Archive July 6, 2025

Zayn Malik recalls the racism he experienced at height of One Direction fame

Zayn Malik has addressed the racism he experienced during his time in One Direction in a teaser for his new single labelled Fuchsia Sea, as he shared a few lyrics on Instagram

The 32-year-old British singer gave fans a first listen to the new track on Saturday(Image: Instagram/ @zayn)

In a preview of his upcoming song, Fuchsia Sea, Zayn Malik has addressed the racism he experienced during his time in One Direction. The 32-year-old British singer gave fans a first listen to the new track on Saturday along with a short video.

Zayn shot to fame as a member of One Direction, performing alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne. They skyrocketed into fame after appearing on X-Factor in 2010 before he parted ways in 2015.

In the new song, Zayn raps: ‘Got my back against the wall so much they think I got a brick fascination. Do you remember every conversation? ‘Cause I have been conscious of every connotation. And while they concentrate on their elevation, I’ve got a round trip to the constellation. I’m a convert to the concert, and I did that for inflation, ’cause I worked hard in a White band, and they still laughed at the Asian. ”

In a preview of his upcoming song, Fuchsia Sea, Zayn Malik addressed experiencing racism
In a preview of his upcoming song, Fuchsia Sea, Zayn Malik addressed experiencing racism (Image: WWD via Getty Images)

The singer shared a snippet of the song on Instagram, along with a video where he has his back to the camera as he is walking down a corridor. He also typed the lyrics in an Instagram story.

The father-of-one, who shares four-year-old daughter Khai with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, has also addressed racism in music in the past. In a leaked song called Yellow Metal (Cathartic), Zayn wrote the lyrics: “Said I had a problem with hittin’ the kids that would call me paki, still sittin’ in classroom chillin’, I’m angry now that I’m older ’cause I see they treat us different, Got me thinking I’m the problem ’cause they never dealt with these issues”.

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The singer also wrote: “Twenty years later, I’m still in the same boat, tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat. ”

Zayn shot to fame as a member of One Direction, performing alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne
Zayn shot to fame as a member of One Direction, performing alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne(Image: Getty Images)

5 years after One Direction was formed via The X Factor in 2010, Zayn decided to go his separate ways and said he wanted to be a ‘normal’ 22-year-old’ and take some time away from the spotlight.

He announced the news via the group’s Facebook page and wrote: “I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band,’ he said in a statement.

Zayn added: “I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. ”

5 years after One Direction was formed via The X Factor in 2010, Zayn decided to go his separate ways
5 years after One Direction was formed via The X Factor in 2010, Zayn decided to go his separate ways (Image: Instagram/ @zayn)

Elsewhere in Zayn’s life, he previously opened up about his daughter Khai and said that she ‘brought him back to life’.

Speaking on the Zach Sang Show, he said: “I feel like my daughter brought that colour back in my life. She just makes me happy. I have so much love in me that I didn’t have before she was born.

“She laughs all day. She wants to do the silliest things and she gains so much excitement from it. She just has a whole fresh perspective on life that had somewhat become grey for me. “

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Zayn continued: “She’s a force of nature. She’s given me maturity. She’s forced my sensibility to become this mature father for her, this good responsible role model that takes accountability for their actions and sticks to their work and proves that my word is bond. “

Justin Bieber sparks concern with worrying ‘detox’ photo as fans say ‘that’s not okay’

Canadian singer Justin Bieber has raised concern among fans after posting cryptic ‘detox’ images on Instagram, amid reports of personal struggles and tension in his marriage to wife Hailey

Justin Bieber has left fans unsettled after uploading a series of cryptic photos on Instagram, hinting at a ‘detox’ while rumours of tension in his marriage to Hailey Bieber continue to swirl.

On Sunday, the 31-year-old pop star shared five photos with the caption: “Detoxxxxxxxxxxx. ” Four images showed extreme close-ups of his sweat-drenched face with a towel draped over his head. He appeared to force a slight smirk, which further prompted fans to question his well-being.

The final photo in the set showed a Honda CRV on a highway with European license plates and a 100 km/h speed sign, adding more confusion to the post.

While Justin offered no explanation, many interpreted the word “detox” to reference a wellness cleanse or possible emotional reset. Detoxes are often associated with cutting out harmful substances, stress relief, or fasting. They can also include saunas, juice fasts, or supplements, though it is still unclear what form of detox Justin is undertaking.

