Latest news with #IsaiasAfwerki
Zawya
28-05-2025
- General
- Zawya
Eritrea: Funeral Service of Minister Woldemicael Abraha
The funeral service of veteran fighter and Minister of Local Government, Woldemicael Abraha, was held at Asmara Martyrs Cemetery in the presence of President Isaias Afwerki, Ministers, senior Government and PFDJ officials, Army Commanders, family members, and a large number of nationals. Veteran freedom fighter Minister Woldemicael Abraha began his political career in 1961 as a member of the Eritrean Liberation Movement. He formally joined the EPLF in 1974 and was elected to the Central Committee during the two of the EPLF congresses. He was also elected as a member of the PFDJ Central Committee and the National Assembly at the 3rd Congress held in 1994. Minister Woldemicael played a pivotal role in consolidating EPLF mass associations, serving as Chairman of the National Union of Eritrean Workers (1979–1987) and as Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the National Unions of Eritrean Workers, Students, and Women. Following Eritrea's independence, Minister Woldemicael served with dedication in various high-level Government positions, including Head of the Ports and Marine Transport Authority, Governor of the Central Region, Eritrean Ambassador to Germany, Governor of the Southern Red Sea Region, Minister of Transportation and Communication, and finally as Minister of Local Government. President Isaias Afwerki laid a wreath on the tomb of Minister Woldemicael Abraha on behalf of the Eritrean Government. Mr. Yemane Gebreab laid a wreath on behalf of the PFDJ; Ambassador Abdella Musa, Governor of the Anseba Region, on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government; and Ms. Mewalit Woldemicael, daughter of the veteran fighter. Minister Woldemicael Abraha passed away on 24 May at the age of 87 in Asmara due to illness. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Al Etihad
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
UAE President, VPs congratulate President of Eritrea on Independence Day
24 May 2025 12:05 ABU DHABI (WAM)UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea on the occasion of his country's Independence Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar messages to the President of Eritrea.
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.
Zawya
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Eritrea : Message of Condolences
President Isaias Afwerki has sent a message of heartfelt condolences to the Vatican, on behalf of the people and Government of the State of Eritrea and on his own behalf, on the sad news of the passing away of His Holiness Pope Francis. In his message to His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of the State of the Holy See, President Isaias Afwerki paid tribute to Pope Francis 'whose distinguished life was dedicated to the service of humanity and especially to advance the cause of social justice for marginalized segments of our global society'. President Isaias further expressed his condolences, on this sad occasion, to His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and through him, to all the Cardinals, the clergy and all faithful members of the Roman Catholic Church around the world. Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21 at the age of 88. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
