Latest news with #Ni
IOL News
3 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
SAFA may dodge sanctions despite Bafana Bafana's player suspension oversight
Teboho Mokoena's selection controversy haunts Bafana Bafana South Africa may escape sanction over the fielding of the suspended Teboho Mokoena as Lesotho missed the 24-hour deadline to report the matter to the match commissioner or CAF. | BackpagePix In a significant development that arose this week after all the airtime arising from their engagement with the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, the South African Football Association (SAFA) is on the verge of evading sanctions for a serious oversight. At the heart of the discussions was an incident involving Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena, whose suspension oversight could lead to severe repercussions for the association and their FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying aspirations. However, indications suggest that SAFA is likely to sidestep any penalties. This came after the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder was fielded in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho even though he was suspended. He picked up two yellow cards in previous qualifiers against Benin and Zimbabwe and was not eligible to play against Lesotho. Bafana, who defeated Lesotho 2-0 in that game, lead Group C with a five-point gap over second-placed rivals Rwanda and Benin. The other group teams are Nigeria (seven points), Lesotho (six) and Zimbabwe (four). CAF's secretariat plays a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of its tournaments, including the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying. They ensure match officials are well-informed about suspended players in meetings with match and team officials before the start of matches. This structured approach allows designated match commissioners and referees to be aware of any players who are barred from participating, thus upholding fairness in competition. In the case of the SA versus Lesotho match, this was not done, and it was not known that Mokoena had incurred an automatic suspension. Members of parliament deplored this disturbing display of administrative oversight and Bafana's management was put through the wringer for failing to execute basic organisational duties. This significant error went unnoticed by both the team and opponents, Lesotho. Two days after this match, the Nigerian Football Federation reportedly alerted Lesotho officials to this critical oversight. Lesotho and Nigeria have not formally announced protests to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA regarding this contentious match. Despite the absence of an official filing, both nations are holding onto a flicker of hope that FIFA might intervene against the South Africans, sparking a potential firestorm in regional football politics. The window for protest submission has closed, as protests filed beyond the stipulated time frame are unlikely to be upheld, however, optimism lingers in both nations. The unresolved issues surrounding recent matches have left stakeholders in Lesotho and Nigeria questioning the integrity of competition and fairness within the African football sphere. A Nigerian-based football website has raised the Mokoena saga with monotonous regularity in the hope that CAF and FIFA will be strung into action. This has ignited fervent discussions in the football community across Africa. If CAF or FIFA intervened, it would affect the log positions of Nigeria, Lesotho, and South Africa. With only four rounds left in the qualifying matches, the possibility of FIFA's intervention has raised eyebrows as teams vie for a coveted spot in the 2026 World Cup. Changes in Nigeria and Lesotho's positions could emerge if SAFA is punished and this potential turn of events could drastically alter the landscape of the Group C World Cup qualifying rounds. Historically, FIFA has not shied away from taking stringent measures against teams that breach its rules, even in cases where there has not been an official complaint or protest lodged.
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Shannon Sharpe steps down at ESPN amid sexual assault allegations but says he will return
Pro Football Hall of Famer and media personality Shannon Sharpe is stepping away from ESPN amid being embroiled in a $50 million sexual assault and battery civil lawsuit. Sharpe, who regularly appears as a panelist on "First Take," announced on social media on April 24 that he's decided to take a break from the sports network to focus on the lawsuit. Sharpe said in a statement:"My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100 % consensual. "At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties. I will be devoting my time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, friends and colleagues." ESPN said in a statement: "This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon's decision to step away." Sharpe joined "First Take" in August 2023 after he reached a buyout with Fox Sports in June 2023 to leave FS1's "Undisputed." Sharpe appeared alongside Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take" on Mondays and Tuesdays and signed a multi-year contract with ESPN in June. Sharpe was set to expand his role on "First Take" and his presence across ESPN platforms under the new deal, but he'll now be missing from the ESPN airwaves entirely. Here's what we know about Sharpe: Sharpe named in sexual assault, battery civil lawsuit Sharpe's decision to step away comes on the heels of a civil lawsuit filed against him in Clark County, Nevada on April 20. According to the suit obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the plaintiff, listed under the alias "Jane Doe," alleged that Sharpe sexually assaulted her twice, once in October 2024 and again in January 2025. They met at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 19. The plaintiff said she was in a relationship with Sharpe for nearly two years, and it began as a "rocky consensual relationship." The woman says Sharpe became violent over the course of the relationship, threatened to kill her during one incident, and recorded their sexual encounters without her consent. The lawsuit is seeking $50 million in damages for sexual assault and battery, in addition to engaging in the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Sharpe