
Holocaust memorial and three synagogues in Paris sprayed with green paint
Five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris overnight and an investigation has been opened, a police source said on Saturday.
Police found the paint damage early on Saturday on the Shoah Memorial, which is the Holocaust museum in Paris, three synagogues and a restaurant in the historic Jewish neighbourhood of Le Marais, the source said.
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that he was disgusted by these 'despicable acts targeting the Jewish community'.
It was not yet known who committed the damage, or why. The Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on details of the incidents.
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France has seen a rise in hate crimes. Last year police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. The figures did not break down the attacks on different religions.
- Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
A 200-year-old condom with an erotic etching of a NUN and cheeky three-word French message revealed
A RARE condom with erotic etchings of a nun from almost 200-years ago has gone on display for all to see. Drawings on the ancient contraceptive show a nun partially undressed pointing at the erect genitals of three clergymen alongside a three word message in French. 3 The condom measures 20cm long Credit: Kelly Schenk/Rijksmuseum 3 It's now on display at an exhibition about sex work Credit: AFP It says "Voila, mon choix" which means "There, that's my choice" or "This is my choice". This appears to be a reference to a painting called The Judgment of Paris, which shows the Trojan prince Paris judging a beauty contest between three goddesses. The condom is thought to be a souvenir from a posh Parisian brothel dating back to 1830. This era was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases - especially syphilis. Read more about history Experts say its owner would have been "fairly sophisticated and well-educated". "In the 1830s, when this condom was made, the use of condoms was still frowned upon, especially by the church," explained Joyce Zelen, curator at the Rijksmuseum where the condom is on display. "They were mostly sold under the counter at brothels or barber shops, though there are some reports of luxury shops offering bespoke tailoring." The condom measures at a generous 20cm in Most read in Science But it was inspected with a UV light and not thought to have been used. Unlike today's latex condoms, it's believed this early version is made from a sheep's appendix. The museum bought the piece for €1,000 (£840) at an auction in Haarlem last November. It's now part of an exhibition about 19th century sex work. A bald man, a thin man and a slightly overweight one can be made out on the drawing, experts say. But it's unclear who the nun is pointing at. "That way, any type of man could feel spoken to," Zelen added. 3 Message on the condom translates to 'This is my choice' Credit: Rijksmuseum


Irish Times
21 hours ago
- Irish Times
French Open: Relentless Jannik Sinner breezes past Bublik to book semi-final spot
World number one Jannik Sinner continued his relentless pursuit of a maiden French Open title with a typically efficient 6-1 7-5 6-0 win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik to reach the semi-finals. The near-flawless victory ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to make six Grand Slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches after his triumphs at last year's US Open and the Australian Open in January. 'I'm very happy with how I've arrived in the semi-finals. The semi-finals in Grand Slams are very special, I'm looking forward to it,' Sinner said. The retraction of Court Philippe Chatrier's roof after a cold, rainy morning signalled the opening of the floodgates as Sinner raced into a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and immediately threatened to break the top seed. READ MORE Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but the 23-year-old ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked his opponent harder to stay level after 10 games. 'We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play,' Sinner added. 'I feel like he deserved to be in this quarter-final ... I tried to focus on my side of the court. I was trying to play as solid as possible because he can have some ups and downs, so I just needed to stay consistent throughout the whole match.' Bublik's untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-times Grand Slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop the brave comeback of his 62nd-ranked opponent and double his advantage in the match. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set, where Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to book a clash with Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. 'We'll watch a little bit of it for sure,' Sinner said. 'As always, I'll also try to switch my brain off because Grand Slams are always mentally tough. We all hope for a high-quality match, that's what is important and what the fans want.'


Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Wildcard Boisson drinks in French Open fairytale run after reaching semi-finals
It took less than a minute for the shenanigans on a crammed Court Philippe-Chatrier to begin. While Lois Boisson and Mirra Andreeva feathered their first forehands of the pre-match warm-up, the French crowd cleared their throats with a forceful rendition of La Marseillaise. The message was clear: no matter how the match unfolded, they would be there with her until the end. All 15,000 of them were there to witness and encourage the extension of one of the most unexpected breakthrough runs in the history of tennis. Boisson, a French wildcard ranked No 361 and competing in her first French Open, continued her incredible journey through the draw by toppling the sixth seed Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals. She will next face Coco Gauff, the number two seed, on Thursday after the American held her nerve after a difficult start to defeat the Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1. Before she took her first steps on the clay courts at Roland Garros as a main draw entrant 10 days ago, Boisson had never defeated a player ranked inside the top 90 or even faced a top-50 opponent. The 22-year-old had just one tour level win, a match in Rouen two months ago, which generated significant attention after her British opponent, Harriet Dart, claimed she had body odour. READ MORE Despite her complete lack of experience at the highest level of her sport, Boisson is now the lowest-ranked Grand Slam semi-finalist in 40 years and just the third player since 1980 to reach the semi-final at her first major tournament after Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati. Boisson entered the tournament as the 24th highest ranked tennis player in France – she will leave Paris as the new French number one. 'I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a Slam,' said Boisson. 'More for a French player to win Roland Garros, for sure. It's a dream. For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semi-final. So I will try to do my best for it.' Lois Boisson plays a backhand return during her quarter-final match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Although underdog stories come easily, there has never been anything like this. One year ago, Boisson was granted a French Open main draw wild card after a few encouraging tournaments on the lower level ITF circuit. A week before the biggest occasion of her life, Boisson tore her anterior cruciate ligament at a small warm-up tournament in Paris. Six painful months of rehabilitation followed. One year later, having made positive steps in her few tournaments back, the 22 year-old was granted another shot at the French Open with a wildcard. She had already seized the moment with astounding vigour and self-belief, beating four quality players en route to the quarter-finals, including a delirious three-set win over the number three seed Jessica Pegula. However, Andreeva posed a completely different challenge. One of the most special young talents to emerge in recent years, the 18-year-old established herself as a genuine title contender this year. Despite the French crowd's desperation to insert itself in the match, Andreeva controlled the early exchanges, outsmarting Boisson with her superior court sense and well-timed drop shots while lasering down-the-line backhands at will. Andreeva took a 5-3 lead and held a set point on Boisson's serve. Throughout this week, Boisson has shown beyond doubt that she is a talented player with a distinct, tricky game. She pairs her wicked, heavy topspin forehand with a potent serve, excellent athleticism and ample variation, including a sweet feel on her drop shots. As Boisson settled into the match, she began to inflict damage on Andreeva with her first serve and heavy topspin forehand. With every successful point, the crowd further enveloped the match. 'It's normal that [the crowd] would support a French player, so I knew that it's going to be like this,' said Andreeva. 'I think that in the first set I managed it pretty well. I didn't really pay attention to that, but with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder. But, anyway, I think that I can learn from this, so nothing more I can say for now.' Under suffocating pressure from a formidable opponent, her own ambitions and a bloodthirsty audience that jubilantly cheered every point she lost, Andreeva fell apart. Her forehand disintegrated as she served for the set at 5-4, then she began to struggle with her serve. As Andreeva's composure eventually crumbled, Boisson played with courage and determination in the biggest moment of her career to close out another unforgettable victory. 'I don't think it's a miracle,' said Boisson. 'For sure, I have a little bit of luck also, but I think it's just the hard work that I put since I started playing tennis and also last year with my rehab and everything. It's just result of hard work. Nothing else.' – Guardian