The case no one is talking about, the ICE shooting you didn't hear about plus more news from Black, Asian & Arab communities in the UK- curated by Melissa Sigodo
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We’ve had a rough start to the year with all the news on Donald Trump’s America and his far-reaching tentacles. Colonialism is no longer a shameful thing of the past but is now instead seemingly a blueprint for what’s possibly yet to come this year in Venezuela. International law has been out the window for quite some time now, but I guess the dramatic fashion in which it happened with Maduro was quite an eyeopener for some. I’ve noticed that the coverage on the 47th president’s second tenure is becoming less zealous as certain editors are perhaps realising that the consequences of his actions go beyond just harming minorities.
As well as Trump, the richest man in the world, Elon Musk continues to show he is still morally bankrupt in 2026. Whether that is with his Grok AI chatbot which created horrific sexualised images of children and adults after prompts from X users ( an image editing feature now only available to those who pay following backlash, as if that is a solution), or through his endorsement of white solidarity - there’s always another horror show around the corner when it comes to the billionaire which has sadly become normalised.
But as you’ve probably read these headlines, I’m here to give you the news that went under the radar.
So, without further ado, here’s what you shouldn’t have missed this week and a couple of stories from last year.
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The 20 🗞️
A girl named Elsa who was found left near a footpath as a newborn in Newham, London, is to be adopted and will have contact with her two siblings Harry, 8, and Roman, 6, who were also found left in the same area as babies, a family court has heard. All three children share the same biological parents who have not been located. Read the full story by Sanchia Berg at the BBC.
Windrush generation families are being urged to search for old Premium Bonds documents as prizes worth more than £100m are yet to be claimed. Bonds were frequently bought as a way to save as the Windrush generation struggled to access mainstream financial services. Read the full story by Sinai Fleary at The Voice.
A 13-year-old entrepreneur who runs a Caribbean food shop is using profits towards £4,000-a-term school fees. Malaki Conteh who wanted to become a chorister started his first business at the age of six selling plants after his dad told him he needed to pay to join the choir himself. Watch the report by SWNS.
Police Appeal
Police are searching for a woman who left a hospital after giving birth in Romford, London, on December 30, 2025. She is described as slim build with dark hair and was last seen wearing a light coloured top and patterned skirt. Read the full story by Berk Uyal at The Romford Recorder.
Grenfell
Companies named in the Grenfell Tower inquiry still receive public contracts worth millions of pounds as survivors say there is “no excuse.” Read the full story by Morning Star Online.
From The Source
A high-flying Citibank executive Marianne Kilonzi was found fatally beaten at home in Woolwich, London, last January but nearly a year later, her killer remains at large. The Metropolitan police says there is no update on the investigation while campaigners working to end violence against women say it is a ‘complete lack of justice.’ Read the full story by Melissa Sigodo for The Source.
Violence Against Women
The sister of a woman who was killed by her father, uncle and three other men in 2006 hopes that the UK government will finally bring in a law which will create statutory guidance for professionals on “honour”-based abuse. Banaz Mahmod who had left her arranged marriage was killed after police dismissed her reports of threats as “melodramatic” and “manipulative.” Read the full story by Chris Osuh at The Guardian.
Tributes
A BBC drama executive Danielle Scott-Haughton who was behind shows including the upcoming Peaky Blinders hit series has died. The drama commissioner who was in her 30s passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. She was described “as a real force in the industry, particularly in championing female and diverse writers and directors.” Read the full story by Jake Kanter at Deadline.
Politics
New racism allegations against Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage have brought the total number of racist and antisemitic claims to 34. One of the claims includes a man who says that Farage called him a “p**i” and told him to go home while they were at school together. Read the full story by Henry Dyer, Daniel Boffey and Mark Blacklock at The Guardian.
Palestine Action-linked prisoners on hunger strike “have shown an alarming deterioration in their health.” One prisoner is said to be experiencing breathing problems while another is said to have reported “intermittent hearing loss.” The prisoners minister, James Timpson says ministers will not meet with them. Read the full story by Haroon Siddique at The Guardian.
Policing
A Metropolitan Police officer who Tasered a man trying to flee has told a jury he believed the man was trying to kill him. Constable Liam Newman denies causing grievous bodily harm to Leonard Sandiford who was left tetraplegic after he then fell from a 5ft height after being Tasered during the chase. Read the full story by the BBC.
Immigration and Asylum
Eighty asylum seekers detained ahead of being returned to France claim they have suffered “fear, humiliation and psychological distress” after arriving in the UK. They have now called on UN bodies to investigate their treatment by the Home Office. Read the full story by Diane Taylor at the Guardian.
Crime
A man has pleaded guilty to sending “hateful and malicious” social media messages to England footballer Jess Carter during the Euros last summer. Nigel Dewale pleaded guilty to a charge of malicious communications and possession of a weapon in a private place. Read the full story by Jamie Gardner at The Independent.
A man in his 20s has been left with serious facial injuries after reportedly being struck with a glass bottle and being subjected to a racist slur outside a nightclub in Sunderland. Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Read the full story by Neil Fatkin at The Sunderland Echo.
World News
The family of a man fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent are calling for legal action over his death. Keith Porter was said to be celebrating the new year by “firing shots” before he was approached by the immigration enforcement officer who lawyers say neighbours they spoke to did not hear the agent identify himself. Read the full story by BET.
The war in Sudan marked its 1000th day as millions remain in need of aid. 33 million people face starvation in what has become the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. Read the full story by Al Jazeera.
Doctors say cancer-related deaths in Gaza have tripled since Israel’s war began, as patients are blocked from leaving and chemotherapy drugs are not allowed in. The medical director of the Gaza Cancer Centre Mohammed Abu Nada says doctors just sit next to their patients and cry. Read the full story by Mohammad Mansour and Tareq Abu Azzoum at Al Jazeera.
US President Donald Trump has said that Nigeria could see more airstrikes if “they continue to kill Christians.” The Nigerian government has rejected Trump’s previous claims that it failed to protect Christians from jihadist attacks saying that “Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike are targeted.” Read the full story by Makuochi Okafor and Jean Otalor at The BBC.
A respected Black maternal health advocate who worked as a midwife has died after giving birth in what has been called a ‘profound failure of systems meant to protect’. Dr. Janell Green Smith, from South Carolina leaves behind her newborn and husband. Read the full story by Nhari Djan at The Grio.
A Congo football team superfan who stood still with his right arm raised throughout all of the team’s games at the Africa Cup of Nations has been hailed a hero. Michel Nkuka Mboladinga who imitated a memorial statue of the country’s first prime minister Patrice Lumumba was invited to meet the Algerian football team who kicked Congo out of the tournament and mocked him during the game. Read the full story by Hafsa Adil at Al Jazeera.
Jamaican airports saw over half million less travellers marking the largest annual decline since the Covid-19 pandemic following the destruction of Hurricane Melissa. Tourism has since taken a hit after the storm resulted in widespread holiday cancellations. Read the full story by the Jamaica Gleaner.