Justin Bieber has left fans unsettled after uploading a series of cryptic photos on Instagram
Justin Bieber has left fans unsettled after uploading a series of cryptic photos on Instagram(Image: lilbieber/instagram)

Concerned followers quickly flooded the comments. One fan wrote: “Dear Justin, as a Canadian mama please do not go down the Britney Spears road. You are a smart, talented, loving young man and you are being steered down the wrong path by people who do not care about you.”

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The social media user went on: “Come home for a while, come back to Canada. Go rent a cottage in lake country with your wife, son, and family that care for you while you focus on your mental health and physical health. You are a good kid who deserves better than you are allowing yourself. ”

The emotional post comes amid speculation of mounting pressure behind the scenes. A source recently told Us Weekly: “Justin’s been a hard person to deal with recently because of what he’s going through. It’s been really hard on her [Hailey]. ”

Fans are deeply worried for Justin
Fans are deeply worried for Justin(Image: lilbieber/instagram)

Another insider said: “Justin’s going through a difficult time, and Hailey is giving him room to get himself back on track. He’s doing his best, but it’s tough. ”

Although Hailey recently sold her Rhode Beauty brand to e. l. f. for $1 billion, staying on as chief creative officer, reports claim family pressures have dimmed the milestone.

Still, insiders insist the couple remains committed. “They don’t talk about divorce,” said one source, while another added: “Faith is a big part of their life. They believe they are soulmates and meant for each other. They’ll do anything to make it work. ”

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Durant joins Houston in record-setting NBA trade

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NBA star Kevin Durant has joined the Houston Rockets from the Phoenix Suns in a record-breaking trade deal involving seven teams.

The move was first announced last month but was confirmed on Sunday when the league’s new year officially started.

The Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers are also involved in the deal, which involves 13 players and several future draft picks being exchanged.

The previous record for the largest trade in NBA history was six teams, set last summer when Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks.

Durant, 36, was named the 2014 Most Valuable Player, won two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, and is a 15-time All-Star.

He also won four Olympic golds with the US basketball team.

“My time in Phoenix has come to an end,” he posted on social media.

“All these stops along the journey have really impacted me in a positive way. Remember it’s a world behind the scenes, and those who make things work in that space, work tirelessly to make our lives easier as players.

“I truly believe this NBA is a one big community. Much love to Arizona. Houston, Can’t Wait! “

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said: “His skill level, love of basketball, and dedication to his craft have made him one of the most respected players of his generation, and my staff and I are excited to work with him. “

Houston finished second in the Western Conference last season but were knocked out of the play-offs in the first round.

“One of the greatest to ever play the game, we are grateful for the impact Kevin made on our organization and in our community,” Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory said.

Who gets what in the seven-team deal?

Under the deal, Houston get Durant and 31-year-old Swiss centre Clint Capela from Atlanta – he started his career at the Rockets.

From the Rockets, the Suns pick up 18-year-old South Sudanese centre Khaman Maluach, who was the 10th overall pick in June’s NBA draft, as well as forward Dillon Brooks and guard Jalen Green. The Suns also get Atlanta wing Daeqwon Plowden, Minnesota forward Rasheer Fleming and Golden State guard Koby Brea, as well as two future draft picks.

The Hawks, meanwhile, receive David Roddy, cash, and a 2031 draft pick swap from Houston.

Brooklyn obtained two future second-round picks and sent a draft pick, forward Adou Thiero, to the Lakers.

The Warriors obtained Australian forward Alex Toohey, who was initially drafted by the Suns, and guard Jahmai Mashack, the last pick in the draft for the Rockets.

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Mel B’s olive branch for Geri as she plans second ceremony after lavish London wedding

Spice Girls icon Mel B and Rory McPhee recently tied the knot at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Saturday afternoon, but three of the singer’s former bandmates weren’t in attendance

Mel B and new husband Rory McPhee plan second ceremony after London wedding(Image: PA)

Melanie Brown, better known as Mel B, recently tied the knot with long-term partner, Rory McPhee, at an intimate ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London this weekend. They said their ‘I dos’ at the venue after their three-year engagement. Mel and family friend Rory, 37, have known each other for years, and he has worked as her hairstylist.

Things are thought to have turned romantic between the pair in 2018 and Rory proposed to Mel back in 2022. While fans were eager to spot fellow Spice Girls in attendance, only Emma Bunton, 49, was photographed at the event. As Mel C couldn’t attend, she took to her Instagram page to pay tribute to her pal.

