Today in history: Muhammad Ali stripped of heavyweight boxing title
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On this date, April 28, in history:
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In 1220, Bishop Poore laid the first five stones of the famed Salisbury Cathedral in England, one each for himself, Archbishop Stephen Langton, Pope Honorius III, Earl William and Countess Ela of Salisbury.
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In 1559, the English parliament approved the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer.
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In 1789, the mutiny on the Bounty occurred when British Captain William Bligh was cast adrift with 18 loyal crewmen by mutineers led by the ship's mate, Fletcher Christian. The mutineers settled on the isolated Pacific island of Pitcairn. The Bligh party sailed 6,400 kilometres in their open boat to Timor, where they were rescued.
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In 1817, the Rush-Bagot treaty was signed by Canada and the U.S. It limited the number of warships the two countries could maintain on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. In 1871, the Treaty of Washington completed disarmament.
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In 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, his mistress, and 16 other Fascists were executed by a partisan firing squad near Milan. Also, the British and U.S. governments received a message from Gestapo chief Heinrich Himmler guaranteeing an unconditional German surrender to western Allies but not Russia. Winston Churchill responded that surrender must be to the 'Big Three' — Britain, United States and Russia.
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In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title after refusing induction into the U.S. army on religious grounds.
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In 1968, Walter Stitch was believed to have become, at the age of 98, the first great-great-great-grandfather in Canada. His great-great-granddaughter gave birth to a son in Halifax.
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In 1969, Charles de Gaulle resigned as president of France when his proposed constitutional reforms were defeated in a referendum.
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In 1986, the Soviet Union informed the world of the nuclear accident two days earlier at Chernobyl.
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In 1996, a hockey era ended as the Winnipeg Jets lost their final game. The visiting Detroit Red Wings beat the Jets 4-1 to win their playoff series in six games. The Jets moved to Phoenix for the next season and were renamed the Coyotes. (In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers franchise relocated to Winnipeg and was reborn as the Jets.)
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Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Planet-warming emissions dropped when companies had to report them. EPA wants to end that
LEOPOLD, Ind. (AP) — On the ceiling of Abbie Brockman's middle school English classroom in Perry County, the fluorescent lights are covered with images of a bright blue sky, a few clouds floating by. Outside, the real sky isn't always blue. Sometimes it's hazy, with pollution drifting from coal-fired power plants in this part of southwest Indiana. Knowing exactly how much, and what it may be doing to the people who live there, is why Brockman got involved with a local environmental organization that's installing air and water quality monitors in her community. 'Industry and government is very, very, very powerful. It's more powerful than me. I'm just an English teacher,' Brockman said. But she wants to feel she can make a difference. In a way, Brockman's monitoring echoes the reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency began requiring from large polluters more than a decade ago. Emissions from four coal-fired plants in southwest Indiana have dropped 60% since 2010, when the rule took effect. That rule is now on the chopping block, one of many that President Donald Trump's EPA argues is costly and burdensome for industry. But experts say dropping the requirement risks a big increase in emissions if companies are no longer publicly accountable for what they put in the air. And they say losing the data — at the same time the EPA is cutting air quality monitoring elsewhere — would make it tougher to fight climate change. Rule required big polluters to say how much they are emitting At stake is the Greenhouse Gas Reporting program, a 2009 rule from President Barack Obama's administration that affects large carbon polluters like refineries, power plants, wells and landfills. In the years since, they've collectively reported a 20% drop in emissions, mostly driven by the closure of coal plants. And what happens at these big emitters makes a difference. Their declining emissions account for more than three-quarters of the overall, if modest, decline in all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions since 2010. The registry includes places not usually thought of as big polluters but that have notable greenhouse gas emissions, such as college campuses, breweries and cereal factories. Even Walt Disney World in Florida, where pollution dropped 62% since 2010, has to report along with nearly 10,600 other places. 