Celebrated and trailblazing ‘Dances With Wolves’ actor Graham Greene dies aged 73

 REST IN POWER A GREAT CANADIAN ACTOR

Copyright AP Photo

By David Mouriquand

Published on 02/09/2025 - 

Best known for his role as Ziŋtká Nagwáka (Kicking Bird) in 'Dances With Wolves', Graham Greene's talent helped shift perceptions and address stereotypical representations of Indigenous talent in mainstream Hollywood.

Canadian actor Graham Greene, who helped shift perceptions about Indigenous talent in Hollywood, has died after long illness. 

His death was confirmed by his agent Michael Greene, who told Deadline: “He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed. You are finally free.” 

Known for his roles in Maverick (1994), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995), The Green Mile (1999), the Twilight Saga and Wind River (2017), Greene is most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Ziŋtká Nagwáka (Kicking Bird) in Dances With Wolves – a performance which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  

The role in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film also helped shift perceptions and address stereotypical representations of Indigenous talent in mainstream Hollywood productions.

Graham Greene in Dances With Wolves Majestic Films International

In a 2024 interview with Canada's Theatre Museum, Greene said: “When I first started out in the business, it was a very strange thing where they’d hand you the script where you had to speak the way they thought native people spoke. In order to get my foot in the door a little further, I did it. I went along with it for a while. You gotta look stoic. Don’t smile. You gotta grunt a lot. I don’t know anybody who behaves like that. Native people have an incredible sense of humour.” 

Oscar-nominated star Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) paid tribute to Greene on Instagram. “Graham Greene was one of the best to ever do it. He lived on the screen in an absolutely unparalleled way. He made everything he was in better. Funnier. Deeper. Memorable.” 

Gladstone added: “It’s hard to find any suitable words to express what his work meant, but his impact is unparalleled and expansive. I wish I could have met him. I probably would have thanked him.” 

Born on 22 June 1952 on the Six Nations reserve in Ohsweken, Greene started his acting career in theatre, before making the transition to screen acting in 1979 in the Canadian TV show The Great Detective. 

Other TV credits include The Outer Limits, Riverdale, American Gods and The Last Of Us. Greene also provided motion capture and vocals for the character Rains Fall in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. 

Greene is survived by his wife Hilary Blackmore, daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene, and grandson Tarlo.

CANADIAN PROVINCE BANS FAMOUS CANADIAN AUTHOR

'Public book burnings': Margaret Atwood comments on 'The Handmaid's Tale' Alberta book ban

OOPS

Copyright AP Photo - Vintage UK

By David Mouriquand

Published on 02/09/2025 - EURONEWS

Margaret Atwood is taking aim at Alberta’s new rules on school libraries and has even posted a new short story which satirizes the censorship at play.

Celebrated Canadian author Margaret Atwood is speaking out after her award-winning dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” was included on a list of more than 200 books removed from public school libraries under the Canadian province of Alberta’s new school restrictions. 

In July, Alberta's education ministry ordered school libraries to remove "materials containing explicit sexual content" by 1 October. 

In response to this equally dystopian ruling, Atwood wrote on X, “Get one now before they have public book burnings,” and released a new short story online that satirizes the book ban.  

The story focuses on two "very, very good children" named John and Mary, who “never picked their noses or had bowel movements or zits” and who “married each other, and produced five perfect children without ever having sex.” 

John and Mary ignored "forgiving your enemies and such; instead, they practised selfish rapacious capitalism". Atwood added: "The Handmaid's Tale came true and Danielle Smith found herself with a nice new blue dress but no job." 

This is a reference to both the blue garb worn by the wives of the high-ranking commanders in “The Handmaid's Tale” and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has backed the new directive to keep out sexually explicit content.

However, Smith has recently stated that Edmonton's public school board was practising a form of "vicious compliance" and had gone over the top in following the directive. She told reporters late last week that the province was happy to reissue its directive to the school boards which misunderstood it. 

Other classics that the Edmonton Public School Board announced were being removed from school libraries include Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", George Orwell's "1984", Alice Walker's "The Colour Purple", and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World".

JUST SAY NO, BOOK BANS!

Alberta rewriting order banning school library books to protect classics: Smith

Story by Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson
SEPTEMBER 2, 2025

The Canadian Press

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, right, stands with new Minister of Education and Childcare, Demetrios Nicolaides, following a swearing in ceremony in Calgary, Friday, May 16, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh© The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is rewriting an order directing school divisions to ban books with sexually explicit content to ensure classic books stay on library shelves.

