Across France and the rest of Europe, people are in shock ..... following arson and "wrecking of symbols" of the republic such as the 19th-century town hall :::: Will right winger "Marine" Le Pen emerge 'real winner' ???

Some of the phrases - now seen liberally used in western media - appear to be maters published about Gujarat riots of 2002. Take a closer look ...

As buildings burned, shops were looted and police attacked, the rioting largely drowned the peaceful mass protests over the dilapidated state of schools , fuel prices and the cost of living. But all these are about France. 

But there is more. The only one clear winner so far from France’s chaos: Marine Le Pen. 

Peter McPhee, a professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne, described the protests as a “Christmas present” for Le Pen’s National Rally ahead of the presidential election.

The violence and rioting that engulfed towns and cities across the country over the weekend, six months before a pivotal presidential election, is a godsend for the hard-right, Eurosceptical, anti-immigration candidate. 

Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (born August 5, 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who has been parliamentary party leader of the far-right National Rally.

She had also been president of the National Rally 2011 to 2021. 

She ran for the French presidency in the 2012, 2017, and 2022 presidential elections. 

Le Pen has been the member of the French National Assembly for the 11th constituency of Pas-de-Calais since 2017.   

Emmanuel Macron is under attack and has emerged a lame-duck president who has no practical answers to a crisis that is ruining his legacy. Macron expressed his “anger and shame” at the violence and the damage to France’s global image in a Sunday-night broadcast to the nation, but he is so widely loathed, including by many who voted for him in two presidential elections, that his pleas for order and dialogue were largely ignored.  

Le Pen, in contrast, issued a solemn video message, looking presidential as she sat at a desk with the national tricolor (but no EU flag) and bookshelves as her backdrop. 

Though France has a long revolutionary tradition, this was not the work of egalitarian insurgents or working-class warriors, but nihilist, anarchist “black bloc” gangs, with opportunist looters and rioters along for the ride.

Le Pen is now positioning her party as more capable than centrist or left-wing forces ahead of the presidential election in April 2027.  

On Sunday, the leader of the National Rally party, or RN by its French initials, railed against President Emmanuel Macron’s handling of the crisis in a video statement, saying the outgoing centre-right leader no longer has any “credibility or authority” and that the country’s people were caught between his austerity “hammering” them on the one hand and “insurrectionary activists” on the left on the other.  

Le Pen blamed the political left and “decades of immigration” to France for the looting and destruction that trailed the demonstrations, and presented her party as capable of restoring order — without offering any firm evidence to back up assertions that the rioting was led by immigrants.

The politician is already far ahead in recent polls, and some say she is likely to be the next leader. 

Some 550,000 people demonstrated on Saturday, according to the Ministry of the Interior, although protest organisers put the figure at 800,000. Protesters included students, union groups and supporters of the “yellow vests” movement, which protested against inflation back in 2018, at the start of Macron’s presidency.

Although most marched peacefully, masked groups attacked city halls in several cities on Saturday, including the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, which was badly damaged.

In Lyon, a tourist office was set ablaze. In Marseille, hooded individuals attacked a police station. The city has since banned protests.  

Macron’s minority government is trapped in a vicious circle. France’s debt and deficit squeeze leaves him no spare cash left to buy off protesters. A decade of his centre-right presidency has failed to reform a bloated public sector or improve public services. 

The country has a youth crisis, characterised by anxiety over an economically uncertain future and amplified by social media, as well as a geopolitical crisis with Russia’s war on Ukraine spreading into a covert war against Europe.

Foreign critics of progressive European social policies are fanning the flames with incendiary commentaries. Donald Trump gloated on social media that “France is burning!”. Blaming the situation on immigration, he urged the French to “close your borders and take control before it is too late”. 

Vladimir Putin’s close aide Kirill Dmitriev described events in France as “the suicidal fall of Europe” and also ascribed it in part to chaotic migration.

