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CAF
a day ago
- Sport
- CAF
Antsino Twanyanyukwa appointed Referee for TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON, Morocco 2024 Final
Antsino will become the first Namibian to take charge of the WAFCON final A team of experienced African women officials tasked with big day All-female officials reflect CAF's continued investment in women's football Antsino of Namibia has been appointed by CAF to referee the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Morocco 2024 Final. Antsino, who has been one of the standout performers among match officials during the tournament, will make history as the first Namibian to officiate a WAFCON final. Her steady leadership, consistency, and calm control of matches have earned her the ultimate honour. 'I didn't expect this at all; I'm still in shock. But with God, all things are possible,' says Antsino. 'WAFCON is a major competition, and expectations are high. We have to go in with the mindset that the whole continent is watching and give our absolute best. 'Personally, I believe I have the talent and the potential. They've seen what I can do, and now it's my opportunity to prove it; to show it on the pitch.' She will be joined by an elite team of assistants: Alice Umutesi (Rwanda) as Assistant Referee 1, and Tabara Mbodji (Senegal) as Assistant Referee 2, both of whom have been commended for their sharp decision-making and composure throughout the tournament. VAR Team Led by Continental Trailblazer In the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) booth, another iconic name leads the charge. Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga, a pioneer in global football officiating and one of the most respected figures in the women's game, will serve as the VAR. Mukansanga made headlines as the first woman to officiate at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2022 and has brought her experience from the Olympics and FIFA Women's World Cups to the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON, Morocco 2024 once again. Supporting her in this final are Letticia Viana (Eswatini) as AVAR 1 and Diana Chikotesha (Zambia) as AVAR 2, both rising stars in Africa's officiating ranks. Performance Backed by Merit Antsino officiated several key matches, impressing CAF's Technical and Refereeing Committee with her ability to remain poised in high-pressure moments. Her most recent performance showcased her exceptional fitness, and match control, all vital in the modern game. CAF Head of Refereeing, Desire Noumandiez Doue hailed her appointment. 'Their appointment was informed by their consistent quality and performance,' said Desire. 'It is the result of their hard work, both in training and in the matches they've officiated, as well as their overall readiness. 'Their performances have shown consistency in key areas: tactical awareness, anticipation, match control, and overall game management. The two assistants, in particular, are among a group of brilliant young referees emerging on the continent, and their improvement has been nothing short of impressive. 'This selection also reflects CAF's commitment to fairness. It's our way of saying: if you perform well, you deserve the best. And the referees selected for the final are among the best we have. 'Antsino for instance, has demonstrated all the qualities we look for. We've been monitoring her closely for the past three years, and she has done incredibly well. At the rate she is going, she's certainly a potential candidate for the FIFA Women's World Cup.' 'We know that a final is never just another match. That's why we invest in preparing our referees, not just tactically, but mentally as well. We emphasize confidence, focus, and the understanding that they are carrying the hopes of all of us on that pitch. We remind them: go out there and give it your very best.' A Moment of African Pride The all-women officiating team for the final reflects CAF's continued investment in women's football and its commitment to creating opportunities for women at every level of the game. Speaking ahead of the final, Antsino reflected not only on her personal journey but on the legacy she hopes to inspire. 'I know everyone will be happy for me now, because in Namibia, support comes naturally. I believe this moment will inspire many. To the young ones out there: work hard, stay disciplined, and always pray. Stay focused, and nothing will stop you from achieving your goals.' The TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON, Morocco 2024 Final will be contested between Nigeria and Morocco on Saturday, July 26 at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. For more information about the TotalEnergies CAF Women's African Cup of Nations, Morocco 2024, visit -ENDS- Further Inquiries: communications@ CAF | Communication Department
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Isaac Hayes Was Forced by Scientology Leaders to Quit ‘South Park,' Says Son
It has been almost 20 years since Isaac Hayes left his voice role of Chef in 'South Park.' And it has also been 17 years since Hayes died at the age of 65. Now, the legendary performer's son Isaac Hayes III has addressed the long-held rumor as to why exactly his father Hayes left the popular Comedy Central series. It should first be noted that Hayes quit following the controversy regarding an episode that skewered Scientology entitled 'Trapped in the Closet' (Season 9, Episode 12), in which Stan joins Scientology after recruiters say he is the reincarnation of church founder L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology has long tentacles in the entertainment industry, even more publicly so in 2005 when the episode aired. Famous members like Tom Cruise and John Travolta were sent up in the episode. Years later, during the podcast 'Basic!,' 'South Park' co-creator Matt Stone explained why the writers chose to spoof Scientology. More from IndieWire Remembering Ozzy Osbourne, Rock's Prince of Darkness Who Also Created Reality TV as We Know It Judd Apatow Praises Viral 'Girls' Scene Amid 'Too Much' Buzz: Andrew Rannells Is a 'Remarkable' Actor 'Everyone knew Scientology was so litigious,' Stone said. 'People in Hollywood were scared of Scientology at the time because they would just sue you. I think that got us going. The Tom Cruise episode was really about getting sued. I mean, poking openly litigious people and seeing where the line is and what you can say. They picked a fight with us and we just went with it.' 'South Park' voice actor Hayes, though, was a scientologist in real life. The fallout from 'Trapped in the Closet,' his son says, is indeed the reason he quit 'South Park'…but it was not his dad's choice. 'For over 14 years, people have speculated about why my father left 'South Park.' I'm here to set the record straight. My dad did not quit 'South Park.' Scientology did,' Isaac Hayes III wrote on X. 'After the episode 'Trapped in the Closet' aired in 2005, my father suffered a stroke just a few months later that left him unable to speak or make decisions on his own. He was not in any condition to resign from anything. The truth is, someone else within his Scientology circle made that decision and quit the show for him.' In a 2016 THR piece, Hayes' son — also known as Ike Dirty — said, 'At the time, everybody around my father was involved in Scientology — his assistants, the core group of people. So someone quit South Park on Isaac Hayes' behalf. We don't know who.' In his Twitter post, Hayes III said that his father 'loved being the voice of Chef' and that he greatly enjoyed meeting fans. 'The narrative that he quit because he was offended by the satire is not true,' he wrote. 'That was a cover story created by others. My father never got to speak for himself because his health robbed him of that chance. So now I am speaking for him. He did not leave 'South Park' willingly. He was forced out by illness and by people who did not have his best interest at heart. This is for anyone who loved Chef. This is for anyone who admired my father's work. This is the truth about what really happened.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Movie Review: A dark comedy about modern dating in sharp, (knowingly) silly ‘Oh, Hi!'
