Latest news with #Fano
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New York Giants predicted to land OT Spencer Fano in way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft
New York Giants predicted to land OT Spencer Fano in way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft The New York Giants face a crucial upcoming season that brings a cloudy future. After general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were retained despite coming off a 3-14 season, there's no doubt both figures will be on the hot seat once the 2025 campaign begins. Projecting what New York will do next offseason is difficult enough considering how much can change until then, and it's even more true given the chance that an entirely new regime could be taking over if Schoen and Daboll fail to deliver the necessary hope to keep their jobs. With all that said, a recent way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft from CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson has Big Blue going back to the offensive line, grabbing Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano with the No. 4 overall pick. Technician in both pass protection and against the run. Played in primarily zone scheme and fit it perfectly because of mix of athleticism and power. Technically sound run blocker who wins with power/balance. If the Giants once again hold a selection in the top five of the draft order, it's fair to assume both Schoen and Daboll will be gone. The only saving grace in that situation would be if rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart showed some promise down the stretch of the season — even if it wouldn't result in winning games. Fano is considered to be one of the top prospects in the upcoming class, along with Utah's other tackle Caleb Lomu. The former is entering his true junior season with the experience of playing both tackle spots throughout his collegiate career with the Utes. Rated as the No. 14 overall prospect by Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice, Fano "is a springy athlete who can constantly stay on his feet, as well as with pass rushers and any post-snap movement, and he is also a strong finisher in the run game." Per Pro Football Focus, Fano allowed 14 total pressures, including one sack and two quarterback hits, from the right tackle spot in 2024. With Jermaine Eluemunor entering the final year of his contract, the right tackle spot could be an enormous need for the Giants. The 2026 NFL draft is still far in the back of the minds of the Giants front office but regardless of who is calling the shots at that point, Fano is a name to keep in mind. Pro Football Network also previously mocked Fano to the Giants.
AFP
29-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of Ethiopian mayor admitting she confided in rebel group is fake
'Adanech has leaked secrets,' reads the text overlay on a video posted on Facebook on May 18, 2025. Image Screenshot of the altered post, taken on May 26, 2025 The post contains a 22-second clip that shows Adanech speaking at a gathering. 'My ex-husband was Amhara, and we had one daughter together. Following our minor dispute, he joined the Fano forces,' Adanech appears to say. Fano is a militia group in Ethiopia's Amhara region that has been fighting against the Ethiopian army since July 2023. 'He is currently fighting with our government, but we often talk over the telephone since he is my daughter's father,' Adanech appears to add. 'Sometimes he mocks me and says: 'We are heading to Addis Ababa, are you ready?'.' The text accompanying the post reads: 'You Amhara men, did we not tell you not to marry women from any other ethnicity, but Amhara only?' Adanech is Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. Similar posts were also shared here and here on Facebook. Addis Ababa development Ethiopia is experiencing armed conflicts in its two major regions: Oromia and Amhara. AFP's investigations revealed that the warring parties are using advanced disinformation tactics to smear their opponents, which is contributing to ethnic polarisation (archived here). Adanech has also faced trouble closer to home. AFP has reported on the demolition of historic buildings in the heart of Addis Ababa as part of Ethiopia's extensive urban development projects (archived here). Critics say the urban renewal scheme, known as the Addis Ababa Corridor Development Project, has not only wrecked buildings but also the history and identity associated with the area. Last month, Amnesty International called on the Ethiopian government to immediately halt the projects that it says have led to 'forced evictions' (archived here). Adanech has defended the projects as a benefit to society as a whole by creating wide roads, cycle paths and children's playgrounds. However, her speech purportedly revealing how she had leaked sensitive information to Fano was altered. Unrelated speech AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The results established that a longer original video was published on the official YouTube channel of state-owned broadcaster Addis Media Network (AMN) on May 18, 2025 (archived here). An Amharic caption accompanying the video reads: 'Mayor Adanech Abebie noted that the city residents have benefited from the project accomplished in collaboration with business owners.' The video begins by showing dilapidated houses in cramped neighbourhoods, followed by testimonials from residents who say their lives have been improved by the new homes built by the city. About a minute into the original video, Adanech begins speaking in Amharic about housing projects for low-income residents in the district of Addis Ketema: 'I remember it was even difficult to get into those areas and do the excavation work because it was very confined there.' 'This situation has changed and pleasant residential buildings with good streets and playgrounds for children have been built in the area,' she adds. At no point did Adanech mention a former husband or Fano rebels. Artificially-generated audio The false Facebook post took a passage from Adanech's original speech (from 4'02' to 4'22'), slowed it down slightly, and replaced her words with AI-generated audio. Image Screenshot of the original video (left) and the false clip, taken on May 27, 2025 While the audio is in Amharic, the accent is off. There are also clear discrepancies between the words and Adanech's lip movements. For example, during the phrase 'minor dispute and he mocks me', her lips barely move. These are all clear signs that the audio was AI-generated. AFP Fact Check also ran the audio through an audio deepfake detector called DeepfakeTotal. Image Screenshot of the results generated by Deepfake Total, taken on May 27, 2025 The results showed a more than 99 percent probability that the audio was artificially created. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked AI-generated videos on a range of topics in Ethiopia, such as here, here and here.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel
