Topping diplomatic coverage this morning: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will begin generating power within the next year, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde said yesterday, according to Reuters. Head of Ethiopia’s Civil Aviation Authority also said yesterday that all flights over the dam would be banned for security reasons. The decision follows Ethiopian Maj.Gen. Yilma Merdasa’s comments last week that the country was prepared to defend the dam from any attack. Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have yet to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Also on the diplomatic front, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called for a political settlement in Libya based on the outcome of last year’s Berlin conference during a ministerial conference attended by his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to a cabinet statement.

In trade news, a ban on exports of beans and legumes will remain in place for three additional months as the Madbouly government prioritizes the needs of the local market, according to a Trade Ministry decision. The ministry originally introduced the ban in March as part of a basket of measures to shore up food security in the early days of the covid-19 pandemic and renewed it for three months in June. Industry players claimed last month that authorities agreed to end the suspension, provided export requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.