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Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Posts falsely claim to show footage of Ethiopian prime minister fleeing country after shooting
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was elected in 2018 on a reform agenda, but domestic conflicts and diplomatic tensions have piled on the pressure during his time in office. A Facebook account has shared two videos, claiming one shows police vehicles responding after Abiy was shot by a bodyguard, and the second a clip of an Ethiopian Airlines plane with the country's leader and his wife onboard, fleeing. However, these posts are false: the video of the plane taking off at night is more than four years old, while Abiy attended an international conference in the capital of Addis Ababa after he was purportedly shot. Neither claim has been reported by local or international media. The post, published on Facebook on July 22, 2025, includes a video with text overlays in Amharic that translate to: 'Arat Kilo is in turmoil following the shooting of Abiy by one of his security guards.' Arat Kilo is the location of the Ethiopian prime minister's office. The post has been shared more than 230 times. Another post shared by the same Facebook account a day later claims a 'secretly recorded video shows Abiy Ahmed fleeing the country with his wife following yesterday's protest'. The post has been shared more than 140 times. The Facebook account spreading these claims is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to information in the bio. The account regularly publishes posts on political developments in the Sidama region — one of Ethiopia's 12 regional states. Despite the end of the brutal two-year war in the northern region of Tigray in November 2022, Ethiopia is still plagued by conflict, including in the Oromia and Amhara regions. Oromia, Ethiopia's most populous region, has been dominated by an insurgency involving the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) since 2018, despite attempted peace talks that have failed (archived here). More recently, a local militia known as Fano was initially allied with the Ethiopian federal government before launching an armed rebellion in the Amhara region in April 2023 (archived here). The armed conflicts have posed major challenges for Abiy and his government. However, the videos do not show Abiy fleeing the country after being shot. Ethiopian cargo flight AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video showing an aeroplane taking off at night. The results established that the video was first published on TikTok in 2021, with the caption that it shows an Ethiopian Airlines cargo Boeing 777 leaving for Liège in Belgium (archived here). An official statement issued in 2024 by Ethiopian Airlines confirms how the airports in Ethiopia and Liège have maintained a partnership for the transport of goods between Europe, Africa and the rest of the world for more than 17 years (archived here). Despite claims in the post that Abiy had fled the country following a protest in the capital on July 21, 2025, searches revealed there were no demonstrations in Addis Ababa on that day. We could not find the source of the second video, which appears to be user-generated content (UGC) -- meaning it was filmed by a bystander -- of police cars racing through a street, purportedly after Abiy was shot by a bodyguard. AFP Fact Check compared the images of the vehicles, some of them marked with the letters 'EFP' in yellow, and found they resemble the fleet used by the Ethiopian Federal Police. We have reached out to the Ethiopian Federal Police for comment. The article will be updated accordingly. A keyword search confirmed that Abiy delivered a public speech at the World Food Systems event, co-hosted with Italy and held in Addis Ababa, on July 28, 2025 -- days after the posts were published (archived here). Notably, there are no credible media reports of Abiy being shot by one of his security guards, the day before he purportedly fled the country with his wife.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Queen Latifah's show 'The Equalizer' cancelled after five seasons
Picture Credit: X CBS has opted not to renew the crime drama series 'The Equalizer' starring Queen Latifah for a sixth season. The decision comes after the network's 2025-26 schedule announcement, and the Season 5 finale will now serve as a series finale, as per Deadline. 'The Equalizer' has been a reliable performer on Sundays, but its ratings have eroded over time, placing it in the middle of the pack at CBS this season. Despite the show's creative team crafting the Season 5 finale in a way that could potentially serve as a series finale, the network ultimately decided not to renew the show. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sidama: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Producers of 'The Equalizer' had agreed to reduce the budget of the show to the levels CBS had asked for, with Queen Latifah believed to have made concessions herself. However, this was not enough to secure a renewal. The cancellation of 'The Equalizer' is part of a larger trend of cancellations at CBS, with several other shows also being cancelled this season. The network's new scripted series for 2025-26 include 'Sheriff Country,' 'Boston Blue,' 'CIA,' and 'DMV,' with 'Einstein' being held for 2026-27. 'The Equalizer' is a reimagining of the classic 1980s series and stars Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills as a former CIA operative to help those with nowhere else to turn. The show has been praised for its portrayal of a strong female lead and its exploration of social justice issues.