The modern dating scene is not a healthy one. Perhaps it never really was and everyone is nostalgic for something that didn't exist. But you don't need to be on the apps to sense the anxiety around. Just open the New York Times Magazine site and scroll through the 1,200 comments on Jean Garnett's 'The Trouble With Wanting Men,' in which she examines unfulfilled desire and the idea of 'heterofatalism.' We wonder what happened to the romantic comedy. Maybe we're all to blame. How can we have fun with stories about romance when it is so bleak out there? But thank goodness for the filmmakers who are trying to, if not make sense of it all, talk about it. Celine Song did it in her own way with 'Materialists.' And now comes Sophie Brooks' 'Oh, Hi!' about a new-ish couple on their first weekend away together. These movies are not at all similar, and yet both speak to the current mood in valuable ways. In 'Oh, Hi!' Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) seem to be very much in sync as a pair, singing in the car together, laughing about a little accident that results in the purchase of hundreds of strawberries and excitedly exploring the very nice house they've rented for this romantic getaway. The chemistry is there: There's humor, wit, conversation and attraction. They're even on the same page on more intimate matters. It is a terrific opening — nothing is really happening, and yet it's pleasant to just be in the moment with them. But then things take a turn. We know they're headed south from the first frame, when a distraught Iris greets her friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) at the country home late one night. We're trained to expect that it's all leading to a fight, or a breakup. 'Oh, Hi!,' however, has other things up its sleeve. Note to new couples: Best not to define a relationship while one is chained to the bed after a bit of experimentation. Granted, neither thought they needed to have this conversation, but it quickly becomes clear that they both heard things differently. Iris thought they were exclusive. Isaac thought it was perfectly clear that they weren't and aren't. But why, Iris asks, are they doing this at all after four months? Why are they on this trip? Why did he make her scallops? It's enough to make anyone go a little mad, which Iris does, deciding that she's going to keep Isaac chained up until they talk it through to her satisfaction. It's a kind of over-the-top, 'Misery'-styled meditation on entrenched gender cliches in heterosexual dating. The women are crazy and needy. The men are jerks and aloof. And no amount of rational discussion on either side will end the stalemate. Iris believes that if he just gets to know her a little better, perhaps he'll change his mind. She goes long on her biography in a funny little sequence, but the monologuing doesn't help Isaac figure out how to escape. It just goes on. 'Oh, Hi!' follows this path to extreme ends as Iris involves Max and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), who are all trying to figure out how to get out of the situation without going to jail. It's admirable how ardently they commit to making this outlandish premise as realistic as possible. The film loses the plot a bit when Max and Kenny get involved and things get extra silly. It might have been better had it stayed with Iris and Isaac to the bitter end. Gordon, who co-wrote the story with Brooks, is a huge reason it works at all. She somehow keeps Iris grounded and relatable throughout, which is no small feat after she makes her big mistake. At times, that epic misstep made me think that 'Oh, Hi!' might be the female 'Friendship.' And while Lerman gets substantially less to do, you come out feeling for both characters, trapped in anxieties of their own making and a social structure in which neither romance nor commitment seems to be a priority. At least this film lets us laugh about it a little bit. And lest you think people in relationships have it easier, just wait until 'Together' arrives next week. 'Oh, Hi!' a Sony Pictures Classics release in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for 'language, sexual content and some nudity.' Running time: 94 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Movie Review: A dark comedy about modern dating in sharp, (knowingly) silly ‘Oh, Hi!'
