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American Psychological Association Rejects U.S. House Report on Antisemitism

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The president and CEO of the American Psychological Association dismissed the findings of a House report alleging antisemitism within the organization, telling colleagues on Thursday that the APA had held listening sessions with Jewish psychologists.

“The APA’s actions not only create a harmful environment for Jewish members but also raise broader concerns about the profession,” a spokesperson for the House Committee on Education and Workforce told JNS.

“When an organization responsible for accrediting psychology programs and shaping professional standards allows ideology to overshadow scholarship, it risks undermining the credibility of the entire field,” the spokesperson said.

Released Thursday, the committee’s report concluded that anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activists had “successfully co-opted” the association.

Internal emails reviewed by the committee showed that APA leaders removed references to terrorism from a statement about Oct. 7 after an affiliated group objected.

The report also described opposition to recognizing a Jewish ethnic psychological association. Critics reportedly argued that Jews benefited from “white privilege.”

“The committee will not only continue to stand up for Jewish psychologists but will work to expose antisemitism wherever it occurs,” the committee spokesperson told JNS.

After the report was published, APA President Wendi S. Williams and CEO Arthur C. Evans, Jr., sent an email to colleagues, which JNS reviewed.

“We don’t agree with this report,” they wrote. “The American Psychological Association unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms.”

The association said it had “held listening sessions with more than 120 Jewish psychologists and stakeholders to better understand concerns” and had “established a Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists to support continued engagement.”

“We recognize that this work requires continued attention and action, and we remain committed to advancing APA’s mission to promote well-being and respect for all,” Williams and Evans wrote.

The Anti-Defamation League released a statement Friday, provided to JNS, thanking the House committee for its report.

“Antisemitism at the American Psychological Association is not isolated,” the organization stated. “It is embedded in its ranks and in its leadership.”

The ADL said that it and other Jewish organizations had “publicly and privately told APA leadership exactly what needed to change, and it failed to act” for more than a year.

“When a healing profession treats one group’s pain with such indifference, Jewish patients are right to wonder whether they will be met with compassion or with contempt,” the ADL stated.

Ex on the Beach Star Pala Negara’s Newborn Son Dies 16 Hours After Birth as Police Investigate

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Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Pala Negara’s newborn son.

The Ex on the Beach alum and her fiancé, Chris Hunter, welcomed Harmony Hunter on Aug. 28, almost three weeks after the baby’s due date.

Labor initially began as a planned home birth. However, after complications developed, Negara was taken to Lismore Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, before being transferred to Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland. Harmony died there after 16 hours, Negara told the Daily Mail in an interview published Oct. 27.

“My body feels broken and aches for our baby, the life we grew together,” Negara wrote in a September Instagram post. “I don’t think we will ever know how to move through this heartbreak.”

Authorities are now investigating the events that led to Harmony’s death.

“Police were notified after the baby was born in the state’s north, about 4.30am on Friday 28 August 2026, and subsequently died at a Gold Coast Hospital later that day,” a spokesperson for the New South Wales Police Force told . “A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.”

Before the birth, Negara had joined a home birth program operated through Byron Central Hospital, which also oversaw her prenatal care.

“We did everything right,” Negara told the Daily Mail. “We were under the Medicare system and I had my 41-week scan and everything was fine.”

But after she reached 41 weeks and six days, Negara said she received a text informing her that the program’s care was ending “because of its gestational limit.”

Seven days later, on Aug. 28, Negara went into labor.

“I understand a rare silent placental abruption occurred during delivery and was identified only afterwards,” Negara told the Daily Mail. “Paramedics were called and, to my recollection, arrived approximately 40 minutes later.”

Negara said Harmony lived for 16 hours before dying at Gold Coast University Hospital. She added that the Queensland coroner’s autopsy attributed the death to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, or HIE.

HIE is a severe form of brain injury that can occur in infants following a difficult birth.

“Alongside our devastating grief,” Negara told the outlet, “I am receiving counseling and recovering from postpartum hemorrhage.”

Negara told news.com.au that she believes her family was “left stranded” by a medical system that “broke its promise,” leaving them to “handle the fallout alone.”

