Ed Sheeran addresses backlash, Zara Larsson cancels Abu Dhabi show

Ed Sheeran addresses backlash during concert

Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding his US tour at his first concert since Macklemore was removed from the lineup, telling fans he had made “mistakes” while navigating the dispute over the rapper’s pro-Palestinian statements.

Opening his Philadelphia show, Sheeran said he never intended to become involved in political debates but felt compelled to speak because the issue had become unavoidable. “I never wanted to be an activist musician,” he said, describing the conflict as “the most complex political issue on the planet.”

Sheeran condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks as “horrific” while describing the devastation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.” He also said, “My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian lives, of children’s lives.”

The singer acknowledged the difficulty of responding publicly, saying, “I am making mistakes–and I’m so, so sorry.”

He emphasized that his concert should remain “a place where everyone is welcome,” including people with opposing views, and said he was “deeply worried” about venues pre-approving performers or content.

The controversy intensified after Macklemore was dropped from the tour, prompting several other support acts to withdraw in solidarity. Despite protests outside the venue, Sheeran’s Philadelphia performance went ahead.

Zara Larsson cancels Abu Dhabi tour in solidarity with Sudan

Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has withdrawn from her scheduled Abu Dhabi concert after a fan urged her to reconsider performing in the United Arab Emirates amid scrutiny over the country’s alleged involvement in Sudan’s ongoing conflict.

Larsson was due to perform Dec. 3 at Etihad Live as part of her Midnight Sun Tour. The decision surfaced in the comments of an Instagram post, where a fan wrote, “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show.”

Larsson responded directly: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi,” adding a heart emoji. Both the fan’s comment and Larsson’s response have since been deleted.

The cancellation comes amid allegations that the UAE has supported Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused by rights organizations of widespread abuses against civilians during the country’s civil war. Human Rights Watch has also raised concerns about alleged UAE support for the RSF and the broader humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

Dan and Phil reveals why they delayed revealing their relationship

Dan Howell and Phil Lester have opened up about why they did not publicly confirm their relationship when they came out as gay in 2019, joking that they had already been together for years but were not ready to make their romance part of the announcement.

During an interview with PopBase, the longtime YouTube stars were asked why they chose not to reveal their relationship at the same time. Howell joked, “We'd only been dating for 10 years, so I didn't know if we wanted to lock it in together,” prompting laughter from the pair.

Howell and Lester explained that they were also wary of turning their relationship into another aspect of their online content. “We were terrified of being labeled as couple vloggers,” Howell said, describing the idea as “a level of parasocial hell.”

Lester added that they did not want to “vlog everything,” while Howell jokingly called the concept an “absolute influencer demon dimension.” He explained that making their relationship a source of content could mean turning “the thing that's supposed to be the closest most important thing to your real life” into something designed for public commentary and monetization.

Howell also recalled the attention surrounding his 2019 coming-out video, saying he had “45 minutes of yapping” about his sexuality and personal experiences. Adding a relationship reveal, he joked, might have prompted fans to simply say, “Dan and Phil, shut up, Dan. We don't care.”

Lester similarly joked that his own coming-out video was much shorter: “Oh, there is something else. I'm gay. Five minutes, one and done.”

Lauren Boebert denies sleeping with female aides: ‘I’m not a lesbian’

Rep. Lauren Boebert is denying allegations that she had sexual relationships with three current and former congressional aides, following an ethics complaint filed with the House Committee on Ethics.

David B. Wheeler, identified as a journalist with American Muckrakers, submitted the complaint Sept. 17 and signed it under penalty of perjury. The filing alleges that Boebert had sexual relationships with district director Clarice Navarro, former district chief of staff Raven Finegan, and former chief of staff Jeffrey D. Small while on government time.

Boebert rejected the allegations. “Well, I'm not a lesbian or bisexual, and I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff,” she said.

Navarro has also denied the claims, calling them “entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous.”

The House Ethics Committee has not publicly confirmed whether it has opened a review of the latest allegations.

ICYMI:

• Kentucky State University basketball player Amina Seck, a senior center from Senegal, was reportedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Louisville’s airport on August 7 while traveling with her team to New York for a tournament. According to her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, Seck has been moved between at least four detention facilities since her arrest and is suffering from an ACL injury, with inconsistent access to ice and medical care while in custody.

• Google confirmed that its Gemini AI model gained unauthorized access to three real companies during a cybersecurity evaluation in May. The incident marked the first publicly disclosed case involving Google’s own AI model carrying out such activity during a security test.

— Bea Bertuldo

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