Almost a decade ago, in the cool surrounds of the Italian-built presidential palace in Asmara, there was one line of questioning that went nowhere with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki: why did his country shut itself off from the world because of the dispute with Ethiopia?
It was, however, clear that the liberation hero and president of the Red Sea state was frustrated with the stand-off. Even then, he evinced no passion for the division of the Horn of Africa in the way it had long been split.
But the rapid thawing of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which seemed to come out of the blue, has caught many by surprise.
The opportunity created by the new entente is vast. Already Mr Isaias has granted Eritrea’s neighbour the long sought-after promise of access to the port of Assab on the Red Sea.
As in most momentous diplomatic breakthroughs, it pays to look at the chemistry that created the agreement.
It is now clear that the moment when the UAE sealed an agreement to open up Assab was a turning point. The port had been a backwater since the end of the Cold War but has deep roots into the interior.
With its logistics expertise, the UAE has been keen to unlock the potential of the Horn of Africa's seaboard. The conflict in Yemen has raised the strategic importance of the relationship significantly.
Eritrea has been isolated from global trade and within its neighbourhood. Much of that was down to the character of its president, who has embodied the country since its independence in the 1990s.
A neat man in a smartly tailored jacket, the Eritrean president in 2009 was a very self-contained figure. The palace reception rooms bore little or no personal imprimatur. The building was quiet and chilly.
Diplomats based in the capital briefed that the key to dispute was not the differences between Eritreans and Ethiopians. The ties that linked the leaderships were key. It was rumoured, in fact, that the president was a blood relative of his rival, Meles Zenawi, then Ethiopia's prime minister.
While also authoritarian, Mr Meles had in contrast the knack of securing the backing of the world – particularly the development donors who lavished billions on a country that was proven so vulnerable in the 1980s famine.
Mr Meles and Mr Isaias were both ethnic Tigrans who could not bridge their differences. Vast conscript armies stood either side of the high altitude ridges along armistice line. A border commission verdict handing back the town of Badme in 2002 failed to bring reconciliation.
The death of Mr Meles six years ago changed the parameters of the dispute.
Since then the Eritrea president has struck up a deep rapport with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Relationships were forged with the UAE leadership. A sense of new beginnings was engendered.
Then in April came the vital ingredient – a change of leadership in Ethiopia. The new prime minister Abiy Ahmed was brought up by Christian and Muslim parents, his roots in the south of Ethiopia. Crucially he ascended through the ranks of the Tigrayan-dominated intelligence services before going into politics and rising through the ranks of the ruling coalition.
It took street protests to finally lift Mr Abiy to power but having broken the Tigrayan grip on power, he has wasted no time. In just a few short weeks, Mr Abiy has kicked away the last principles of the Meles era.
Not since the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie decided to annex Eritrea, triggering a 32-year armed struggle, has there been such a significant shift in the regional balance of power.
Ethiopia is landlocked. It has made a significant leap in self-sufficiency over recent decades but cannot get over the basic lack of access to the sea.
It is clearly in the interest of the government in Addis Abba to diversify its supply lines beyond the current reliance on Djbouti. Even under the previous leadership, Ethiopia had teamed up with the UAE in an investment in the autonomous Somaliland.
Providing a bridge for Mr Abiy to connect with Mr Isaias is already a significant achievement for the UAE, The long-term strategic goal of a string of modern trade hubs along the western Red Sea has taken a sudden leap forward.
Overcoming the hurdles presented by the Mogadishu authorities failure to open up Somalia to trade is bound to be facilitated by the momentum further north.
There has been a lazy tag line for Eritrea among commentators and think tank researchers. The country has been written off as the North Korea of Africa. As a visitor to both countries, the fallacy was that Asmara was just another Pyongyang.
Diplomacy with North Korea has hogged the headlines in recent months. So far, dealings with Eritrea have achieved far more.
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
more from Janine di Giovanni
TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%2C%20multimedia%20and%20creative%20work%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELogo%20design%2C%20website%20design%2C%20visualisations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20management%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELegal%20or%20management%20consulting%2C%20architecture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EResearch%20support%2C%20proofreading%2C%20bookkeeping%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESales%20and%20marketing%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESearch%20engine%20optimisation%2C%20social%20media%20marketing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EData%20entry%2C%20administrative%2C%20and%20clerical%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20entry%20tasks%2C%20virtual%20assistants%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIT%2C%20software%20development%20and%20tech%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20analyst%2C%20back-end%20or%20front-end%20developers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWriting%20and%20translation%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EContent%20writing%2C%20ghost%20writing%2C%20translation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOnline%20microtasks%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImage%20tagging%2C%20surveys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20World%20Bank%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Book%20Details
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE's final round of matches
- Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
- Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
- Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
- Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
- Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
- Mar 23, 2017 Lost to Japan 2-0 (home)
- Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
- June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
- Aug 29, 2017 v Saudi Arabia (home)
- Sep 5, 2017 v Iraq (away)
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