The convergence of crises leaves little room for manoeuvre for a French government struggling to push even a mildly cost-cutting budget.  

ends 

Angry Residents Bring Bodies of Two Victims to Manipur CM’s Bungalow; Three Injured in suspected Kuki Militant Ambush

Three Suspected Kuki Militants Arrested, Eight Firearms, IEDs Recovered After Khongbal Killings

Security forces have launched intensified search operations following the killing of three civilians in an attack on wood collectors at Sunurok Uyok (Sunulok Hill) in Khongbal, with three suspected Kuki militants reportedly arrested at Phailenkot.

At least two killed, several injured in suspected attack near Honghman (Khongbal) village in Kangpokpi

During the operation, security personnel recovered eight firearms and three improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to preliminary information. Details regarding the types of weapons seized and the identities of the arrested individuals are yet to be ascertained.  

The crackdown follows Monday’s attack on wood collectors at Sunurok Uyok, which claimed three lives and left three others injured, triggering heightened security measures in the surrounding areas.

Imphal East District Police Commandos, assisted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are continuing search operations to locate armed groups and recover weapons in the area.  

In a further development, angry residents brought the bodies of the two deceased to the gate of the chief minister’s bungalow on Monday afternoon to protest the killings. Police subsequently fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

At least two people from the Meitei community were killed and three others injured after suspected Kuki gunmen allegedly opened fire near Sunurok Uyok in Khongbal Thangkhul at around 9.30 am on Monday, triggering anger among local residents.  

The deceased were identified as Arubam Ronil (35), son of Raja Mama Memi of Nongshum Mayai Leikai, and Lairenlakpam Inaobi (51), son of Tombi of Nongshum Awang Leikai.

The injured were identified as Maisnam Somendro (47), son of Bor Singh, and Ngangom Tonaobi (18), son of Abung, both residents of Nongshum Mayai Leikai. Another injured person, Ksh Sushil (32), son of Ksh Deven of Uyumpok Mayai Leikai, was reported to be in serious condition.

All three injured persons were taken to Raj Medicity Hospital for treatment.   

Sunulok Hill (Khongbal Tangkhul) Killings: Manipur Police Says Combing Operation Intensified, Helicopter Surveillance Underway  

Security forces have intensified operations around Sunulok Hill under Sagolmang Police Station following the killing of three civilians in a suspected militant attack on firewood collectors on Monday morning, with helicopter surveillance and drone monitoring deployed to track down the attackers.

Manipur Police Additional Director General (ADGP) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo announced the intensified security measures during a press conference at the Manipur Police Headquarters in Imphal.  

Unidentified armed militants opened fire at around 9.40 am on a group of 14 Meitei villagers who were cutting and transporting firewood at Sunurok Hill, ahead of Khongbal Tangkhul. Three people were killed in the firing, while three others sustained injuries and were evacuated for medical treatment.

Lhatoo said joint teams comprising Manipur Police, COBRA personnel, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF) were conducting operations in the affected area.

ends 

History is like a River - that flows 'rapidly and disappears' but .... ::: 'Bangladesh Model' of protest of 2024 is no different in content and style than what's going on in Italy and France ::: Indian Sick-editors want to 'revive' Jugadu days by bringing Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister ... Have mercy !!

In a decade and more, India has changed.  This is not merely the words of India's pro-Hindutva Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lakhs of Modi Bhakts will also endorse this. 

There is no big deal in it.  

The greater importance lies in the fact today that while global stake holders also have to agree that India has changed in last 12-13 years since 2014 when Modi took charge of governance in Bharat, that is India or rather - the new India. 

There is another greater fact of life. Now, we can see the world has also changed especially the Europe. 

France continues to be rocked by mass protests taking place nationwide, gathering momentum from student-led demonstrations that began last month in response to overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages.  

Young people waved Italian flags and let off flares in Milan and even Albania too is in news. On this backdrop came RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's annual remarks on the joyous and auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dashami. Among other aspects of India's strengths and challenges it is bound to face - Bhagwat has said: 

"We must once again remember the very foundation of our existence and identity, organise ourselves around it, and resolve to work together for the welfare and well being of one another".   

