Egypt-Ethiopia
Ethiopia has riled Egypt by announcing it is to start the second phase of filling a massive dam on the Nile River’s main tributary. The row between the two nations has dragged on for almost a decade as Ethiopia continues construction of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which will be Africa’s biggest hydroelectric dam once finished. Egypt relies on the Nile for up to 90 percent of its freshwater and sees any threat to that as an existential issue. Ethiopia, where the Nile’s main tributary originates, says it was shortchanged by colonial-era treaties that gave Egypt and Sudan access to the overwhelming majority of the Nile’s waters.
Very detailed piece from Al Jazeera here.
Afghanistan-US
The US military slipped out of its main base in Afghanistan in the dead of night without informing Afghan authorities, according to Bagram air base’s new commander General Asadullah Kohistani. Asked about the claim by the Associated Press, a US army spokesman referred the news agency to a previous statement which said they had coordinated their departures from various bases with Afghan leaders. It’s hard not to interpret the clandestine US withdrawal as reflecting a lack of trust in their local allies, who now face the very real possibility the Taliban will try to capture the base.
More from the Associated Press here.
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping today, in what was widely interpreted as a swipe at the US, warned political parties around the world to oppose countries that engage in “technology blockades”. China regularly criticizes Washington for cutting off its access to US technology in what Beijing sees as an effort to hamper its development.
More from EuroNews here.