Latest news with #Conti
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Edinburgh fringe 2025: the best theatre and comedy we've already reviewed
In cult clown duo Xhloe and Natasha's two-hander, we are swiftly in the US of LBJ, Beatlemania and Tom Sawyer-style outdoor adventuring. The pair portray muddy-kneed boy scouts who, against a backdrop of chirping insects and with the sole prop of a tyre, recount their hijinks with an emotional impact that sneaks up on you. Read the review. Chris WiegandtheSpace @ Niddry St, 2-23 August As directed by Lara Ricote, Abby Wambaugh's show is a masterpiece of construction, an anthology of dotty creative ideas that resolves into an affecting story of the comic's miscarriage and of the value of beginnings that never reach a middle and an end. Read the review. Brian LoganPleasance Courtyard, 12-25 August Conti's signature trick is turning volunteers into human ventriloquist's dummies and animating them in improvised scenes on stage. Her touring show reveals a master at work, elevating her brand of off-the-cuff voice-throwing and organised havoc to a state of near comedy grace. Read the review. BLUnderbelly, Bristo Square, 7-15 August The title of Sam Kissajukian's show alludes to the surfeit of artwork that the former standup produced during his mental-health crisis. In a self-directed production, he talks us through his output with a slideshow. It's a funny and fascinating study of the mysteries of the mind. Read the review. Mark FisherSummerhall, 31 July to 25 August In an audacious avant garde solo show, with its multimedia depths of images, audio voiceovers, personal stories, song and dance, Khalid Abdalla asks where you belong when the country in which you were born or raised does not want you or has become too dangerous for you to stay. How does it feel to belong in Nowhere-land? Read the review. Arifa AkbarTraverse, 12-24 August A deliriously enjoyable hour of comedy meets magic meets more of the real Mohammed than we've ever before seen on stage. He's in character as his alter ego, the camp and bumptious northern know-it-all Mr Swallow, but it's as if this were a coming out party for a comedian who has remained incognito until now. Read the review. BLPlayhouse, 22 August An extension of the Baby Wants Candy! improvisation franchise, this show inspired by audience suggestions has a cast breezily adept not only at making up lyrics on the fly (naturally, there is a rap battle) but also at ad-libbing harmonies, backing vocals and basic choreography. Read the review. MFAssembly George Square Studios, 30 July to 24 August Stevie Martin's show weighs up the differences between live and online comedy. It's a tricksy and silly hour buoyed by arch good humour and high-quality gags tightly packed inside other gags, ready to jack-in-the-box out and multiply the surprise. Read the review. BLMonkey Barrel, 1-8 August He is the pre-eminent comic polemicist of our age, the joker to whom lefties turn, and others revile, for his righteous tirades against racism, neoliberalism and the Tories. But what drove Kumar to this, where has it left him – and what good does it do? This state of the nation comedy explores the state of Nish too. Read the review. BLAssembly George Square, 1-10 August This collaboration between performer Ramesh Meyyappan and director George Mann describes a man's final parting with his late father. That could have been sentimental but it is invested with rage, making a knotty mix of love and recrimination in which the personal and the political collide. Read the review. MFPleasance Courtyard, 18-24 August
GMA Network
16 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
OCTA survey on PH rejoining ICC shows public wants justice —Conti
A lawyer on Wednesday said she believes that the results of an OCTA survey, showing that the majority of Filipinos are in favor of rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), indicates that the public is hungry for justice. 'Para po sa amin, ang tingin nga namin dito ay uhaw ang tao sa hustisya at tinitignan nila ang isang international court para magbigay ng hustisya na maaaring hindi nila natagpuan sa Pilipinas o kaya hindi nila maabot dito,' ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti said on Balitanghali. (For us, we believe that this shows that people are thirsty for justice, and they are looking to an international court to provide the justice that they may not have found or may not be able to attain here in the Philippines.) The Tugon ng Masa nationwide survey, conducted from April 20 to 24, showed that 57% of Filipinos want the country to rejoin the ICC while 37% are opposed to the move, and 6% remain undecided. A total of 1,200 male and female respondents aged 18 and above were interviewed face-to-face for the study. Conti said they support this move, especially since there is a pending case before the international tribunal. A general view of the International Criminal Court on the day former president Rodrigo Duterte arrives at Rotterdam The Hague Airport after his arrest at the request of the ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. REUTERS/ Wolfgang Rattay Former President Rodrigo Duterte is currently under the custody of the ICC to face his crimes against humanity case over his controversial war on drugs. 