Latest news with #LeJournalduDimanche
Spectator
6 days ago
- Health
- Spectator
France's toddler screen ban is pure state overreach
The French government is preparing to ban all screen time for children under the age of three. The measure, announced by the Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity and Families, Catherine Vautrin, will form part of a broader national plan to combat screen use among the very young. Due to be launched in the autumn, the policy will ban tablets, televisions and smartphones in nurseries, hospitals, and other childcare settings, with sanctions for anyone who breaks the rules. The aim, according to the minister, is to change behaviour around early childhood and screen use. What next? A ban on loud toys? Fines for bedtime past eight o'clock? 'This is how you change things', Vautrin told Le Journal du Dimanche. 'You state a principle, and little by little, it becomes anchored in people's minds.' A 2022 study by Inserm, France's national medical research body, tracked 14,000 children from birth and found that early screen time, particularly before age two, was associated with delayed speech development and reduced socialisation at nursery school. The same children were more likely to show concentration problems later in primary school. Vautrin cites this research to justify the governments agenda. But what's interesting is that the researchers stopped short of calling for a ban. They pointed instead to the importance of parental interaction and content quality. In other words, common sense. And there it is. Not content with banning smoking at bus stops and removing outdoor heaters from café terraces, the French state has now decided to parent the parents. And it starts with Teletubbies. The measure may sound harmless, even well intentioned, but it marks yet another step in the Macronist habit of turning private judgement into public regulation. Nobody disputes that toddlers don't benefit from screen time. The NHS in Britain advises parents to avoid it entirely before age two. But in Britain, such advice remains just that: advice. Ofsted does not bar nurseries from showing a short film or using a digital device if it's part of a wider educational context. The state leaves space for discretion. France will not. Vautrin's move echoes the earlier French ban on outdoor smoking, not because enforcement is practical, but because stating a principle is seen as a way of reshaping society. The technique is always the same. Issue a prohibition, turn it into a campaign, publish guidelines, introduce fines, and wait for the culture to shift. Screens today, sugar tomorrow, and after that who knows. It's this compulsive reflex to legislate behaviour that reveals the French state's underlying philosophy. Trust is not part of the equation. Citizens, even parents, are not to be guided or encouraged, but managed. And if we push back, we're branded irresponsible or worse. The irony is that a government that cannot staff its own schools properly now wants to police what toddlers watch in a hospital waiting room. French nurseries, already under pressure, will now be expected to enforce rules that have little to do with care, and everything to do with performance. The spectacle of state virtue. By contrast, the UK's approach is more relaxed and arguably more effective. The NHS's guidance on screen use is based on moderation and common sense. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health explicitly declined to set arbitrary limits for parents, saying what matters most is context, content and family interaction. British ministers assume most parents are capable of knowing that ten episodes of Teletubbies in a row probably isn't ideal. They don't necessarily reach for the statute book to enforce what can be solved with a bit of judgement. Of course there'll always be parents who overdo it, who hand over a screen too often or for too long. But why impose rules on everyone else? There are times when giving a child an iPad makes perfect sense. In a waiting room. On a flight. We've all done it. The problem is not the occasional screen. It's turning rare indulgence into routine. And that is something most parents are perfectly capable of managing. But Macron's France is different. Every issue, however small, becomes a matter for the state. And every household, a target for reform. Behind the screen ban is something bigger. The idea that family life must be shaped, top down, in accordance with the latest official theory on wellbeing, risk and social cohesion. One can only imagine what is next. A ban on loud toys? Fines for bedtime past eight o'clock? The real risk is that even reasonable advice becomes politicised. What might have worked as a gentle public health message will now land as another round of social engineering. And those who resist will not be engaged, but blamed. I don't need the government standing over my shoulder while I raise my child. Children belong to their parents, not to the state. Good parents already know that too much screen time isn't healthy. They do not need a government minister telling them what to do. What they need, what everyone needs, is a government willing to trust them. It's not the screen ban itself that is the problem. It's the belief behind it, the idea that the state always knows better. That's what needs to be switched off.
