EUROPE
FRANCE-SENEGAL: Aïssata Seck: “The mandate in the Senate is not reserved for the only dominant parties”
Aïssata Seck is candidate to the senatorial of September 24 in Seine-Saint-Denis. A Socialist, deputy mayor in Bondy, she was expelled from the party after her dissident list was made public. The former spokesman of Benoît Hamon in the presidential election became known thanks to his fight for the naturalization of the Senegalese sharpshooters.
From the neighborhood to the Elysée, our fellow citizens are fed up with false promises and renunciations and many can not even conceive that men and women who invest in politics do so for the same reasons that underpin the associative and citizen commitment.
If I, therefore, am proud to be an elected representative of the Republic, the “Res Publica”, the public thing, I understand the disenchantment of my neighbors on politics. And if this commitment requires investment and time, sometimes being a source of happiness when neighborhood action or housing programs succeed in making our cities and neighborhoods breathe and move forward, the general feeling is that it remains at the that this is not enough to diminish territorial inequalities, discrimination, to blow up the locks.
That is why this election. That is why the Senate: because together with my co-listiers and co-listiers, we are also aware of the growing gap between the traditional political parties which no longer represent citizens, the same need for renewal, and above all we share a great deal ambition for our territory.
This ambition, we wish to bring it to all levels to demand equality on the territory of the Republic.
When I had led with many friends the battle for the recognition of the Senegalese riflemen, it had been necessary to tap all the doors, to appeal to the highest authorities to obtain a victory which should have been a right.
Our team is made up of women and men involved in all fields: fight against facies control, reception of migrants, neighborhood associations, education, private sector, elected representatives, etc. We will be the guarantors of a true anchorage; from the entire Seine-Saint-Denis territory, we know the issues perfectly.
We are not interested in ego battles and positioning. We want to defend left-wing values, progressive ideas and effective actions for our territories.
The senate must welcome the Seine-Saint-Denis within its bosom, the one that galley in transport, the one that educates with less means, the one that too often breathes badly. But also the one that fights, the one that gains rights, the one that is proud of its history. To represent the whole Republic, the Senate must therefore be enriched by a real representation of the Seine-Saint-Denis within it. In recognition of our struggles, our demands, and our diversity. The elements we put forward are not empty words, they are at the service of a project of the left, social and ecological.
This ecological emergency, if it is simply brandished as a fashionable slogan we are not interested. In Seine-Saint-Denis, a land of youth but unemployed, a champion of demography, but in the midst of a housing crisis, ecology must be at the service of social ambition. We deserve homes with high energy requirements, to lower the heating bill and safeguard the future of our planet. We have the assets to become a pool of ecological jobs as the needs are numerous and the projects flourish.
Education, asserted as the priority of all, suffers however from a lack of crying means, especially in Seine-Saint-Denis. We need parliamentarians who are fighting for an educational catch-up plan for our territory (teachers, school doctors, guidance counselors, educational assistants, etc.). Young people from Seine-Saint-Denis have the right to excellence, let’s put the means to achieve it.
In order to achieve these objectives, we will require state guarantees on the means granted to the communities, which are constantly falling under the pretext of budgetary rigor, effectively masking a liberal vision of public services which should do more and less, organizing the slow privatization of society: health, education, housing, and even water and electricity are already delivered to competition and therefore more and more inaccessible for the most modest.
We are a list of convinced activists and this is our greatest strength. We know that this can become a weakness as habits are deeply rooted in the practices and practices of the elect and the great voters; however, we trust them to realize that the current impasse is not inevitable.
Yes, too long, we followed the political apparatuses that only wanted to share the territory. Our will is to gather together to advance, turn the pages yellowed, and refound to the left. No, the senator’s mandate is not restricted to the dominant parties alone.
It is time to give a place for a renewal application, we have a project, and we are supported by thousands of anonymous people who want this renewal. Together, on the left, we will be and we will make the future of the Seine-Saint-Denis.
Aïssata SECK, head of list “Let’s move forward for Seine-Saint-Denis”
Source : Bondy Blog
For about fifteen years, social networks have conquered every corner of our lives, interfering as well in private conversations as in family, school or professional dynamics. What was once a communication tool has become a prism through which many teenagers—but also adults — perceive the world. Far from being mere platforms for exchange, these digital spaces influence tastes, shape opinions and model behaviours. 11-year-old children frantically scrolling videos on TikTok, while grandparents comment on political debates on Facebook. This massive penetration into all the strata of society raises new questions, particularly about the ability of the youngest to evolve without danger. Faced with this new reality, Emmanuel Macron is sounding the alarm.