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Mel B and Rory McPhee walking out the cathedral after wedding
Mel B and Rory McPhee got married on Saturday(Image: GC Images)

Meanwhile, Geri Horner was noticeably absent as Mel tied the knot with fiancé Rory. Geri also chose not to post any well wishes to Mel B on social media, adding further fuel to the fire on their rift.

It’s said Mel B and her new husband, along with their guests, enjoyed a lavish reception at the Shangri-La at The Shard for drinks, food, followed by an evening filled with dancing.

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Although the couple already enjoyed a ceremony, it has been revealed there will be a second ceremony abroad this summer, which Mel B says will be “more informal, sexy and beautiful”. It will act as a second chance for Mel’s former bandmates to celebrate her marriage.

She told The Sun: “In one incredible afternoon I found two perfect dresses. One beautiful classic dress by Josephine Scott, a British designer, and one stunning dramatic dress by a US designer, Justin Alexander. ”

Mel B and Rory McPhee
The couple are planning a second ceremony(Image: instagram.com/officialmelb)

Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham, who was notably absent, took a moment to acknowledge Mel’s special day via Instagram. Posting a glamorous throwback of the two bandmates, Victoria captioned it with: “Sending love to you @officialmelb! @rorymcphee is a very lucky man! xx. ”

Mel C, who was also unable to attend, shared her congratulations online. Posting a happy photo of the bride and groom, she wrote: “So so happy for you both and beyond gutted I couldn’t be there. Excited to celebrate with you really soon. Yipee! ”

Scary Spice recently took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes image from her special day. Captured from behind in her gown, Mel stood with her back to the camera, revealing the words “Just Married” delicately embroidered on her dress.

Her bridal look featured a gorgeous long veil and pearl embellishments at the collar and cuffs, giving the ensemble a timeless and regal finish.

Her husband Rory, 37, opted for a nod to his heritage, wearing a traditional Scottish kilt.

The happy couple shared a smooch on the steps of the cathedral before leaving the venue in a white, horse-drawn carriage – a fairy-tale moment for the newlyweds.

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Guests followed in true British style, riding to the reception in classic red double-decker Routemaster buses.

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Norris gets to ‘live that feeling’ of being Silverstone winner

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Lando Norris did not let a cut nose dampen his celebrations after winning his first British Grand Prix.

Norris might end up with a second scar on his nose, to match one caused by a glass cut last year, after a photographer fell off the pit-wall barriers and knocked the McLaren driver’s winner’s trophy into his face as he was trying to celebrate his Silverstone victory with the fans.

But a little while later he was up on the fan stage, two strips of medical tape on his injury, with team-mate Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown.

Norris did three ‘shoeys’, the celebration where a winner drinks champagne out of his shoe brought to Formula 1 from Australian sport by his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, and Piastri and Brown followed suit.

It was the least he – and they – deserved after a demanding, incident-packed, intensely difficult race in constantly changing conditions between wet and dry, which Piastri would have won but for a controversial penalty for what was adjudged a safety-car infringement.

Piastri will be stewing over that one for a while, but while Norris inherited the win, there was little to choose between them all weekend. And the Briton was pressing Piastri hard at the time the Australian pitted for tyres for the final time and served the penalty.

Both had driven exceptional races, in a different class to the rest of the field, in a car that looked as impressive as it has done all season.

Norris started watching F1, he said, when Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were driving silver McLarens at Silverstone in 2007. He recalled that, as well as Hamilton’s brilliant victory in the wet in 2008.

And now, with Hamilton and Alonso still in the field, Norris had taken his own win in a silver – well, partially, anyway, at least for this weekend – McLaren.

“Lewis won, and I got that picture of him going around and seeing all the fans standing up, and that picture of what an atmosphere in Silverstone is like, and dreamed of that for many, many years,” Norris said.

“Today I got to live that feeling myself and see it through my own eyes. So, pretty amazing, pretty special.

A lot of people, from my friends and family, my brother, my sisters, my mum, my dad, my dad’s parents, every person that I could have here is here.

Lando Norris poses with the British Grand Prix winner's trophy with his grandparents, parents and sisters at SilverstoneGetty Images

The win reduced his deficit to Piastri in the championship to eight points, and it was the first time he has won two grands prix in a row. But he was wary of talking about the meaning of it beyond itself.

“You can always class it as momentum or whatever,” he said. “I don’t know. It’s whatever you want to believe in the end of the day. I think it’s still just one race at a time.

“I give my credit to Oscar at the same time because he drove an extremely good race.

