Armenia-Azerbaijan: peace agreement after 40 years of conflict

Today's news: Al-Sharaa signs a constitutional declaration for a five-year transition in Syria; Corruption investigation into Chinese company Huawei: searches and arrests at the European Parliament; Protests in Bangladesh over the death of a raped girl, family members arrested; Millions of Indians are celebrating Holi, the spring festival of colours, fires and religious traditions.

ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN

Armenian and Azerbaijani officials have declared that they have agreed on the text of a peace agreement to end almost 40 years of conflict: a sudden turning point in an uncertain and often uphill peace process. The two post-Soviet countries have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s, when the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, broke away from Azerbaijan with Armenia's support. Armenia's Foreign Ministry has stated: ‘The peace agreement is ready for signature’.

SYRIA

Three months after Bashar al-Assad fled, interim president al-Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration that provides for a transition period of five years. The document states that Islam is the religion of the president, as in the previous constitution, and that Islamic jurisprudence is ‘the main source of legislation’. The Constitution also establishes the separation of powers, judicial independence and guarantees women's rights, freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

EU - CHINA

Yesterday, police forces carried out searches at more than 20 addresses - in Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal - of people and businesses linked to the European Parliament, as part of a corruption investigation into the lobbying activities of Chinese technology giant Huawei in Europe. Several people have been arrested. The charges are ‘active corruption, falsification of documents and money laundering at the European Parliament’, explained a spokesman for the Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office. The ‘alleged corruption’ is said to have benefited Huawei.

BANGLADESH

An eight-year-old girl who was raped in Bangladesh has died from her injuries, sparking protests across the country. The child was raped on her way to her older sister's house in the city of Magura, between the night of 5 March and the following morning, according to the complaint filed by her mother. The older sister's 18-year-old husband, along with his parents and brother, has been arrested and placed in custody. After hearing the news, an angry mob stormed the house and set it on fire.

INDIA

Millions of Indians are celebrating Holi, the festival of colours. The spring festival symbolises the victory of good over evil and marks the end of winter. People light bonfires and splash each other with colours and water, or paint each other with them, together with friends and family. It is one of India's biggest festivals, with millions of people returning to their home towns to celebrate with their loved ones. The holiday honours the divine love of the Hindu gods Radha and Krishna, and lively celebrations take place in the northern towns of Mathura and Vrindavan.

UKRAINE - USA

The Polish Deputy Minister of Defence, Pawel Zaleski, has announced that the United States has resumed arms deliveries to Ukraine via the logistics hub Polroghab in Jaselka, returning to the level prior to the interruption of the past few days, as was later confirmed by Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, following the peace negotiations in Jeddah. As reported by military analyst Jan Matveev and Ukrainian journalist Jurij Butusov, the Ukrainian army has begun to withdraw from the Russian region of Kursk.

TAJIKISTAN - KYRGYZSTAN

On 13th March the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan reopened after 4 years, with the removal of the guards on both sides in the presence of high representatives of the two States, and with the two presidents, Emomali Rakhmon and Sadyr Žaparov, in remote contact both from Bishkek, where Rakhmon went on an official visit to sign a series of collaboration measures.

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