'Kailangan lang pumirma ng Pilipinas dito sa treaty pero kailangan ito aprubahan ng two-thirds of the Senate, same as with the other treaties. Ito 'yung Senate concurrence. At saka, kumbaga sasabihin kumpleto na ayon sa aming batas ang pag-sang-ayon, both ng executive at ng legislative, sa pagpasok sa treaty na ito,' she said. (The Philippines only needs to sign the treaty, but it must also be approved by two-thirds of the Senate, same as with other treaties. This is called Senate concurrence. And then, it's like saying that under our laws, both the executive and legislative have fully agreed to enter into this treaty.) 'Simple kasi pipirma tapos ire-rehistro 'yung ganitong pagsali muli, pero komplikado dahil may kaunting politika ito,' she added. (It's simple because you just sign and register to participate again, but it becomes complicated because there's a bit of politics involved.) Asked if rejoining the ICC will affect Duterte's crimes against humanity case before the ICC, Conti said there may be effects. She said that should the Philippines rejoin the ICC, the government will be obligated to cooperate in investigations, cooperate with the serving of arrest warrants, and may affect matters of detention. Meanwhile, in a separate interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Conti said that the document containing the charges against the former president will be released on July 4, Friday. 'Ito ang paghahandaan niya para sa tugon niya sa September 23,' Conti said. (This is what he is preparing for in his response on September 23.) She explained that only Duterte's identity was confirmed during the initial hearing. The confirmation of charges against Duterte is set on September 23. —KG, GMA Integrated News
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
AFLW superstar Monique Conti and fellow Richmond player Rhyan Mansell go public with new relationship
Australian sporting superstar Monique Conti and fellow Richmond player Rhyan Mansell appear to have gone public with their new relationship. Conti posted a selfie of the pair smiling in the mirror and tagged Mansell, writing 'hehe'. He shared the same photo with a green heart. It's unclear how long they have been together, but they have exchanged cheeky comments on social media. Conti recently posted a series of photos from her trip to Bali with Mansell leaving a smiley face in the comments section, to which she replied with 'mwah'. Conti is in the middle of AFLW pre-season training ahead of Round 1 in just over six weeks. The superstar midfielder will be looking to continue her stunning career that already has her among the competition's best. The 25-year-old already has a host of accolades to her name, including the AFLW best and fairest award in 2023 and the best on ground medal in the 2018 grand final with former club Western Bulldogs. Conti won the club best and fairest in her final year at the Bulldogs before joining the Tigers ahead of the 2020 season. She has since won the club best and fairest in all six seasons at the Tigers. As well as being one of the AFLW's greatest ever players, Conti has also carved out a successful basketball career in the WNBL. Despite prioritising AFLW, she has still won the WNBL championship with the Southside Flyers. She played the most recent season for Geelong United. Meanwhile, Mansell has played 65 matches for the Tigers since his debut in 2021, establishing himself as a key member of the young forward line with his pressure and goal sense. Conti, 25, was previously in a relationship with former Richmond player Sydney Stack, but that ended in 2020.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Live updates from day 3 of ex-SouthTech teacher Damian Conti's sex abuse trial
WEST PALM BEACH — Prosecutors continue to present their case against a former SouthTech Academy teacher accused of sexually abusing his student and aiding her suicide attempt. Damian Conti, 37, maintains that his relationship with the 16-year-old was never sexual. He turned down 10- and 25-year plea offers ahead of this week's trial, opting instead to risk the 65-year maximum he faces if jurors convict him as charged. The trial began Tuesday and is expected to last through Monday. Prosecutors have called several witnesses to testify, including a classmate who discovered explicit texts Conti sent the teen, and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy who informed Conti that the girl's suicide attempt failed. He "didn't appear to like" that, the deputy said Thursday. Day 1 updates: Student describes gifts, grooming and daily sex abuse at ex-SouthTech teacher's trial The lengthiest and most graphic testimony came from the student who said Conti groomed, isolated and sexually abused her almost daily during the 2023-24 school year. She remained composed throughout her two-day time on the witness stand but collapsed and wept once it concluded. Jurors, dismissed from the courtroom minutes earlier, did not see her fall. Once prosecutors rest their case, Conti's team of public defenders will begin presenting their own. Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer has begun to portray the girl not only as a willing participant but as an instigator of the relationship Conti maintains was strictly emotional. "They pushed the boundary, but they never crossed it," Boehmer said Tuesday. Lewd text messages prosecutors read aloud Thursday suggested otherwise. Follow along for updates throughout Friday's proceedings. Day 2 updates: Jury hears texts sent from SouthTech teacher Damian Conti to student This story will update. Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@ Help support our journalism and subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Live updates: Day 3 of Damian Conti's student sex abuse trial begins
