Latest from Le Figaro
Le Figaro
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Le Figaro
Palestinism, Electoral Calculations, Tribalization… The Lessons of an Explosive Report on Belgium, Now a 'Laboratory' of Antisemitism
Réservé aux abonnés The Jonathas Institute, a center for the study of antisemitism, delivers for the first time a staggering assessment of Belgian society. Has Belgium been under a kind of omerta until now? That's the question raised by the Jonathas Institute, a Belgian research center, in its explosive report on antisemitism, supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, one of Belgium's three federated communities. Reviewed by Le Figaro, this 76-page analysis, based in part on an Ipsos poll, paints a disturbing picture of a deeply divided society — one that is, in some respects, more antisemitic than France. 'In a context marked by a resurgence of antisemitic acts and rhetoric, surveying Belgians about their perceptions of Jews seemed obvious. And yet, no public, media, academic, or civil society actor has undertaken such a large-scale study in recent memory,' the report notes. The institute is led by Joël Kotek, an emeritus university professor and former lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, and Joël Amar, an advisor to the presidents of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF). The authors observe that 'in contrast, studies…
Le Figaro
12 hours ago
- General
- Le Figaro
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Le Figaro
3 days ago
- Health
- Le Figaro
'Debunking Fake News Requires a Colossal Effort': Doctors on a Crusade Against Fake News on Social Media
Réservé aux abonnés Some medical professionals are mobilizing and becoming content creators themselves on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X to combat false information circulating there. But given the scale of the phenomenon, they are calling for more support. A wart-eating praying mantis, egg whites for burns, a rosemary serum that cures baldness, raw garlic against pimples or even flaxseed gel to get rid of wrinkles... While false information about health issues has always existed, it has truly exploded since COVID-19. And with the rise of social media, it is gaining more and more visibility. The figures are quite telling. Fake news accounts for up to 51% of posts about vaccines and 60% of content related to pandemics, according to a 2022 WHO study. On YouTube, 20% to 30% of videos on emerging infectious diseases contain similarly inaccurate or misleading information. À lire aussi With 'Paris en Seine,' Mayor Anne Hidalgo Aims to Keep the Olympic Fervor Alive This Summer But in this jungle of fake news, a growing number of doctors are mobilizing and speaking out to sort out fact from fiction. They do this in an educational manner, adapted to the standards of digital platforms and above all by providing reliable, scientifically proven recommendations. According to various sources, nearly a hundred professionals are on the front lines of hunting down…
Le Figaro
3 days ago
- General
- Le Figaro
At the Arab World Institute: Gaza's Rescued Treasures, Witnesses to a Deep History
The Paris museum is reopening the crates of ancient artifacts unearthed in the Palestinian territory. For years, this heritage has been in exile in Geneva due to the conflict with Israel. A Byzantine mosaic with an animal theme welcomes visitors to the Arab World Institute (IMA) in Paris. Among the depictions of exotic wild animals, a rabbit attempts to climb a palm tree. This is just about the only joyful note in this exhibition of Gaza's rescued treasures. Among the amphorae, statuettes, funerary steles, clay oil lamps and enormous stone anchors and mooring rings, a beautiful Aphrodite stands out. This white marble statue sits alongside a translucent alabaster vase adorned with lotuses, as well as a stunning treasure of 17,000 pieces of agglomerated silver. This currency was in use during the Byzantine period. À lire aussi It's Official: Wealth Comes at the Cost of Sleep These 130 artifacts are the result of joint Franco-Palestinian excavations undertaken in 1995 on the coastal strip, following the Oslo Accords. The excavations were led by the local antiquities service and the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem (EBAF), which was founded in 1890 and is the oldest research center in these fields in the Holy Land. An exile that began in 2000 Some artifacts also come from the collection of Jawdat Khoudary, a Palestinian who made his fortune in the construction industry. He donated his entire collection to the Palestinian National Authority in 2018. In 2023, when the bombings in response to Hamas' terrorist attack began, most of it was housed in his villa in northern Gaza. It was a private museum, the only one in the area, pending the construction of a public museum. The Israeli army turned it into a command base and transformed the garden into a tank depot. More than 4,000 objects, including an avenue of columns and capitals, are missing or seriously damaged, according