denied the allegations on Tuesday in an Instagram video, identifying the plaintiff and saying he's the victim of a "blatant set-up" and "shakedown" attempt. Sharpe's NSFW Instagram Live mishap In September, Sharpe inadvertently livestreamed audio of him having sex to his roughly 3.2 million followers on Instagram. After initially claiming he was hacked, Sharpe later owned up and apologized for his mistake. "Obviously I am embarrassed. Someone that is extremely, extremely private and to have one of your most intimate details – the audio – heard for the entire world to hear, I'm embarrassed for a number of reasons," Sharpe said at the time on the "Nightcap" podcast. "There are a lot of people that count on Shannon to be professional at all times and I always try to be professional at all times, even when I'm behind closed doors." Sharpe didn't face any discipline from ESPN over the incident. Shannon Sharpe: Star athlete to social media star Sharpe played 14 seasons in the NFL (1990-2003), primarily for the Denver Broncos, where he played two separate stints (1990-99, 2002-03) and won two Super Bowls (1998 and 99). He also won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001. Sharpe, an eight-time Pro Bowler, was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Following his successful football career, Sharpe transitioned to sports commentary. He served as a commentator for CBS Sports' "The NFL Today" from 2004-2014 and later joined FS1's "Undisputed" alongside co-host Skip Bayless in 2016. The pairing of Sharpe and Bayless was gold for TV ratings, but their on-air chemistry turned contentious. Tensions between Sharpe and Bayless spilled over onto the broadcast in January 2023 following Bayless' controversial tweet about Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest during the Buffalo Bills' Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Sharpe no-showed "Undisputed" the next morning, then confronted Bayless when he returned. "There's been a lot of speculation to why I wasn't on air yesterday... Skip tweeted something... and hopefully Skip would take it down," Sharpe said, before Bayless interjected: "Timeout, I'm not gonna take it down, because I stand by what I tweeted." Sharpe responded, "I can't even get through a monologue without you interrupting." Sharpe filmed his last show for "Undisputed" in June 2023 after negotiating a buyout with Fox Sports. What's next for Shannon Sharpe? Podcast empire Sharpe has his podcast empire to keep him busy. Sharpe created "Club Shay Shay" in 2020. After leaving FS1's "Undisputed," Sharpe signed a media deal to partner with The Volume, Colin Cowherd's digital podcast network in August 2023. "Club Shay Shay" has amassed nearly 4 million subscribers on YouTube and has featured many guests, including comedian Katt Williams and U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris. "Nightcap," a nighttime podcast Sharpe co-hosts with Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, has more than 1.7M subscribers since launching on September 2023. 'Club Shay Shay' won the 2025 the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Podcast in Society and Culture and Sharpe this week won a 2025 Webby Award. Last week, Front Office Sports reported that Sharpe was nearing a new podcast deal that exceeds $100 million. Shannon Sharpe in Indiana Sharpe is no stranger to Indianapolis. He's revealed that one of his favorite restaurants is in the city. He took exception to being the butt of jokes in comedian Mike Epps' standup performance and challenged the Indianapolis native to approach him when the two were scheduled to be in town for prominent roles at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. Sharpe also spoke that week at Steward Speakers programs at Mt. Olive Baptist Church and Warren Central High School. Contributing: Scooby Axon, Steve Gardner, Chris Bumbaca.
NBC News
17-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC News
Nissan aims to 'max out' U.S. production plant amid Trump's tariffs
Nissan Motor's new Americas leader said the automaker is aiming to 'max out' production at its largest American production plant amid President Donald Trump's 25% auto tariffs. Christian Meunier, who started as chairman of Nissan Americas in January, said the tariffs are accelerating already needed plans for the automaker to increase domestic production to assist in a turnaround of its embattled U.S. operations. 'We have big facilities, big capacities and today we don't have max capacity. We still have more room to improve our capacity,' Meunier told CNBC during a virtual interview Wednesday. 'We're looking into selling more of the U.S. products, and adjusting, along the way, vehicles that are coming from Mexico and from Japan.' Meunier said his 'ultimate goal' is to 'max out' capacity at the automaker's 6-million-square-foot facility in Smyrna, Tennessee. The facility is capable of producing 640,000 vehicles a year on three shifts, he said. It produced more than 314,500 vehicles last year on two shifts with about 5,700 people. 'We're looking at maxing out capacity and making Smyrna the powerhouse that it used to be,' he said. 'That's my ultimate goal … to get the plant full and make a lot of money again.' Meunier declined to speculate on a timeframe for hitting that maximum production at the plant, which currently makes four products, including the automaker's Nissan Rogue — its top-selling vehicle domestically. He said it takes time to change plans and move production. 'We can increase production, as I described on the existing models that we have in the U.S., and commit to a plan to bring a product the next two years ... or a couple products to the U.S. market. But it cannot happen overnight,' he said. Meunier's comments come two days after Trump said he's looking to potentially 'help' some automakers, saying the companies need time to alter production plans. Nissan is looking at adding hybrid production to Smyrna as well as new products such as an Infiniti model, Meunier said. He also said the company is analyzing production increases for powertrain components such as engines and increasing domestic content. 'The good thing is, we have flexibility. We have an ability for us to to accelerate, to do things faster than we would have normally,' Meunier said. 