Justin Trudeau hit by stones on campaign trail

Justin Trudeau has been campaigning ahead of the 20 September vote

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop.

He was returning to his bus after visiting a brewery when he was pelted by gravel. He was not injured.

Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of gaining a majority government for his left-of-centre Liberal party.

But his campaign has been disrupted by demonstrations against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.

Just over a week ago, the prime minister was forced to cancel an election rally after a crowd of angry protesters ambushed the event.

Speaking to journalists on his campaign plane after the incident in London, Ontario, Mr Trudeau said he may have been hit on the shoulder.

According to a reporter with Canada's CTV National News, two people travelling on a media bus were also hit by the gravel, although they were not injured.

Erin O'Toole, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, described the incident as "disgusting".

"Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence," he tweeted.

Mr Trudeau's plans for vaccine mandates have become a a key issue ahead of the 20 September election.

Last month, the government announced that all civil servants - including workers in federally regulated sectors, like rail - must be vaccinated by the end of October or risk losing their jobs.

Commercial air, cruise and interprovincial train passengers must also be vaccinated to travel.

Canada has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the world.

Protests dogging Canadian prime ministers is not a new phenomenon - and many prime ministers, including Mr Trudeau, have faced security threats.

Still, journalists covering the Liberal campaign say the anti-vaccine protest mobs following Mr Trudeau are more chaotic and sustained than they've seen in the past.

For his part, the Liberal leader says he won't back down against what he calls a "small fringe element" of Canadian society.

He also brushed off the latest altercation, comparing it to an incident a few years ago where a woman hurled pumpkin seeds his way.

Other politicians on the campaign trail have condemned the protesters' behaviour and, in some cases, have spoken out about the vitriol they have personally experienced both online and in-person.

Anti-vaccination protestors aren't only targeting politicians.

Sometimes raucous protests have been taking place outside Canadian hospitals as provinces including Quebec and Ontario move to implement vaccine passports which limit access to places like restaurants, sports venues, and gyms to those who have been vaccinated.

Seal population a barometer of River Thames's health

The River Thames is healthier than people might think as shown by seal numbers, conservationists have said.

Marine biologists use the seal population as a barometer of river health and say despite a dip in numbers the river is thriving.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found the river was home to 2,866 grey seals and 797 harbour seals after pupping season.

The seals have been counted every year since 2013, apart from 2020.

The river's seals have been counted every year since 2013, apart from 2020

In 2019, 932 harbour seals and 3,243 grey seals - identifiable by their longer snouts - were counted.

Marine biologists say the relatively stable numbers of seals indicate good water quality and reliable stocks of fish.

Conservation biologist Thea Cox said: "As top predators, (seals) are a great indicator of ecological health, so they tell us how the Thames is doing."

During the 1950s the river was declared "biologically dead" and researchers say the wildlife shows how far its recovery has come.

Despite a dip in numbers the seal population in the Thames is healthy, researchers say

"People think the Thames is dead because it is brown, but the Thames is full of life - the water quality has improved so much," Ms Cox said.

Although they are a protected species, seals face a number of threats, including disease, marine litter, becoming entangled in "ghost nets" - abandoned fishing gear - and being hit by ship traffic.

The seals are also vulnerable to disturbance when they are having their pups, particularly from curious members of the public, loose dogs and other water users like canoeists and kayakers.

To monitor the population, researchers compare the seals from photographs taken from a light aircraft of different haul-out spots in the Thames Estuary over a period of three days.

The numbers are totted up and the final figure adjusted to account for the fact that a number of seals will always be out at sea.

Despite the fall in numbers, the research team said it was not definitive proof that the two populations of seals were facing difficulties.

University of Glasgow robots may be used in construction

SEP 06, 2021

Worm-like robots developed by engineers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland may be used in hard-to-reach places on construction sites


Engineers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland have developed “worm-like” robots which could potentially be used on construction sites. The team believes that the idea may spawn more robots with the capability to work in hard-to-reach places.
Roboworms

Nicknamed “Roboworms”, the robots are able to extend up to nine times their own body length and are able proprioception, a method that allows greater spatial awareness in organisms such as worms. Professor Ravinder Dahiya, of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering and leader of the BEST group, said, “Proprioception is a vital characteristic of many forms of biological life, and scientists have long been inspired to try and develop engineered systems which mimic this ability.

“Our bioinspired robots are a step towards creating soft, flexible robot systems capable of the infinite directions of movement that nature has created in inchworms and earthworms. The ability of soft robots like these to adapt to their surroundings through seamlessly embedded stretchable sensors could help autonomous robots more effectively navigate through even the most challenging environments,” he said.