“Going into unexpected spontaneous labor on my own… [is] something no mother or father should ever have to endure,” Negara said. “Pregnancy is the most vulnerable time for a woman. A mother cannot transfer her own clinical file, nor should she ever have to guess how to navigate hospital maternity escalation while 42 weeks pregnant.”

A spokesperson for Northern NSW Local Health District, which oversees Byron Central Hospital, offered condolences to Negara and her family.

“We have cooperated fully with the Queensland Coroner and have responded to their requests for information,” the spokesperson told news.com.au. “As this matter is still being investigated, we are unable to comment further.”

Negara later shared details of Harmony’s planned burial on Instagram.

“We will soon lay our angel to rest on Bundjalung Country where he was born, the land that has held my family and continues to hold our family,” she wrote in a September post. “We know you will return to us again old soul, we can feel you surrounding us, our Angel.”

Spokespeople for Negara, Byron Central Hospital and the Queensland Coroner’s Court did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Oxygen. 

Poundland Collapse Could Put 30,000 Jobs at Risk, Founder Warns

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Poundland’s founder has warned that the retailer’s collapse could put as many as 30,000 jobs at risk.

Steve Smith, who no longer owns the discount chain, has accused its current owners of being “greedy” as Poundland faces the prospect of administration.

The company’s future remains uncertain, with pressure mounting on US investment group Gordon Brothers to reconsider its decision to reject a bid from Northern Irish firm Martin Property Group, which says it can save the business.

Mr Smith, who co-founded Poundland in 1990, said a collapse would affect far more than the retailer’s own workforce and could result in tens of thousands of job losses across the wider supply chain.

“If Gordon Brothers are being greedy then it is going to cost thousands of jobs,” he wrote in a lengthy LinkedIn post. “In the newspapers it says 12,000 jobs are at risk. My estimate is more like 30,000 jobs.”

He said the potential losses extended beyond Poundland employees, warning that the retailer’s thousands of suppliers could also be hit. Some, he claimed, depended almost entirely on the chain and could themselves be forced into administration.

Mr Smith also argued that if Poundland entered administration, taxpayers would ultimately bear the cost of supporting thousands of unemployed workers, while liquidators would “make a lot of money”.

He added that he had attempted to contact the current owners “several times”, but claimed they “never returned my call”.

A Poundland in Croydon, south London. The future of the discount store hangs in the balance amid calls for the current owners, US investment group Gordon Brothers, to reconsider a rejected bid by a Northern Irish firm to save the company

A Poundland store in Croydon, south London. The discount retailer’s future hangs in the balance as calls grow for US investment group Gordon Brothers to reconsider its rejection of a Northern Irish bid to save the company

The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Smith’s own attempt to buy Poundland back had been rejected, despite him having sufficient funding to purchase the entire business at its current £30million valuation.

He said Gordon Brothers had refused to engage meaningfully with his proposal and confirmed that he now backed the offer from Martin Property Group.

Mr Smith is the latest prominent voice to criticise the owners’ approach to the retailer’s rescue negotiations.

A Poundland collapse would be one of the biggest high street failures since Debenhams shut its stores in 2021, resulting in the loss of about 12,000 jobs.

Sir Andy Street, the former managing director of John Lewis and former Mayor of the West Midlands, said the apparent dismantling of Poundland was “disgraceful”. He asked: “Why has a viable bid been rejected in favour of breaking up the business?”

“The owners must be called in to explain this. Poundland must be saved to protect thousands of jobs,” added Sir Andy, whose former constituency included Walsall, home to Poundland’s head office.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he wanted to protect jobs. His Makerfield constituency includes a Poundland distribution centre where 270 positions could be lost.

“We want to see jobs protected. If there was a potential owner to avoid this that hasn’t been accepted, then the Business Secretary [Jonathan Reynolds] and I want to know why that is the case,” said Andy Burnham.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham - - whose Makerfield constituency houses a Poundland distribution centre where 270 jobs could be lost - said he wanted to protect jobs

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose Makerfield constituency includes a Poundland distribution centre where 270 jobs could be lost, said he wanted to protect jobs

In a social media post, Reform’s Robert Jenrick said a collapse would be an example of “crony capitalism”.

He said: “People have attacked me for taking up this fight, saying: ‘Businesses go under all the time, that’s just the free market’.”

