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Drag Queens Shine At Olympics Opening, But ‘Last Supper’ Tableau Draws Criticism
PARIS — Drag queens took center stage at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, demonstrating the lively and prominent role of the French LGBTQ+ community — while also drawing criticism for a tableau evocative of “The Last Supper.”
The stunning four-hour concert took place along the Seine River and featured global singers such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, who are regarded as LGBT icons. The event combined historic and modern French culture with a touch of kitsch, ending with a flotilla of boats transporting thousands of Olympians.
Drag Queens Shine At Olympics Opening, But ‘Last Supper’ Tableau Draws Criticism
Nicky Doll, who was on the 12th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and hosts “Drag Race France,” took part in a high-octane fashion runway segment alongside “Drag Race France” Season 1 winner Paloma, Piche from Season 3, and Giselle Palmer. Initially, they stood along the runway, staring intently at the strutting models. They later joined in, demonstrating their style.
Le Filip, the recent winner of “Drag Race France,” expressed “surprise” and “pride” in the ceremony’s size and representation.
“I assumed it would be a five-minute drag show with LGBT representation. I was amazed. “It began with Lady Gaga, followed by drag queens, a massive rave, and a fire in the sky,” they explained. “It was like getting crowned all over again. I’m proud to see my friends and LGBT folks on the global stage.”
Among their daring performances was a tableau that appeared to be inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” with the drag queens and other performers arranged in the form of Jesus Christ and his apostles. This section received a lot of attention—and different emotions.
“The French government understands what it is doing. They aim to present themselves in the best possible way. “They showed no restraint in their expression,” Le Filip told The Associated Press.
Drag Queens Shine At Olympics Opening, But ‘Last Supper’ Tableau Draws Criticism
On the other hand, prominent far-right lawmaker Marion Maréchal criticised the performance on social media.
“To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking, but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” she wrote on the social media platform X, a sentiment shared by religious conservatives around the world.
“… because decapitating Habsburgs and ridiculing central Christian events are really the FIRST two things that come to mind when you think of #OlympicGames,” Eduard Habsburg, Hungary’s envoy to the Vatican, wrote on X, referring to a scene depicting Marie Antoinette’s beheading.
Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony’s artistic director, later clarified that the references to “The Last Supper” were not his goal.
Le Filip responded to criticism of the scene with humour and sadness.
“It feels like the remarks of someone who didn’t make the guest list. We could all laugh together. “It’s sad to me,” they said.
Inter-LGBT President James Leperlier was more cautious, stating that France still needs to make substantial progress towards inclusivity.
“We know that the LGBTQ community in France differs from what the ceremony depicted. There is great progress to be made in society about transgender persons. “It’s terrible that they have to go on trial to legally change their identity,” Leperlier stated.
He also emphasised the gap in acceptance, claiming that the community is not seen in other official ceremonies and “has difficulty being heard.”
“If you watched the opening ceremony last night, you would think it was normal, but it is not. “France attempted to demonstrate what it should be, not what it is,” he stated.
Drag Queens Shine At Olympics Opening, But ‘Last Supper’ Tableau Draws Criticism
The opening ceremony featured drag, and the voguing nightlife scene in France has seen a comeback. Madame Arthur, a cabaret club established in 1946 after World War II, is one of the world’s longest-continuously operating LGBTQ+ theatres. It debuted as Europe was only beginning to comprehend the scope of the widespread slaughter of members of the LGBT community during WWII and is currently undergoing a tremendous rebirth.
Drag is more than simply a sport; for many minority French populations who feel isolated as a result of contentious politics and the scars left by anti-gay marriage riots a decade ago, it is a resistance statement. Many LGBT Black and Arab adolescents, particularly those from Paris’ less affluent and religiously conservative suburbs, as well as others who feel disconnected from French society, find voguing and drag events to be safe spaces where they can express themselves without fear of repercussions.
Despite the outcry, Le Filip believes the opening ceremony will eventually transcend controversy.
They told me, “The message of the show is freedom, and it’s a good postcard for France.”
SOURCE | AP
News
Trump Media Stock Is Up 100% From Its Recent Low As The DJT Continues To Rise On Heavy Trade.
(VOR News) – On Thursday morning, the shares of Trump Media resumed their upward trend, reaching a high of 19% for the fourth consecutive day.
This continued the momentum of a resurgence that has succeeded in recouping a fraction of the huge losses that the Truth Social operator experienced during a recent sell-off that lasted for several weeks. There has been a significant length of time that has passed since this growth began.
A little over two weeks ago, DJT stock had reached an intraday trading low of $11.75; but, immediately after the market opened, it was selling at more than $24 per share, which is more than double the price that it had reached at that point.
Since then, the stock of Trump Media DJT has increased by more than twice.
It was notable because it corresponded with a number of recent polls on the presidential election as well as other indicators that fans of former President Donald Trump, who is the largest stakeholder in the company, perceived to be encouraging signs.
This was the reason why it was significant. An increase was seen in spite of the fact that there was very little positive news around the company. Despite this, the growth was recorded.
Trump Media has been referred to as a meme stock by a number of industry professionals. This stock is being bought and sold by supporters of Donald Trump in a substantial chunk of the present market.
These supporters believe that investing in the firm is a way to show their support for the Republican presidential candidate at the same time that they are placing a wager on the possibility that he will win the presidency.
When asked about it in an interview with CNBC, Anne Stevenson-Yang, the founder and research director of short seller J Capital Research, stated that “it does not have anything to do with fundamentals.” This was in response to a question regarding the matter. This was the conclusion that she reached in response to the inquiry.
A single syllable was all that she said when she made her declaration, and it was, “It’s a bet on Trump.”
