Mia Mottley vs Braverman, Giggs' new school & £1m cocaine hidden in plantain peels
Plus: MOBO Awards founder Kanya King laid to rest
Hello, hello!
We’re back. As regular readers will know, there was no newsletter last week while we spent some time in Florida.
So, naturally, we’ve returned to an overflowing news agenda and a bit of a bumper edition for you.
Grab something cold, find some shade and let’s get into it. This heatwave is not playing!
Also: don’t forget to pre-order your copy of our inaugural print magazine ⬇️.
One love! x
Judi Love launches £9,000 university fund for single parents, carers and low-income students
Comedian and broadcaster Judi Love has launched a new fund offering three University of East London students £3,000 each, alongside mentoring and support.
The award will help students facing financial pressures or caring responsibilities, including single parents and carers.
UK judge rules use of term ‘coloured’ did not amount to racial harassment, even if offensive
A tribunal has ruled that a colleague’s use of the term “coloured” did not amount to racial harassment, despite accepting the language was race-related and caused upset.
Amy Reeves, who is of British and Jamaican heritage, said the ruling left her “baffled” and feeling failed by the judicial system.
MOBO Awards founder Kanya King remembered as loved ones gather for intimate funeral service
Family, friends and close colleagues gathered this week to say a final goodbye to MOBO founder Kanya King, who died on 3 June, Black Current News understands.
The intimate service remembered a trailblazer whose impact on British music and culture cannot be overstated.
Barbados PM Mia Mottley blasts former UK Home Secretary’s ‘asinine’ claim former colonies should repay Britain
Barbados PM Mia Mottley has branded Suella Braverman’s suggestion that formerly enslaved colonies should repay Britain for its historic “investment” as “asinine”.
“We are not asking for charity. We are asking to be able to ensure that justice can be done,” she added. Mottley also warned that “the Caribbean should not be used as a prop” by British parliamentarians seeking to distract from UK domestic politics.
Black Joy Bulletin
Rapper Giggs is helping to launch a specialist school for neurodivergent children in Kent
Mum, Natasha Adams, creates cartoon inspired by disabled daughter after lack of representation on children’s TV
Stephen Lue, family law specialist, shortlisted for Barrister of the Year at Resolution Awards 2026
Patrice Lawrence appointed as UK’s new Children’s Laureate
Lady Phyll named No.1 on 2026 Pride Power List
Maxi Priest’s ‘Close to You’ earns UK Silver certification 36 years after topping US chart
What else we’re reading
Father-of-two, 38, died hours after hair transplant procedure in Turkey, coroner told
Painful periods linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts in women with sickle cell disease
Doreen Lawrence loses privacy case against Daily Mail publisher
Teenager, 19, drowned after being pulled under by ‘harsh’ waterfall current in Wales, inquest hears
‘My mum collapsed with a brain bleed after being sent home with paracetamol’
Grandmother arrested over £1m cocaine hidden in plantain peels on London-bound flight
Man arrested in South Africa over alleged murders of wife and two daughters in Bedford
Umar Dumbuya: Tributes to ‘kind and generous’ student who died during Duke of Edinburgh trip
Jamaican father who has lived in UK for 26 years detained and facing deportation
Black British Theatre Awards cancelled for 2026 after company ordered to close by High Court
Broadcaster Eddie Nestor to take break from BBC Radio London for cancer treatment
George E. Johnson, pioneering US Black haircare entrepreneur and creator of Afro Sheen, dies
Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke will make history by playing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first Black lesbian Othello
A quick note from Nadine
It's been a busy but brilliant week since returning from holiday.
On Wednesday, I pulled up to the Natwest Conference Centre and joined the Young, Gifted and Black panel at the UK Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference. There, I spoke about building Black Current News, my film Barrel Children and the journey behind creating independent, community-rooted work.
On Thursday, I was invited to sat down in Brixton, my home district, with national treasure Candice Carty-Williams for a brilliant, full-house conversation marking the release of Queenie Is Working on It.
Huge thanks to everyone who came, Candice, Fane and Brixton House. Get the book if you haven’t already!
Two very different conversations - but both left me with plenty to think about.
Got a news tip or story idea? Submit it via this form. Reader feedback and corrections are welcomed separately here.