The breakthrough is based on previous research conducted by the learning institution’s institution’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group, which has found novel ways to embed flexible electronics into deformable surfaces. The robotic technology has also allowed for the construction of intrinsic strain sensors into the worm-like robots. Each roboworm measures around 4.5cm in length.

A Roboworm. Image: University of Glasgow


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They also have a layer of ‘skin’ made from Ecoflex, a type of stretchable plastic, and a graphite paste. To help them manoeuvre, Roboworms have small, permanent magnets attached at either end of their tubular bodies, whilst sensors in their skin allow them to ‘sense’ their in relation to their bodies.

The University of Glasgow published a paper on their breakthrough with the title: ‘Bioinspired Inchworm and Earthworm like Soft Robots with Intrinsic Strain Sensing’. The paper appeared in Advanced Intelligent Systems and the research was backed by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Commission.

Other uses for Roboworms

In addition to their potential usage on a construction site, the University of Glasgow said the robots could also be applied to the mining industry as well as situations including disaster relief in which they could help look for victims trapped under rubble.

 

Cattle scientists use AI to improve quality and quantity of meat, dairy

by University of Florida

Credit: University of Florida

For a century, researchers have tracked genetic traits to find out which cattle produce more and better milk and meat. Now, two University of Florida scientists will use artificial intelligence to analyze millions of bits of genetic data to try to keep cattle cooler and thus, more productive

Raluca Mateescu, a UF/IFAS professor, and Fernanda Rezende, a UF/IFAS assistant professor—both in animal sciences—gather hundreds of thousands of pieces of information about cattle genetic traits. They plan to use UF's supercomputer, the HiPerGator, to analyze that data. With the information Mateescu and her team get from the HiPerGator, they can give ranchers better recommendations on which animals to keep and breed for improved quantity of beef and dairy.

"AI has rapidly emerged as a powerful approach in animal genomics and holds great promise to integrate big data from multiple biological layers, leading to accurate prediction of future traits—for example, meat yield," Mateescu said. "My research group is investigating the use of AI methods to develop approaches to accurately predict the value of certain genes. Ultimately, we plan to provide more effective strategies to improve animal productivity."

With 25.6 million head of cattle, dairy herds peaked in the United States in 1944. As of 2017, there were only 9 million, but they produce more milk. With fewer cattle producing more dairy and beef, the livestock industries are leaving a lower environmental footprint, such as methane emissions, Mateescu said.

While all that is good, Mateescu knows she and other researchers can help ranchers improve cattle beef and dairy output. That's where AI comes into play.

"We know some of the specific genes for milk and meat production," she said. "But we're looking into a bit of a black box. AI will help us clear up the mystery faster and more accurately."

Livestock traits of economic importance—milk and meat yield, meat quality—are factors of both genetics and the environment. Mateescu can only control a cow's environment to a certain degree. But she and other scientists can improve cattle genetically. There are thousands of genes in the cattle genome, and each gene contains thousands of different genetic markers.

As an example of her team's use of AI, Mateescu is processing genetic data from about 1,000 beef cattle. From that process, researchers have extracted data on 770,000 DNA genetic markers, more than 18,000 genes and 86 traits—on every animal. That's way more data than any human can analyze and integrate.

That's why Mateescu and Rezende are using HiPerGator, the largest university-based supercomputer in the world. HiPerGator then tells the scientists what particular combination of genetic markers and genes will result in better animals—in other words, which ones will be cooler and thus, more productive.

"AI allows us to use more information—the more information we have on an animal, the higher the accuracy of our prediction," Mateescu said. "Given the complex genetic architecture, it is challenging for researchers to identify how these thousands of genetic markers and thousands of genes combine to produce the traits we see. AI can help researchers achieve that goal. We are just starting to use AI to address these problems."

Scientists work to develop heat-resistant 'cow of the future'

Provided by University of Florida 

Police clash with opponents of Serbian church in Montenegro

By PREDRAG MILIC

September 5, 2021

1 of 13

Protesters stand at one of the blockades during a protest against the inauguration of Metropolitan Joanikije, near Cetinje, Montenegro, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. Riot police used tear gas on protesters who fired gunshots in the air and hurled bottles and stones early Sunday in Montenegro before a planned inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country. The ceremony scheduled in Cetinje, a former capital of the small Balkan nation, has angered opponents of the Serbian church in Montenegro, which declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2006. 

(AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)


CETINJE, Montenegro (AP) — Arriving in a military helicopter, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro was inaugurated in the state’s old capital on Sunday amid clashes between police and protesters who oppose continued Serb influence in the tiny Balkan nation.

Hospital officials in the city of Cetinje said at least 60 people were injured, including 30 police officers, in clashes that saw police launch tear gas against the demonstrators, who hurled rocks and bottles at them and fired gunshots into the air. At least 15 people were arrested.

Sunday’s inauguration ceremony angered opponents of the Serbian church in Montenegro, which declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2006. Since Montenegro split from Serbia, pro-independence Montenegrins have advocated for a recognized Orthodox Christian church that is separate from the Serbian one.

Evading road blockades set up by the demonstrators, the new head of the Serbian church in Montenegro, Metropolitan Joanikije, arrived in Cetinje by a helicopter along with the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. TV footage showed the priests being led into the Cetinje monastery by heavily armed riot police holding a bulletproof blanket to shield their bodies.

Patriarch Porfirije later wrote on Instagram that he was happy that the inauguration was held, but added that he was “horrified by the fact” that someone near the monastery wanted to prevent the ceremony “with a sniper rifle.” The claim could not be immediately independently verified.

The demonstrators set up barriers with trash bins, tires and large rocks to try to prevent church and state dignitaries from coming to the inauguration. Chanting “This is Not Serbia!” and “This is Montenegro!,” many of the protesters spent the night at the barriers amid reports that police were sending reinforcements to break through the blockade. Tires at one blockade were set on fire.

Montenegrins remain deeply divided over their country’s ties with neighboring Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is the nation’s dominant religious institution. Around 30% of Montenegro’s 620,000 people consider themselves Serb.

Metropolitan Joanikije said after the ceremony that “the divisions have been artificially created and we have done all in our power to help remove them, but that will take a lot of time.”

In a clear demonstration of the sharp political divide in Montenegro, President Milo Djukanovic, the architect of the state’s independence from Serbia, visited Cetinje while the current pro-Serb Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic went to Podgorica to welcome the Serbian patriarch.

While Krivokapic branded the protests as “an attempted terrorist act,” Djukanovic said the protesters in Cetinje were guarding national interests against the alleged bid by the much larger Serbia to impose its influence in Montenegro through the church.

Djukanovic accused the current Montenegrin government of “ruthlessly serving imperial interests of (Serbia) and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is a striking fist of Serbian nationalism, all against Montenegro.”

Montenegro’s previous authorities led the country to independence from Serbia and defied Russia to join NATO in 2017. Montenegro also is seeking to become a European Union member.

In Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic, who has been accused by the opposition in Montenegro of meddling in its internal affairs in conjunction with Russia, congratulated Joanikije on his inauguration and praised the government for going ahead with the ceremony despite the clashes.

“Cetinje is a town where some 90% of the people are against the Serbian Orthodox Church, where there is hate towards everyone who is not Montenegrin,” Vucic said in Belgrade. “This is not a real hate, its hate that is induced by certain politicians in Montenegro, so it was quite logical to expect what happened there.”

The U.S. government urged all sides “to urgently de-escalate the situation.”

“Religious freedom and the freedom of expression, including to peacefully assemble, must be respected,” the U.S. Embassy said.

Joanikije’s predecessor as church leader in Montenegro, Amfilohije, died in October after contracting COVID-19.

___

Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.

Space industry grapples with COVID-19-related oxygen fuel shortage
By
Paul Brinkmann

Trucks offload liquid oxygen at a storage tank inside Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo courtesy of NASA

Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A pandemic-related shortage of a key rocket propellant, liquid oxygen, could force rocket launches to be postponed in coming months, possibly delaying important scientific and national defense missions, industry observers said.

In fact, NASA already pushed back the launch of its Landsat 9 climate and land use satellite from California by one week to Sept. 23 because of delivery problems for required liquid nitrogen. Those are related to the liquid oxygen supply chain snarls, the agency said.

Supplies of liquid propellant in the region aren't the problem, Del Jenstrom, a NASA project manager for the Landsat program, said at recent a public conference.

"There's plenty of liquid nitrogen in the Los Angeles area. The problem is they need trucks to bring it up to Vandenberg," he said. "Because of the pandemic ... liquid oxygen deliveries have been paying much higher premiums than liquid nitrogen deliveries, and LN2 trucks have been converted to carry liquid oxygen."

