Latest news with #Evans'
Daily Maverick
14-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
Fresh murder charge for Gqeberha gun dealer as State adds to explosive case
As she prepares for another bail hearing, Karen Webb, the firearms dealer at the centre of a growing arms scandal, now faces a second murder charge — this time linked to the 2024 killing of a man in Gqeberha, allegedly involving a firearm missing from her former premises. Just as it seemed things were looking up for a Gqeberha firearms dealer facing a laundry list of criminal charges, the State brought more cases against her when she returned to the city's magistrates' court on Monday, including another murder charge. As Karen Webb is set to bring a new bail application before the Gqeberha Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, investigating officers came to court on Monday with two new dockets to add to her ever-expanding list of charges. The 41-year-old owner of the now defunct Webb's Arms has been in custody since her arrest over a string of firearms-related charges in February 2024. Among the charges against her are theft, fraud, firearm smuggling, providing firearms to persons not licensed to possess them, and murder. The saga began in 2019, when Webb provided storage for another firearms dealer, Chris Evans, after his business, Aquila Arms, collapsed. Evans' stock was kept on the Webb's Arms premises, but in a separate safe from Webb's stock. In 2023, firearms recovered from crime scenes in Nelson Mandela Bay, the Western Cape and Gauteng were linked to Evans' cache — and, crucially, to weapons stored at Webb's premises. Evans later accused Webb of stealing weapons from his safe and selling them illegally. She was later accused of illegally moving her dealer stock when her business closed, to premises in the Western Cape without notifying the police. A charge of murder was also brought against her after a .38-special Smith & Wesson revolver, alleged to be from Evans' missing stock, was linked to the October 2022 death of Andrew Lamont in Kariega. Webb has been in custody at North End prison since February 2024. Her initial bid for bail was dismissed, but succeeded on appeal in the Makhanda High Court in June. She was granted bail of R10,000. However, she remained behind bars as more charges had been brought against her before the appeal. When she returned to court on Monday, the State brought another murder charge against her. While details of the case were not discussed in open court, it is believed that the charges related to the death of a man in Gqeberha in December 2024. The murder weapon was another of Evans's firearms that went missing from Webb's premises. This charge will be added to Webb's ongoing case and will form part of the pending bail proceedings. Another charge of theft was brought against her by her ex-husband, Arthur Webb, accusing her of selling household goods belonging to him, including furniture, after their divorce several years ago. It is unclear at this stage whether this charge will be added to the other charges before the court. The case has caused alarm across the country. Hundreds of firearms once held in storage at Webb's Arms have reportedly ended up at crime scenes. Police say many of the weapons were used in robberies and gang-related shootings, and 400 firearms are still unaccounted for. DM
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Pyaasa: Guru Dutt made the original ‘broke man propaganda' movie, but it was also a cry for help that nobody answered
One of the most ridiculous accusations hurled at Celine Song's underwhelming new film Materialists was that it was peddling 'broke man propaganda.' Some folks felt that Dakota Johnson's self-centred character made the wrong decision by choosing the rudderless struggling actor played by Chris Evans at the end of the film, when she could've easily married Pedro Pascal's multimillionaire instead. How could Materialists, they wondered, encourage independent young women to settle for a loving relationship when they could enter a financially secure marriage of convenience? Romance movie tenets aside, this was a wake-up call for the rest of us. Younger audiences aren't watching movies like they're supposed to be watched; they're viewing them through an entirely new lens. They don't care about underdog narratives or the power of true love. For them, a happy ending involves compromise; for them, it makes all the sense in the world for Johnson's character to have abandoned someone who doesn't bring value to her life. You wonder how the same people would react to something as earnest as La La Land, or even something as beloved as Guru Dutt's Pyaasa. The original 'broke man propaganda' movie, Pyaasa was released in 1957. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Dutt himself. After years of making genre films for others, he gazed inwards, confronted the demons festering in his mind and soul, and produced something so personal that it should've been seen as a cry for help. It wasn't. In Pyaasa, he plays a destitute poet named Vijay; educated but unemployed, loved by his mother but disowned by everyone else. He wanders around town, clutching his precious poems next to his heart, hoping to get them published. It is revealed that his old lover left him for a wealthy publisher, because he was jobless and broke. Fate brings the three of them together, and drama unfolds. Also read – Kapurush: The most underrated film of Satyajit Ray's career predates Past Lives by decades, but is even more stirring Pyaasa is like Materialists, if it were told from the perspective of Evans' character. He's waiting tables when we first meet him, serving beverages and hors d'oeuvres to his ex-girlfriend and her wealthy new suitor. A similar scene unfolds in Pyaasa, when Vijay is made to serve drinks to his ex-partner at a party thrown by his boss, her husband. In both stories, the tortured artists are as seen as a burden on society, deserving of being dumped by their upwardly mobile girlfriends. Of course, we're supposed to sympathise with them. But then, why did audiences view Evans' character with such disdain? Having grown up in a post-recession world, the Gen Z are in an even worse position than the millennials. Not only are they entering the job market at the dawn of the AI age, they're also unwilling to sacrifice their personal well-being for a future that'll barely be spent above the poverty line. Their predecessors weren't like this. Conditioned to internalise a low self-worth, millennials put up with just about everything. Until, that is, they entered the quarter-life crisis phase that Johnson and Evans' characters in Materialists seem to be floating in. Remember, they're probably in their early 30s, while all the criticism for the movie is coming from people who're at least a decade younger. This demographic doesn't view the world the same way; they haven't lived through 10 years of corporate slavery to realise that it isn't worth it. While Vijay in Pyaasa had the misfortune of graduating from college only a few years after Independence, millennials like Evans' character came of age in a world disillusioned by the one-two-three punch of warfare, a recession, and a pandemic. He could be forgiven for shunning material wealth in pursuit of his passion. But does the world care for such characters? They would, if he was a successful actor on Broadway and not someone who performs in cramped basements to a crowd of 15 people. His artistry could remain the same, but his individual worth will always be attached to abstract ideas like fame and money. Not a single person who reads Vijay's poems in Pyaasa is left unaffected by them. While it's never really established if Evans' character is actually talented, there can be no doubt that Vijay is a gifted writer. And yet, the publisher refuses to run his work because he isn't established. Of course, when a volume of his poems is released after his supposed suicide, Vijay is garlanded with posthumous success. He is hailed by the public, perhaps like Vincent van Gogh was many years earlier. Vijay observes from the sidelines, fulfilling the morbid curiosity of someone interested in knowing who'd show up at their funeral. His cynical suspicions about the world confirmed, Vijay denounces his past life. 'Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai (If these are the people whose validation I crave, I don't want it),' he sings at the end of Pyaasa, framed in striking Christ-like pose, taking a omniscient view of the chaos around him. Also read – Ek Doctor Ki Maut: Put some respect on Pankaj Kapur's name and give him that Padma Shri; he's a national treasure Like Van Gogh, Dutt struggled with mental health during his lifetime. They died at roughly the same age. Untreated mental illness often manifests in feelings of self-pity. Because Dutt couldn't comprehend what he was feeling, and because his illness remained unaddressed and undiagnosed, he began blaming the world for his predicament. Not because the world was actually to blame — it's equally unfair to everybody that inhabits it — but because this was the only way he could make sense of his feelings. Why else would he write a character who is unemployed, unloved, abandoned, and alone? Pyaasa's narrative mustn't be viewed as realistic. It is an expressionistic peek inside a depressed mind. And this is perhaps why the character endures. There are others like him out there, especially in our country. India has much work to do when it comes to respecting the arts and supporting the mentally sensitive. Ask yourself this, why are the two most popular archetypes in Indian cinema the 'Angry Young Man' and the 'Devdas'? They occupy the two extremes of the male psyche, but they reflect the reality of what untreated men in our country experience daily: rage and sorrow. Pyaasa quenches their thirst to be seen and heard. Post Credits Scene is a column in which we dissect new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and characters. Because there's always something to fixate about once the dust has settled. Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
Sydney Morning Herald
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Homegrown hits: the best new Australian music to hear this month