'We can't solve climate change without knowing how much pollution major facilities are emitting and how that's changing over time,' said Jeremy Symons, a former EPA senior climate adviser now at Environmental Protection Network, an organization of ex-EPA officials that monitors environmental policies. The group provided calculations as a part of The Associated Press' analysis of impacts from proposed rule rollbacks. Symons said some companies would welcome the end of the registry because it would make it easier to pollute. Experts see a role for registry in cutting emissions It's not clear how much the registry itself has contributed to declining emissions. More targeted regulations on smokestack emissions, as well as coal being crowded out by cheaper and less polluting natural gas, are bigger factors. But the registry 'does put pressure on companies to … document what they've done or at least to provide a baseline for what they've done,' said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who heads Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tally national carbon emissions yearly. Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator under Obama, said the registry makes clear how power plants are doing against each other, and that's an inducement to lower emissions. 'It is money for those companies. It's costs. It's reputation. It's been, I think, a wonderful success story and I hope it continues.' The potential end of the reporting requirement comes as experts say much of the country's air goes unmonitored. Nelson Arley Roque, a Penn State professor who co-authored a study in April on these 'monitoring deserts,' said about 40% of U.S. lands are unmonitored. That often includes poor and rural neighborhoods. 'The air matters to all of us, but apparently 50 million people can't know or will never know' how bad the air is, Roque said. EPA seeks to cancel money to fund some air monitoring The EPA is also trying to claw back money that had been earmarked for air monitoring, part of the termination of grants that it has labeled as targeting diversity, equity and inclusion. That includes $500,000 that would have funded 40 air monitors in a low-income and minority community in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. CleaneAIRE NC, a nonprofit that works to improve air quality across the state that was awarded the grant, is suing. 'It's not diversity, equity and inclusion. It's human rights,' said Daisha Wall, the group's community science program manager. 'We all deserve a right to clean air.' Research strongly links poor air quality to diseases like asthma and heart disease, with a slightly less established link to cancer. Near polluting industries, experts say what's often lacking is either enough data in specific locations or the will to investigate the health toll. Indiana says it 'maintains a robust statewide monitoring and assessment program for air, land and water,' but Brockman and others in this part of the state aren't satisfied. They're installing their own air and water quality monitors. It's a full-time job to keep the network of monitors up and running, fighting spotty Wi-Fi and connectivity issues. Fighting industry is a sensitive subject, Brockman added. Many families depend on jobs at coal-fired power plants, and poverty is real. She keeps snacks in her desk for the kids who haven't eaten breakfast. 'But you also don't want to hear of another student that has a rare cancer,' she said. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed from Washington. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Toronto Star
8 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Global LGBTQ+ advocates gather ‘on Trump's doorstep' at World Pride despite travel anxiety
WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before she was to deliver opening remarks to World Pride's human rights conference in Washington, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, the co-founder of UK Black Pride, said she was denied entry to the United States after her visa was revoked due to her travels to Cuba earlier this year. Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Lady Phyll, said she applied immediately for a nonimmigrant visa. The earliest date she was given: September. 'I've called. I've written. I've pleaded,' she said over a video livestream. 'And the answer was a cold, bureaucratic 'No.'' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Many LGBTQ+ travelers have expressed concerns or decided to skip World Pride due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate. Yet cross-national strategizing has still been central to the gathering as international attendees echoed that they wanted to send a clear message of opposition to U.S. officials with their presence. 'This is World Pride on Trump's doorstep,' said Yasmin Benoit, a British model and asexual activist. 