World news-roundup: France denies having tax probe for Jews

Country: France

French tax authorities have angrily denied that they have a special investigative unit looking into the affairs of French Jews and new immigrants from Israel. The story, originally reported on Israeli business news site Globes, was rubbished this week by France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP).

Country: Costa Rica

Five members of a Jewish family from New York have been killed in an air-crash over Costa Rica. Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their three sons, the youngest of whom was 13, died when their Cessna came down shortly after take-off. Three members of a Jewish family from Florida were among the 12 victims.

Country: Germany

German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has refused to apologise for describing how Israel pursues ‘apartheid’ policies at an event in December which was attended by Muslim representatives and which was designed to combat anti-Semitism. German Jews said Gabriel had in fact ‘fed’ anti-Semitism.

Country: New Zealand

New Zealand’s Jewish community has rejected accusations in an advert taken out by an American rabbi that said the country had a ‘growing prejudice’ against Israel and that Kiwi singer Lorde had joined an ‘anti-Semitic boycott’. Juliet Moses of the Jewish Council said the ad had tried to ‘bully’ the 21-year old singer.