President Emmanuel Macron was very clear on France 2, on June 10, 2025: he wants to ban social networks for young people under 15 years old. And if there is no quick agreement at the European level, France could decide to go it alone. For him, we must act quickly. In his eyes, these platforms—Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok — have become much more than simple communication tools: they act as amplifiers of violence, confusion, and psychological distress.
He believes that this early exposure, from the middle school age, shapes a generation facing a brutalization of exchanges and a form of permanent emotional instability. This observation, shared by a growing number of observers, fuels its desire to implement strict regulation at the European level. And if Brussels delays, Paris might well act alone.
This radical proposal highlights a growing generational divide. Today’s teenagers are, according to Macron, the first to have grown up in this digital universe saturated with images, viral content, and incessant notifications. A generation connected from the cradle, which has not known a world without smartphones or ubiquitous Wi-Fi. Where adults have seen social networks as progress, the younger ones experience them as a norm, even a social necessity.
However, this digital normality leads to deleterious effects. Online harassment, addiction, overexposure to violent or pornographic content, permanent quest for social validation… the risks are multiple and often invisible to the eyes of parents. The idea of a mandatory minimum age, already under debate in several countries, takes on a strong political dimension here. By setting this framework, the president hopes to stop a spiral that he considers uncontrollable.
For Emmanuel Macron, this initiative cannot remain isolated. He asks the European Union to reach an agreement and set clear rules together. The question is now asked: should social networks be treated as sensitive products, on a par with alcohol or cigarettes? France seems ready to take this step, even if it means shaking certain digital freedoms. The president mentions a delay of ‘a few months’ to reach an agreement with the European partners. Without a coordinated response, he claims that France will act alone.
This stance raises as much hope as controversy. How to enforce such a ban technically? What responsibility for the platforms? Will teenagers find ways to get around the measure? If the challenge is immense, the head of state seems determined to lay the foundations for a new digital contract between young citizens and their digital environment.
By setting the bar at 15 years old, Emmanuel Macron is not content with reacting to a trend. He proposes a break. In a society where digital technology continues to move forward without restraint, it wants to impose a threshold, a safeguard, a time of pause to reflect on what growing up in the connected world really involves.
Source: The new tribune
The deep sea, which covers 54% of the oceans, remains largely unknown: only 5% have been explored. Yet, since 2022, 33 states have called for a precautionary pause in the face of deep-sea mining projects. This position is based on alarming scientific studies: the abyss shelters a unique biodiversity, plays a key role in climate regulation and their destruction would have irreversible consequences.
Under international law (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), deep seabed resources are a heritage of mankind, managed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Any exploitation outside this framework would be illegal. However, the polymetallic nodules, coveted for their rare metals, take millions of years to form – their extraction would therefore be unsustainable.
Mining would generate plumes of toxic sediments, threatening abyssal wildlife and the food chain. Deep ecosystems, essential for carbon storage, could be sustainably altered. Yet, their genetic resources could revolutionize medicine, agri-food or the fight against global warming.
At the United Nations Ocean Conference (Nice, 9-13 June), the signatory States (Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Palau, Panama, Peru[1], Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vanuatu.) request:
Strict compliance with international law;
The acceleration of scientific research;
A cautionary pause on deep-sea mining.
[1] The Republic of Peru is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Photo Credit: chasse-marée.com
On 9 June, the leaders of ten Mediterranean countries and the European Union met at the invitation of the French president for the summit “For a better connected Mediterranean”, on the sidelines of the UN Ocean Conference. The objective: to strengthen maritime, land and digital links between Europe, the Mediterranean and the Arabian-Persian Gulf, in response to the common challenges of the region.
The Mediterranean, which accounts for 25% of global maritime traffic, is seeing its states step up their ecological efforts. Since 1 May 2025, a SECA (low sulphur emissions) zone covers the entire Mediterranean, while ports such as Algeciras, Beirut and Marseille have committed to reducing their emissions through charging stations and alternative fuels. Croatia also announced a new green and automated terminal in Rijeka.
The European Commission recalled its financial commitment through the Global Gateway strategy, with 5.9 billion euros released for North Africa and the Middle East, capable of generating 27.2 billion in investments. The new Pact for the Mediterranean aims to consolidate economic and energy partnerships, particularly through the India-Middle East-Europe (IMEC) corridor, supported by France.
Energy projects are multiplying: Saudi Arabia, France, Italy and Greece are studying collaborations on green hydrogen, while Cyprus and Greece are advancing on interconnections such as the GREGY cable (Egypt-Greece). The TeraMED initiative could also accelerate renewable energies in North Africa.
On the digital side, the EU presented Medusa, an undersea optical fibre network linking the two Mediterranean shores, while the digital hub in Aqaba (Jordan) strengthens regional technological influence.