Morocco World
05-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Assets of Tebboune's Sons in France Face Potential Asset-Freezing Measures
Rabat – Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune could face a new scandal amid reports on France's potential freezing of the assets of about 20 Algerian dignitaries. Mohamed Sifaoui, a French-Algerian investigative journalist, has revealed that two of Tebboune's sons, Mohamed and Khaleld, hold assets in France. Sifaoui made his remarks during an interview with Algerian journalist Abdou Semmar. During the interview published this week, the journalist claimed that while Tebboune may have no assets in France, his sons do. These assets could be seized and frozen by French authorities, which would see bilateral tensions escalate even further since the two countries started exchanging hostile diplomatic decisions in the aftermath of France's endorsement of Morocco's position on the Western Sahara dispute. Sifaoui made several other revelations, including pointing out the abuse of power by the Algerian regime. He said that Mohamed Tebboune was entrusted by his father with a government advisory role despite his lack of experience. Mohamed Tebboune also has connections with Turkish businessmen, he suggested, adding that this would eventually land him in jail when his father's mandate ends. 'They own commercial properties, stock assets, etc. What we call financial assets in other words, wealth… both of them have assets in France,' the Algerian journalist said, noting that this is 'confirmed information.' The journalist slammed the Algerian president for criticizing France while his sons have financial holdings there, noting that he not only relies on information from government reports but also verifies and fact-checks information himself. 'That's why I haven't published it yet,' he said. 'I have the names and will probably publish them by the end of the week. But among those are the two sons of Abdelmadjid Tebboune.' Sifaoui and his interviewer then both launched into a debate about the hypocrisy of the Algerian ruling class, slamming Algeria's establishment for claiming to adopt an anti-French policy while their children and families hold active assets in France. This is not the only bombshell revelation Sifaoui made about the Algerian regime's involvement in similar scandals. Beyond the regime's interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, a new comprehensive investigation has shed light on clandestine operations allegedly orchestrated by the Algerian regime on French soil. Last month, French outlet Le Journal du Dimanche reported that, under President Tebboune, the Algerian government has been actively involved in a campaign to suppress opposition voices abroad. A senior French security official, speaking on condition of anonymity to the news outlet, said: 'We possess reliable intelligence confirming that Algerian services did not act independently.' This includes attempts to abduct or intimidate prominent dissidents residing in France, such as YouTube r Amir DZ and journalist Abdou Semmar. Algeria and France have experienced political tensions for months. According to L'Express, France is now considering freezing the assets of several dignitaries of the Algerian regime. There have also been exchanges of hostile measures from both countries, including travel restrictions against officials from both sides. In recent years, both countries have taken measures to expel officials or made other similar measures. In May, diplomatic sources told AFP that Algeria was planning to expel more French officials. In response, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that ties between France and Algeria were 'completely frozen.' Tags: algeria and francerelations between Algeria and France
Roya News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
France to build $450M high-security jungle prison in South America
France has unveiled plans to construct a 400 million euro (USD 451 million) high-security prison deep in the Amazon jungle of French Guiana, aimed at cutting off dangerous criminals from their networks and cracking down on organized crime. The announcement was made by French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin during a visit to the South American territory, where he emphasized the need for a tougher approach to drug trafficking and extremism. The facility, expected to open by 2028, will be located in the remote northwestern commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni—once the grim entry point to France's notorious Devil's Island penal colony. It will house up to 500 inmates, including a specialized wing for the most high-risk individuals. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), Darmanin described the upcoming prison as part of a broader national strategy to dismantle organized criminal operations. 'We want to incapacitate the most dangerous drug traffickers,' he said, noting that the prison would enforce an 'extremely strict carceral regime.' Crucially, the justice minister framed the facility as a tool to sever drug lords from their influence. 'Drug lords will no longer be able to have any contact with their criminal networks,' Darmanin told JDD, citing the prison's extreme isolation and security protocols. French Guiana, a French overseas region bordering Brazil and Suriname, has long been a key transit point for narcotics smuggling routes into Europe. Officials hope the new prison—strategically located along these routes—will serve as a choke point for traffickers at the early stages of the supply chain. The initiative follows a string of violent incidents across France in recent months, where prison staff and facilities have been targeted by armed attackers. In some cases, perpetrators set vehicles ablaze outside prisons or opened fire, claiming to act in defense of inmates' rights. French authorities suspect these attacks are a backlash to sweeping reforms aimed at dismantling criminal networks. Earlier this year, the government introduced new legislation to give prosecutors and investigators greater powers, and to offer special protections for informants. The law also provides for the construction of multiple high-security prisons, including the one in French Guiana. The new facility will address long-standing challenges such as the widespread use of smuggled mobile phones in French prisons—tens of thousands are believed to be in circulation—by enforcing stricter controls on inmate communications. French Guiana's unique legal status as an overseas region means its residents are full French citizens with voting rights and access to France's social services. Yet its remote geography makes it an ideal site, officials say, for detaining individuals deemed too dangerous to remain on the mainland. The jungle site also evokes echoes of history. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni was the departure point for thousands of prisoners sent to the brutal penal colonies of the 19th and early 20th centuries, immortalized in Henri Charrière's memoir Papillon, later adapted into a film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.
