Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – March 23, 2022

ANKARA 

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia launched the war has topped 3.5 million and the civilian death toll is approaching 1,000, while UN authorities suspect the actual figure may be much higher.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the "absurd war" in Ukraine had no winners and it was time to end the conflict.

'We need to stop this war as soon as possible,' said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while addressing the Italian parliament Tuesday via video link.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again stressed the necessity of continuing diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The European Union’s Arabic spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa said the bloc strongly condemns recent strikes on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has been sentenced to nine years in a maximum security penal colony after being found guilty in a major fraud case.

Foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-nation Muslim bloc, gathered in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Tuesday for a conference.

The international community marked World Water Day on Tuesday, which is aimed at raising awareness on the importance of water resources and has been marked annually on March 22 since 1993.