‘Sure, but this is crony capitalism and the 12,000 workers deserve better.’

Poundland has struggled in recent years after ‘straying from the single £1 price point that defined its core identity’ and expanding into selling clothes and frozen food, said retail expert Jonathan De Mello.

Retailers are also battling higher costs, following Government moves to hike wages and employer National Insurance contributions, while shoppers have been lured in by online giants Amazon and Temu.

Other firms thought to be hoping to buy shops include rival Poundstretcher, which is owned by US investment group Fortress, and retailers including Iceland and Lidl.

CDS Superstores, the group behind The Range, Homebase and Wilko, is also thought to be interested. The group is owned by Chris Dawson, known as Britain’s ‘Del Boy Billionaire’.

Modella Capital, which bought WH Smith on the High Street and rebranded under TG Jones, has also been rumoured to be involved in talks.

Bally Auluk, national officer for the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, said this week has been ‘incredibly distressing’ for Poundland staff and accused Gordon Brothers of attempting to ‘jeopardise their livelihoods’.

He urged its owners to ‘reconsider and to prioritise a unified buyer’.

The Daily Mail has approached Gordon Brothers and Pepco for a comment.  

Suspect in Dad’s Murder Carried Into Court With Pants Down

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A non-binary murder suspect was carried into an Ohio courtroom by police, with their pants pulled down, to face charges in the fatal shootings of their professor father and stepmother.

Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, appeared in court Friday with their jail-issued pants around their legs and underwear exposed as four officers carried the shoeless suspect into the Oberlin courtroom.

The officers appeared to struggle as they carried Nguyen-Duy, who refused to walk and has asked to be addressed using they/them pronouns.

The letters “EBK” had also been written backward across Nguyen-Duy’s forehead. The acronym can sometimes stand for “Everybody Killa,” a gang term meaning everyone has been killed, although it was not clear what Nguyen-Duy intended the letters to mean.

Nguyen-Duy faces six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence. The charges were filed after their father, Pipo Nguyen-Duy, and Pipo’s wife, Thi Tran Phong, were found dead inside their home.

In court, the suspect also appeared to pretend to cry before directing a menacing smile toward cameras in the courtroom.

Bond was set at $3 million, and Nguyen-Duy remained in custody.

Nguyen-Duy, who previously used the name Daniel Jones, was arrested Wednesday after the 64-year-old Oberlin College professor was found dead on the first floor of his home. His 56-year-old wife was discovered in a bedroom, Cleveland 19 reported.

Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, was seen being carried into court with his pants down after he refused to walk himself

Asia Nguyen-Duy, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, was carried into court with their pants down after refusing to walk

Nguyen-Duy, who is non-binary, faces six counts of murder for allegedly murdering his father Pipo, 64, and his wife Thi Tran Phong, 56, on Friday

Nguyen-Duy, who is non-binary, faces six murder counts in connection with the alleged killings of their father, Pipo, 64, and his wife, Thi Tran Phong, 56, on Friday

Police were alerted to a vehicle fire in the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, leading officers to the couple.

The silver Toyota hatchback, which police said belonged to Nguyen-Duy, had boarded-up windows, a wood-burning stove in the back seat and a makeshift chimney extending through the roof. Investigators also found a wallet, passport, suitcase, keys, loose ammunition and packaging for a Glock inside the vehicle.

Police have not recovered the gun.

About 80 minutes later, Nguyen-Duy was found near the 200 block of Shipherd Circle and was subsequently booked into the Lorain County Jail.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., Oberlin police forced entry into Pipo’s home and found the couple dead. Both victims had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.

Greg Porson, a neighbor of the couple, told News 5 Cleveland that he was walking his dog when someone he believed to be Nguyen-Duy emerged from a vehicle. He described the person as “really disheveled,” “wet” and “uneasy.”

The suspect allegedly asked Porson for a ride to the library, saying they needed to “escape this cult.” Nguyen-Duy also allegedly asked Porson to record a video of them.

“I said: ‘You know, I never get into anything like that, so I’m out of here,’” Porson told the outlet.