Middle East Eye
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
France plans to send criminals to prison in South America
France plans to build a prison in the middle of the Amazon rainforest to host some of its most dangerous criminals, according to France's Justice Minister. In an interview carried by Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed that he plans to build France's third-most secure prison 7,000 miles away from Paris in the French overseas territory of Guiana, where he was visiting when the interview took place. The move has sparked an outcry from local officials and residents. Darmanin says the 500-inmate facility will house drug traffickers and "Islamic radicals" in the northeast of South America. Guiana, also known as French Guiana, is the only part of mainland South America that is still governed by a European nation. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The $607m facility is supposed to open in 2028. It will be built in an isolated location surrounded by a thick forest of trees in the Amazon rainforest in the region of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname, which once received prisoners shipped there by Napoleon III in the 19th century. Some of these prisoners were also sent to the French penal colony of Cayenne, commonly known as Devil's Island, off the coast of French Guiana, which operated between 1852 and 1952 and was only closed in 1953. Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche that the prison also aims to prevent drug traffickers from having contact with their criminal networks, limited contact with the outside world, regular searches, and constant electronic surveillance. Baz Dreisinger, a professor at John Jay College of criminal justice in New York, who wrote Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World, told Middle East Eye that current incarceration policies were not being discussed enough. 'This banishment of people from one country to a prison in another is part of a long history of penal colonies and the fantasy you can exorcise and rid yourself of so-called criminals, normally poor people and undesirables of whatever variety. There's a long history of this. It is not a new thing." Dreisenger added that this is an "act of political theatre", as these countries are more than able to imprison people in their own lands. 'Of course, I think it's influenced by Trump - his conversation of reopening Alcatraz and sending people to the prison in El Salvador. A lot is being shaped by US domestic policy.' Cecot in El Salvador can hold up to 40,000 prisoners and is meant for permanent exile and permanent punishment. El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele bills the prison as the biggest in the Americas. It is also where the Trump administration has sent more than 200 Venezuelan migrants. It is described as a black hole from which no information escapes. The French justice ministry had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why France is building a high-security prison deep in the Amazon jungle
With organized crime growing across Europe, France is planning a major move to take back control of its prison system. The government has announced plans to build a high-security prison deep in the Amazon rainforest, in its overseas territory of French Guiana. The goal is to keep some of the country's most dangerous criminals, like drug traffickers and extremists, completely cut off from the outside world. By placing them in such a remote location, authorities hope to stop these prisoners from running criminal networks even while behind bars. French Guiana: A strategic location French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America, has been a key route in the international drug trade for years. Its remote location and closeness to drug-producing countries like Brazil and Suriname have made it a hotspot for criminal networks. By building the new prison here, the French government hopes to isolate dangerous criminals, especially drug lords, and limit their ability to control illegal activities from behind bars. The new prison will be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town with a long history linked to France's old prison system. It was once the gateway to the infamous Devil's Island penal colony. Now, it's set to house some of the country's most dangerous criminals. By choosing such a remote spot, the government wants to make sure these inmates stay cut off from the outside world, limiting their ability to influence or run criminal networks, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), as quoted by BBC News. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [Click Here] 2025 Best Luxury Hotel Prices Expertinspector Learn More Undo In recent years, France's prison system has faced growing problems with violence and gang activity inside jails. To tackle this, the government is stepping up efforts to break the grip of organized crime behind bars. The new prison will have space for around 500 inmates. As quoted by the BBC, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) newspaper that, 'This new facility will be a lasting means of removing the heads of the drug trafficking networks.' A major focus of the new prison is its advanced security measures. Mobile phones and other illegal communication devices have been a big problem in French prisons, letting criminals stay in touch with their networks. This facility will use special technology to block these devices, as mentioned in the BBC report. The French government is also working to improve its legal and prosecution systems. New laws have been introduced to give law enforcement more power and create special teams in the prosecution office focused on breaking up organized crime networks. These steps aim to tackle crime both inside prisons and in the wider community. The future of France's prison system According to the report, the facility is expected to open by 2028, and the world will be watching to see if it can effectively disrupt criminal organizations. Though ambitious, the plan shows France's determination to take strong action against crime. Building this high-security prison is just one part of France's bigger plan to improve how it fights organized crime. With tougher laws, better security, and more resources focused on tackling criminal gangs, the government aims to bring order back to its prisons and stop criminals from spreading their influence. However, the success of this plan will depend on how well it can stop these criminal networks from operating. By isolating their leaders and cutting off their contact with the outside world, France hopes to weaken their control over the drug trade and other illegal activities. As this ambitious project moves ahead, the French government is making it clear that it is serious about fighting crime and stopping criminals from acting without consequences. Whether this new prison will solve France's prison problems is still uncertain, but it signals a new phase in the country's fight against organized crime.