The order is being changed, Smith says, to only target books containing sexual images.

The government's initial order, issued in July, covered books with images, illustrations, audio and written passages with sexually explicit content.

"It's images that we're concerned about, graphic images," Smith said Tuesday at an unrelated news conference in Medicine Hat, southeast of Calgary.

"We were hoping that the school boards would be able to identify those on their own and work with us to try to make sure that pornographic images are not being shown to young children."

The revision comes after Edmonton's public school division put together a list of more than 200 books it planned to remove from libraries to comply with the initial order.

The list includes Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, as well as books by Alice Munro, Ayn Rand, Margaret Laurence and Stephen King.

Related video: Alberta government suspends new rules on explicit books in schools (CBC)

Dozens more books were set to be inaccessible to students in kindergarten through Grade 9, including George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

Smith accused the division Tuesday of purposely misunderstanding the order.

"We are not trying to remove classics of literature," Smith said. "What we are trying to remove is graphic images that young children should not be having a look at.

"What I would like for the school boards to say is: 'We agree! Children shouldn't see pornographic images. We'll work with you on that.' And that's what I hope the spirit going forward will be."

The inclusion of Atwood's celebrated novel prompted the author to condemn Smith online over the weekend. Atwood penned a satirical short story that she said could replace her most famous work in Alberta school libraries.

The satire is about two 17-year-olds who "grew up and married each other, and produced five perfect children without ever having sex."

In a blog post Tuesday, Atwood questioned why Alberta laid the blame on the Edmonton school board, referencing Smith's accusation that the list of banned books was "vicious compliance."

"Compliance with an order the government itself issued and that school boards were compelled to implement? Whatever do they mean?" asked Atwood.

Smith said Tuesday that Atwood played no role in the decision to change the order and encouraged the author to look at the four graphic novels the province cited in May as the reason for the policy.

"It includes oral sex. It includes threesomes. It includes a child having their pants pulled down by an adult," said Smith. "That is what we are trying to remove from the school libraries."

Earlier Tuesday, Alberta's education minister instructed school divisions in an email to pause efforts to comply with the order until further notice.

Demetrios Nicolaides said later in a statement the list from Edmonton Public Schools prompted the government to change the order, and that it would happen "immediately."

His office did not confirm when the revised order would be issued.

The initial order directed schools to remove books with sexually explicit content — for students in all grades — by the end of September. Those in Grade 10 and higher would have access to books with non-explicit sexual content.

Nicolaides had said the policy was spurred by four graphic novels with illustrations of sexual acts — most with LGBTQ+ themes — found in some school libraries.

The four books, including "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe and Alison Bechdel's "Fun Home," were on the Edmonton Public Schools list of books to be removed.

Other divisions were expected to come up with similar lists, though multiple divisions said they stopped those efforts because of the email from Nicolaides.

A spokesperson for the Calgary Board of Education, the city's public school division, said its review of more than 500,000 titles was paused.

Julie Kusiek, the Edmonton Public Schools board chair, said the division's trustees believe the government revising the order is a response to concerns by parents, families and educators.

"Our board remains committed to keeping lines of communication open with the minister as we continue to work collaboratively with families and the government in support of student learning," Kusiek said.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said if the United Conservative Party premier wasn't so adversarial, the issue of removing age-inappropriate books from school libraries would have been solved without much trouble.

"The UCP decided to try to ignite a culture war, and it's backfired on them exceptionally badly," Nenshi said.

"Instead of just saying, 'Hey, we found a couple of troubling comic books with some troubling images, let's take those off of shelves,' they wrote a ministerial order.

"Then this is what happened. People actually complied with the order."

Jason Schilling, president of Alberta's teacher union, agreed and called on the province to back down completely.

"We urge the government to stop playing games with teachers and students and put a full stop to policing school library materials."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.

-- With files from Matthew Scace in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

What is a Clanker and why are people on social media using it as an anti-AI slang?

Copyright File- Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

By Pascale Davies

Published on 02/09/2025 - 

The term is taking off on social media as people grow fed up with AI making things up, sounding too human, and worry about the technology eradicating jobs.