'And that's all the more reason to be here. We want to show the U.S. that there's a lot of eyes on what's happening here.' New policies make visiting more complex World Pride gathers LGBTQ+ advocates from around the globe and has taken place most recently in Australia, Sweden and Denmark. This year, which marks the 50th anniversary of Washington's Pride festival, is the first time the city is hosting the gathering. Yet for many, the global celebration has been complicated by President Donald Trump's policies targeting transgender people and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Trump, a Republican, has said that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by that person's biological characteristics at birth, and about two-thirds of U.S. adults agree with him, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. He has denounced DEI policies as a form of discrimination that threatens merit-based decision-making. Several countries, including Denmark, Finland and Germany, issued cautions for LGBTQ+ travelers visiting the U.S. for World Pride, culminates in a closing festival this weekend with a parade, a rally and concerts. Capital Pride Alliance, which organized World Pride D.C., included an advisory for transgender and nonbinary international travelers alongside security protocols. Egale Canada, one of the country's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, announced in February that its members would not attend any events in the U.S. through June, including World Pride. It cited concerns for transgender and nonbinary staff members. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I didn't feel it was safe to have our staff crossing into the U.S. with the current hostilities, through legislation and rhetoric,' said Helen Kennedy, the organization's executive director. The African Human Rights Coalition, meanwhile, called for a boycott of World Pride in Washington 'because the event is being held in a venue ... governed now by an antagonistic fascist regime which presents distinct dangers to foreign LGBTQI+ attendees,' the organization said in a statement. Jessica Stern, a former U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, acknowledged that many potential attendees decided to skip World Pride as they 'wonder if they'll be safe in U.S. airports and on our streets.' 'Thank you for coming to the U.S. amid a time of great uncertainty,' she said in her opening remarks before an emcee later instructed attendees to shout out where they had traveled from. Answers included New Zealand, Sweden, England, Zimbabwe, Australia, Nigeria and India. As an increasing number of international travelers have expressed anxiety, John Tanzella, president of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, said he has assured people that Washington is an inclusive city but advised them to stay informed of local policies, connect with LGBTQ+ organizations on the ground and book with trusted businesses with track records of inclusion. The organization is working on guidance for transgender and nonbinary travelers in the U.S. for the World Pride parade and march. 'Safety always comes up, especially in the current climate, but there's also a deep desire to bring our community together,' he said. 'For many, World Pride in Washington, D.C., feels extra meaningful given its location. There's caution, yes, but above all, people want to show up, be seen and be heard.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW A bad experience while trying to enter Benoit's friends had warned her not to travel to the U.S., and her anxiety was mounting in the days leading up to her flight. She planned to avoid telling customs agents she was traveling for World Pride. But when that information surfaced, she said agents took her passport and asked her questions for an additional hour about where she was staying and for how long. Still, she said, it is more important now than ever to 'send a message to Trump in his own backyard' and to embrace the global nature of World Pride. 'The ability to bring people together to understand how interconnected everything is, how this harmful rhetoric may bleed over to other countries, is really important,' she said. 'And it's an opportunity to access resources and people you may not have access to back home.' Essy Adhiambo, executive director of the Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination, deleted all the social media apps on her phone before her 35-hour journey from Mombasa, Kenya, worrying that her phone might be searched. Still, Adhiambo said being visible as an international LGBTQ+ community is powerful amid threats to the community across the globe. 'We must continue to protest in the current context we are in,' she said. 'Those of us who are able to make this journey have to hold space for those who could not, especially our trans siblings. We want to amplify our message on the land of the people who are supporting homophobia.' Nikki Phinyapincha, co-founder of Trans Pride Thailand, set off on a 25-hour journey to World Pride from Thailand after issuing a travel advisory from her organization for Thai LGBTQ+ people. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'The political climate and instability is not new, but it makes it more important that we are here,' she said. 'We need to keep doing this work, strategizing together and being adaptive.' For people from marginalized communities, Opoku-Gyimah said, 'just traveling to speak truth can often feel like a mountain.' 'We have to prove our worth at every border, every checkpoint,' she said. Yet Opoku-Gyimah applauded the international nature of World Pride amid 'connected, coordinated ... and increasingly violent' attacks against LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. She said the U.S. government's rolling back of DEI initiatives, protections for the transgender community and reproductive rights have had ripple effects abroad, including in the U.K. 'When the U.S. sneezes,' she said, 'other parts of the world catch that cold.'