A pitiless lesson is a harsh, severe, or unforgiving experience that teaches a hard truth without any mercy, sympathy, or emotional comfort. Hence, a pitiless lesson - that was taught centuries back -- is -- "there is no new thing under the sun". In some ways; the problems of today - across the globe - has been with us through the corridors of decades. Certain challenges like job scenario was there in the past and is also there across the globe. 

In France and Italy; they have discovered a new phrase = "the cost of living crisis". 

H L Mencken, an American journalist, essayist and satirist, once described American Democracy as a "Bobocracy" of, by and for the "the vast herd of human blanks".  

His emphasis was that the 'herd' will have neither the capacity nor the interest for intelligent self-government. 

The westerners thought they knew 'best' about the Democracy and slowly they trapped themselves willfully into the cobwebs of a dangerous combo of Jihadi and Leftists. 

What all happening in France and Italy today are linked to these bitter facts. On this backdrop must we in India look at the 'season' of protests unleashed in India. What happened in France could have easily happened in India especially Delhi on July 20th. That was the sinister agenda. 

The Modi Govt, the Home Ministry and Delhi police deserve credit for the apt handling of the situation. Kudos to Delhi police once again - for living up to their motto - 'For You, With You .. Always'. 

When “a movement becomes a tool of politics, driven by hostility and antagonism towards an individual, a group, or an ideology, forces seeking to undermine Bharat take advantage of the situation,” Bhagwat said.   

"India, Hindus, and Sangh can be dismantled in what manner—this is what the demonic forces contemplate, devise plans"

Sickularism is the target; so is over ambitious 'dynasty'... and why they all are in hurry !!  

"Due to petty power interests and a lack of wisdom, some ambitious leaders also get involved," - RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. 

On the unrest in France, Albania, Bangladesh and Nepal, the RSS chief said that “a storm has blown from the West that seeks to destroy every form of order, decency, well-being, and cultural and human values."

We have oft heard experts stating that - nations which do not remember their past mistakes are condemned to repeat it. In circa 2026 - we need to add another element - a nation like Bharat should take lessons from the mistakes and experiences of other countries as well. 

India has been talking about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and their joining hands with the Leftists and Maoist forces. The west thought of taking a pleasure in it and even Christian lobbies were set free to join hands with radical Islamic forces to demean Hindus. 

The Johns and Jokers - pretenders of intellectuals in some Catholic organisations in India will have to be first 'understood' well and then given due lessons. They should look to the west and try to make objective analyses of their own roles in spreading canard about Hindu organisations - at times without reasons. 

Of course France is being discussed and debated. Let us recall French historian Fernand Braudel - who called History a river. 

On the surface it flows rapidly and disappears. But down below there is a deep stream which may not change quickly but it is more important because it drives the whole river.   

For his part, the RSS chief spoke about Panch Parivartan. --- 

-- Social Harmony

-- Kutumba Prabodhan - Family/Domestic unity as a nation

-- Environment

** Swadeshi and Nagrik Anusashan (National and Civic duties). These are not merely programmes to be undertaken for a year or so -- rather they represent a way of life and conduct.  

Wrap Up : In the ultimate this piece should talk about Indian opposition parties and their Sickular ecosystem. Some intellectuals and editors - print and electronic - women and men - have given themselves a target of 'reviving' their Jugadu days by bringing Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister.  

 

For nation's sake and for posterity, they should give up any such mission at least for next 10-15 years. The global situations demand, India deserves a leader like Narendra Modi at this juncture. 

The spirit of old 'undivided Hindu family' is relevant today where all members of the family own the property jointly. That may be considered as a 'nation' today. But the importance lies in the written and unwritten power and responsibilities of the Karta - that is the leadership. 

He has to keep the family united and strong and at the same time expected to satisfy the varying needs of the different members. 

