In a new interview with Dazed, Zayn Malik — former boy band member and current R&B heartthrob — opens up just a little bit about his departure from the mega-popular group and his flourishing independent music career.
The 23-year-old Brit is riding high on the success of his first solo album, Mind of Mine, which debuted at #1 on US and UK charts. But his stardom hasn’t come without controversy: there have been the racial slurs leveled at him on account of his religious and ethnic background; he’s had to cancel concert appearances due to anxiety; and, of course, he still deals with backlash from his decision to break free of the boy band.
On that point, at least, Malik has a message for his fans. “Yeah… Sorry about that,” he relays to Dazed.
But it looks like Malik isn’t getting too cut up about having moved on. It helps to have fans in high places, and apparently even Taylor Swift is on board with his solo career.
“At [girlfriend] Gigi [Hadid]‘s house we briefly spoke and she told me she really enjoyed the album. It was nice to get some feedback. She said she thought I was cool and I kind of blushed a bit and didn’t know how to take it,” he says.
Malik, who grew up speaking both English and Urdu (his father is of Pakistani heritage), also gives some background into the genre-bending Urdu-language song he put on his album.
“It’s a religious style of music that’s like a deep meditation prayer where you just sit and sing the same melody over and over – it’s meant to get you into a trance state… my dad used to listen a lot to that style of music. So that influenced me from an early age,” he told Dazed. “I just mixed my Urdu speaking with lyrics I was writing down in English and that’s what I came up with.”
It’s certainly not something he could have done within the confines of One Direction’s music.
“I’m free at last,” he says in the interview.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Obama slams Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric
US president responds to criticism of his administration for not using phrase 'radical Islam' as political taking point.
US President Barack Obama has called the debate surrounding "radical Islam" a political distraction, stressing that calls for tougher talk on terrorism and a strict ban on Muslim immigration would make Muslim Americans feel betrayed by their government.
Obama told reporters after meeting with the US national security council on Tuesday that Orlando shooting that left 49 people dead, or any attack organised by groups like the ISIL, also known as ISIS, was not possible to prevent by using the label.
"The killer was an angry, disturbed, unstable, young man who became radicalised," he said, adding that Islam had nothing to do with the attack.
"What exactly would using that label accomplish? What exactly would it change? Would it make ISIL less committed to trying to kill Americans? Would it bring in more allies? ... The answer is: none of the above," he said.
"Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. This is a political distraction."
He said US intelligence and military staff know well who the enemy is and they work countless hours to protect "all Americans including politicians who tweet and appear on cable news shows".
War against ISIL
Obama said the idea that the administration is confused about the enemy "would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who we've taken off the battlefield".
While parrying his political foes, Obama also sought to show Americans that the war against the ISIL in Syria, Iraq and Libya, while slow, was being won.
He said the number of foreign fighters joining the armed groups was plummeting.
"ISIL lost nearly half of the populated territory it had in Iraq and it will lose more. ISIL continues to lose ground in Syria as well," Obama said.
"In short, our coalition continues to be on offense. ISIL is on defense."
Obama's remarks were his first reaction to Donald Trump's speech on Monday after Sunday's mass shooting, and perhaps his strongest yet on the threat he sees the Republican candidate poses to the US politics and security.
Obama said Trump's plan to bar foreign Muslims from entering the US ignored America's history of targeting ethnic and religious groups amid period of anxiety and would undermine American values.
"If we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalise people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect." Obama said. "And then the terrorists would have won and we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen."
Obama said that treating Muslim-Americans differently would not make the US safer.
"Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? are we going to start discriminating them because of their faith?"
"We're starting to see where this kind of rhetoric and loose talk and sloppiness about who exactly we're fighting, where this can lead us."
The US president said it would make the country less safe by fueling the notion among followers of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that the West hates Muslims.
"They want us to validate them by implying that they speak for those billion plus people, that they speak for Islam. That's their propaganda, that's how they recruit," he said.