Evans Robson Quartet, Zenith Some people hate pigeons, but in flight a flock can mesmerise with their abrupt turns, take-offs and landings, without ever banging wings. How clumsy we seem, by comparison. Well, not all. Saxophonists Sandy Evans and Andrew Robson, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Hamish Stuart can curl and twist around each other in musical flight, with a similar capacity to avoid collisions. This is a key secret of jazz at its highest level: playing around each other, without needing constant points of convergence. The cause is aided in this band by the absence of a chordal instrument, and the consequent expanses of vacant space in the music's midrange. Watussi Dreaming, for example, is just a bent blues in essence, but give it a polyrhythmic quality and more exotic scalar options, and suddenly, in the hands of these players, it becomes open-ended and unpredictable. Even more open is Evans' The Big Merino, which reminds me of something her beloved old band, Clarion Fracture Zone, might have played. Melodically zany, it lurches along over a half-time backbeat that Stuart unwinds behind the solos, so the horns are jerked and twitched like marionettes by the groove. Evans (on tenor) and Robson (baritone) respond with improvisations packed with whacky interval leaps and slurring asides, while Stuart's subsequent solo is like the soundtrack for a slapstick routine. Then, to keep the surprises coming, suddenly there's Robson proving to haunted school children everywhere what an iridescent instrument the descant recorder can be. The piece, his own Tea Horse Road – to these ears as evocative of Native American music as it is of the titular ancient Chinese trade route – rides on Hirst's bouncy riff and Stuart's shakers and hand-drumming, and has a skimming solo from Evans' soprano. Simpler rhythmic options are also embraced, as on Evans' slow, soulful tribute to the late Archie Roach, For Archie. Here the bass and drums lay down a straightforward 3/4 groove, across which the saxophones testify like true believers, all preceded by Hirst offering one of his typically supple and heartfelt solos. For Archie also has a cousin in Robson's lazy-day Lucky Jim, featuring the brawn of his baritone. The boppish The Running Tide (by Evans) is reminiscent of Charles Mingus' work, with its marvellous deployment of accelerations and decelerations. It boasts a seething, bubbling dialogue between the saxophones, before compelling solo statements from both bass and drums. They end with the aptly titled Cry to the Waning Moon, which reinforces the impression that Hirst's bass has never been better recorded, with sumptuous low notes and a singing tone higher up. Slow and lonesome, the melody is taken by Robson's alto and harmonised by Evans' tenor. This could well become my favourite composition on an album packed with strong ones from both leaders and with a wealth of slippery dialogues between four master musical conversationalists. John Shand
The Age
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Homegrown hits: the best new Australian music to hear this month
Evans Robson Quartet, Zenith Some people hate pigeons, but in flight a flock can mesmerise with their abrupt turns, take-offs and landings, without ever banging wings. How clumsy we seem, by comparison. Well, not all. Saxophonists Sandy Evans and Andrew Robson, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Hamish Stuart can curl and twist around each other in musical flight, with a similar capacity to avoid collisions. This is a key secret of jazz at its highest level: playing around each other, without needing constant points of convergence. The cause is aided in this band by the absence of a chordal instrument, and the consequent expanses of vacant space in the music's midrange. Watussi Dreaming, for example, is just a bent blues in essence, but give it a polyrhythmic quality and more exotic scalar options, and suddenly, in the hands of these players, it becomes open-ended and unpredictable. Even more open is Evans' The Big Merino, which reminds me of something her beloved old band, Clarion Fracture Zone, might have played. Melodically zany, it lurches along over a half-time backbeat that Stuart unwinds behind the solos, so the horns are jerked and twitched like marionettes by the groove. Evans (on tenor) and Robson (baritone) respond with improvisations packed with whacky interval leaps and slurring asides, while Stuart's subsequent solo is like the soundtrack for a slapstick routine. Then, to keep the surprises coming, suddenly there's Robson proving to haunted school children everywhere what an iridescent instrument the descant recorder can be. The piece, his own Tea Horse Road – to these ears as evocative of Native American music as it is of the titular ancient Chinese trade route – rides on Hirst's bouncy riff and Stuart's shakers and hand-drumming, and has a skimming solo from Evans' soprano. Simpler rhythmic options are also embraced, as on Evans' slow, soulful tribute to the late Archie Roach, For Archie. Here the bass and drums lay down a straightforward 3/4 groove, across which the saxophones testify like true believers, all preceded by Hirst offering one of his typically supple and heartfelt solos. For Archie also has a cousin in Robson's lazy-day Lucky Jim, featuring the brawn of his baritone. The boppish The Running Tide (by Evans) is reminiscent of Charles Mingus' work, with its marvellous deployment of accelerations and decelerations. It boasts a seething, bubbling dialogue between the saxophones, before compelling solo statements from both bass and drums. They end with the aptly titled Cry to the Waning Moon, which reinforces the impression that Hirst's bass has never been better recorded, with sumptuous low notes and a singing tone higher up. Slow and lonesome, the melody is taken by Robson's alto and harmonised by Evans' tenor. This could well become my favourite composition on an album packed with strong ones from both leaders and with a wealth of slippery dialogues between four master musical conversationalists. John Shand