Pipo was found on the first floor of the couple's home, while his wife was found in the bedroom

Phong and her husband had multiple gunshot wounds, police said

Pipo was found on the first floor of the couple’s home, while his wife was discovered in the bedroom. Both suffered multiple gunshot wounds, police said

Nguyen-Duy's bond was set at $3 million, and he remains in custody

Nguyen-Duy’s bond was set at $3 million, and the suspect remains in custody

He also appeared to fake cry and smile menacingly toward the courtroom cameras

He also appeared to fake cry and smile menacingly toward the courtroom cameras

Prosecutors told the judge on Friday that a video does exist of Nguyen-Duy allegedly confessing to the killings. 

‘He says he’s escaping a cult. He also says everything I did was on my own accord, and I take full responsibility,’ the prosecutor said, according to Cleveland 19. 

When he was found by police, Nguyen-Duy was allegedly covered in blood and scratches, prosecutors said.  

Prosecutors also said Nguyen-Duy’s mother, who lives in Oregon, said the suspect was psychotic and needed medication, Cleveland 19 reported. 

Nguyen-Duy’s motive is not immediately known.  

Pipo had been teaching at Oberlin College, which is near Cleveland, since 1998. He taught visual art.  

The school honored the professor, saying in a social media statement: ‘Pipo was a cherished teacher, artist, and colleague whose work and mentorship touched many lives at Oberlin. In the conversations, experiences, and memories shared during these past couple of days, one sentiment echoes throughout: he was beloved.’ 

The school will be hosting a gathering to honor the couple. 

The couple was found in their Oberlin home, which is located near Cleveland

The couple was found in their Oberlin home, which is located near Cleveland 

Pipo immigrated to the US at the age of 13 from Vietnam as a political refugee

Pipo immigrated to the US at the age of 13 from Vietnam as a political refugee

Pipo immigrated to the US at the age of 13 from Vietnam as a political refugee, his Oberlin College biography said.  

Pipo used to compete in national table tennis tournaments while living in the Asian country. He also briefly practiced as a Buddhist monk in India before returning to the US to attend Carleton College in Minnesota. 

Pipo also lived in New York City, where he worked as a bartender and nightclub manager, before getting a Masters of Fine Art from the University of New Mexico, his biography said. 

He also received a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for photography in 2011. The Guggenheim Foundation mourned the photographer, it said in a social media statement. 

Nguyen-Duy’s lawyer, Jenifer Berki Merrill, said the suspect now goes by their birth name.  

The Daily Mail has reached out to the family and Nguyen-Duy’s lawyer for comment.  

Mamdani Invokes Race While Defending Progressive Abdul El-Sayed

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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat whose academic work has drawn scrutiny over its discussion of marriage across ethnic lines, has handled what Mayor Zohran Mamdani described as racist attacks against him “admirably,” Mamdani said this week.

The socialist New York mayor praised El-Sayed’s approach to his closely watched Senate campaign against former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan. Mamdani’s comments came just hours before El-Sayed publicly clashed with Rep. Haley Stevens, his leading Democratic primary opponent, in the campaign’s final stretch.

“A race of that magnitude is difficult enough as it is; to have to contend with blatantly racist attacks on a regular basis, and the silence of so many around him in the face of that — that is immensely difficult,” Mamdani told WNYC on Thursday. “And I have had to experience a version of it in our own mayoral race.”

Mamdani said candidates facing such attacks must depend on their allies while trying to keep the campaign focused on their preferred terms. “When we are speaking about millions of dollars being spent trafficking in that same racism, it becomes incredibly difficult to both respond to it and continue to move forward,” he said, adding that El-Sayed was meeting the challenge “admirably.”

President Trump and Rogers have focused their criticism of El-Sayed on an alleged family connection to the Muslim Brotherhood rather than explicitly framing it around race. Trump has called El-Sayed a “jihadist,” while Vice President JD Vance has referred to him as a “psychopath.”

During his time at Columbia Medical School, El-Sayed — who has repeatedly described himself as a physician despite not completing a medical residency — co-authored a paper examining health outcomes among Arab women in relationships with partners from different ethnic backgrounds.

The 2011 study, published in the “Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health,” discussed the potential risks of what it called “interethnic mating,” including an increased likelihood of premature birth.

