A key US official with the task of overseeing diplomacy in North Africa acknowledged on Wednesday Egypt’s need for water security and called for “good faith negotiations” to resolve its dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.
“Concerns in Egypt about future water shortages have sparked tension over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project,” Karen Sasahara, deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa, said during a virtual meeting hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington.
“We believe that Egypt’s need for water security, Sudan’s safety concerns and Ethiopia’s development goals can be reconciled through good faith negotiations on the [dam], and the United States will continue to be actively involved with all parties to that end.”
Ms Sasahara’s remarks came after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department officials for the first US-Egypt strategic dialogue since 2015.
During those talks, Ethiopia featured on the agenda and afterwards, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that “the United States reiterated President Biden’s support for Egypt’s water security”.
Mr Blinken told reporters that he and Mr Shoukry had also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has taken an increasingly punitive stance with Ethiopia over the conflict and is set to expel it from a trade pact called the African Growth and Opportunity Act over human rights concerns in Tigray.
However, the Biden administration has taken a less involved stance in the dam dispute than former president Donald Trump, who put his treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, in charge of negotiations.
A senior US official told The National in September that the Biden administration is largely deferring to the African Union on the dam talks after Mr Mnuchin's efforts failed.
“Our interest is in a prosperous, stable and peaceful Horn of Africa, but we don’t want to insert ourselves into a process where we’re seen as supporting one side or the other to perhaps the detriment or the benefit of any party,” said the US official.
Ms Sasahara also touted the climate adaptation work that the US Agency for International Development is doing in Egypt, including a programme in 19 high schools that teach environmental protection.
She also reiterated the US stance that Libya should move forward with elections scheduled for December 24, despite increasing tension between the Tripoli and Tobruk-based factions of the Government of National Unity.
“The Libyan people now have the best opportunity in a decade to lay the foundation for a stable, democratic society,” said Ms Sasahara.
“Now is the time for Libyan political leaders to seek consensus, prepare for national elections and fulfil their commitment to the Libyan people to hold the vote on time.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will attend President Emmanuel Macron's conference on Libya in France on Friday. Mr Shoukry is scheduled to represent Egypt at the event.
The deputy assistant secretary of state also called on Tunisian President Kais Saied “to take concrete steps to return to normal democratic governance” following his suspension of Parliament in July.
“The United States shares the Tunisian people’s goals of a responsive democratic government capable of addressing the country’s economic and health crises,” said Ms Sasahara.
“We recognise Tunisian popular demands for reforms that improve the functioning of their democracy and urge President Saied to ensure that any reforms are adopted through an inclusive process.”
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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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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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
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
!['We believe that Egypt’s need for water security, Sudan’s safety concerns and Ethiopia’s development goals can be reconciled through good faith negotiations on the [dam],' said Karen Sasahara. AFP](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/ERXRISCSR5URRYLX2HFRHPHJ7M.jpg?smart=true&auth=ed9d5903649a53cc3dd3371653bd0b8e7b2235eceff7262d9b6f4f4dd66ad524&width=800&height=450)
