CAIRO (AP) — Egypt and Sudan welcomed on Saturday President Donald Trump’s offer to resume U.S. mediation efforts with Ethiopia to resolve a long-running Nile River water dispute following Addis Ababa's construction of a giant dam.
Ethiopia inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, last fall. It is Africa’s largest and is meant to produce more than 5,000 megawatts, doubling Ethiopia’s electricity generation capacity. Egypt sees the dam as a “grave violation of international law" that poses "an existential threat,” fearing a severe effect on Nile water flow.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in a social media post that he valued “President Trump’s attention to the central importance of the Nile River issue for Egypt,” adding that his country is committed to “serious and constructive cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, based on the principles of international law, in a manner that achieves shared interests without causing harm to any party.”
He said that Egypt supports the U.S. efforts to resolve the dispute with Ethiopia.
In a post on X, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, chairman of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council and its military chief, hailed Trump’s initiative as a step “to find sustainable and satisfactory solutions that preserve everyone’s rights.”
There was no immediate comment from Ethiopia.
On Friday, Trump posted on social media a letter he sent to el-Sissi, saying: “I am ready to restart U.S. mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to responsibly resolve the question of ’The Nile Water Sharing’ once and for all.”
Washington-led mediations began during Trump’s first term, but they effectively collapsed in 2020, when Ethiopia withdrew — though some discussions later continued under the African Union without reaching a settlement.
Cairo and Khartoum call for a legally binding agreement on how GERD, located on the Blue Nile near Ethiopia’s border with Sudan, will be filled and operated, while Addis Ababa insists on guidelines.
Egypt, a mostly desert country, depends on the Nile River to supply its booming population of 110 million with fresh water. It fears that the dam will drastically reduce the Nile’s flow, with potentially severe effects on its agriculture and other sectors. El-Sissi has said that his country’s share of Nile water is “ untouchable,” though he favored resolving the dispute through negotiations.
Sudan, meanwhile, wants coordination of the operation and replenishment of the GERD's reservoir to avert unexpected impacts on its dams.
Ethiopia says the $5 billion dam is essential, arguing the vast majority of its population lacks electricity.
The dispute now centers on how the dam's annual replenishment is conducted, the amount of water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multi-year drought occurs and the method the three countries will use to settle future disputes.
FILE - Construction work takes place, at the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia, on June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Elias Asmare, File)
TARVISIO, Italy (AP) — The Italian ski team is on a roll with less than three weeks to go before a home Olympics. And so is 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn.
Nicol Delago claimed her first World Cup victory in a downhill on home snow Saturday, with Vonn in third place for her fifth podium in five downhills this season.
Delago matched Italian teammate Giovanni Franzoni, who claimed his first victory in a super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, on Friday.
The Milan Cortina Winter Games open on Feb. 6 with the women racing in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the men in Bormio.
Delago, who also led the final training session on Friday, finished 0.20 seconds ahead of Kira Weidle-Winkelmann of Germany and 0.26 ahead of Vonn.
Delago’s previous best finishes were three second-place results and two third-place results. Her younger sister, Nadia, won the bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Nadia Delago was 10th Saturday.
It was the first World Cup downhill in Tarvisio in 15 years and Vonn was one of only two athletes in the current field who had raced it before. In her six previous races in Tarvisio across downhill, super-G and super-combined, Vonn earned two wins and four runner-up finishes.
“I don’t really remember the track,” Vonn said. “But I do remember that the atmosphere was amazing and the people were amazing. ... And I met some fans earlier and they were singing songs about me. It was awesome. So I’m so happy to be back on the podium again under tough conditions. So it couldn’t be better.”
In the downhill standings, Vonn increased her advantage to 144 points ahead of Emma Aicher of Germany. Four World Cup downhills remain this season.
In the overall standings, Vonn moved up to third place with 510 points, trailing only American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (923 points) and Camille Rast (753) — neither of whom are currently racing downhill.
The race was characterized by fog hovering over the course midway down — limiting visibility.
Nicol Delago nearly lost control in the foggy section as her skis split apart. But she quickly recovered and then added to her advantage at every check point. At the finish, she celebrated with a big smile and kissed one of her skis, even though with the No. 3 bib most of the favorites were still to come down.
Vonn was fastest at both speed checks, registering 136.3 kph (84.7 mph) on top. But with such high speed she veered off course into fresh snow midway down — slowing her slightly.
The Olympic downhill in Cortina is scheduled for Feb. 8.
A super-G is scheduled for Tarvisio on Sunday.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Italy's Nicol Delago celebrates after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Italy's Nadia Delago celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Germany's Kira Weidle Winkelmann speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
Italy's Nicol Delago right, hugs her sister Italy's Nadia Delago at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Germany's Kira Weidle Winkelmann celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
United States' Lindsey Vonn, center, smiles at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Italy's Nicol Delago speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Lindsey Vonn celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
Italy's Nicol Delago celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in Tarvisio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