Pandemic-related demand for liquid oxygen by hospitals, especially in rural areas, has strained the delivery network for the precious commodity. More truck drivers are needed to deliver the supercooled element to both hospitals and launchpads, but finding more drivers trained to handle it is difficult.

"Current pandemic demands for medical liquid oxygen have impacted the delivery of the needed liquid nitrogen supply to Vandenberg [Space Force Base]," NASA said in a blog post about the shortages.

"We are talking about a vast amount of oxygen for a launch," said Csaba Palotai, a physics professor at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. For example, one SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket can use about 40,000 gallons of the supercooled element.

"It is likely that launches will be delayed significantly due to the priority given to the healthcare industry, especially if the number of people who need oxygen continues to increase," Palotai said.

The reason for the shortage: Hospitals require oxygen to treat many COVID-19 patients, who are filling intensive care units and acute beds throughout the country. Hospitals in the South have had to borrow oxygen from other states, according to reports.

Super-cooled liquid oxygen is ignited to produce thrust for rockets. Hospitals heat the gas to create pure oxygen to assist in coronavirus care.

In addition to NASA, SpaceX cited the liquid oxygen shortage in public comments recently.

SpaceX launches will be "impacted" by the lack of liquid oxygen this year, company president Gwynne Shotwell said during a space conference panel discussion in Colorado on late last month.

Two days later, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk -- Shotwell's boss -- posted on Twitter that launch delays due to liquid oxygen shortages were "a risk, not yet a limiting factor."

The biggest challenge for the increased use of liquid oxygen is transportation, Rich Craig, vice president of technical and regulatory affairs at the Compressed Gas Association, a trade association, said in an interview.

That's because it is stored at minus-300 degrees F, which requires specialized tanker trucks and trained drivers, he said.

"Our members are making all the liquid oxygen they can, but in some areas, Florida for example, that's just not enough," Craig said. "So they are bringing in supplies from elsewhere. That means more transport time."

He said the association's priority is to make sure hospitals and patients receive the treatments they need, he said.

"They're bringing in supplies from far away to meet local demands, so this is a problem [regional oxygen shortages] that has just compounded," Craig said.

As a result, the industry is recruiting drivers as fast as possible, he said. Many drivers quit during the early days of the pandemic, and weeks of training are required.

United Launch Alliance, which plans to launch NASA's Landsat 9 mission, said the Sept. 23 launch date is uncertain because of the ongoing regional shortages.

The satellite is designed largely to enhance agriculture and forestry management by providing data on soil moisture and woodland health.

ULA confirmed that the "supply chain delivery shortage is due to the increased demand for medical liquid oxygen for COVID patients."

After Ida’s fury, infrastructure key in preventing misery

By LISA RATHKE and MICHAEL R. SISAK

September 5, 2021

In a satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, homes along Boessel Ave., in Manville, N.J. are surrounded by floodwaters Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, after remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the area (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Deadly flooding delivered to the Northeast by the torrential rains of what remained of Hurricane Ida has brought a new urgency and a fresh look to how roads, sewers, bridges and other infrastructure must be improved to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

The world is changing and “our whole mindset, the playbook that we use,” must change too, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday as he toured Mullica Hills, New Jersey, where a 150-mph (241 kph) tornado splintered homes. “We have got to leap forward and get out ahead of this.”

The devastation exposed flaws in preparation plans even after New Jersey and New York spent billions of dollars to prevent a reoccurrence of Superstorm Sandy’s destruction in 2012, with much spent to protect coastal communities.

“Flash floods are now coming. It’s not waves off the ocean or the sound,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said soon after last week’s storm swept through.

Hochul and Murphy, both Democrats, agreed that the increasing frequency and intensity of storms demand a new approach that factors in flash floods.

The storm dumped so much rain so fast that a record 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) fell in an hour in New York Wednesday, overwhelming drainage systems. Some lives were lost when water flooded basement apartments, subway stations and vehicles. At least 50 people died in five northeastern states.

“I don’t think many people could have predicted the severity of the loss of life and damage done by the flash rains,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. “People drowning in their basement apartments, in cars and so on is not something we typically would ever see in New York.”

Hochul promised new answers to pressing questions, like whether warnings were clear enough and communications with the weather service were flawed as well as if subways needed a faster shutdown.

The effects of climate change are “happening right now,” Hochul said. “It is not a future threat.”

Warnings of worsening storm damage are not new.