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Global LGBTQ+ advocates gather ‘on Trump's doorstep' at World Pride despite travel anxiety
WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before she was to deliver opening remarks to World Pride's human rights conference in Washington, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, the co-founder of UK Black Pride, said she was denied entry to the United States after her visa was revoked due to her travels to Cuba earlier this year. Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Lady Phyll, said she applied immediately for a nonimmigrant visa. The earliest date she was given: September. 'I've called. I've written. I've pleaded,' she said over a video livestream. 'And the answer was a cold, bureaucratic 'No.'' Many LGBTQ+ travelers have expressed concerns or decided to skip World Pride due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate. Yet cross-national strategizing has still been central to the gathering as international attendees echoed that they wanted to send a clear message of opposition to U.S. officials with their presence. 'This is World Pride on Trump's doorstep,' said Yasmin Benoit, a British model and asexual activist. 'And that's all the more reason to be here. We want to show the U.S. that there's a lot of eyes on what's happening here.' New policies make visiting more complex World Pride gathers LGBTQ+ advocates from around the globe and has taken place most recently in Australia, Sweden and Denmark. This year, which marks the 50th anniversary of Washington's Pride festival, is the first time the city is hosting the gathering. Yet for many, the global celebration has been complicated by President Donald Trump's policies targeting transgender people and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Trump, a Republican, has said that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by that person's biological characteristics at birth, and about two-thirds of U.S. adults agree with him, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. He has denounced DEI policies as a form of discrimination that threatens merit-based decision-making. Several countries, including Denmark, Finland and Germany, issued cautions for LGBTQ+ travelers visiting the U.S. for World Pride, culminates in a closing festival this weekend with a parade, a rally and concerts. Capital Pride Alliance, which organized World Pride D.C., included an advisory for transgender and nonbinary international travelers alongside security protocols. Egale Canada, one of the country's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, announced in February that its members would not attend any events in the U.S. through June, including World Pride. It cited concerns for transgender and nonbinary staff members. 'I didn't feel it was safe to have our staff crossing into the U.S. with the current hostilities, through legislation and rhetoric,' said Helen Kennedy, the organization's executive director. The African Human Rights Coalition, meanwhile, called for a boycott of World Pride in Washington 'because the event is being held in a venue … governed now by an antagonistic fascist regime which presents distinct dangers to foreign LGBTQI+ attendees,' the organization said in a statement. Jessica Stern, a former U.S. special envoy for the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, acknowledged that many potential attendees decided to skip World Pride as they 'wonder if they'll be safe in U.S. airports and on our streets.' 'Thank you for coming to the U.S. amid a time of great uncertainty,' she said in her opening remarks before an emcee later instructed attendees to shout out where they had traveled from. Answers included New Zealand, Sweden, England, Zimbabwe, Australia, Nigeria and India. As an increasing number of international travelers have expressed anxiety, John Tanzella, president of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, said he has assured people that Washington is an inclusive city but advised them to stay informed of local policies, connect with LGBTQ+ organizations on the ground and book with trusted businesses with track records of inclusion. The organization is working on guidance for transgender and nonbinary travelers in the U.S. for the World Pride parade and march. 'Safety always comes up, especially in the current climate, but there's also a deep desire to bring our community together,' he said. 'For many, World Pride in Washington, D.C., feels extra meaningful given its location. There's caution, yes, but above all, people want to show up, be seen and be heard.' A bad experience while trying to enter Benoit's friends had warned her not to travel to the U.S., and her anxiety was mounting in the days leading up to her flight. She planned to avoid telling customs agents she was traveling for World Pride. But when that information surfaced, she said agents took her passport and asked her questions for an additional hour about where she was staying and for how long. Still, she said, it is more important now than ever to 'send a message to Trump in his own backyard' and to embrace the global nature of World Pride. 'The ability to bring people together to understand how interconnected everything is, how this harmful rhetoric may bleed over to other countries, is really important,' she said. 'And it's an opportunity to access resources and people you may not have access to back home.' Essy Adhiambo, executive director of the Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination, deleted all the social media apps on her phone before her 35-hour journey from Mombasa, Kenya, worrying that her phone might be searched. Still, Adhiambo said being visible as an international LGBTQ+ community is powerful amid threats to the community across the globe. 'We must continue to protest in the current context we are in,' she said. 'Those of us who are able to make this journey have to hold space for those who could not, especially our trans siblings. We want to amplify our message on the land of the people who are supporting homophobia.' Nikki Phinyapincha, co-founder of Trans Pride Thailand, set off on a 25-hour journey to World Pride from Thailand after issuing a travel advisory from her organization for Thai LGBTQ+ people. 'The political climate and instability is not new, but it makes it more important that we are here,' she said. 'We need to keep doing this work, strategizing together and being adaptive.' For people from marginalized communities, Opoku-Gyimah said, 'just traveling to speak truth can often feel like a mountain.' 'We have to prove our worth at every border, every checkpoint,' she said. Yet Opoku-Gyimah applauded the international nature of World Pride amid 'connected, coordinated … and increasingly violent' attacks against LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. She said the U.S. government's rolling back of DEI initiatives, protections for the transgender community and reproductive rights have had ripple effects abroad, including in the U.K. 'When the U.S. sneezes,' she said, 'other parts of the world catch that cold.'
