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Can being naked be considered free speech? Hundreds strip off for nude photos

American artist, Spencer Tunick, once argued that being naked can be considered as free speech. On Monday, he pushed through with his position when around 500 people braved the Australian winter to pose for a series of controversial nude photographs on top of a Melbourne parking lot

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American artist, Spencer Tunick, once argued that being naked can be considered as free speech. On Monday, he pushed through with his position when around 500 people braved the Australian winter to pose for a series of controversial nude photographs on top of a Melbourne parking lot.

The photo shoot, organized by Tunick, held Monday morning in temperatures of approximately 48 degrees Fahrenheit. It comes just weeks after supermarket chain Woolworths reversed its decision to ban the event from its premises.

Woolworths had initially denied access to its branch in Melbourne’s Prahran neighborhood, citing inconvenience to weekend shoppers. But following public outcry and a high-profile petition, the supermarket last month agreed to host the shoot on condition that it was rescheduled for a quieter Monday timeslot.

A Woolworths spokesperson said that the retailer was “very supportive of the Provocaré Festival of the Arts and the Chapel Street community in which we operate,” attributing the U-turn to festival organizers’ flexibility regarding the timing of the shoot.

Speaking to CNN ahead of Monday’s photo shoot, Tunick praised the decision.

“It’s very rare for a corporation… to be part of something where the body is nude — it’s almost impossible,” he said in a phone interview. “So it’s very brave moment for something like this to happen, when (other) corporations are restricting the body and freedom.”

Read Also: Egypt builds world’s largest museum

Tunick has made his name coordinating more than 120 large-scale nude photos in public spaces around the world, from Munich to Mexico City. The latter stunt attracted a reported 18,000 naked participants. The artist said that being naked in public can “be considered free speech.”

“People want a sense of freedom when it comes to their bodies and public space — that governments … and corporations don’t own your body,” he added.

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Culture

Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

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South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour where he hopes to spread humour and bring his social commentary to audiences across the globe.

The former host of “The Daily Show”, who made the disclosure on his social media pages, said he would kick off his tour on July 29 in Europe.

The multi-award winning comedian known for his insightful commentary, took to his social media platforms on Thursday to share the news of his upcoming international tour.

“Love that we were able to add some US & Canada shows for 2024! See… there’s still a chance for us CA, NJ, CT & Ontario!” he wrote.

According to the itinerary he put up, the tour is set to kick off in countries like Monaco in France, Germany, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, bringing his captivating comedic style to audiences across the country.

Noah’s announcement of the “Off the Record” tour was met with enthusiastic responses from his devoted followers, who took to social media to express their joy and anticipation.

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Culture

UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

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The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed
Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World Heritage sites in Danger after citing positive results achieved by the West African country and its formal commitment to reappraise plans to the development of the property.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took the decision during its meeting in New Delhi, India, made the announcement on Wednesday July 24, saying it was satisfied with measures taken by the country to allocate considerable resources to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning.

The park, which is located in a lush area along the banks of the Gambia River, was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007 as poaching, basalt mining and other human activities were becoming growing threats.

The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba are home to a rich wildlife, including the world’s largest antelopes.

According to UNESCO, since then, monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up and considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock.

The body also commended the setting up of a mine pollution control system, and hailed Senegal for work that has been carried out to improve the fight against the invasive species Mimosa pigra.

The World Heritage Committee called on Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years in so as to improve the National Park which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

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