Eiffel Tower closed on Monday due to strike over BAPS bar on women staff, reopens
EIFFEL IN THE EYE OF A STORM: Women employees' strike shuts the Tower as BAPS has its way.
The Tower agreeing to a BAPS monastic demand that all women employees "make themselves invisible" during their visit angered the staff. A cross- section of the French also revolted against the breach of fundamental republican values. But the damage was already done.
PARIS, Sept 8 (INS): The Eiffel Tower in Paris was temporarily closed on Monday
following a staff walkout and strike to protest the removal and sidelining of
female employees during a private weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
The dispute arose after approximately 100 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar
Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement toured the Paris
landmark on Saturday, during which female staff and contractor personnel were
reportedly instructed to render themselves invisible and step away from their
posts.
The management had agreed to the Hindu sect's demand that all women "make themselves
invisible" so their 93-year-old guru wouldn't have to see them, it was reported.
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On Sunday the workers decided on staging a protest on Monday and the Eiffel
Tower remained closed.
BAPS stands for "Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha," means
"the organization of Swaminarayan followers who believe in Akshar Purushottam,
based in Bochasan."
Union representatives fiercely condemned the directives as blatant gender-based
discrimination that breached fundamental workplace equality and republican values.
The monument's operating company, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel
(SETE), apologized for the misjudgment, conceding that accepting the delegation's
stipulations to limit interactions with women conflicted directly with company
standards. Following emergency meetings and management commitments to prevent
future recurrences, labour leaders prepared for operations to normalize and
the landmark to reopen.
Normal operations resumed and the Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday following
the one-day staff strike. The landmark opened its doors shortly before 9:30
am.
The BAPS also issued an apology for any inconvenience or distress caused during
their visit.
On Sunday BAPS had held the official consecration ceremony for their new Hindu
temple in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris. On Thursday they held a large boat
procession on the River Seine.
Political reactions
French leaders across the entire political spectrum strongly condemned the
decision to sideline female employees during the Eiffel Tower visit by the BAPS
Hindu delegation. Officials characterized the event—which led to a one-day worker
strike and temporary closure of the landmark—as a direct violation of France's
core republican values and gender equality laws.
Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris Deputy Mayor, stated that the employees' anger and
strike were entirely legitimate, announcing that city authorities would launch
a formal investigation into how management approved the arrangement. He emphasized
that gender equality applies everywhere, including at historical monuments.
Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly, asserted on social media
that welcoming visitors from other cultures never means compromising French
values, stating that "in France, women are fully present in public life" and
cannot be made invisible.
Valerie Pecresse, Ile-de-France Regional President, expressed deep shock over
the incident, noting that she personally informed BAPS representatives in France
that requesting or enforcing such practices runs contrary to the laws of the
French Republic.
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Marine Le Pen, Far-Right National Rally Leader, criticized the event from the
political right, declaring that France will never accept restrictions or limitations
being placed on the presence of women in public spaces.
The monastic rule
Under the rules laid out by their founder, Bhagwan Swaminarayan, BAPS monks
must follow an "eightfold vow of celibacy". To uphold this vow for their personal
spiritual discipline, they are not allowed to: Look at women intentionally;
Speak directly to or hold a conversation with women; Physically touch women;
Sit near or remain in the close company of women.
Eiffel Tower, Nicknamed "La Dame de Fer"—The Iron Lady
The Eiffel tower is the cultural landmark of Paris. it is a famous wrought-iron
lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. Its height is 330
metres (1,083 feet) tall including its antennas and weighs approximately 10,100
tons. Opened on May 15, 1889 as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair
(Exposition Universelle). The World's Fair was a massive international exhibition
held to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution and showcase global
achievements in science, industry and the arts. The tower was designed and built
by the engineering company of Gustave Eiffel.
The Eiffel Tower is officially registered and protected as a historical monument.
It is open on all days of the week, 9:30 am to 11:00 pm.
WHO GOT WHAT: For Putin, the summit marked a symbolic return to global
legitimacy—an escape from diplomatic isolation - a great leap forward, standing
on his head. He even floated proposals for joint US–Russia ventures, signaling
a bold pivot toward normalization. (Where have the sanctions gone!)
For Trump, the meeting served to boost his self-styled image as a master dealmaker,
inching him closer to what some insiders describe as his “obsessive” pursuit
of the Nobel Peace Prize. Whether this ambition compromises national interest
is a question critics are now asking aloud. Ironically, the original Alaska
agenda was left untouched—overshadowed by optics, ambition, and the choreography
of power.)
(Aside: Let’s put the Ukraine issue simply. Imagine India is obsessed
with national security. It decides to invade and own not the bordering Pakistan
or Bangladesh but Sri Lanka or the Maldives—not across a land border, but across
the sea—because it perceives growing Chinese influence in the ocean as a threat.
Now apply that logic to Russia. Putin wants to annex Ukrainian territory across
the strategic Black Sea—not just for land, but to control the strategic sea
route itself. Same style, a decade ago it annexed Crimea. So he invaded Ukraine
again for more. It is not a war but is an invasion. It’s not just about borders.
It’s about expansion and dominance. Now let the common man take the explanation
forward! Let us not be confused! Ukraine is not at war! There is no war!)
The State will have a two-language formula for the schools—Tamil and English.
Goodbye to the fraud called entrance exams: No competitive entrance exam for higher education - Admissions will be based on Class 11 and 12 marks. (See footnote)
The SEP and the State's determination to bring education back to the State
List constitute a structured resistance to the Centre’s ultimate designs for centralisation of governance.
The preliminary probe report claims both the fuel control switches were in ‘CUT OFF’ mode moments after lift-off (FADEC may be set to register like that). But the switches are mounted on the centre pedestal, between the seats of the captain and the first officer at arm's length. Who can switch it off? Transitioning is a two-stage manual procedure and that makes a clicking sound also. Not one, both switches! The switches are so protected by multiple layers of physical and procedural safeguards and guarded by metal brackets for a third party to meddle with easily. The cockpit is locked during takeoff. They are handled only for start and after landing, also in emergencies. Is it possible that the pilot just missed to put the switch to RUN while on the runway and the aircraft, a good one, was running on residual fuel? Which it can do for 20 to 40 seconds. The Air India flight stalled after 32 seconds of passing the Go/NoGo point.
(Soon after the videos came into public domain, the next day of the crash, our aviation expert had stated in these columns, the crash had something to do with the fuel line.)
(Soon we will put together another diverse discourse with experts to dispel any nagging doubts surrounding aviation dynamics that are stirring curious minds in the current context.)
TRUMP: "We'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know
what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t
that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies (Tesla and SpaceX)." Nobody on
earth ever got so much of Government subsidies as Musk, The New Trump declared
audaciously when the 'Beautifiul Bill' that scraps Tesla subsidies made its
entry into the Capitol. Musk knew the Bill spelt his death knell...
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
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