In August 2011, the aftermath of Hurricane Irene killed six in Vermont, left thousands homeless, and damaged or destroyed over 200 bridges and 500 miles of highway. Of the state’s 251 towns, 225 had infrastructure damage. Thirteen communities were severed from the outside world after flooding washed out roads, electricity and telephone communication. National Guard helicopters ferried supplies to stranded residents for days.

More than half a billion dollars was spent by the state and federal governments, and in donations by private individuals, to help Vermont recover.

To weaken effects of future storms, New York and other areas can learn from other cities like Singapore, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where solutions included turning asphalt parking lots and schoolyards into spaces that can retain water, said Amy Chester, managing director for the nonprofit Rebuild by Design.

“Climate change is expensive. We’re going to have to spend money on it and every single dollar we spend in any type of infrastructure needs to take into consideration the future,” she said.

Redlener, the disaster preparedness expert, said New York City and other communities need to rethink warning systems and consider reengineering drainage, electrical and storm warning systems.

He noted that the city’s aging subway system has long been relied upon to absorb excess water from heavy rains, but that was before record rainfalls set off unprecedented flooding.

“That can’t work because there’s people in the subways and we have to think about their safety also,” he said.

And he said the future of New York City’s basement apartments, which could number in the thousands, must be reconsidered.

“What are we going to do for them now and what are we gonna do for people in the future? Are we going to even permit people legally to live in basement apartments, and if not, do we have the capacity and the resources to have other alternatives? I don’t know that we do,” he said.

The system for warning people in areas threatened must be rethought and plans should be in place for what people should do and where they should go, he said.

Linda Shi, an assistant professor in the department of city and regional planning at Cornell University, said there are limits to what infrastructure improvements such as larger storm pipes and road elevation can bring.

She said most planners agree the strategies only buy time.

If the worsening storm trends continue, she said, ultimately there will be increased conversations about “managed retreat.”

“If you want to make space for water, that means making space for water by moving people out of those places,” Shi said.

____

Associated Press reporters Larry Neumeister in New York City, Wayne Parry in Piscataway, New Jersey, and Michael Hill in Albany, New York, contributed to this story.

Goodbye Columbus: Mexico statue to be replaced by Indigenous


- In this Oct. 12, 2020 file photo, a pedestrian takes a photo of graffiti on a temporary metal barrier set up to protect the perimeter of the Christopher Columbus's statue which was removed by authorities on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico Cito. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021 that the statue will be replaced by a statue honoring Indigenous women. 

(AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)


MEXICO CITY (AP) — Christopher Columbus is getting kicked off Mexico City’s most iconic boulevard.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the Columbus statue on the Paseo de la Reforma, often a focal point for Indigenous rights protests, would be replaced by a statue honoring Indigenous women.

“To them we owe ... the history of our country, of our fatherland,” she said.

She made the announcement on Sunday, which was International Day of the Indigenous Woman.

The Columbus statue, donated to the city many years ago, was a significant reference point on the 10-lane boulevard, and surrounding traffic circle is — so far — named for it.

That made it a favorite target of spray-paint-wielding protesters denouncing the European suppression of Mexico’s Indigenous civilizations.

It was removed last year supposedly for restoration, shortly before Oct. 12, which Americans know as Columbus Day but Mexicans call “Dia de la Raza,” or “Day of the Race” — the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492.

When the statue was removed last year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted that “it is a date that is very controversial and lends itself to conflicting ideas and political conflicts.”

This year is the 700th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan — what is now Mexico City — as well as the 500th anniversary of its fall to the Spanish conquistadores, and the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s final independence from Spain.

Most Mexicans have some indigenous ancestry and are well aware that millions of Indigenous people died from violence and disease during and after the conquest .

SheInbaum said the new statue, “Tlali,” might be ready near the date of Dia de la Raza this year.

The Columbus statue isn’t being discarded, but will be moved to a less prominent location in a small park in the Polanco neighborhood. Sheinbaum referred to Columbus “a great international personage.”


 In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a defaced statue of Christopher Columbus stands on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021 that the statue will be replaced by a statue honoring Indigenous women. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

Hundreds pay their respects to Greek composer Theodorakis

"I want to depart this world as a communist,” 

Theodorakis wrote.

By ELENA BECATOROS

yesterday

1 of 8

People wait outside the Athens Cathedral to pay respects to the late Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis in Athens on Monday Sept. 6, 2021. Hundreds of people have gathered outside Athens Cathedral where Greek composer and politician Mikis Theodorakis is to lie in state in a chapel of the cathedral for three days ahead of his burial on the southern island of Crete. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)


ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of people, some carrying flowers, gathered Monday at Athens Cathedral to pay their final respects to Greek composer and politician Mikis Theodorakis, who was an integral part of the Greek political and musical scene for decades.