This year's Vijaya Dashami automatically deserve a closer attention.

ends 

Evil forces want to dismantle India: Mohan Bhagwat on 'regime change Op.' ::::: "India, Hindus, and Sangh can be dismantled in what manner—this is what the demonic forces contemplate, devise plans"

Sickularism is the target; so is over ambitious 'dynasty'... and why they all are in hurry !!  

"Due to petty power interests and a lack of wisdom, some ambitious leaders also get involved," - RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. 

On the unrest in France, Albania, Bangladesh and Nepal, the RSS chief said that “a storm has blown from the West that seeks to destroy every form of order, decency, well-being, and cultural and human values."

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has claimed that "regime change" operations are carried out across the world to ensure that those pursuing their own interests and their "stooges" remain dominant. He said India's growth stood in the way of these efforts, making the country their "ultimate goal."  

He asserted that forces pursuing their own interests use regime change as a means to alter political circumstances, rarely achieving intended results.

"India, Hindus, and the Sangh can be dismantled in what manner —this is what the demonic forces contemplate, devise plans for, and act upon," Bhagwat said in an address during the RSS Vijayadashami celebrations in Nagpur.

"Some people, in accordance with their very nature, join in to assist in this endeavour,” he said.  

Bhagwat also said: "When our country was reeling under the attacks of foreign invaders, when they were unleashing terror on those who followed 'svadharma' here, and there was an atmosphere of terror here, Sant Ravidas spread the message of 'svadharma nishtha', social harmony, and devotion. 

"With the example of his own life, he gave comfort to the society of the time and boosted their morale, while upholding their quality...". 

“They say that 'regime change' will change the situation, but it has never happened before, and it is not happening today,” he said.

Bhagwat alleged that such operations are carried out across the world to ensure that those pursuing their own interests and their “stooges” remain dominant. He said India's growth stood in the way of these efforts, making the country their “ultimate goal”.

“Such efforts are underway in India as well,” he said, adding that the country's firm policies in recent decades and the strong leadership that had steered it forward had made an impact.

Bhagwat also credited India's younger generation with developing a sense of responsibility towards the country and the world, saying that this effort within society had thwarted the alleged designs of these forces.

While speaking about protests and movements in a developing country, the RSS chief said that problems were bound to persist as India had not yet fully developed.

“If there are problems, there will be movements. In a democracy, there will be movements,” he said.

However, he stressed that the purpose of such movements should be to find solutions rather than merely register protests. “But why should there be movements? They should be for solutions. The purpose of a movement is a solution." 

Mohan Bhagwat said whether it was groups leading movements or the government, administration and political leaders taking steps to establish peace and order, the objective of all should be to find a solution.  Citing concerns over the adverse effects of unchecked content, particularly on OTT platforms, he urged the government to consider appropriate regulations in the interest of society.

Having experienced the adverse consequences, many countries have introduced regulations and restrictions on social media platforms, he said. In India also, society is increasingly recognising the need for such measures, particularly with regard to OTT platforms, he added.

At the same time, even when information is freely accessible, the younger generation must be taught to exercise discernment and distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not, Bhagwat said.

His remarks come at a time when police across several states have been accused of using undue force on mostly peaceful protesters led mostly by young people.   

When “a movement becomes a tool of politics, driven by hostility and antagonism towards an individual, a group, or an ideology, forces seeking to undermine Bharat take advantage of the situation,” Bhagwat said, obliquely hinting at the recent protests that have taken place in different parts of the country, including the national capital. 

“Deepening the differences of opinion and turning them into mutual hostility, evoke a feeling of victimhood in the context of various problems, and thereby creating faithlessness towards the systems of the country, and creating an atmosphere of discord, intense discontent, separatism, disorder, and chaos in the country is their modus operandi.”

ends 

Us and They :: Rich people ... bad people ... mad people ..... Middle Class people :::: A cousin watches the kids, and the favour to be returned

The middle class values degrees, titles, and hard work, and it accepts trading time for a salary as the normal deal. 