Futuristic scenarios are being painted on social media videos in which hate is rising between humans and so-called “clankers”.

One tongue-in-cheek video illustrates a parent telling their child, “we don’t speak to them,” and another video shows a human telling a robot, “get this dirty clanker out of here!”.

Clanker has become the word that summarises people’s frustrations against artificial intelligence (AI). It is widely used on social media, garnering hundreds of millions of views on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. 

It has even been used by an American senator to promote the regulation of AI chatbots for customer service. 

Where does the term come from?

The term can be traced back to the Star Wars franchise. It is said to have been used in a 2005 Star Wars video game and was also used in the 2008 film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”

"Okay, clankers," one character says. "Eat lasers". 

When Euronews Next asked ChatGPT what clanker means, it referenced Star Wars, saying it was used for “battle droids” to refer to the noise they made, but made no mention of the term being anti-AI. 

Relat

ChatGPT also said clanker was British military slang, referenced a book series by author Scott Westerfeld, and said it was “general slang” for “something that makes a clanking sound, often a machine or even a person with lots of noisy gear”.

AI-powered large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are trained on data from the internet, it is not always the latest data. This means AI chatbots may not understand emerging slang or the new use of a word. 

AI anxiety

The term’s rise in popularity comes as people grow fed up with AI hallucinations (when AI tools make things up) and as people worry about the technology eradicating jobs, as AI becomes more widespread.

Across Europe, 42 per cent of employees fear that AI could put their jobs at risk, according to a report by EY published in July. 

Relat

Some of the online videos also show a world in which robots and humans live together and have romantic relationships, which comes as a backlash to AI becoming increasingly human-like to the point where people are also reportedly asking chatbots to become their therapists. 

Many of the videos show a dystopian future scenario, with drinking fountains reserved just for “clankers”. But with the pace of AI developing rapidly, that future may not be too far off. 

Why is Scandinavia’s largest international art fair going bananas for Thyra Hilden’s ‘Equal Satire’?

Copyright Anders Kongshaug

By David Mouriquand
Published on 02/09/2025 - 

A new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited and sold at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair. Here's why it has been one of the standouts of this year's edition.


From Paul Gaugin’s "The Meal" to Banksy’s "Pulp Fiction" via Andy Warhol’s legendary cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 debut album, bananas can be found everywhere in works of art.

Both a convenient yet quickly decaying snack and a sensual, sexually suggestive symbol, the fruit has the power to unsettle, titillate and spark vital conversation.

It hit headlines (and Instagram feeds) in 2019 when renowned conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan created "Comedian" at the Art Basel fair in Miami. The Italian artist simply bought a banana and taped it to the wall with duct tape.

The provocation sparked debate as to the nature and value of art, and by blurring satire and high art, Cattelan spoke to the absurdity of our times.

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" Sotherby's

"Comedian” sold for $120,000 (€114,000) in 2019 and made headlines once again last year when it was resold at auction for a staggering $6.2 million (€5.8 million).


Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other contenders to acquire the fruit-centred work at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, later eating the banana during a press conference in Hong Kong in a stunt drawing a provocative comparison between the artwork and the world of cryptocurrency. Basically, it’s all about abstract concepts.

Now, a new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair, Scandinavia’s largest international art fair, as an artistic response to Catellan’s “Comedian”.

More than that, the banana cut open to resemble a vulva – titled “Equal Satire” - has sold for precisely $12,869 (€11, 066).

A bit measly compared to “Comedian”, but that’s the point.

"Equal Satire" by Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

"Equal Satire" sells at Enter Art Fair 2025 Anders Kongshaug

Even if “Equal Satire” sold for 40,000 times the value of an actual banana and only 10 per cent of its "male counterpart", it represents the fact that only about 10 per cent of the art market turnover at Sotheby’s and Christie’s comes from works created by women.

“Me and the gallerist have set the price to 10% of the original price of the banana, with the duct tape on the wall, a very famous piece,” said Hilden. “And the 10% comes from that in the big auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's. And so, it's still only 10% of the turnover that goes to female artists.”

Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

Hilden added that she hopes it will “spread humour and spark discussions around equality."

“I have created this work “Equal satire”, where I have cut a very potent figure into something very feminine and created a feminine force. And it's to spread humour, discussion around equality. It’s about opening dialogue on feminine equality in art.”