"And if we fall into the trap of painting all Muslims with a broad brush and imply that we are at war with an entire religion, then we are doing the terrorists work for them."
US President Barack Obama has called the debate surrounding "radical Islam" a political distraction, stressing that calls for tougher talk on terrorism and a strict ban on Muslim immigration would make Muslim Americans feel betrayed by their government.
Obama told reporters after meeting with the US national security council on Tuesday that Orlando shooting that left 49 people dead, or any attack organised by groups like the ISIL, also known as ISIS, was not possible to prevent by using the label.
"The killer was an angry, disturbed, unstable, young man who became radicalised," he said, adding that Islam had nothing to do with the attack.
"What exactly would using that label accomplish? What exactly would it change? Would it make ISIL less committed to trying to kill Americans? Would it bring in more allies? ... The answer is: none of the above," he said.
"Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. This is a political distraction."
He said US intelligence and military staff know well who the enemy is and they work countless hours to protect "all Americans including politicians who tweet and appear on cable news shows".
War against ISIL
Obama said the idea that the administration is confused about the enemy "would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who we've taken off the battlefield".
While parrying his political foes, Obama also sought to show Americans that the war against the ISIL in Syria, Iraq and Libya, while slow, was being won.
He said the number of foreign fighters joining the armed groups was plummeting.
"ISIL lost nearly half of the populated territory it had in Iraq and it will lose more. ISIL continues to lose ground in Syria as well," Obama said.
"In short, our coalition continues to be on offense. ISIL is on defense."
Obama's remarks were his first reaction to Donald Trump's speech on Monday after Sunday's mass shooting, and perhaps his strongest yet on the threat he sees the Republican candidate poses to the US politics and security.
Obama said Trump's plan to bar foreign Muslims from entering the US ignored America's history of targeting ethnic and religious groups amid period of anxiety and would undermine American values.
"If we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalise people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect." Obama said. "And then the terrorists would have won and we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen."
Obama said that treating Muslim-Americans differently would not make the US safer.
"Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? are we going to start discriminating them because of their faith?"
"We're starting to see where this kind of rhetoric and loose talk and sloppiness about who exactly we're fighting, where this can lead us."
The US president said it would make the country less safe by fueling the notion among followers of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that the West hates Muslims.
"They want us to validate them by implying that they speak for those billion plus people, that they speak for Islam. That's their propaganda, that's how they recruit," he said.
"And if we fall into the trap of painting all Muslims with a broad brush and imply that we are at war with an entire religion, then we are doing the terrorists work for them."
Suspicious Wife Triggers Full Scale Bomb Alert
A suspicious wife triggered a full scale bomb alert in Leeds by hiding a tracking device in her husband's car before he went to work.
Plans were being made to evacuate schools after the unnamed man, who is a retired member of the armed services, spotted the device and dialled 999, telling the operator: "It looks like there's a viable device in my car."
West Yorkshire Police decided the man's military background identified him as a potential terror target and launched pre-planned emergency procedures, including evacuating nearby homes and preparing a reception centre.
Officers set up a cordon around the man's car in Providence Avenue, Woodhouse, as council officials discussed widening it and evacuating schools and public buildings.
Photographs of the suspicious-looking device were sent to the bomb squad, who identified it as a GPS tracker almost an hour after the alarm was raised at 10am on Tuesday.
Sources say the police established the tracker had been unsuccessfully hidden in the car by the man's wife.
West Yorkshire Police have confirmed they dealt with a suspicious package in a car, while Leeds City Council say their emergency planning team was involved in the incident.
"We were asked by the police to invoke our emergency procedures and began preparing a reception centre and made arrangements to transport evacuees," said a spokeswoman.
No details have been released about why the woman tried to hide the device in the car.
Russian MP To Euro Hooligans: 'Well Done Lads'
A Russian MP and executive member of the country's football union has praised Russian hooligans at the European Championships, saying they should "keep it up".
Igor Lebedev posted on Twitter: "I don't see anything wrong with the fans fighting. Quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up!"
