Negotiations over Ethiopia’s huge Nile dam project cannot be indefinite, even if Egypt wants a resolution to the dispute over vital water supplies, Egypt's President Abdel Fatah El Sisi said on Tuesday.
“The Nile is our life and the life of our brothers in Sudan,” Mr El Sisi told army officers at a closed meeting on Tuesday.
A five-minute video clip containing excerpts of his comments was released on Tuesday night by his office.
"The Renaissance Dam has given our brothers in Ethiopia a huge advantage … and we are happy for them," said the Egyptian leader, alluding to the 6,000 megawatts the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will generate on completion.
“What binds us through the Nile is much stronger than the cause of any differences. But, of course, our negotiating will not be indefinite.”
Egypt and fellow downstream ally Sudan have been trying for years to persuade Ethiopia to enter a legally binding deal on operating and filling the dam, including mechanisms for handling future droughts and disputes.
Ethiopia insists it will agree to only non-binding guidelines and has threatened to go ahead with a second, and much larger, filling of the hydroelectric dam in the summer – regardless of whether a deal is reached or not.
Egypt and Sudan have warned Addis Ababa against such a move.
In the past, Mr El Sisi's government accused Addis Ababa of intransigence and of using time-wasting tactics during years of negotiations over the dam.
Egypt fears the dam could severely reduce its vital share of the Nile's water, wiping out hundreds of thousands of jobs and disrupting the country's delicate food balance.
Sudan maintains that Ethiopia must share real-time data on the operation of the dam to avoid deadly flooding and any disruption to its own power-generating dams on the Blue Nile.
Both downstream countries were angered when Ethiopia went ahead last summer with the dam’s first filling, which forced some water treatment facilities in Sudan to cease operations but left Egypt unscathed.
The effect of the second filling – involving about 13.5 billion cubic metres of water – is expected to be much larger.
Sudan says it could put the lives of 20 million of its people at risk.
The huge dam is built on the Blue Nile, less than 20 kilometres from the Sudanese border.
The Blue Nile, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of the Nile water, flows into eastern Sudan and meets the White Nile in Khartoum.
Together they become the Nile, travelling across Sudan and the entire length of Egypt, all the way to the Mediterranean.
On Tuesday, Mr El Sisi did not say what his next step would be if the negotiations, which broke down late last year, resumed and then dragged on without making any tangible progress.
He has said in the past that Egypt would not accept a fait accompli and described his country’s share of the Nile's water as an existential issue.
His mix of conciliatory rhetoric and warnings over the dam appeared designed to send a message to Addis Ababa that a deal can still be reached, if the parties negotiated in good faith.
A deal, he said on Tuesday, could be a win-win for all three nations.
Sudan and Egypt recently proposed that a quartet comprising the US, UN, EU and the African Union should be included in future negotiations to facilitate the process.
Ethiopia said this week that it wants only the African Union to be involved.
In addition to their differences over the dam, Sudan and Ethiopia are locked in a border dispute that has led to a series of deadly clashes in recent months.
Egypt has stated its full support to Sudan in the dispute, and on March 4 signed a military co-operation agreement with its southern neighbour.
On Saturday, Mr El Sisi made his first visit to Sudan since long-time dictator Omar Al Bashir was removed from power nearly two years ago.
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