The paper was among several works by El-Sayed that critics have characterized as heavily focused on race and religion.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, criticized the research on X, describing it as “science” with “a pre-ordained racist & eugenics outcome” and calling it “scary stuff.”

Mamdani was also asked about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s support for El-Sayed, who is campaigning on Medicare for All and has called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Mamdani and El-Sayed have both been linked politically to socialist activist Linda Sarsour, a prominent critic of Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez has said a Democratic victory in Michigan would demonstrate that “anyone can win anywhere.” However, Mamdani declined to say whether he would like to see the New York congresswoman pursue a presidential campaign.

The member of the House’s “Squad” is highlighting her national fundraising operation in a new appeal scheduled for Saturday, while recent victories by socialist candidates could further raise her profile.

“I want to see AOC do whatever it is that AOC wants to do,” Mamdani said.

Antigua PM Open to Slavery Apology as King Charles Arrives

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King Charles has arrived in Antigua and Barbuda, the latest stop on his Caribbean tour, as Andy Burnham indicated that the Government could consider issuing a formal British apology for slavery.

The move would mark a significant change from previous policy. The PM said he was “open” to the possibility of the UK formally apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

However, he ruled out financial reparations, saying he did not believe they were “the right answer”.

Kemi Badenoch criticised the proposal, describing the PM’s consideration of a formal apology as a “navel-gazing distraction”.

The Leader of the Opposition said slavery was “an evil in which people from every continent and region participated” and argued that the Commonwealth should be “looking forwards, not backwards”.

The announcement, made ahead of next week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting presided over by King Charles, has placed the sensitive issue at the centre of the agenda once again.

Caribbean nations had renewed their calls for Britain to apologise for its role in the slave trade and provide reparations before the King’s tour began.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for African Reparations, said a formal state apology would “cost nothing”. She added that it could help ease the “stench of Empire” that the King’s visit represents to many people in the Caribbean.

King Charles arrives in Antigua and Barbuda for the latest leg of his Caribbean tour, as Andy Burnham signalled the Government will consider a formal British apology for slavery

King Charles arrives in Antigua and Barbuda during the latest stage of his Caribbean tour, as Andy Burnham indicates the Government may consider a formal British apology for slavery

King Charles is welcomed warmly by the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams. But critics have said his visit has a 'stench of Empire'

King Charles receives a warm welcome from Antigua and Barbuda’s Governor-General, Sir Rodney Williams, although critics have described the visit as carrying a “stench of Empire”

She told the BBC that the issue had made the relationship with the monarchy and the UK “problematic” in the eyes of many people.

Bert Samuels, deputy chair of the Jamaican National Reparations Committee, meanwhile accused Charles of “walking in a crime scene” during his Caribbean visit.

Attention will now turn to Charles’s opening address on Tuesday, when presidents, prime ministers and other representatives from the Commonwealth’s 56 member states gather in Antigua and Barbuda.

The King’s remarks will be guided by ministers and are expected to reflect the UK Government’s changing position after it previously refused to issue a formal apology.

Before the tour, ministers were understood not to have advised the King to offer either an apology or reparations.

Even so, Charles began the nine-day trip last Tuesday by acknowledging the “great suffering of the past” during a speech at a youth rally in the Bahamas.

Mr Burnham told The Guardian that the Government was now “offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade”.

“Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process and I am open to them,” he said.

While Mr Burnham said people in Britain today could not “be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part”, he expressed “sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions”.

Mrs Badenoch rejected the PM’s consideration of a formal apology, pointing to former prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s comments in 2006. He expressed “deep sorrow and regret” over Britain’s involvement in the slave trade but stopped short of issuing a full apology, arguing that the country had already confronted its history.

The leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch has claimed the PM's consideration of a formal apology is a 'navel-gazing distraction'

The leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch has claimed the PM’s consideration of a formal apology is a ‘navel-gazing distraction’

In a lengthy post on social media, Mrs Badenoch said: ‘We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain’s leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade.

‘If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?’

She added: ‘As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain’s greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven’t done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology.

‘Tony Blair already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly 20 years ago. There is no need to do so again. This is all another navel-gazing distraction. The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards.’