to a cartel. What we see at the IMA, however, was safely preserved in crates which were stored at the Geneva Freeport. The exile of this lot began in 2000. While they were waiting to join the future public museum in Gaza, the artifacts were on embassy tours to various European museums, including the IMA. When, after Hamas seized power in the enclave in 2006, the blockade prevented their return there, the Geneva Museum of Art and History, the site of their final stop, took charge of their conservation. À lire aussi The Astonishing Life of Nude Models, Heirs to an Artistic Tradition in Decline 'These pieces are survivors,' says Jean-Baptiste Humbert, a prominent figure among the Dominican friars, who led the excavations from their beginnings until the end of 2023. Humbert notably presided over the discovery of Anthedon, a fortified port dating back to the 8th century BC. 'The extent of the damage caused by recent bombardments is unknown,' the statement reads as we walk past the photos and plans of the site. 'All this heritage is in transit or exile, like most Gazans,' comment scenographers Elias and Yousef Anastas, Palestinian architects living between Paris and Bethlehem. To convey this notion, they created wheeled display stands for these treasures. 'You have before you the witnesses of some five thousand years of history,' says Élodie Bouffard, head of exhibitions at the IMA and curator of this event. Since the Bronze Age, Gaza has been an oasis at the crossroads of maritime and caravan routes. Three hundred sites of heritage interest have been identified there. The influence of multiple civilizations was evident: Canaanite, Egyptian, Philistine, Neo-Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Arab. This represents 365 square kilometers of trade and prosperity punctuated by wars and humanitarian crises. 94 points of historical, cultural or religious interest, damaged or ravaged As with the foundations of the port of Anthédon, the Saint Hilarion monastery with its fabulous Paradise mosaic — a site UNESCO included on its list of World Heritage in Danger in the summer of 2024 — or Qasr al-Basha, the Pasha's Palace, a relic of the 13th century, where Napoleon Bonaparte slept for a few nights during his Egyptian campaign, a physical inventory is being compiled as much as possible. The EBAF warehouse itself is under rubble, along with its archives, shards and papers alike. Was there looting? No one knows, not even René Elter, Jean-Baptiste Humbert's successor. Maps on the walls give the full measure of the tragedy. On March 25, based on satellite images, UNESCO inventoried 94 damaged or ravaged sites of historical, cultural or religious interest. There's an immense contrast between the apocalypse depicted in recent photographs and the previously unpublished pictures of the Gaza oasis at the beginning of the 20th century. These are modern prints from the EBAF's collection of glass plates, documenting life between 1905 and 1926. Has October 7, 2023, also destroyed this deep history? Fortunately, many have deployed great energy to preserve this history, including the 40 students of Intiqal ('transmission' in Arabic). Since 2017, this program has been implemented in Palestine by the NGO Première Urgence Internationale, with the support of EBAF, the French Development Agency, the British Council and the Aliph Foundation, the world's leading fund dedicated to the protection or rehabilitation of heritage weakened by war, climate change or natural disasters. Nothing will be easy in this area, where two-thirds of the buildings are in ruins and their surroundings are not yet safe. But everyone believes it's not impossible. 'Rescued Treasures from Gaza: 5000 Years of History,' at the Arab World Institute (Paris 5th arrondissement), until November 2. Tel.: +33 1 40 51 38 38.
Le Figaro
3 days ago
- Business
- Le Figaro
It's Official: Wealth Comes at the Cost of Sleep
Réservé aux abonnés The richer people are, the less they sleep. This correlation also holds true at the macroeconomic level, for entire countries, according to a recent study by economists. 'Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms.' Elon Musk has been trying to reassure the shareholders of his companies, worried about his all-consuming new passion for politics. The boss is back to business: the current setbacks facing Tesla, X, and SpaceX will soon be just bad memories — that is the implied message. Especially because, as ultimate proof of his commitment, the entrepreneur will spend his nights at the bedside of production lines and data centers. The billionaire likes to present himself as an extraordinary figure. And it's not hard to believe. Yet, according to three Chilean economists — Rodrigo Wagner, Cristian Jara and Francisca Pérez — his willingness to sacrifice sleep is actually quite ordinary. In a recent study, the researchers highlight a global trend: The wealthier people — and societies — grow, the less they sleep. Surprisingly, this holds true both at the individual and national levels: It's in the world's wealthiest countries…
