Egypt said on Wednesday it endorsed a Sudanese proposal to internationalise arbitration in a years-long dispute with Ethiopia over a huge dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said Cairo backed the formation of an international quartet – the US, the EU, the UN and the African Union – to help to reach a deal on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam.
The dispute centres on how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multi-year drought occurs and how the three countries would settle any future disputes. Egypt and Sudan also want a legally binding agreement to control the dam's filling and operation, while Ethiopia insists on guidelines only.
Mr Shukry said Egypt wants to develop the negotiating mechanism to reach a “legally binding agreement at the earliest possible opportunity”.
He announced Egypt’s position during a meeting on Wednesday in Cairo with Alphonse Ntumba Luaba, co-ordinator of the unit in charge of Democratic Republic of the Congo’s current leadership of the African Union.
There were no immediate comments from Washington, Brussels, or the UN.
Sudan announced its proposal this year after AU-led talks failed to achieve progress. Since then, Khartoum has become increasingly vocal against Ethiopia's plans to start the second filling during the next rainy season.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said this month that the dam threatens at least 20 million Sudanese, about half the country's population.
Sudan wants Ethiopia to co-ordinate and share data on the dam's operation to avoid flooding and protect its own power-generating dams on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River. The Blue Nile meets the White Nile in central Sudan, from where the Nile winds north through Egypt and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
There was no comment from Ethiopia, which left a US-led attempt to mediate the dispute, alleging bias. The administration of former president Donald Trump last year sanctioned Ethiopia over the dam's first filling before reaching a deal with Egypt and Sudan.
On Friday, President Joe Biden’s administration said it had de-linked the sanctions from the dam dispute.
About 85 per cent of the Nile’s flow originates from Ethiopia. Officials hope the dam, now more than three-quarters complete, will reach full power-generating capacity in 2023, helping to pull millions of its people out of poverty.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with more than 100 million people, called the dam an existential threat and worries that it will reduce its share of the Nile's waters. The country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its people.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