Working-class jobs are often physical or hourly. 

Pay stops when the clock does and hence the reverse - the clock stops when pay stops also work.  

Rich people build relationships around access. Board seats, deal flow, and shared investments hold these circles together.

Middle-class networks form at the office, in professional associations, and through neighbors and alumni groups. 

Working-class networks are smaller and far more hands-on. 

A cousin watches the kids, a buddy helps fix the car, and the favor is repaid later.   

For elite families, school is about who you meet and how you learn to lead. Alumni connections and financial literacy count as much as the diploma.  

The middle class treats degrees as the ticket to steady employment and raises. Working-class families view education with greater suspicion. 

A trade can pay off quickly, while a four-year degree with heavy loans might never recoup its cost.

Upper-class portfolios lean on private equity, real estate and stocks, with tax planning built into every move. 

Keeping capital matters as much as growing it.

Middle-class savers rely on index funds while chipping away at the mortgage and guarding their credit scores. Working-class money management comes down to cash flow. 

Over time, side gigs and short-term credit fill the gaps between paychecks.  The middle class solves problems through personal effort and by working within the rules of banks, schools, and HR departments. Working-class people fix things themselves. If they don’t have the skill, a neighbor or relative usually has it.

None of these mindsets is locked in place. 

Plenty of people raised in working-class homes have built serious wealth, and plenty of rich families have lost theirs in a generation or two.

Start by noticing which habits came from your upbringing and asking whether they still make sense. Borrowing the upper class’s long-term horizon costs nothing, and a working-class eye for durability keeps spending in check while your assets grow.

Money habits get passed down at the kitchen table long before anyone opens a brokerage account. Kids absorb how their parents talk about bills, jobs, and risk, and those lessons tend to stick for life.  

There is also a widening gap in how hikes are distributed among employees. Almost 37% of companies are looking at giving salary hikes of 10% or more, compared with 12% last year. Around 38% of companies plan to give hikes in the average range of 8-10%, as compared to a staggering 72% last year. 

The sectors offering the highest salary increases are non-banking financial companies at 10.1%, followed by energy at 9.9%, and real estate and infrastructure at 9.8%. 

These findings are part of Aon’s Annual Salary Increase and Turnover Survey for India 2026-27, which analysed data from more than 1,200 organisations across 45 industries.

Also, one in four companies, including those in IT and ITES (IT-enabled services), will give salary hikes of less than 8% to their employees. 

This share has increased from 16% to 25% this year. 

Moreover, salaries may decline in real terms, as inflation is projected to be higher in 2027, at around 5.1%, compared to 4.3% in 2026. 

“The divergence has gone up as new sectors like data centres, semiconductors and quick commerce are looking at giving higher increments,” says Amit Kumar Otwani, Associate Partner, Talent Solutions, India, Aon.

ends 

France continues to be rocked by mass protests :::: Looting continued for second night !! ::::: Protests from Paris to Milan as European cities gripped by "cost of living crisis"

"Cost of living crisis" ...... hit Europe  

France continues to be rocked by mass protests taking place nationwide, gathering momentum from student-led demonstrations that began last month in response to overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages.

European cities facing protests from Paris to Milan ...  continent gripped by cost of living crisis

      A protester feeds a fire with a material along the Canal Saint-Martin during protest action against the ‘high cost of living’ in Paris ::: 'The Independent' - AFP image 

Mass protests over the rising cost of living and worsening standards have thrown Europe into turmoil 

Europeans mocked at Indians in 2002 when middleclass indulged in looting of showrooms and shops in Ahmedabad. 

In 2026 --- Police in France appear to have been taken by 'surprise by scale of looting' that began after protests turned violent in Paris and other cities

 

Violent protests have broken out across Europe amid growing frustration over the cost of living crisis, a lack of affordable housing and deteriorating school conditions. As many as 550,000 people turned out across France on Saturday, according to authorities, to demonstrate against declining public services. Protests turned violent in Paris as shops were looted and cars set on fire in some of the city’s worst violence in years.