Russian thugs were involved in violent clashes with England fans in the streets of Marseille ahead of their match on Saturday and charged at supporters in the stands after the match.
French authorities have admitted around 150 "hyper violent" Russian hooligans escaped arrest after the incident.
But Mr Lebedev, from the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, blamed French authorities in another tweet, suggesting police had an "inability to organise such events."
He also claimed Russia's sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, would have enjoyed taking part in the clashes, in a separate interview with website Life.ru.
"He would also go and fight the English fans since they were the ones who started it," Mr Lebedev said.
UEFA has warned Russia and England that they could face disqualification if there is further violence.
Marseille's chief prosecutor, Brice Robin, said the Russian hooligans were "extremely well-trained" and "prepared for hyper-fast and hyper-violent acts".
He said some Russian fans had been turned back when they arrived at Marseille airport, but others had arrived overland.
Six Britons have been jailed in France after facing charges of violence involving a weapon.
England supporters have said Russians were behind most of the violence.
One fan, George Amos, said 300 uniformed Russians "looking like the black death squad" had attacked him and his brother, wearing gumshields and MMA (mixed martial arts) gloves.
A 50-year-old England supporter in a "critical but stable" condition in hospital with severe brain injuries has been named as Andrew Bache.
Home Secretary Theresa May has said some England fans had behaved "inexcusably", but added she was "in no doubt that co-ordinated groups of Russian supporters bear a heavy responsibility".
There are fears of further clashes between the two groups later this week.
Before the tournament, English and Welsh supporters were advised to travel to Lille ahead of Thursday's game in Lens.
But Russian supporters will be in the city as they face Slovakia on Wednesday, and police are now reportedly suggesting that fans avoid Lille entirely.
"There is a hardcore group of Russian fans who are willing to use extreme violence," Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the head of Britain's policing operation for the tournament in France, told the Telegraph.
"It is realistic to expect that the Russian fans will seek to try to behave in a similar way."
Three thousand England fans were handed banning orders preventing their travel to France due to previous offences, while French authorities said only 30 Russian supporters were barred from travelling.
Half a million fans from the UK are thought to be at the tournament.
Pound Falls Again As Markets Eye Brexit Polls
The pound has continued its slide against other major currencies as a growing number of polls suggest the UK on course to leave the EU following next week's referendum.
Sterling's performance has been mirrored on stock markets over the previous two sessions, leaving the FTSE 100 perilously close to the 6,000 barrier while stocks in Asia and on mainland Europe have fared worse.
Uncertainty over the referendum has coincided with growing market fears for the health of the global economy - with a widely expected rate hike by the US central bank tomorrow now expected to be put on hold.
Analysts at Barclays said: "The (rate-setting) committee was actively preparing markets for a June-July rate hike until the release of the May employment report ... the abrupt slowing in employment and falling long-run inflation expectations should raise alarm bells, and risk management concerns suggest delaying action until after the outcome of the UK referendum."
The latest polling ahead of the referendum has been cited as rattling investor nerves.
A YouGov poll for The Times puts Leave seven points ahead of Remain while a pair of ICM polls for The Guardian has Leave six points in front.
ORB in the Daily Telegraph has Leave one point ahead.
Some economists fear a UK exit would tip Europe back into recession though others have pointed to benefits for the UK over the longer term.
The pound was 0.6% lower against the dollar at $1.41.8 on Tuesday - extending eight-week lows - while it also shed 1% of its value against the yen.
According to financial spreadbetters, the FTSE 100 was on course for another fall on opening while the losses were tipped to be heavier in Germany and France.
Japan's Nikkei lost a further 1% after a 3% decline on Monday.
Banking stocks have been among those bearing the brunt of the losses in recent days - with shareholders fretting about the possibility of a longer period of low or negative interest rates, given weaknesses in the global economy.
Germany - Europe's biggest economy - said on Tuesday that the Brexit referendum was a factor behind the current uncertainty.