Theodorakis, who died Thursday at 96, is lying in state in a cathedral chapel for three days ahead of his burial on the southern island of Crete. His body arrived Monday after a nearly two-hour delay amid a dispute over burial details.

Over the weekend, his family reportedly lifted their objections to him being buried on Crete in accordance with his last wishes. A court had temporarily halted burial plans pending a resolution of the dispute.

Theodorakis’ daughter had said earlier that he would be buried near Corinth in the village of Vrahati, where he maintained a holiday home. But a 2013 letter Theodorakis had written to the mayor of the town of Chania in Crete was made public, in which the composer said he wanted to be buried in the nearby cemetery of Galatas, despite his family’s disagreement.

Theodorakis was as well-known in Greece for his political activism as for his musical career. He penned a wide range of work, from somber symphonies to popular TV and film scores, including for “Serpico” and “Zorba the Greek.”

He is also remembered for his opposition to the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, a time during which he was persecuted and jailed and his music outlawed.

Greece’s Communist Party said over the weekend that Theodorakis’ body will lie in state beginning Monday, and a “farewell ceremony” will be held Wednesday, before the late composer is flown to Crete. The church service and burial will be on Thursday.

Theodorakis had a tumultuous relationship with the Communist Party, known by its Greek accronym KKE, leaving it in the late 1960s, rejoining in the late 1970s and getting elected as a lawmaker with the conservative New Democracy party in 1990.

But he wrote a letter in October to Communist Party Secretary-General Dimitris Koutsoumbas, essentially entrusting him with the funeral arrangements.

“Now, at the end of my life, at the time of taking stock, details are erased from my mind and the ‘Big Things’ remain. So, I see that I spent my most crucial, forceful and mature years under KKE’s banner. For this reason, I want to depart this world as a communist,” Theodorakis wrote.

Myanmar resistance movement calls for nationwide uprising
By GRANT PECK

today


This image made from video by National Unity Government (NUG) via Facebook, shows Duwa Lashi La, the acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG), posted on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 in Myanmar. Myanmar’s NUG, an underground body coordinating resistance to the military regime, on Tuesday called for a nationwide uprising. The shadow government's acting president Duwa Lashi La called for revolt “in every village, town and city in the entire country at the same time” against the military-installed government and declared a so-called ”state of emergency."

 (National Unity Government via Facebook via AP)


BANGKOK (AP) — The main underground group coordinating resistance to Myanmar’s military government called for a nationwide uprising on Tuesday.

The National Unity Government views itself as a shadow government composed of elected legislators who were barred from taking their seats when the military seized power in February.

The group’s acting president Duwa Lashi La called for revolt “in every village, town and city in the entire country at the same time” and declared what he called a ”state of emergency.” A video of his speech was posted on Facebook.

The country has been wracked by unrest since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, with a low-level insurrection in many urban areas. There has been more serious combat in rural areas, especially in border regions where ethnic minority militias have been engaging in serious clashes with the government’s troops.

The shadow government’s prime minister, Mahn Winn Khaing Thann, said in a separate statement posted online that the move was taken due to “changing circumstances” that required the complete abolition of the ruling military government. He did not elaborate.

There were no immediate signs of heightened resistance activity, although some student groups and ethnic armed organizations expressed solidarity.

The National Unity Government is popular inside Myanmar, but its actual power and influence is hard to measure. It has frequently issued sweeping proclamations and policy statements declaring the military government and its actions invalid and illegal, but they’ve had little real-world effect. It controls no territory, does not directly control any armed force and has won no diplomatic recognition from foreign countries. Members of its shadow Cabinet are in hiding inside Myanmar and in exile.

Duwa Lashi La called on the ethnic militias, some of whom have declared themselves in alliance with the resistance, to “immediately attack” government forces and “fully control your lands.” The ethnic armed forces, which have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government, operate independently of the National Unity Government.

Duwa Lashi La called for a “people’s revolution” and asked for all soldiers and police to join the “people’s defense forces.” He also warned civil servants against going to their offices.

He advised people to heed their personal safety and not travel unnecessarily, as well as to stock up on food and medicine, guidance it has offered on at least one past occasion when it warned of trouble ahead. He said people should help the defense forces where they can, including with information about government military forces.

The resistance movement against the military takeover had established “people’s defense forces” in many areas, but they mostly operate locally and when active, carry out small-scale hit-and-run guerrilla operations