The King has trodden a difficult path on his latest tour with protests on the first leg of his tour in the Bahamas.

Historian Sir Anthony Seldon said today that the King’s tour was ‘the most perilous of his reign so far’ and while he could be ’empathetic’ about slavery, it was not ‘his right’ to offer an apology.

Suggesting the Government’s ‘change of position in just four weeks’ – when it ruled out an apology at the beginning of October – now paved the way for a formal apology next year, he told the BBC it may reflect a recognition of how ‘under pressure and beleaguered’ the King is.

Warning that the King had ‘so few cards in his deck’ and there could be ‘the danger of an episode’, such as when the late Queen had ‘eggs thrown at her twice’ in the Caribbean, he said an apology might ‘take the sting out of it – if it works’.

‘There is more at stake here – it is the authority of the monarchy and it is the future of the Commonwealth, with Russia and China nibbling away at it. Putin had an African leaders’ meeting in Moscow last week and China is enormously interested in the new oil and gas reserves in the Caribbean,’ he told Radio 4’s Today programme.

Yesterday before leaving Guyana for his latest stop, Charles acknowledged the country’s history of slavery and resistance, paying a sombre visit to Independence Park in the capital city of Georgetown, where dozens of people involved in the Demerara Rebellion of 1823 were hanged.

Andy Burnham (pictured with Scottish First Minister John Swinney on Friday) said Britain must 'face up to the past' in terms of the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations

Andy Burnham (pictured with Scottish First Minister John Swinney on Friday) said Britain must ‘face up to the past’ in terms of the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations

He paused to reflect at the spot where the public executions took place during the brutal crushing of the rebellion.

And he listened intently as Guyana minister of culture Steven Jacobs explained the history of the site on the second day of his state visit.

In the early 19th century, up to 13,000 enslaved men and women, working across 60 sugar estates in the British colony of Demerara-Essequibo, now modern-day Guyana, refused to work, mistakenly believing that the British Parliament had passed laws granting their freedom that were being withheld from them by plantation owners and officials.

Governor John Murray declared martial law, with British troops crushing the peaceful movement, leading to the deaths of up to 500 people.

Ahead of the visit, Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said Charles had recognised slavery as the darkest days in human history, but an apology would be ‘the next step.’

Buckingham Palace previously made it clear the monarch will not be apologising for Britain’s role in slavery or discuss reparations, in line with Government policy.

The British Government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered to pay reparations.

Mr Burnham described the transatlantic slave trade, when enslaved Africans were trafficked to the Americas, as a ‘brutal and barbaric violation’ and said Britain must ‘face up to the past’.

He also acknowledged Commonwealth countries had for years been asking for an ‘honest conversation’.

Downing Street believes it is in the UK’s interest to strengthen the Commonwealth, where China and Russia are seeking to exert influence.

Welcoming the PM’s comments, the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said she would engage in good faith while still seeking reparatory justice.

Britain had a key role in ending the trade, through Parliament’s passage of a law to abolish slavery in 1833.

However, as part of that law, British plantation owners were paid for the loss of their slaves.

The UK only finished paying off the debt it incurred to cover the payments in 2015.

Ms Bell Ribeiro-Addy said Britain had ‘to acknowledge what the British state did’ and said it was ‘too easy’ to dismiss financial reparations, but said ‘no-one had sent the UK an invoice’ and that talking about it in financial terms had ‘stopped the debate’.

Ex on the Beach Star Explains Why She Refused Help During 60-Hour Labour

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Clay High Student Arrested After Arriving at School in ‘Commando-Style’ Attire

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The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said the student faces a misdemeanor charge of disrupting a school function.

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A student at Clay High School was arrested Friday after arriving on campus dressed in what the Clay County Sheriff’s Office described as “commando-style” gear.

According to the sheriff’s office, the student was wearing camouflage, a tactical vest, a ballistic helmet and a radio. A staff member who could not determine whether the individual was a student reportedly saw them turn around and leave school property.

Clay High School was subsequently placed on lockdown as deputies searched for the student. The student was later found off campus. After an interview, they were arrested and charged with misdemeanor disruption of a school function.

“The Clay County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats involving our schools extremely seriously, and we appreciate the coordination with Clay County District Schools to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” the agency said. “Protecting our students and providing a safe, secure environment for learning will always be our top priority.”

