PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, April 22: An extremist rabbi accused of war crimes has been selected to participate in Israeli Independence Day celebrations. Next: papers look at LGBTQ laws in Hungary and Russia. Also: did someone manipulate France's official meteorological station for insider betting on Polymarket? Finally, Madonna's iconic Coachella outfit has been stolen.
In Israel, celebrations are taking place for the country's national day. The Guardian reports that an extremist rabbi known for bulldozing Palestinian homes has been selected to light one of the torches for the celebrations. The rabbi is one of the 14 people chosen for their "extraordinary contribution to society and the state". He became well known after he documented his personal destruction campaign in Gaza. Human rights campaigners say that choosing him endorses ethnic cleansing and war crimes.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to jail for damaging a statue of Jesus in Lebanon. One of the men destroyed the statue with what looks like a hammer and his colleague took a picture of the incident. The statue has since been replaced. According to experts, the act reflects not only ignorance but also a growing hostility to Christians from some Israeli Jews.
We turn next to LGBT rights. Politico reports that Europe's Court of Justice ruled that Hungary violated EU law when it banned children from accessing LGBTQ content. It has ordered Budapest to scrap the legislation. Politico calls it a "landmark judgment" that comes after the election defeat of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In Russia, however, the situation is different. The Moscow Times reports that the CEO of Russia's largest book publisher has been detained in a "LGBTQ extremism probe". Pro-Kremlin media reported that the ongoing investigation focuses on the distribution of LGBTQ literature and specifically a book called "Pioneer summer", which depicts the gay relationship between a teenager and a counselor at a Soviet-era summer camp.
Elsewhere, France's official meteorological administration, Météo France, has been linked to suspicions of market manipulation. French paper Le Monde reports that temperature sensors at Paris's Charles-de-Gaulle airport recorded sudden, unusual spikes on April 6 and 15. On April 15, the temperature spiked to 22 degrees when it was actually 18 degrees. On this date, the probability that the maximum temperature in Paris would reach 22°C was minimal, less than 1 percent. But it suddenly rose to nearly 100 percent. The anomalies have raised suspicions of manipulations and insider trading linked to bets placed on Polymarket, the American online betting platform. For the very few people betting on the 22-degree scenario, the bet was a definite jackpot. But how did they do it? One of the hypotheses is that the scammers used a hair dryer to warm up the device that registers the temperature. Le Monde reminds us that traders on Polymarket speculate on all kinds of events, including guessing the weather. Betting on Polymarket in France, however, is forbidden.
Speaking of stock markets, The Times cites a study that found "women get worse investment advice" than men, as the industry treats them as less sophisticated clients. The study found that women were more likely to be recommended to invest in funds where banks earn bigger fees. The interesting part is that it's not just male advisers exploiting their female clients – female advisers do the same thing.
Finally, Madonna's Coachella performance with Sabrina Carpenter made headlines this week. But all is not well in paradise. The Times reports that Madonna's Coachella outfit, which she also performed in 20 years ago, has been stolen.
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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