The modern dating scene is not a healthy one. Perhaps it never really was and everyone is nostalgic for something that didn't exist. But you don't need to be on the apps to sense the anxiety around. Just open the New York Times Magazine site and scroll through the 1,200 comments on Jean Garnett's 'The Trouble With Wanting Men,' in which she examines unfulfilled desire and the idea of 'heterofatalism.' We wonder what happened to the romantic comedy. Maybe we're all to blame. How can we have fun with stories about romance when it is so bleak out there? But thank goodness for the filmmakers who are trying to, if not make sense of it all, talk about it. Celine Song did it in her own way with 'Materialists.' And now comes Sophie Brooks' 'Oh, Hi!' about a new-ish couple on their first weekend away together. These movies are not at all similar, and yet both speak to the current mood in valuable ways. In 'Oh, Hi!' Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) seem to be very much in sync as a pair, singing in the car together, laughing about a little accident that results in the purchase of hundreds of strawberries and excitedly exploring the very nice house they've rented for this romantic getaway. The chemistry is there: There's humor, wit, conversation and attraction. They're even on the same page on more intimate matters. It is a terrific opening — nothing is really happening, and yet it's pleasant to just be in the moment with them. But then things take a turn. We know they're headed south from the first frame, when a distraught Iris greets her friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) at the country home late one night. We're trained to expect that it's all leading to a fight, or a breakup. 'Oh, Hi!,' however, has other things up its sleeve. Note to new couples: Best not to define a relationship while one is chained to the bed after a bit of experimentation. Granted, neither thought they needed to have this conversation, but it quickly becomes clear that they both heard things differently. Iris thought they were exclusive. Isaac thought it was perfectly clear that they weren't and aren't. But why, Iris asks, are they doing this at all after four months? Why are they on this trip? Why did he make her scallops? It's enough to make anyone go a little mad, which Iris does, deciding that she's going to keep Isaac chained up until they talk it through to her satisfaction. It's a kind of over-the-top, 'Misery'-styled meditation on entrenched gender cliches in heterosexual dating. The women are crazy and needy. The men are jerks and aloof. And no amount of rational discussion on either side will end the stalemate. Iris believes that if he just gets to know her a little better, perhaps he'll change his mind. She goes long on her biography in a funny little sequence, but the monologuing doesn't help Isaac figure out how to escape. It just goes on. 'Oh, Hi!' follows this path to extreme ends as Iris involves Max and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), who are all trying to figure out how to get out of the situation without going to jail. It's admirable how ardently they commit to making this outlandish premise as realistic as possible. The film loses the plot a bit when Max and Kenny get involved and things get extra silly. It might have been better had it stayed with Iris and Isaac to the bitter end. Gordon, who co-wrote the story with Brooks, is a huge reason it works at all. She somehow keeps Iris grounded and relatable throughout, which is no small feat after she makes her big mistake. At times, that epic misstep made me think that 'Oh, Hi!' might be the female 'Friendship.' And while Lerman gets substantially less to do, you come out feeling for both characters, trapped in anxieties of their own making and a social structure in which neither romance nor commitment seems to be a priority. At least this film lets us laugh about it a little bit. And lest you think people in relationships have it easier, just wait until 'Together' arrives next week. 'Oh, Hi!' a Sony Pictures Classics release in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for 'language, sexual content and some nudity.' Running time: 94 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Corstasis Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Sanjeev Narula to its Strategic Advisory Board
HENDERSON, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corstasis Therapeutics Inc. ( a late clinical-stage innovator of therapies that enhance options for the treatment of fluid overload in patients with cardiorenal and hepatic diseases, with the intent of lowering the overall cost of care, today announced that life science executive Sanjeev Narula has joined the company's Strategic Advisory Board. Corstasis Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Sanjeev Narula to its Strategic Advisory Board Share 'Sanjeev's extensive strategic, financial and operational experience in large commercial-stage pharmaceutical companies make him a tremendous addition to our strategic advisory board,' said Benjamin Esque, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corstasis Therapeutics Inc. 'We expect Corstasis will benefit greatly from Sanjeev's advice as we prepare our commercial strategy and pre-launch activities for Enbumyst™ ahead of its potential approval in September.' Mr. Narula most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer of Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc., which he joined in 2024. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in expanding the commercial and operational capabilities of the company , which culminated in the successful acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies by Johnson & Johnson for $14.6 billion less than a year later. Before Intra-Cellular, Mr. Narula served as the first Chief Financial Officer of Viatris, which he joined in 2020 when the company was formed through the combination of Mylan and Upjohn, a division of Pfizer Inc. Prior to Viatris, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Upjohn, overseeing finance, procurement and business technology for all functions of the business, and held several other financial leadership positions during his 16 years at Pfizer. 'I am excited to join Corstasis as a strategic advisor at this critical inflection point in the company's journey, and look forward to contributing to its growth and capital strategy as it prepares for the potential launch of Enbumyst™,' said Mr. Narula. About Corstasis Therapeutics Corstasis Therapeutics is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to develop and commercialize enhanced outpatient treatment options for patients with cardiorenal and hepatic diseases, with the intent of improving outcomes and reducing overall healthcare costs. Our lead product, Enbumyst™ bumetanide nasal spray, has been developed for the short-term treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, liver and kidney disease, with an anticipated PDUFA action date of September 14, 2025. For more information, please visit
