Famine is spreading in Sudan's western Darfur region, UN-backed experts warned on Thursday, as a grinding war between the army and paramilitary forces has left millions hungry, displaced and cut off from aid.

Since April 2023, the conflict between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million and triggered what the United Nations calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Parisa Hafezi

ISTANBUL/ DUBAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is working hard to prevent U.S.-Iran tensions from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict, as the two adversaries signal that disagreement over Tehran’s missile arsenal threatens to torpedo a deal.

DOHA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that concerns about a further escalation in the conflict with Iran have characterised his talks during a trip to the Gulf region.

"In all my conversations yesterday and today, great concern has been expressed about a further escalation in the conflict with Iran," he said during a press conference in Doha.

He called on Iran to end what he called an aggression and enter into talks, saying Germany would do everything it can to de-escalate the situation and work towards stability in the region.

MOSCOW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday it did not want to waste time answering questions about unproven suggestions in Western media and by Poland's premier that late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have been some sort of Russian intelligence asset.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Warsaw would launch an investigation into what it said were possible links between Epstein and Russia's intelligence services, and into any potential impact on Poland.

Feb 5 (Reuters) - Delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X on Thursday.

"Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks," he said.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in BengaluruEditing by Bernadette Baum)

ANKARA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will push for a speedy resumption of talks with the European Union to update their customs union during a visit to Turkey by the bloc's commissioner for enlargement, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Thursday.

Turkey has been an official candidate to join the EU since 1999, but its accession has been frozen for years over issues ranging from human rights to democratic backsliding. The sides have in recent months shown signs of increased engagement and economic cooperation.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk appealed for $400 million on Thursday to address mounting human rights needs in countries such as Sudan and Myanmar, after donor funding cuts drastically reduced the work of his office and left it in "survival mode".

The U.N. office is appealing for $100 million less than last year, after a significant scale back of its work in some areas due to a fall in contributions from countries including the U.S. and Europe.

MOSCOW, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that there was progress and a positive movement forward in negotiations on peace in Ukraine, as delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States prepared for talks in Abu Dhabi.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in the east, triggering the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two and biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the depths of the Cold War.

KYIV, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia on Thursday started a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi to discuss how to end their four-year-old war, top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said.

"The second day of negotiations in Abu Dhabi has begun," Umerov said on the Telegram app. "We are working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work and further synchronizationof positions."

(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Daniel Flynn )

Australia's government sidestepped a call Thursday for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to be arrested when he visits the country to pay respect to victims of an antisemitic mass shooting on Bondi Beach.

Herzog has been invited to a four-day visit from Monday to meet with the Jewish community after the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah festival in Sydney killed 15 people.

A UN-established inquiry found in 2025 that Herzog "incited the commission of genocide" by saying all Palestinians -- "an entire nation" -- were responsible for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.