Latest news with #Endgame
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Ex hurler and youth football star spared jail for messaging ‘12-year-old girl'
Judge McCourt was not happy that O'Connor had in effect been tried on Facebook. 'There was no child,' he observed Youth football star and ex hurler spared jail for messaging '12-year-old girl' 'You have already served your sentence and paid an enormous price.' That was the view of Judge James McCourt as he dealt with a Piercestown man snared by a 'paedo hunter' group. Phelim O'Connor was before Wexford Circuit Court pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a female he believed was just 12 years old. But there was no child and it turned out that he was corresponding with an adult woman called Catherine Miller who lives in Scotland. When she learned that O'Connor was due to attend a Premier League game in Liverpool, her colleagues in Endgame were waiting. They confronted him in a pub and called him outside where they live-streamed him on Facebook. The broadcast was highlighted in the Sunday World with severe consequences for the 43-year-old. A still from the video The court was told that the former St Martin's hurler and ex-underage soccer international had been a bubbly character. However, he went from outgoing and self-confident to becoming a hermit shunned by his community. His offending was marked with a two-year prison sentence which was suspended in full. The accused, with an address of Rathlannon Drive, Piercestown, admitted his offence. A summary of prosecution evidence was given by Detective Sergeant John Cleary. He told how the accused had begun a correspondence with 'Abbie' on the Scout dating app. Contact was later switched to Kik Messenger, a social media site favoured by paedophiles. He believed that Abbie was a 12-year-old girl when he sent her photographs of his penis. The gardaí found 400 such images on his phone after he handed it over for examination. Only some of these pictures were sent to the decoy in June and July of 2021. In November of that year he sent word that he would be in Liverpool and Endgame activists were waiting. Sergeant Cleary confirmed that they are not associated with UK police or regulated in any way. Questioned by defence barrister David Bulbulia, the witness also confirmed that the confrontation outside the pub in Liverpool had changed the defendant. Previously jovial and cheerful, he became a hermit who lost his job and had to step away from running sports teams. Phelim O'Connor O'Connor, whose father was present in court for the hearing, was described as having no children of his own. All his nieces and nephews are adult. Mr Bulbulia fully accepted that what his client had been doing was wrong and suggested that the accused may have been lonely. Counsel complained that Endgame went out of the way to maximise the shame and hurt experienced by O'Connor. 'Truthfully, there is no victim in this crime,' suggested the barrister. 'There was someone pretending to be a child.' News in 90 Seconds - May 29th Appearing for the prosecution, Sinead Gleeson reminded the court that the maximum sentence for such an offence is 14 years. However, Judge McCourt was not disposed to impose such a lengthy term for attempted sexual exploitation of a child. 'There was no child,' he observed. He was not happy that O'Connor had in effect been tried on Facebook by a group of vigilantes. Though he had behaved recklessly and sending intimate photos was reprehensible, he had been exposed to public opprobrium before his had been offered an opportunity to explain himself. 'You have already paid a significant penalty,' the judge concluded before handing down the suspended sentence. Phelim O'Connor was bound to the peace, put on the sex offenders register and an order was granted for the destruction of two confiscated phones.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Chris Hemsworth's emotional Thor tribute sparks MCU exit buzz
Chris Hemsworth, known for playing Thor in the MCU, recently shared a heartfelt message reflecting on his 15-year journey as the God of Thunder. In a video titled "Thank You! The Legacy of Thor," Hemsworth expressed gratitude to fans, stating, "Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honors of my life... Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me." This message has fueled speculation about Hemsworth's future in the MCU, especially with his confirmed return in the upcoming film 'Avengers: Doomsday.' While Hemsworth has not officially announced his retirement from the role, fans are interpreting his reflective tone as a possible farewell. If he dies, before seeing Loki or if he dies in Loki's arm OR ANYWHERE NEAR LOKI IMA LOSE IT! — Press (@NVPressed) May 28, 2025 Doesn't mean Thor will die, but definitely feels like it's gonna be his last appearance. Chris Evans did the same before Endgame — Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) May 28, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday,' directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, is set to release on December 18, 2026. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and Letitia Wright as Black Panther. Notably, Hemsworth remains one of the few original Avengers reprising his role, adding weight to the speculation surrounding Thor's fate in the MCU. As anticipation builds for 'Avengers: Doomsday,' fans are eager to see how Thor's story unfolds and whether this film will mark the end of Hemsworth's iconic tenure as the Asgardian hero.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: In ‘Endgame' at Facility Theatre, reality and dystopia wash together
If Ebenezer Scrooge found himself isolated in a post-apocalyptic setting, with no one but his elderly parents and his long-suffering servant to haunt his monotonous days, he would probably behave like Hamm, the petty tyrant of a sad little domain in Samuel Beckett's 1957 play, 'Endgame.' In Facility Theatre's new revival of the Irish playwright's absurdist tragicomedy, the blind and paralyzed character (played by artistic director Kirk Anderson) looks like a slightly steampunk Scrooge, wearing a silk dressing gown, old-fashioned nightcap and round black sunglasses as he holds court from a shabby upholstered armchair. But this is Beckett, not Dickens, so don't look for a redemptive character arc or cathartic ending. Like his better-known 1953 play, 'Waiting for Godot,' 'Endgame' doesn't have much of a plot but rather centers on sparse, often nonsensical dialogue with a dash of physical comedy. Amid the rambling non-sequiturs and repetitive exchanges, Beckett drops hard-hitting reflections on the bleakness of a life lived with no authentic human connections. Facility's production is directed by Yasen Peyankov, a Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member and head of the theater department at University of Illinois Chicago. Along with Anderson, the cast includes York Griffith as the servant, Clov, and H.B. Ward and Shawna Franks as Hamm's parents, Nagg and Nell, who occasionally poke their heads out of the garbage bins where their miserly son keeps them imprisoned. Under Peyankov's direction, this ensemble effectively conveys the ennui and despair of Beckett's characters while also capturing the script's dark humor. In my experience, watching a Beckett play is best approached like gazing at a surrealist painting. If you let the words and imagery — and the emotions they conjure — wash over you without trying to make logical sense of the action, cogent thematic threads will emerge from the bizarre actions of these strange characters. In Facility's 'Endgame,' the first production of this play that I've seen live, I was particularly struck by Beckett's exploration of toxic familial relationships and the sense of malaise that permeates this dystopian world. Hamm comes off as self-pitying and demanding from the start, and his capacity for cruelty only becomes clearer when we learn how Clov came to be part of his household as a young child. There's also the matter of Hamm's parents, confined to living in their own filth with only dry biscuits for sustenance, though Nagg's reminiscences reveal that he and Nell were not exactly kind parents when Hamm was a child. While this family history doesn't justify what can only be described as elder abuse, it does hint at a vicious cycle that didn't begin with Hamm. Clov, who doesn't remember his own father, completes this odd family. Griffith plays this role with a shuffling gait, drooping shoulders and vacant gaze, which form a striking contrast to his occasional bursts of rage. Although the servant admits that Hamm has been like a father to him, their relationship is also highly dysfunctional. The question of whether Clov will leave Hamm recurs throughout the play, epitomized in this asynchronous exchange: Beckett never specifies what disaster has trapped these characters in a house by the sea, but it seems to have resulted in novel weather patterns, a lack of supplies and no expectation of encountering other survivors. Here, the end of the world seems both baffling and boring. 