US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday pushed Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for further commitments on the Tigray crisis following last week’s ceasefire after considerable military advances by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
In a phone call, “Secretary Blinken urged Prime Minister Abiy to commit to the steps outlined in the United Nations Security Council on July 2,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Mr Price said that the commitments include “the complete withdrawal of Eritrean and Amhara forces from Tigray; full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need” and “the establishment of a transparent process to hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses and atrocities”.
Mr Blinken also called for “an affirmation that neither the internal nor external borders of Ethiopia will be changed by force or in contravention of the constitution”.
The UN last week said that more than 400,000 people in Tigray are facing famine and that clashes could continue despite the ceasefire.
Addis Ababa declared a unilateral ceasefire last week after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front advanced on Mekelle, the province’s capital. The rebels have accepted a ceasefire in principle under stringent conditions, including the restoration of their government in Tigray.
Mr Blinken “stressed the need for all parties to the conflict to commit to an immediate, indefinite, negotiated ceasefire”.
In the meantime, efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Tigray’s embattled civilian population became drastically more difficult last week after the destruction of a key bridge over the Tekeze River. It remains unclear who destroyed the bridge.
Mr Blinken “condemned the destruction of bridges into Tigray and other impediments to access”.
The conflict erupted last year after Ethiopian and Eritrean forces entered the region alongside ethnic Amhara militias to push back against an offensive by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
US officials threatened to sanction Eritrean officials last week if they did not withdraw their forces from Tigray.
Ethiopia has maintained a blackout in the region, hindering lines of communication and banning media access.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
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Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