Jens Spahn, a top official in the country's finance ministry, told German broadcaster ARD that finance and equities markets could see even greater volatility if the Leave camp wins.
He said the ministry was bracing for a variety of scenarios, depending on the outcome of the British referendum, and the extent of the market reactions but he declined to give any details.
Monday, June 13, 2016
IS Claims Deadly Attack On Paris Policeman
A man who swore allegiance to the Islamic State terror group has murdered a French policeman outside his home in Paris.
Witnesses told investigators the man may have shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed the policeman in the suburb of Magnanville.
The attacker then held the 42-year-old policeman's wife and the couple's three-year-old son hostage inside the home.
Explosions were heard at the scene as heavily-armed police moved in following failed negotiations.
Officers discovered the body of the policeman's wife inside after storming the house.
The attacker was killed during the police operation, according to French interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.
Witnesses told investigators the man may have shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed the policeman in the suburb of Magnanville.
The attacker then held the 42-year-old policeman's wife and the couple's three-year-old son hostage inside the home.
Explosions were heard at the scene as heavily-armed police moved in following failed negotiations.
Officers discovered the body of the policeman's wife inside after storming the house.
The attacker was killed during the police operation, according to French interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.
Orlando Shooter Bought Gun Legally, Store Owner Says
The owner of the shooting range where Orlando shooter Omar Mateen bought the handgun and semi-automatic used in the deadly rampage over the weekend says he bought both weapons legally and passed a thorough background check.
Ed Henson, owner of the St. Lucie Shooting Center, confirmed in a press conference Monday that Mateen bought a handgun and long gun there about a week or 10 days before the attack.
“I am truly truly saddened and shocked by this terrorist act,” said Henson, a former NYPD officer who worked out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and was also a first responder at the Flight 587 plane crash in Queens later that year.
Henson said Mateen purchased both guns legally, and separately, and did not buy or inquire about body armor. He repeatedly referred to Mateen as an “evil person.”
The owner also said he wanted to “avoid any political issue.” He said Mateen completed the three-day waiting period to buy a handgun under Florida law, but was allowed to walk out with the AR-15 type rifle the same day he bought it, also in compliance with Florida law. Even though Mateen had twice been investigated by the FBI for ties to terror networks, those investigations did not disqualify him from buying the guns.
That loophole, often called the “terror gap,” means that the federal government has no way to prevent terror suspects from purchasing weapons. According to research compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonpartisan research group devoted to reducing gun violence, people on the terror watch list attempted to buy firearms or explosives 2,233 times between 2004 and 2014, and were successful 91% of the time.
The shooting range was closed Monday afternoon for a visit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Hanson said the ATF found that the range was in full compliance with Florida law. “I’m sorry he picked my place,” he said.
Ed Henson, owner of the St. Lucie Shooting Center, confirmed in a press conference Monday that Mateen bought a handgun and long gun there about a week or 10 days before the attack.
“I am truly truly saddened and shocked by this terrorist act,” said Henson, a former NYPD officer who worked out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and was also a first responder at the Flight 587 plane crash in Queens later that year.
Henson said Mateen purchased both guns legally, and separately, and did not buy or inquire about body armor. He repeatedly referred to Mateen as an “evil person.”
The owner also said he wanted to “avoid any political issue.” He said Mateen completed the three-day waiting period to buy a handgun under Florida law, but was allowed to walk out with the AR-15 type rifle the same day he bought it, also in compliance with Florida law. Even though Mateen had twice been investigated by the FBI for ties to terror networks, those investigations did not disqualify him from buying the guns.
That loophole, often called the “terror gap,” means that the federal government has no way to prevent terror suspects from purchasing weapons. According to research compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonpartisan research group devoted to reducing gun violence, people on the terror watch list attempted to buy firearms or explosives 2,233 times between 2004 and 2014, and were successful 91% of the time.
The shooting range was closed Monday afternoon for a visit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Hanson said the ATF found that the range was in full compliance with Florida law. “I’m sorry he picked my place,” he said.
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