'Why this farce, day after day?,' both Nell and Clov wonder at different points in the play. This question feels all too relatable today, when news headlines seem indistinguishable from satire. One aspect of the play hasn't aged so well, though: Beckett's treatment of disability. Hamm's blindness and paralysis serve as metaphors for his character traits, and both are occasionally played for comedic effect, albeit a pathetic sort of comedy. Given the evolving conversations about onstage representation of disabilities, I suspect that modern audiences would (rightly) be less forgiving if a contemporary playwright used these devices. Before this review reaches its endgame, I have to add some praise for the production designers. Doing double duty as both actor and set designer, Anderson uses an off-white fabric with a papier-mâché texture to create a grimy backdrop. Lighting designer Richard Norwood's overhead fluorescents shine a harsh glare on Bisa's Victorian-esque costumes, with jarring buzzes from sound designer Rick Sims punctuating the sudden lighting changes. The combined effect lies somewhere between the gloomy, rotting mansion of Miss Havisham (another notorious Dickens misanthrope) and the sterile corporate cruelty of the Apple TV+ series 'Severance.' Facility's revival of 'Endgame' is a rare chance to see this classic work by a playwright who prefigured dramatists such as Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter. (More significant parallels aside, the characters popping out of barrels in 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' surely owe something to Nagg and Nell.) In Facility's home base, located just across the street from the green expanse of Humboldt Park, Peyankov and team have skillfully harnessed the resources of a storefront theater to make Beckett's 'corpsed' world feel utterly 'Endgame' (3.5 stars) When: Through June 29 Where: Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Tickets: $30 suggested donation (pay-what-you-can options available) at
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'Wicked sense of humour': John Minihan on photographing Gary Oldman in Krapp's Last Tape
'There is no Memory in Beckett. Even Krapp's Last Tape has no memory in the usual sense of associated recall, but rather, a mechanical process set in motion by a jar or vibration: the closing of or opening of a door.' - William S Burroughs, The Adding Machine Samuel Beckett knew the essence of theatre is that an actor is present in the flesh on the stage in a way in which he is not on the screen. Academy award winner Gary Oldman returned to the UK stage after a 37-year hiatus in April of this year to perform Samuel Beckett's one-act play, Krapp's Last Tape, at the York Theatre Royal. For over 50 years I have been photographing Beckett plays: Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Happy Days and Krapp's Last Tape. All played with an array of actors from Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Billie Whitelaw, John Hurt, Michael Gambon, Max Wall, Pierre Chabert, Barry McGovern, Stephen Rea and Robert Wilson. They all bring their own exuberance to the roles they play. Trying to define Krapps Last Tape is like well trying to define the overall dramatic works of Samuel Beckett - it's complex yet simple, ever evolving and wildly addictive. Gary Oldman in Krapp's Last Tape. Picture: John Minihan When I heard last November that Oldman was doing Krapp's Last Tape, I knew that I wanted to see and photograph him. He's an actor with a wicked sense of humour. I knew he would bring something special to the part in a work that's Beckett's most approachable stage play and my favourite to photograph. Krapp is a sentimental 69-year-old listening to his 30-something voice on a spool from his archive, looking back regretfully upon a life lived in which he sacrificed love to artistic ambition. We see Krapp onstage in an old white collarless shirt, and black waistcoat in which he keeps his pocket-watch and a banana. I told Gary about the time I photographed Max Wall who played Krapp at the Riverside Studios in London in 1987, bringing his own brand of music-hall humour and relishing the word 'spool'. 'Spoool,' he crooned. I was in the dressing room with Max where he started eating the banana; staff were dispatched to get another banana before the show could start. Music-hall humour is strewn through the world of Samuel Beckett, and the plays often benefit in performance from a less reverent attitude than is usually the case. It's becoming harder to photograph plays in the West End of London. I was invited to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London in 2024 to see Waiting for Godot. The producers could not have been more helpful, but they had their own photographer doing the stills for newspaper publicity and reviews. Back in the day there was always a photo call for the main theatre photographers in London. I knew Douglas H Jeffrey, the doyen of theatre photographers who I first met when I was an apprentice in the Daily Mail darkroom in 1962. Douglas supplied Fleet Street's newspapers with beautiful black and white photographs of shows in the London's West End. He loved theatre, always wore a beret and an artist smock with