Visitors in front of "Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

The buyer of “Equal Satire”, Anders Andersen, founder of the office-share company Ordning, stated that he too hopes the conversation will be on Hilden’s central idea behind the artwork.

“It's not worth paying that much amount for a banana, but when you have taken that discussion, then I hope next level will be that you will start to consider what the artist herself wants to tell with this piece of art," Andersen said.

So, art worth going bananas for. Andersen also said he plans to replace the fruit daily.

“In practice, it means I will be the biggest importer of bananas in Copenhagen, because I will have to renew this piece of art - or some of my employees will renew this piece of art - every day.”

"Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

This is far from the first time that artists have given a feminist spin to the phallic fruit, as The Guerrilla Girls famously used bananas in protest actions to call out male dominance in the art world.

Women Artists In The Andy Warhol And Tremaine Auctions At Sotheby’s - Guerrilla Girls (1989) Screenshot TATE UK

So, kudos to Enter Art Fair and Thyra Hilden for not only laying bare the seemingly arbitrary nature of how value is assigned to objects and asking the question “Who gets to decide the value of art?” but also reminding visitors that the 10 per cent isn’t just a figure confined to the art world.

SYRIA

Alawites flee homes in Damascus suburb after threats from armed group

Copyright AP Photo

By Euronews

Published on 02/09/2025 - 

Residents in the al-Sumaria neighbourhood Euronews spoke to say the Syrian government has done little to protect them.

Many residents of a suburb in northwest Damascus have fled their homes, following repeated threats and arbitrary arrests from an armed faction.

Most of the affected families in the al-Sumaria neighbourhood are Alawites, the religious minority group to which the ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad belongs.

The development comes as Syria's interim government struggles to contend with the internal security challenges left by almost 14 years of civil war.

The crisis in the Syrian capital's al-Sumaria district, which is home to around 6,000 residents, escalated late last month.

Since last Wednesday, many of them have abandoned their homes, following the arrival of a faction armed with guns and swords, according to testimony collected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Samer, a resident who wished to use a pseudonym due to safety concerns, told Euronews that members of the faction had ordered people to evacuate the area immediately.

They also detained some people "as a means of pressure on their families to comply", Samer added.

Although the government later intervened and issued reassurances through the media for residents to stay, the faction returned again and made direct threats, sparking a new wave of forced migration, he said.

Al-Sumaria neighborhood is empty of residents after a faction loyal to the Syrian government forced residents to leave it, August 30, 2025. Euronews

Ali, who is also from the neighbourhood, said he left with his family as soon as the militants entered "out of fear for my children".

"I heard that the (crisis) was over and things were back to normal, so I thought about going back, but my neighbour called me at night and said, 'Don't go back, the faction has re-entered and has given us a deadline to leave."

Nour, another resident who fled, told Euronews that the faction's members, dressed in General Security uniforms, "lurked in the streets and terrorised residents, closing shops and preventing people from going out".

They broke into homes in a "barbaric" manner, searched them without permission and wrote signs on the walls — including the letters "X" and "O" — without explaining their meaning, she said.

The group then announced a "24-hour deadline to evacuate", she added.

A door of a house marked "X," indicating an order for the family living there to leave, in Al-Sumaria, a northwest suburb of Damascus, August 30, 2025 Omar Sanadiki/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Nour claimed the armed group assaulted and beat women inside their homes, where no men were present, and confiscated their mobile phones.

Some families tried to rent cars to move their belongings, she said, but the faction prevented them from doing so.

Abu Huzaifa, the alleged leader of the group, rejected the Syrian government's directive for residents to stay, the SOHR reported.

As well as ordering people to evacuate, he insulted Syria's transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa, the human rights group said.

Despite the government's insistence that the area was safe, reports suggested continued tension and fear among residents.

Relate

The UN expressed "grave concern" about developments in al-Sumaria, including reports of "threats of forced evictions" and "violations against innocent civilians, including women and children".

In a statement, it called for "restraint", stressing that UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is "following developments closely".

At a press conference, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called for "carefully addressing the complex issues of housing, land and property, and transitional justice" in Syria.

"The protection of civilians in accordance with the rule of law and international standards" remains the top priority, Dujarric emphasised.

 

Indonesia readies seven IPOs as mining, property units eye market debuts

/ Unsplash - Ingo Doerrie

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By bno - Surabaya Office September 3, 2025

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) said seven companies are preparing to go public, adding momentum to what has already been a busy year for equity fundraising, Indonesia Business Post reports.