'Breaking: Huthi missile attack has reached Israeli city and caused destruction,' reads a post published on April 28, 2025, in Afaan Oromoo, one of Ethiopia's major languages. A 34-second clip shows a massive explosion in the middle of a city and plumes of smoke. A YouTube link included in the post leads to an unrelated video speculating about preparations for war in northern Ethiopia. 'Reports show that a new war is starting in northern Ethiopia. The TPLF group is aligned with the Fano fighters and Eritrea to fight against the Ethiopian government,' says the narrator in the YouTube video. TPLF is the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a paramilitary group that fought against the Ethiopian government before a peace deal was signed in South Africa in November 2022. Fano is a militia from the Amhara region, where it has been fighting against government forces since July 2023. The narrator claims weapons are flowing to Tigray from war-torn Sudan while the Ethiopian government is recruiting new conscripts. Photos of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and TPLF leaders are seen on the screen while the narrator speaks. A similar post was shared here on Facebook. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebel forces have launched missile and drone attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 (archived here). On April 27, 2025, The Times of Israel reported that the militant group fired a ballistic missile at Israel, which the Israeli military said was intercepted before reaching its territory (archived here). A week later, though, one of the projectiles slipped through and struck inside the perimeter of Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport (archived here). However, the video does not show an Israeli city destroyed by Huthi missiles. AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results indicated that the video was published on Instagram in December 2024 (archived here). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Woww7759 (@woww7759) The description that accompanied the video indicates that it showed a massive Beirut explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020. The video was also shared on Facebook and TikTok (archived here and here). The massive chemical blast that devastated Beirut on August 4, 2020 killed more than 170 people and injured over 6,500. The explosion occurred in a warehouse in the port of Beirut and ravaged the capital, sparking unprecedented public outrage at the time (archived here). AFP Fact Check matched features in the video to the location on Google Maps, including the church of Saint George Maronite Cathedral in Beirut (archived here). Saint George Maronite Cathedral is about four kilometres from the port in Beirut. At the time, conspiracy theories about the blast were spread on social media, including the alleged depiction of the disaster as a missile attack (archived here). There have been no news reports about the purported destruction of an Israeli city in the wake of a Huthi missile attack. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked several claims related to the Beirut blast here, here and here.
AFP
09-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel
'Breaking: Huthi missile attack has reached Israeli city and caused destruction,' reads a post published on April 28, 2025, in Afaan Oromoo, one of Ethiopia's major languages. Image Screenshot of the false post, taken May 6, 2025 A 34-second clip shows a massive explosion in the middle of a city and plumes of smoke. A YouTube link included in the post leads to an unrelated video speculating about preparations for war in northern Ethiopia. 'Reports show that a new war is starting in northern Ethiopia. The TPLF group is aligned with the Fano fighters and Eritrea to fight against the Ethiopian government,' says the narrator in the YouTube video. TPLF is the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a paramilitary group that fought against the Ethiopian government before a peace deal was signed in South Africa in November 2022. Fano is a militia from the Amhara region, where it has been fighting against government forces since July 2023. The narrator claims weapons are flowing to Tigray from war-torn Sudan while the Ethiopian government is recruiting new conscripts. Photos of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and TPLF leaders are seen on the screen while the narrator speaks. A similar post was shared here on Facebook. Huthi attack Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebel forces have launched missile and drone attacks against Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 (archived here). On April 27, 2025, The Times of Israel reported that the militant group fired a ballistic missile at Israel, which the Israeli military said was intercepted before reaching its territory (archived here). A week later, though, one of the projectiles slipped through and struck inside the perimeter of Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport (archived here). However, the video does not show an Israeli city destroyed by Huthi missiles. Beirut blast AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results indicated that the video was published on Instagram in December 2024 (archived here). The description that accompanied the video indicates that it showed a massive Beirut explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020. The video was also shared on Facebook and TikTok (archived here and here). The massive chemical blast that devastated Beirut on August 4, 2020 killed more than 170 people and injured over 6,500. The explosion occurred in a warehouse in the port of Beirut and ravaged the capital, sparking unprecedented public outrage at the time (archived here). AFP Fact Check matched features in the video to the location on Google Maps, including the church of Saint George Maronite Cathedral in Beirut (archived here). Saint George Maronite Cathedral is about four kilometres from the port in Beirut. Image Comparison of screenshots from Google Maps (left) and the footage, taken on May 6, 2025 At the time, conspiracy theories about the blast were spread on social media, including the alleged depiction of the disaster as a missile attack (archived here). There have been no news reports about the purported destruction of an Israeli city in the wake of a Huthi missile attack. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked several claims related to the Beirut blast here, here and here.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is Ethiopia at war again? A look at the rebellion in one of its most powerful regions