pockets to hold film and lense. He was never interested in being interviewed about his work. I remember he photographed the playwright Joe Orton in 1967 only months before he was murdered in Islington by his partner Kenneth Halliwell. Gary Oldman played Orton in the film, Prick Up Your Ears, in 1987. My friend Adrian Dunbar, who has directed Beckett in Ireland, London and Paris, was in York for nearly a week supporting Gary in rehearsals of Krapp's Last Tape. I met Gary with Adrian, and the pair were happy, laughing and joking. They go back as actors to the early 1970s to the Royal Court in London and the RSC. Listening to them, it could have been a scene from Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. John Minihan's image of John Hurt in Krapps Last Tape in 1998. I was also relishing the opportunity to go back to the beautiful city of York which hosted its first Beckett Festival in June 2011. I had an exhibition of my Beckett photographs at York University together with a range of world-class writers like the Nobel laureate JM Coetzee, who I photographed outside the door of York Minister. The event also featured a performance by the renowned Gare St Lazare players with Cork actor Conor Lovett performing his arresting adaptions of Samuel Beckett's short stories, First Love and The End. I loved being back in York with Adrian and meeting Gary and his photographer wife Giselle and their children. The show is dedicated to John Hurt and Michael Gambon. The production team even used the same recorder that those great actors used for their shows at Dublin's Gate Theatre. Samuel Beckett would, I believe, have given the nod to Gary Oldman who seemed to have found his perfect home. Dublin-born photographer John Minihan has been based in West Cork for many years. As well as capturing famous images of the likes of Princess Diana, Edna O'Brien, and Francis Bacon, he also took several photographs of Samuel Beckett Read More Barry Keoghan and Nicola Coughlan provide star power for Fastnet Film Festival in West Cork
New Straits Times
23-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Europol: Global anti-malware crackdown leads to 20 arrest warrants
THE HAGUE: A coordinated international operation this week disrupted some of the world's "most dangerous malware" and led to the issuance of 20 arrest warrants, European Union anti-crime bodies Europol and Eurojust said today. Authorities took down more than 300 servers worldwide, neutralised 650 domains and seized €3.5 million in cryptocurrency, they said. The coordinated crackdown has dealt "a direct blow to the ransomware kill chain", breaking it "at its source", said Europol, the European Union's criminal police agency. The software taken down, known as "initial access malware", is used "for initial infection, helping cybercriminals to enter victims' systems unnoticed and load more malware onto their devices, such as ransomware", the Hague-based agencies said. The crackdown -- involving authorities from Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States -- is a continuation of Operation Endgame, the largest-ever police operation against botnets. Between Monday and yesterday, the operation enabled the countries involved "to take action against the world's most dangerous malware variants and the perpetrators behind them", said Eurojust, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation. "Thirty-seven suspects were identified,and international arrest warrants were obtained against 20 individuals criminally charged." In total, "€3.5 million in cryptocurrency" were seized, the agencies added, bringing the total amount of cryptocurrency seized during Endgame to €21.2 million. During the first phase of Endgame, in May 2024, four people were arrested and 100 servers were neutralised, they said. "This year during Endgame 2.0, the measures targeted the successor groups of malware taken down by the authorities and other relevant variants -- Bumblebee, Lactrodectus, Qakbot, DanaBot, HijackLoader, Trickbot and WarmCookie. "As these variants are at the beginning of the cyberattack chain, disrupting them damages the entire 'cybercrime as a service' ecosystem," they said. Such malware enables users to spy on data or encrypt a system in order to extort a ransom. About 50 of the servers neutralised this week were in Germany, the German authorities said. "In Germany, investigations focused particularly on suspicions of organised extorsion and membership of a foreign criminal organisation," according to the federal police and the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office in charge of combatting cybercrime. German authorities also obtained international arrest warrants for the 20 people, "most of them Russian nationals", and launched search operations, they added.