During the most recent rise, which occurred during an extraordinarily busy trading session, the volume of Trump Media shares had already surpassed the 30-day average volume, which was approximately 15.1 million shares, as reported by FactSet.
This took place a little over an hour after the market had started business.
Trump Media rose during a busy trading session.
There were already more than 27 million shares of Trump Media that were being traded at the time that the clock struck 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. This signifies that the market is already active.
As a result of the developments, Trump Media is on track to have its fifth strong day in a straight, and it is also on track to have its best week since late March, when the company had just begun publicly trading after completing a corporate combination with a blank-check firm. Both of these developments are expected to occur.
Both of these achievements are anticipated to take place as a consequence of the advances that have taken place.
More than eighty percent of Trump Media’s value had been erased from its post-merger highs prior to the most recent rise, which represented the completion of a slide that had been underway for some months already. This slide had been occurring for several months. The decrease has been going on for some time.
When the company was initially listed on Nasdaq, the share price reached an intraday high of $79.38 per share immediately after the listing. The price of the corporation, on the other hand, has remained far lower than that high level. This was the situation beginning on Thursday and ongoing.
SOURCE: CNBC
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Ratan Tata, Indian Tycoon Who Took His Empire Global, Dead At 86
Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Indian giant Tata Group, died at the age of 86, according to a company statement.
The industrialist ascended to global fame through a succession of high-profile multinational transactions. In 2008, he famously supervised Tata Motors’ acquisition of British automobile companies, such as Jaguar and Land Rover, from Ford.
“It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation,” said a statement released on Wednesday.
Ratan Tata, Indian Tycoon Who Took His Empire Global, Dead At 86
In a post on X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to Ratan’s death, calling him a “visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being.”
Ratan was born in 1937 to a Parsi family, an ethno-religious community of Persian heritage in India who practice the Zoroastrian religion. He graduated from Cornell University, where he studied architectural and structural engineering.
He returned to India in 1962 and joined the family business, which his great-grandfather began in 1868. Since its humble beginnings, Ratan has been responsible for India’s first steel mill, luxury hotel, and domestic airline.
“I think the one thing the family has done is it created a lot of industries in the early days, prior to independence, which were national industries,” Tata said in a rare interview with CNN’s Sara Sidner in 2011. “And then donated the majority of it away through charity gifts. And that has been carried on by their successors over the years.
Tata took over as chairman in 1991, the same year that India implemented major economic changes, including weakening the rupee, in order to open up its economy to the outside world. Ratan, too, expanded its horizons as India did.
Ratan Tata, Indian Tycoon Who Took His Empire Global, Dead At 86
In 2000, the group paid $432 million to British manufacturer Tetley, which owns one of the world’s top tea brands. Seven years later, Tata Steel won the $12.1 billion struggle for control of Corus, a British steel manufacturer.
Ratan stepped down as global chairman in 2012 and became chairman emeritus of the holding firm Ratan Sons before his death. Since stepping away from his day-to-day duties, the billionaire has dedicated himself to helping the lives of India’s many stray animals.
SOURCE | AP
News
The Hurricane Center Chief Urges Immediate Evacuation As Hurricane Milton Approaches.
(VOR News) – In light of the fact that Hurricane Milton is forecast to make landfall close to the western coast of Florida, which is now anticipated to take place as early as Wednesday night, inhabitants of Florida are rapidly running out of time to escape to higher ground in order to get ready for the hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center released a statement on Wednesday.
It was said that “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
The exceedingly serious nature of the situation is brought to light by this comment.
“You need to prepare for catastrophic impacts,” said Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who advised anyone who was in Franklin’s path or was in the vicinity of Franklin.
It is anticipated that this storm will be a significant one, and it has the ability to bring about changes in the lives of communities that are still in the process of recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene.
After that, she proceeded by declaring, “We do not need to lose any lives as a result of this storm.” Her message was that people should look for protection wherever they may find it.
President Biden and Vice President Harris addressed the storm in their message that was delivered on Wednesday afternoon. They urged people to seek shelter as quickly as possible and stressed the need for doing so.
After being questioned about the preparations that had been made for Hurricane Milton, Harris responded by saying, “We have been working around the clock all day.” Her words were directed toward individuals who were in the path of the hurricane.
According to the statement, it would be different from what other residents might have experienced in the past. Taking this storm seriously is something that you are highly recommended to do. The storm that is expected to occur is expected to be of a size that has never been seen before in the history of the world.
During his speech, the Vice President of the United States addressed a number of issues that are associated with the storm and the aftermath of it. He also referenced a campaign of disinformation.
Since the beginning of the onslaught, former President Donald Trump has been at the vanguard of the attack. He stated, “This must come to an end,” and made the statement.
Hurricane Harris continued, “We will hold accountable anyone who takes advantage of customers.”
In addition, at the time that the sun rose on Wednesday morning, both tornado watches and warnings were issued for certain regions in south Florida.
An observation of a tornado was made along Interstate 75 in the neighborhood of the Miccosukee Service Plaza, as reported by the National Weather Service office in Miami. After being spotted, the tornado traveled along the freeway as it had been observed.
The United States experienced some of the first direct affects of the hurricane on Wednesday morning, when heavy rain began to sweep into the southwestern and west-central portions of Florida.
This was one of the first times that the hurricane had hit the United States. Because the weather is getting worse as the day goes on, individuals who are in the path of the storm are being asked to finish any preparations they have made and to leave if they are given the order to do so.
This is because the storm is getting stronger as the day advances. Gas stations have been negatively impacted as a result of the movement of a significant number of people away from coastal areas.
The GasBuddy platform reported that more than 23 percent of gas stations in the state of Florida were out of gas as of 9:36 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. This information was gathered from gas stations.
SOURCE: NPR
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