Politico
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Trump & Co. launch final megabill pressure campaign
Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans said Monday he will not seek reelection 'after some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection,' opening up a solid-blue seat in Philadelphia. Evans faced mounting questions about his ability to serve after suffering a stroke last year and missing months of votes. He insisted until recently he still intended to run for reelection, though several primary challengers were already starting to make moves. 'Serving the people of Philadelphia has been the honor of my life,' Evans said in a statement. 'And I remain in good health and fully capable of continuing to serve. After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.' Evans, 71, has served in Congress since 2016. He succeeded Rep. Chaka Fattah, who resigned after being indicted on federal corruption charges, and is one of six Pennsylvanians on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. His retirement announcement comes amid generational upheaval in the Democratic Party. Longtime Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said earlier this year she wouldn't run again. The party base has looked to their leaders to mount a more vigorous response to President Donald Trump, with some in the party calling for primary challenges to senior leaders. Evans' retirement could kick off a fierce battle between establishment Democrats and progressives for the Philadelphia-area seat, and several possible candidates are already weighing campaigns. Democratic socialists have made headway in the city, particularly at the state level, and pro-Israel groups and the liberal Working Families Party are eyeing the race, according to multiple Democrats. 'This is completely wide open,' said a high-level Philadelphia Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak frankly. 'There is not one person I can see who I would deem the front-runner.' State Sen. Sharif Street, chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, has expressed interest in running for Evans' seat. A second Democrat granted anonymity to speak freely said Street could kick off his campaign as early as Tuesday, though other Democrats said an official announcement could come later. State Rep. Morgan Cephas, who is close to the city's influential building trades unions, is eyeing the seat as well, as is progressive state Rep. Chris Rabb. 'Me and my team are strongly considering a bid,' Cephas told POLITICO Monday. 'But first and foremost I wanted to express my overwhelming gratitude to the work that Congressman Evans has done for the city of Philadelphia.' Rabb said in a text that 'I am seriously considering running for this seat.' State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, another progressive, said his supporters have 'encouraged me to consider a run.' But he said he has 'nothing to announce,' adding that 'today is about Dwight Evans' and 'honoring his legacy.' In a sign of how hotly contested the race could become, some Democrats are already attacking Street publicly and privately before he jumps into the contest. J.J. Balaban, a Democratic consultant who lives in Evans' district, said he opposes a potential bid by Street because in 2021 he worked with a powerful Republican to craft a proposed congressional redistricting map. His plan was not ultimately successful. 'Any good Democrat should hope it's not Sharif Street because of how he tried to sell out the Democratic delegation,' said Balaban. 'We would have fewer congressional seats if he had carried the day.' Street did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time, Street defended his work with Republicans, saying 'it's our job to negotiate the best that we can.' Street has made some recent efforts to make inroads with progressives, including by endorsing liberal Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in his successful primary reelection campaign this year over a more moderate challenger. The extent to which Evans does — or doesn't — get involved in helping determine his successor will also shape the race. A Democrat familiar with Evans' thinking said he is 'going to wait and see what the field will look like' before deciding whether to endorse a candidate in the primary. 'Plenty of time to make a decision,' the person added. Rumors have swirled for months about Evans' future, and some Democrats speculated that he might step down in the middle of his term, which would have given power to the city's Democratic ward leaders to choose a nominee for a special election. But Evans said Wednesday that he 'will serve out the full term that ends Jan. 3, 2027.'