'I was already working on it before the tariff, because I, I'm convinced that localization is the way.' Tariffs on imported vehicles into the U.S. have been in effect since April 3, despite Trump's pullback last week on other country-based levies. Additional 25% tariffs on auto parts are scheduled to take effect by May 3. Meunier said those potential parts tariffs would hurt the company and its plans. 'Hopefully there will be solutions that don't hurt completely, to a full extent at 25% because that's a lot,' he said. 'Hopefully there will be a compromise in between.' Nissan has two assembly plants in Mexico that produce a variety of vehicles, including imports such as the Nissan Kicks and Nissan Versa. In 2024, Nissan reportedly produced nearly 670,000 units in Mexico, with over 456,000 being exported, according to UnoTV in Mexico. In the U.S., Nissan says it has assembly facilities capable of producing more than 1 million vehicles, 1.4 million engines, 1.4 million forgings and 456,000 castings annually. Of that full capacity, the automaker produced nearly 525,600 vehicles in the U.S. in 2024. Other than Smyrna, the company has a large powertrain plant in Tennessee and another large vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi. The Canton plant currently produces the Nissan Altima sedan and Nissan Frontier midsize pickup truck. It employs roughly 5,000 workers on a single shift for the Altima and two shifts for the Frontier. The Rogue and the Pathfinder, as well as the Frontier, which has experienced significant market share declines in recent years to roughly 7% to 8% of its segment, are among the vehicles with the greatest growth potential for Nissan in the U.S., Meunier said. Nissan lowered pricing of the Rogue and Pathfinder by between $640 and nearly $2,000, depending on the vehicle and model, in response to the tariffs. It also stopped taking new orders from the U.S. for two Mexican-built SUVs for its Infiniti luxury brand. 'Nissan has struggled a little bit lately, but we have a good plan,' he said. 'We have good product in the pipeline. We're launching super good product now that are successful, and we're gonna turn it around despite the tariff.'
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China actress Ni Ni, star of Zhang Yimou's film ‘The Flowers of War', dubbed ‘It girl' by fans
As the heroine of the legendary director Zhang Yimou's acclaimed film The Flowers of War, Chinese actress Ni Ni embarked on her career from an impressive vantage point. Advertisement She continues to radiate in the entertainment industry and is widely recognised as an 'It girl' - 14 years after her debut. When Zhang's film The Flowers of War premiered in 2011, the enigmatic leading actress who portrayed Yu Mo, the vibrant leader of a group of prostitutes engaged in an affair with an American priest played by Christian Bale, captivated the audience completely. It was during this moment that the new 'Mou girl', a fresh-faced 23-year-old Ni, stepped into the spotlight. The term 'Mou girls' refers to actresses who are plucked from obscurity by the esteemed director Zhang Yimou. A complete novice prior to the film, she had no formal acting training and was a recent graduate from the Communication University of China Nanjing, located in the Jiangsu province of eastern China. Advertisement Ni confessed that she had little interest in subjects beyond English, her dream being to become an office lady in a foreign enterprise, much like her aunt, whom she had admired since childhood.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former ESL student protests against Tennessee bill that could deny education for undocumented children
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill that would allow school districts to ban undocumented students continues to move through Tennessee's legislature. Protesters rallied at the Tennessee State Capitol on Tuesday, March 11 against HB 793, which would allow local education agencies to choose whether or not to enroll students who are 'unlawfully present' in the U.S. 'This gives an option to the local districts to require that proof of citizenship just as they require proof of residency or immunization,' House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), the sponsor of bill, said. The bill passed in a House subcommittee Tuesday, which prompted more protests. PREVIOUS: TN bill allowing school districts to ban undocumented students passes House subcommittee 'With a lot of the children I saw there, the children crying with their families when the bill passed, I just saw myself and a lot of my colleagues in them — people who grew up in search of a better life,' Raymond Ni, who was among those protesting at the State Capitol, said. For Ni, his passion for education stems from his own experience as a second-generation immigrant. He took English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Kindergarten and first grade through Metro Nashville Public Schools before moving to Wilson County. 'Being in ESL class was able to help prep me to be a productive member of this community,' Ni said, adding that it allowed him to learn English more quickly and eventually take challenging classes in high school before going to his dream college. SEE ALSO: Tennessee bill to let school districts deny undocumented students narrowly passes Senate committee Ni told News 2 his parents immigrated from China so they could give their children a better education: 'My mom wanted to be a doctor, but she couldn't because her family was in poverty, and she just didn't want this idea of broken dreams to happen to her children in the future.' According to Ni, no matter your citizenship status, education should be a guarantee for all students. 'Education is a gateway to a better life for someone to achieve their dreams, and a gateway for someone to serve their community,' Ni said. 'If someone is here illegally, they are not the responsibility of Tennesseans to pay for their education. They are here illegally,' Lamberth said in the past. HB 793 moved out of the House K-12 Subcommittee on a 5-3 vote. It now moves onto the full House Education Committee. The Senate version of the bill narrowly moved out of the Senate Education Committee last week with an amendment that would let families pay tuition to attend class if they cannot prove their citizenship. The amended version will move on to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
