of “Ethos,” “Money Trap,” “Thank You, Next,” “Another Self” and Graveyard.”

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Iran accused of sex assaults on teenage prisoners, while families charged to recover remains of loved ones

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Iran accused of sex assaults on teenage prisoners, while families charged to recover remains of loved ones

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Reports have emerged from eyewitnesses in Iran alleging sexual assaults on teenagers held in custody, as well as authorities forcing families of those protesters killed to pay as much as 10 billion rials to recover their bodies.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) also told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the “barbarity continues” across the nation, with prison detainees allegedly being killed and their bodies burned.

The reports came as Iran’s government claimed it had successfully crushed weeks of unrest that swept the country.

Beginning Dec. 28, the protests erupted amid deep public anger over political repression, economic hardship and state violence before rapidly expanding nationwide.

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LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: ‘THIS REGIME MUST FALL’

Iranian demonstrators gather in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value, in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026.  (Stringer/WANA/Reuters)

“The sedition is over now,” Iran’s prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi said, according to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency.

“And we must be grateful, as always, to the people who extinguished this sedition by being in the field in a timely manner,” he added, according to the New York Times.

The regime’s claims emerged on day 25 of the protests with the number of confirmed fatalities reaching 4,902, and the number of deaths still under review standing at 9,387.  

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The total number of arrests has risen to 26,541, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

IRAN STATE TV HACKED TO SHOW EXILED CROWN PRINCE PAHLAVI

Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.  (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) also said it received information indicating that some families were forced to pay sums of up to 10 billion rials to recover the bodies of their relatives.

In many cases, funeral ceremonies were held under heavy security control in the hometowns of those killed. 

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Some families were reportedly subjected to threats and pressure to falsely attribute responsibility for the killings to protesters.

KHRN further said that two protesters, including a 16-year-old, said they were sexually assaulted by Iranian security forces who detained them in Kermanshah, according to reports.

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Iranian security forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad despite government claims. (NCRI)

Meanwhile, NCRI’s Ali Safavi said eyewitnesses reported that “several young women and men were forced to undress, so the military could see whether they had pellet wounds.”

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“There has been barbarity with people who were detained. When they were killed, their bodies were burned,” he added.

Safavi also said clashes continued in multiple cities Tuesday night, including “Kermanshah where protesters and armed units of the IRGC fought in parts of the city.”

“There was the same in Rasht and Mashhad where the people and the regime will not return to the status quo even if the uprisings have slowed down. This is because of the blood of thousands of martyrs on their hands.”

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“The regime is still in power, and it won’t abandon brutal and bloody suppression so there is no pathway to a velvet revolution in Iran.”

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“The shoes and sneakers seen left along the sidewalks remind us of the 30,000 MEK members and Iranian prisoners who were hanged during the 1988 massacre based on a fatwa by Khomeini,” Safavi added.

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French firm Lactalis latest to recall baby formula amid contamination scare

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French firm Lactalis latest to recall baby formula amid contamination scare

French, Swiss food giants Danone and Nestle have also recalled infant formula batches in recent weeks over toxin fears.

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French dairy product giant Lactalis has announced a recall of batches of infant formula in France and more than a dozen other countries over worries batches have been contaminated by a toxin.

The announcement on Wednesday follows the recall of infant formula by Swiss dairy corporation Nestle in almost 60 countries since the beginning of the month.

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Lactalis “is proceeding with a voluntary recall of six batches of Picot infant milk, available in pharmacies and mass retail, due to the presence of cereulide in an ingredient supplied by a supplier”, the company said, referring to the toxin that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.

“We are fully aware that this information may cause concern among parents of young children,” the company said.

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Outside France, the recall affects Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, the Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Spain, Madagascar, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Peru, Georgia, Greece, Kuwait, the Czech Republic and Taiwan, a spokesperson for the company told the AFP news agency.

The recall involves “a few batches” of formula in each of the countries, the spokesperson said.

The company said the French authorities had not signalled “any claim nor any report related to the consumption of these products”.

The infant formula industry has been rocked by recalls in recent weeks.

Authorities in Singapore on Saturday recalled Dumex baby formula, a brand owned by French food giant Danone, as well as batches of Nestle formula.

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The ‍ Singapore Food Agency said it ordered the precautionary recall of a batch of Danone’s Thai-origin Dumex Dulac 1 and Nestle’s Swiss-origin NAN HA1 SupremePro after detecting cereulide.

Danone said the authorities blocked just “a few pallets” of Dumex, indicating they were not yet on the shelves of retail outlets.

Like Lactalis, Nestle has issued recalls since January due to the potential presence of cereulide, a bacterial substance that can cause sickness.

Nestle France said it was carrying out a “preventive and voluntary recall” of certain batches of its Guigoz and Nidal infant formulas after new investigations showed the potential presence of cereulide.

French health authorities said on Tuesday an investigation was under way after the death of a baby who had consumed milk from one of the batches recalled by Nestle, though no link has been established between its consumption and the death at this stage.

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In 2018, Lactalis was at the centre of a salmonella outbreak and ensuing scandal after the company was accused of trying to cover up the extent of the outbreak, which led to the recall of 12 million tins of baby formula from more than 80 countries.

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