Before he was a rebel, Asres Mare Damte was a lawyer. Today he fights for the Fano, a loose collection of groups taking on Ethiopia's military in one of its most populous and powerful regions. The conflict in Amhara has simmered largely out of sight, with access limited by authorities and insecurity. But a rare interview with Asres, deputy of an influential Fano faction, and others on the ground give a sense of its impact. Ethiopia's federal government has long been challenged to hold together a potent mix of ethnic groups and interests. Sometimes, as recently in the Tigray region, it explodes into war. The Amhara, Ethiopia's second-largest ethnic group, once dominated national politics. Many among the rebels want to see them in power again. But they also claim the Amhara are under attack, citing ethnic-based violence in parts of Ethiopia where they are a minority. The extent of the Amhara fighting has been difficult to measure since the Fano emerged during anti-government protests in 2016. Alliances in Ethiopia can be shifting. During the Tigray conflict, the Fano fought alongside Ethiopian forces. Afterward, angered by certain terms of the peace deal, the rebels turned against the federal government once again. Before taking up arms, Asres said he coordinated peaceful demonstrations to protest the killing of Amharas. He was arrested twice and fled in 2022 after a third warrant was issued. These days, he and fellow fighters live in fear of drone strikes by Ethiopian forces. He makes bullish, unverified claims. 'We have fought thousands of battles,' he told The Associated Press from Amhara's Gojjam area, which has seen some of the heaviest battles. He claimed that the Fano control over 80% of Amhara, a mountainous region of over 22 million people, and has captured 'many enemy troops.' In a statement last month, Amhara's deputy head of security said the government had 'freed' 2,225 of Amhara's 4,174 subdistricts. It was not clear how many more were under Fano control. Fighting has escalated since mid-March, with the Fano launching an offensive across Amhara. The military has claimed it 'crushed' the offensive and killed 300 Fano fighters, but reports of clashes persist. Amhara's large population has long created pressure to expand, and the ethnic group has claimed the western part of Tigray. The Fano and Amhara regional forces seized it during the Tigray conflict, but they were left out of peace negotiations. They were angered to learn that western Tigray's fate might be left up to a referendum, which has not been held. It is "not a genuine peace,' Asres said. After several months of small-scale skirmishes, Amhara saw open rebellion in July 2023, when Fano groups launched a coordinated offensive and briefly seized control of several towns. They retreated to the countryside and have waged a hit-and-run guerrilla campaign since then, setting up checkpoints on key roads and often entering major urban areas. 'One week you're ruled by one, one week you're ruled by the other,' said a mother of three in the southern town of Debre Markos, referring to the rebels and Ethiopia's military. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The monitoring group ACLED recorded 270 battles between Fano and government forces between Oct. 27 of last year and Jan. 31, as well as over a dozen attacks targeting health facilities and doctors in Amhara since last April. Residents and observers say some local officials have fled their posts for fear of assassination, while police struggle to maintain control. The regional education office says over 3,600 schools across Amhara are closed, with many looted or damaged, depriving 4.5 million children of schooling. The government said 2.3 million people needed food aid in 2024, many in hard-to-reach areas. 'You can't travel from one city to another safely. Work has stopped,' said Tadesse Gete, a barber based in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, but from North Gondar, one of the fighting's hot spots. He said his family fled for safety. Rights groups have accused Ethiopia's military of abuses including extrajudicial killings, drone strikes against civilians and enforced disappearances of alleged Fano sympathizers. Human Rights Watch last year said it had documented attacks by Ethiopian soldiers and allied militias in at least 13 Amhara towns since August 2023. The bloodiest known episode was in February 2024 in Merawi, 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Amhara's regional capital, when Ethiopian troops went door-to-door rounding up and executing civilians following a Fano attack, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The state-appointed human rights commission said at least 45 civilians were killed. 'The Ethiopian authorities have taken no meaningful steps to hold perpetrators accountable,' said Haimanot Bejiga, a researcher for Amnesty International. A government spokesperson denied the allegations at the time, saying 'not only would civilians never be targeted, even surrendering combatants would not be killed.' On March 31, soldiers rounded up and killed civilians in the town of Brakat after clashing with local forces, two witnesses told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. One described seeing soldiers killing four women. 'They ordered them to kneel down and they shot them from behind,' he said. 'After the soldiers left that area, I counted 28 dead bodies." The government has restricted access to Brakat and has not commented. The government did not respond to AP questions. It has accused the Fano of 'terrorizing the people'. But it has also formed regional peace councils, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year said his government had been in talks for 'a while' with Fano groups. They have not made significant progress. Abiy has said the rebel's diffuse structure and lack of a coherent leadership has made negotiating difficult. The Fano continues to draw recruits from disillusioned Amhara youth and from soldiers deserting the military. They include 25-year-old Andrag Challe, who believes that joining the rebellion is the only way to protect the Amhara and bring political change to Ethiopia. The military 'serves the interests of the ruling party,' not the people, he said.