Alleged Pentagon Plot to Help Democrats Target Pete Hegseth

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Ohio Man Arrested in Gainesville Sexual Battery of 16-Year-Old

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathan Daniel Cooper, 39, of Strasburg, Ohio, was arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged sexual battery of a 16-year-old girl in Gainesville during the summer.

According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office detective, the girl was initially reluctant to take part in a forensic interview. Investigators later obtained a photograph of the man accused of sexually battering her, as well as information indicating that she had met him at a billiards bar in Alachua while out with her sister. Witnesses reportedly said Cooper was told the girl was 16 and spent considerable time speaking with her.

The detective determined that Cooper worked for an Ohio-based company and was staying at an Alachua motel around the time of the alleged incident.

The victim reportedly told investigators that she met a man named “Nathan” at a “pool hall or bar,” matching her sister’s description of the Alachua billiards bar. She gave him her phone number, and he contacted her several weeks later to ask whether she wanted to spend time together. The girl said he asked her for nude photographs and asked whether he could send her nude photos. She declined both requests.

She said she agreed to let the man pick her up and described his vehicle as a red, four-door work truck with three seats across the front. According to her account, he stopped at a gas station resembling the Oaks Mall Chevron, bought her a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and drove around with her. She said he became “touchy-feely” before allegedly sexually battering her in the parking lot of the abandoned Toys ‘R’ Us. She told investigators that he later took her to a walking trail and then drove her home.

The victim said her sister told “Nathan” several times that she was 16, but he did not appear concerned. She also said he told her he had an ex-wife and two children. When she asked how he would react if his own children were involved in a similar situation, he reportedly said he would pat his son on the back and “kill the motherf*****” who did something like that to his daughter.

A witness reportedly gave investigators the man’s name, the company where he worked and the license plate number of his truck. The witness said the vehicle had been parked at an Alachua motel. The tag was registered to an Ohio company, and the detective used Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras to confirm that the truck had been in the area and matched the victim’s description.

The detective located Cooper at an Alachua gas station on October 29 and detained him. After being read his Miranda rights, Cooper reportedly acknowledged visiting a billiards bar across from his hotel earlier in the year and meeting the victim and her sister. He said he had been told the girl was 16. Cooper also spontaneously stated that he had never touched her, even though the detective had not yet raised that allegation.

Cooper initially denied communicating with or meeting the victim and her sister anywhere outside the bar. He later acknowledged communicating with the girls and taking two girls to a job site after dropping off the victim. He continued to deny communicating with or otherwise interacting with the victim after the night at the bar.

The detective told Cooper that ALPR footage can sometimes show a vehicle’s driver and passengers and asked whether the system might show the victim in his truck. Cooper reportedly then said he had forgotten about meeting her. He acknowledged picking her up, taking her to a gas station and buying her an alcoholic drink before driving to an abandoned parking lot behind Oaks Mall. Cooper said he did not know her age until he asked why she could not purchase her own beer and she told him she was 16. He reportedly admitted he knew it was “not right” to be with her and became nervous when a mall security guard made a round.

Cooper continued denying that he had sexual contact with the girl. He said he intended to take her home after learning she was 16, but instead drove her to a park, where they walked along a trail.

The detective said Cooper asked to call his wife when he was first detained. During questioning about his family, Cooper reportedly acknowledged lying to the victim about being divorced because he wanted attention. When asked how he would respond if someone did something similar to his children, Cooper reportedly said he would congratulate his son and beat up anyone who harmed his daughter. The detective noted that the response closely resembled the victim’s account of Cooper’s answer to the same question.

The detective said Cooper made several false statements during the interview, including claims that he never interacted with the girls outside the bar, did not know the victim’s age, had never been alone with her and had never communicated with her. Cooper reportedly acknowledged, “I lied about a few details,” but continued to deny engaging in any sexual activity.

Cooper is charged with sexual battery involving a 16-year-old victim. His criminal history was unavailable because records involving sexual offenses are not posted. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail while the State Attorney’s Office seeks to keep him in custody without bail through trial. If the judge rejects that request, bail will be set during the hearing.