Young people waved Italian flags and let off flares in Milan as they rallied against the rising cost of living in scenes that were condemned by prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Police used water cannon and teargas to break up the crowds after some masked rioters clashed with authorities and set off fires. Tens of thousands of people meanwhile marched through central Lisbon in protest of the soaring cost of living and a deepening housing crisis, echoing weeks of demonstrations in Spain that prompted prime minister Pedro Sanchez to call a snap general election.

Pressure was also on Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama after a sixth consecutive day of protests over poor university conditions, high tuition fees and corruption, which saw hours-long violent clashes with police on Sunday. A protester feeds a fire with a material along the Canal Saint-Martin during ongoing protest action against the ‘high cost of living’, in Paris.  

Soon after Emmanuel Macron’s televised speech on Sunday night telling the nation it was “unbearable to see our streets ransacked”, groups of men looted shops in central Paris for hours for a second night running. Dozens of people attempted to smash windows near Les Halles shopping centre and grab goods. Others broke into an electrical shop in Belleville in the north of the city.

“Men were battering shop windows, trying to break in, then they were chased by police,” said a 73-year-old woman near Les Halles.  

Separately to those peaceful protesters, other groups made barricades of burning bikes, clashed with police and targeted state buildings, such as the town hall in the central city of Limoges, in what local mayors described as unprecedented violence. 

Finally, looters had run around city streets smashing shop windows and taking goods.

Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after days of unrest and 2,400 arrests across France :::: School conditions, housing costs and the cost of living have brought demonstrators on to the streets in several countries

 Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after days of unrest and 2,400 arrests across France  

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has criticised “unbridled violence” after one of the most violent days of unrest in years left public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed and looted and at least 2,400 people arrested in cities across the country.

“Watching these images, we have all asked ourselves how could French people do this to France?” he said in a televised address.

Macron said “nothing justifies” violence and that local state officials would be able to ban certain street gatherings if they deemed it necessary. He said a distinction must be drawn between what he called genuine, peaceful demonstrators making demands over the cost of living and the education system, and others who “destroy, ransack and loot”. He criticised what he called “factious groups from the ultra-left, joined by numerous delinquents”.  

Politicians on the left and right called for the resignation of the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, after the government appeared to have been caught by surprise by the scale of violence on Saturday as state buildings were stormed and torched, bus stops smashed, roads barricaded and shops broken into and destroyed. Protests also took place in Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Early on Monday, Macron slammed the “failures” he said led to the crisis, but refused the resignation of Nunez.

“The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday,” the Elysee palace said in a statement. “Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused.”  

Young people have been taking to the streets in countries across Europe, including Spain, France and Portugal, to protest over their unhappiness at the state of schools and the wider cost of living crisis.

In France, high school pupils have clashed with police in often violent protests over long hours, missing teachers, dilapidated classrooms and an opaque university admissions system. Pupils routinely miss months of teaching due to unfilled staff absences.

Other demonstrators have then joined student marches to voice their unhappiness about rising living costs, including over fuel prices after US bombing caused the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), one of France’s largest unions, has backed the protests and called for lower prices, higher pensions and boosted wages.

French president Emmanuel Macron is nearing the end of his time in the Élysée Palace after serving two terms.

Over the Pyrenees in Spain, activists took to the streets in September over housing prices.

The protests were triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home after an investment fund hiked her rent by 230%. Maricarmen Abascal died a fortnight later after being admitted to hospital.

Protesters have called for lower rents, an end to evictions and a ban on investment funds buying property.

Similar pleas were made across the Iberian border in Portugal on Saturday, with hundreds gathering in central Lisbon. Portuguese housing prices rose by 124% between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice as fast as the EU average, according to official data. Squeezed household budgets were also at the centre of marches in Milan.

A march on Saturday began peacefully but ended with masked rioters throwing stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and setting fire to barricades made from bar tables.