“It’s two wins, but they’ve not come easy by any means. We’ve had good fights, but they’re pretty strenuous, exhausting weekends because you’re fighting for hundredths and thousandths [of a second], and you’re fighting for perfection every session and I’m against some pretty good drivers. So, it takes a lot out of you, especially when you have a race like today.

Piastri penalty ‘very harsh’

Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen behind the safety car at the British Grand PrixGetty Images

The events of the day were demanding on everyone, but the way the race turned was, according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, “very harsh” on Piastri.

Piastri was penalised for braking hard in the middle of the straight as he prepared for the restart after the final one of three safety-car periods. This, in the stewards’ view, “resulted in [Max Verstappen’s Red Bull] having to take evasive action to avoid a collision”.

Piastri was furious. But – wary of the stance the FIA is taking at the moment on drivers speaking out, and not wanting to risk a further penalty or a fine – he kept his remarks well under control afterwards.

“Apparently you can’t brake behind the safety car any more,” he said. “I mean, I did it for five laps before that. Again, I’m not going say too much in case I get myself in trouble. “

Piastri was bemused by the penalty, because all drivers know the leader’s actions dictate things for those behind in this sort of situation, even if there are rules to follow.

The issue seemed to be that he had driven in this way after the safety car had switched its lights off to indicate it is about to withdraw, the point at which the rules say drivers must “proceed at a pace which involved no erratic braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers”.

Piastri said: “I hit the brakes. At the same time I did that, the lights on the safety car went out, which was also extremely late. And then, obviously, I didn’t accelerate because I can control the pace from there.

The contrast to the outcome of a very similar incident in Canada two races ago between Mercedes’ George Russell and Verstappen was notable.

In Montreal, after the stewards took no action, Red Bull lodged a protest, but it was dismissed out of hand.

Piastri said: “Going back to Canada, I think he had to evade more there than he did today. So, yeah, I’m a bit confused to say the least. “

There was also the feeling within McLaren that Verstappen may have ‘gamed’ the system by exaggerating how much it affected him.

“I don’t think he had to evade me,” Piastri said. “He managed the first time. “

Team principal Andrea Stella said: “We’ll have to see also if other competitors kind of made the situation look worse than what it is.

“Because we know that as part of the race-craft, some competitors definitely have the ability to make others look like they are causing severe infringement when they are not. “

Verstappen said: “The thing is that it happened to me now a few times, this kind of scenario. I just find it strange that suddenly now Oscar is the first one to receive 10 seconds first. “

Was that because because there was no difference from what Russell did in Canada?

“Well, to the stewards, yes, (there was),” Verstappen said.

The end result was that Norris has moved himself on to four wins for the season, one short of Piastri.

“I felt like I drove a really strong race,” Piastri said. “Ultimately, when you don’t get the result you think you deserve, it hurts, especially when it’s not in your control.

“I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races later. “

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I Won’t Buy ₦150bn Jet When 80% Of Health Centres Aren’t Functioning – Peter Obi

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for buying a jet when millions of Nigerians have not access to basic amenities including good healthcare.

Obi, a guest on Sunday Politics, said if he becomes president, he would be a president that cares for his people and would not spend billions to buy a private jet because he won’t need one.

An example of what he says is the disconnect between the President Bola Tinubu administration’s actions which he has issues was the purchase of a new presidential jet last year.

“If I become president I will use the resources effectively, I cannot buy a new jet,” Obi said on the programme. “I don’t need one because you can go anywhere without a jet, I will never need one.

“I will not use 150 billion to buy a jet when 80 per cent of our primary health centres are not functioning. ”

READ ALSO:  If Your People Are Dying, The President Should Be Ready To Die — Peter Obi

Asked about possible security implications that may arise if the President doesn’t have a jet, he dismissed such concerns, saying that as a governor of Anambra State, he never drove bullet proof cars.

“I was a governor, for my first four years, I drove 406, for the rest of it, I didn’t drive bullet proof cars. Nobody will decide to kill you if you are doing the right thing, it’s when you do the wrong thing that you will fear about death,” he said.

He insisted that insecurity does not justify buying private jets and bullet proof cars by leaders, saying “if your people are dying you should be ready to die. ”

‘No Compassion’

The former Anambra State governor lamented what he described as lack of empathy by President Tinubu. He said that the president does not care much about the citizens.

He said that Nigerians need a president that truly cares about their wellbeing, adding that he would be such a president if elected to lead the country in 2027.

“People want to get up and see a president that cares, a president that shows compassion,” Obi said.