Technical Problems Delay Madonna's Concert in Paris

Madonna performs on stage. (AFP)
Madonna performs on stage. (AFP)
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Technical Problems Delay Madonna's Concert in Paris

Madonna performs on stage. (AFP)
Madonna performs on stage. (AFP)

In her first concert in Paris organized as part of her "Madame X Tour", over 2,800 spectators had to wait until midnight on Saturday night to see Madonna appear on the stage.

After an admittedly flawless show, Madonna released her audience - without apologizing - a little after 2:15 am on Sunday.

Most were left without public transport, like Jonathan, 28, living in the great Parisian suburbs, AFP reported.

"I don't know how I'm going to get home, but it was still worth the wait. The show was great!" said the young man.

Despite the technical delay, a first part with the only musicians of Madonna in jazz lounge mode was maintained, without counting an intermission of 30 minutes.

Dancer, prisoner, mother, singer, saint, spy, activist … Madonna is all of these at once and much more in this most intimate, committed and probably ambitious show of her career, in residence at the Grand Rex in Paris until March 11.

These twelve performances will complete the tour, which began in New York in September, passed through Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Lisbon (which inspired her latest album) and London.

For the Parisian show, Jean-Paul Gaultier, her favorite retired designer who signed for most of her artistic wardrobe, was at the forefront.



Tangled Humpback Whale Sparks Rescue Mission off Australia

This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
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Tangled Humpback Whale Sparks Rescue Mission off Australia

This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)
This handout frame grab taken from video footage provided by whale rescue group Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on June 9, 2025 shows a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope swimming south of Sydney Harbor. (Handout and Clay Sweetman / ORRCA / AFP)

Wildlife rescue teams scoured Australia's east coast on Monday to find and free a distressed humpback whale tangled in a rope.

Aerial footage showed the whale swimming south of Sydney Harbor trailing a rope attached to a floating buoy.

"It makes it more difficult for the whale to dive," said Pip Jacobs from whale rescue group ORRCA.

"It's tiring for the whale, which is already in a state of distress being tangled."

The whale was about eight meters (25 feet) long, Jacobs said, indicating it was still "quite young".

The rope appeared to be tangled around the whale's left pectoral fin, she said.

"The way it is moving is quite erratic," Jacobs told AFP.

"It's moving south which is unusual.

"They should be heading north as part of their migration."

Teams of volunteers and wildlife rescue experts were searching the coastline to pinpoint the whale's location, she said.

But efforts had been hindered by choppy waters and blustery winds.

"If conditions allow and we have eyes on the whale, the best-case scenario is we have a successful disentanglement.

"If they are dragging gear, it hinders their ability to swim freely. The worst-case scenario is the whale can't feed or swim."