IDX director of corporate valuation I Gede Nyoman Yetna said the pipeline includes four medium-scale firms with assets between IDR50bn and IDR250bn ($3–$15mn) and three larger companies with assets above IDR250bn. No small-scale issuers are currently in line.

“As of August 29, 22 companies have gone public this year, raising IDR10.39 trillion in fresh funds,” Nyoman said in a statement on September 1.

The upcoming listings span a range of industries: basic materials, non-cyclical consumer goods, financials, industrials, technology, and transportation & logistics.

Among potential listings, market attention is fixed on the gold sector. PT Merdeka Copper Gold (MDKA) is said to be preparing its subsidiary Pani, which manages a massive gold project in Gorontalo, for an IPO. The project is 67% complete, with trial operations expected late 2025 and first production targeted for early 2026. A listing could pave the way for Pani’s inclusion in the gold index. MDKA declined to comment on the rumors.

PT Intam, a subsidiary of PT Petrindo Jaya Kreasi (CUAN), is also rumored to be weighing an IPO, following billionaire Prajogo Pangestu’s move to list PT Chandra Daya Investasi in July. CUAN said it has no firm IPO plans but is evaluating opportunities.

In real estate, PT Summarecon Agung (SMRA) is preparing its investment arm, Summarecon Investment Property (SMIP), for a potential flotation. The company confirmed it is auditing interim financial statements as of June 30 ahead of a possible corporate action. SMRA’s management said market conditions will guide the timing.

The IPO pipeline underscores continued depth in Indonesia’s equity market, even as volatility from recent political unrest weighs on investor sentiment.

Turkish court dismisses opposition's Istanbul chief over congress irregularities

The ruling spells trouble for CHP national leader Ozgur Ozel. / @eczozgurozel

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By Akin Nazli in Belgrade September 2, 2025

The Istanbul 45th (Asliye Hukuk) civil court of first instance on September 2 annulled the last congress held by the Istanbul provincial headquarters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to local media reports.

As a result, CHP Istanbul chair Ozgur Celik and his fellow board members were dismissed. Gursel Tekin, Zeki Sen, Hasan Babacan, Mujdat Gurbuz and Erkan Narsap were appointed as trustees to replace the management.

Borsa Istanbul circuit breakers activated

As the news of the ousting based on alleged irregularities broke, circuit breakers and the uptick rule on short selling on the Borsa Istanbul were activated as shares dived. 

Turkey on edge once again

Celik said the the official notice of the court’s decision was yet to be served and that he was on his way to the provincial HQ. Technically, the CHP has the right to file an objection to the move at the regional court within two weeks after receiving the official notice.

If the CHP resists handing over the provincial HQ to the trustees, political tensions in Turkey will once more be in sharp view.

Tekin, a typical CHP politician

Of the board of trustees, Tekin is a well-known figure who resigned from the CHP last year. The other four are not known to the public. But Tekin informed the public that all four were former district chairs of the CHP in Istanbul.

In April, bne IntelliNews reported that Tekin was among the names circulated as potential candidates for possible trustee appointments at the CHP.

CHP national congress at risk

The congress annulled by the court was held on October 8, 2023. Also annulled were all decisions taken at the gathering.

According to Turkish legislation, delegates attending the provincial congresses of political parties elect delegates who then vote in polls to elect party chairs.

The congress in question voted for pro-Ozgur Ozel delegates. Ozel, the current national chair of the CHP, won his party’s leadership contest in November 2023.

Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city. CHP Istanbul elected 196 of the 1,368 delegates who were eligible to vote in the national party congress.

These 196 were also dismissed by the court decision. Given that they voted in the party leadership poll, Ozel’s right to his post is now subject to heightened risk.

September 15: next CHP trial hearing

A trial concerning the November 2023 national CHP party congress is being conducted by the Ankara 42nd (Asliye Hukuk) Civil Court of First Instance. The next hearing in this case will be held on September 15.

Technically, the 196 votes cast by the Istanbul delegates are null and void. As a result, the Ankara 42nd civil court is now supposed to annul the party congress and, as a result, dismiss the party management.

Ozel’s predecessor Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was defeated in the leadership contest, has informed journalists many times over that he is ready to replace Ozel should the court dismiss him.