GENEVA, 19 March 2022, (TON): UN migration agency said that nearly 6.5 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine, on top of the 3.2 million who have already fled the country.

The estimates from the International Organization for Migration suggests Ukraine is fast on course in just three weeks toward the levels of displacement from Syria’s devastating war, which has driven about 13 million people from their homes both in the country and abroad.

The findings come in a paper issued Friday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The projections also found that “over 12 million people are estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to heightened security risks, destruction of bridges and roads, as well as lack of resources or information on where to find safety and accommodation.”

The paper cited the IOM figures as “a good representation of the scale of internal displacement in Ukraine calculated to stand at 6.48 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine as of March 16.”

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has said fighting that has followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has sparked Europe’s gravest refugee crisis since World War II.

WASHINGTON, 19 March 2022, (TON): Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to Monte Carlo, Monaco, March 20, for the Monaco Blue Initiative and discuss the ocean-climate nexus with key stakeholders.

On March 22, Secretary Kerry will travel to Paris, France, to participate in the International Energy Agency 2022 Ministerial Meeting and discuss urgent energy security challenges, including accelerating the clean energy transition.

Secretary Kerry will travel to Doha, Qatar, March 25, to attend the Doha Forum.

RIYADH, 19 March 2022, (TON): The Kingdom’s defense ministry said “the Saudi armed forces, along with their counterparts from the US and the Gulf states, on Wednesday concluded a joint exercise at Fort Carson base in Colorado.”

The activities of the Eagle Resolve 22 exercise witnessed many joint combat scenarios regarding joint defense integration, which aims to refine expertise and raise the level of joint combat readiness of the ll the competing armed forces.

The participants were briefed during the closing summary of the exercise, then momentos were exchanged souvenirs, and the participants in the exercise were honored.

BEIJING, 19 March 2022, (TON): Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday mocked the West’s notion of the international community on his Twitter account.

The diplomat published a picture where on a blue background is not a full-fledged map of the world, but only the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the countries of Western Europe, signing it.

It is a generally accepted truth that when the West talks about the international community, they mean and on the picture itself it says “the international community that you constantly hear about.”

Zhao Lijian often criticizes the actions of Western countries and the United States, in particular, on his Twitter account, despite the fact that the social network has been blocked in China for many years.

At daily briefings by the Foreign Ministry, the diplomat also criticizes the one-sided attitude of Western countries towards conflicts and the humanitarian crises arising from them.

He said that the United States is only pretending to be concerned about the problem of refugees in Europe due to the Ukrainian crisis, but in reality they are simply contemplating the fire from the opposite bank.

ROME, 19 March 2022, (TON): Work to tackle the challenges of human, animal and ecosystem health using a more integrated approach has seen significant progress in the past year, leaders of three international organizations cooperating across these sectors said.

At its annual executive meeting this week, the Tripartite partnership for One Health, bringing together the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health, formally became the Quadripartite as it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNEP.

The One Health approach aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, ecosystems and the wider environment.

It mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems.

And it addresses the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.

MOSCOW, 19 March 2022, (TON): Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally at a Moscow stadium and lavished praise on his troops fighting in Ukraine, three weeks into the invasion that has led to heavier-than-expected Russian losses on the battlefield and increasingly authoritarian rule at home.

Meanwhile, the leader of Russia's delegation in diplomatic talks with Ukraine said the sides have narrowed their differences.

The Ukrainian side gave no immediate account of the negotiations.

The Moscow rally came as Russian troops continued to rain lethal fire on Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and pounded an aircraft repair installation on the outskirts of Lviv, close to the Polish border.

“Shoulder to shoulder, they help and support each other,” the Russian president said of the Kremlin's forces in a rare public appearance since the start of the war.

He added to cheers from the crowd "we have not had unity like this for a long time.”

LONDON, 19 March 2022, (TON): A man who was released from Iran’s Evin prison as part of a deal made between London and Tehran has been returned to prison just days after being released.

Joint British, US and Iranian citizen Morad Tahbaz was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in 2019 after being arrested while on a conservation trip to Iran.

He was accused of spying for the US government.

His family said “he was released from jail and put under house arrest, but has been returned to Evin prison.”

According to the UK Foreign Office, the Iranians have said that Tahbaz is only having an ankle tag installed and will be released home shortly.

It said that anything other than a return home in the coming hours would be considered a breach of the commitments made by the Iranians, and that it was working with the Americans to secure his release, The Guardian reported.

MOSCOW, 19 March 2022, (TON): Presidents of the Russian Federation and France Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron reviewed the course of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in a telephone conversation.

The Russian leader at the same time outlined the fundamental approaches to the development of possible agreements, the Kremlin press service reports.

The message says “Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron discussed the state of affairs at the talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. In this context, the fundamental approaches of the Russian side to the development of possible agreements were outlined.”

The President of the Russian Federation stressed that during the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces are doing everything possible to save the lives of civilians.

BRUSSELS, 19 March 2022, (TON): The EU summit on March 24-25 will approve the first ever EU defense concept, the EU Strategic Compass, the development of which was strongly influenced by the Russian operation in Ukraine.

This was announced to journalists on Friday by a source in the EU foreign policy service.

The source said “EU leaders on March 24-25 will approve the EU Strategic Compass, the development of which began about two years ago, but which was strongly influenced by the war in Ukraine.”

As the diplomat recalled, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Secu-rity Policy Josep Borrell, starting the preparation of the concept (in early 2020), said that Europe is in danger.

The source continued “you have to understand that this document is not directly related to the Ukrainian crisis, this document is focused on the next 5-10 years.”

The Ukrainian war, of course, is the most serious crisis in the [recent] decades, but the threats to European security are not only in Europe, but and beyond, including the Sahel and the Pacific, they also need to be answered.

CAIRO, 19 March 2022, (TON): A doctor’s union said “nearly 200 people have been wounded in the latest protests to erupt in the Sudanese capital over deteriorating economic conditions following a military take-over.”

The Sudan’s Doctors Committee issued a statement saying that 187 people were wounded in clashes with police in Khartoum, 70 of whom were likely struck by rubber bullets.

It added “three of the wounded were shot in either the head or chest and are currently in intensive care.”

Riot police used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters who had sought to reach the Republican Palace, seat of the military government.

Videos posted on social media showed police firing tear gas.