The UK imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than two dozen people, groups and suppliers from the Balkans, the Middle East and China accused of helping migrants cross the Channel.

In what it called a "landmark" first use of new powers, the move came as the government faces political pressure to stem migrant arrivals on small boats from northern France, at record levels.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian negotiators are flying to Turkey for the first peace talks with Ukraine in more than seven weeks, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

State agency TASS said talks would take place later on Wednesday in Istanbul.

Data from tracking site Flightradar24 showed the plane used by Russian delegation chief Vladimir Medinsky to fly to previous talks in Istanbul had taken off from Moscow.

By Heba Fouad

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) -From her ninth-floor balcony over Alexandria's seafront, Eman Mabrouk looked down at the strip of sand that used to be the wide beach where she played as a child.

"The picture is completely different now," she said. The sea has crept closer, the concrete barriers have got longer and the buildings around her have cracked and shifted.

Every year 40 of them collapse across Egypt's second city, up from one on average a decade ago, a study shows.

By Ezgi Erkoyun

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey and Britain signed a preliminary deal allowing Ankara to operate Eurofighter Typhoon jets on Wednesday while Germany approved the delivery of 40 jets, which Turkey has sought to bolster defences in an increasingly volatile region.

NATO member Turkey has leaned on its own defence industry projects, including domestic jets, and foreign acquisitions to ramp up deterrence. Beyond the Eurofighters, it is in talks with Washington to buy 40 F-16s.

BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government has cleared the way for the delivery of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey following a positive decision by the federal security council, the Spiegel news magazine reported on Wednesday.

Turkey has been in talks on buying Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

By Humeyra Pamuk and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Europe this week for meetings on Israel's war in Gaza and a range of other issues, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, adding Witkoff will continue pushing for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

Axios reported that Witkoff is expected to depart for Rome on Wednesday and arrive on Thursday for a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic AffairsRon Dermer and a senior Qatari envoy.

Israel hit back on Wednesday at growing international criticism that it was behind chronic food shortages in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

More than 100 aid and human rights groups said earlier Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in the Gaza Strip, while France warned of a growing "risk of famine" caused by "the blockade imposed by Israel".

The head of the World Health Organization also weighed in, saying that a "large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving".

By Daphne Psaledakis

(Reuters) -More than 100 largely aid and rights groups on Wednesday called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An Afghan who moved to the United States after working for the U.S. military in his home country was seized by armed, masked immigration agents, put in a van and taken out of state, attorneys and members of Congress said on Tuesday.

Identified only as Zia by members of Congress and his attorney out of concern for his safety and that of his family, the man had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Agence France-Presse called on Israel on Tuesday to allow the immediate evacuation of its freelance contributors and their families from the Gaza Strip, citing worsening living conditions and escalating risks to their safety.

In a statement, the French news agency said its freelancers faced an "appalling situation" in Gaza. A 21-month war with Israel has devastated the territory, a conflict triggered by Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.