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
'He wanted her dead': Jury hears graphic testimony in trial of teacher accused of sex abuse
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of an attempted suicide and child sexual abuse that readers may find disturbing. WEST PALM BEACH — A former SouthTech Academy student walked into court wearing the high heels her teacher once told her not to. He preferred pigtails, no makeup and flats — anything that didn't make her look like a woman, she said. Now 17, she pointed to Damian Conti, the former AP English teacher who she says sexually assaulted her "almost every day." Conti, 37, is on trial for four counts of unlawful sex between a student and teacher and one of attempted assisted suicide. Prosecutors say he groomed and assaulted the girl over the course of the 2023–24 school year, then drove her to hang herself after his crimes were exposed. Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies found the teen hanging from a noose after school officials discovered inappropriate messages between the teacher and student. Deputies cut the rope and resuscitated her before taking her to the pediatric intensive care unit of St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she slowly recovered. "He wanted her dead," Assistant State Attorney Alexa Ruggiero said June 24. "You'll see that when he's given the good news of her being alive still, you'll see and hear just how disappointed he is."' Ruggiero told jurors that Conti exploited his position of trust, slowly escalating the relationship from school emails to explicit Instagram messages and secret meetings for sex in secluded parking lots off campus. The prosecutor said he isolated his student from her friends and family, showered her with gifts and sent texts so explicit the jurors cringed. Conti's lead attorney, Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer, disagreed. She said the teacher had an inappropriate emotional connection with his student but never a sexual one. They said "I love you," she said. They talked every day. They went to the beach and drew hearts in the sand. They bought one another coffee, ran errands together, sent explicit messages to each other and "even kissed." "They pushed the boundary," Boehmer said. "But they never crossed it." She argued that the inappropriate messages discovered on the girl's phone caused authorities to jump to the wrong conclusion. As for why Conti admitted to sexually abusing the girl during his arrest, Boehmer said he was "willing to do and say anything" to protect the girl. Prosecutors said the opposite was true. They pointed to surveillance-camera footage of Conti accompanying the girl through a Home Depot near Lake Worth Beach where she bought enough rope to end both of their lives. The girl testified that she planned for the two of them to drive to a secluded area to hang themselves, though Conti told her repeatedly not to do it. Conti "said he didn't want to get charged with my murder," the girl testified. After she bought the rope anyway, she said he told her he wanted to go home to give his children a final goodbye. He remained in the Home Depot parking lot while she drove away with the rope. "I remember putting my head through the noose. I remember the rope holding me from the ground," she said. "I was dangling from the ground. I was losing oxygen." The last thing she said she remembers were her silent prayers for forgiveness. The girl testified from 11:30 a.m. until nearly 3 p.m., with a one-hour break in the middle, before prosecutors concluded their direct examination. Boehmer began her cross examination by alerting jurors to an ongoing civil lawsuit between the teen's family and SouthTech Academy. In the suit, the girl's parents accuse school administrators of turning a blind eye to Conti's conduct toward their daughter. "If you win the lawsuit, it's your understanding that you and your family will get a monetary gain?" Boehmer said. "Specifically, you and your family are asking for upwards of $75,000 in damages?" The teen said yes. Boehmer tried several times to ask the girl whether the outcome of Conti's criminal trial would affect the outcome of the civil lawsuit, but Circuit Judge Howard Coates struck the question each time as irrelevant. Boehmer moved on. She instead asked the teen to confirm whether she was the first to share her cellphone number with Conti, whether she was the first to kiss him on the cheek, whether she called Conti "Baby," "Sweet angel," "Sweet pea" and "Babe" in her messages to him. The girl agreed. This was a "relationship without a label," Boehmer said. She used that word — relationship — easily, though it had caused prosecutors to apologize each time they said it before her. "He never threatened you to have sex?" Boehmer asked. "He never physically pinned you down to force himself upon you? He never bribed you to have sex?" The girl said no to each. Coates paused the cross examination shortly before 4 p.m. and sent the jury home for the day. The girl will return to the witness stand when the trial resumes June 26. Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: SouthTech Academy student describes sex abuse by teacher Damian Conti
