Britain

Toxicology tests show Liam Payne had 'multiple' drugs in system: reports

  • ABC News and TMZ said a cocktail of drugs called "pink cocaine" -- containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA -- had been found during a partial autopsy, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
  • Pop star Liam Payne had multiple drugs including crack cocaine and methamphetamine in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina, according to initial toxicology reports cited by US media on Monday.
  • ABC News and TMZ said a cocktail of drugs called "pink cocaine" -- containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA -- had been found during a partial autopsy, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
Pop star Liam Payne had multiple drugs including crack cocaine and methamphetamine in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina, according to initial toxicology reports cited by US media on Monday.
The British singer and former One Direction member died last week at the age of 31, after plunging from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires.
ABC News and TMZ said a cocktail of drugs called "pink cocaine" -- containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA -- had been found during a partial autopsy, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests.
Crack cocaine and benzodiazepine were also listed.
An "improvised aluminum pipe to ingest drugs" was also found in the room, ABC reported.
Payne -- who was found dead after staff called emergency services twice to report a guest "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" was "destroying" a hotel room -- had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and coping with fame from an early age.
Post-mortem results indicated that he was alone at the time of the fall and "was going through an episode of substance abuse," prosecutors had previously said.
The singer suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging," they said.
The Clarin newspaper published photos last week of what it said was the interior of Payne's room, with white powder visible on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter. The pictures also showed a television with a broken screen.
The prosecutor's office said substances that appeared to be "narcotics and alcoholic beverages" had been found in the room, amidst pieces of broken furniture and other objects.
A hotel employee suspected of providing Payne with drugs on the day he died has been interviewed by officials, but not arrested or charged, local police told ABC News.
Payne was a member of One Direction, the hugely successful pop group whose fame began in 2010 on the British television talent contest "The X Factor." 
One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world, the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016. 
Payne went on to enjoy solo success, but in recent years spoke openly about struggles with alcoholism and fame.
He was the father of a seven-year-old boy shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy.
amz/aha

Britain

Fans gather to mourn Liam Payne's death at UK and other vigils

  • Fans were also set to gather later Sunday in Birmingham in central England -- near Wolverhampton where Payne was born and raised.
  • Fans mourning Liam Payne's death turned out across Britain and beyond at organised vigils Sunday, with at least 1,000 gathering in central London to pay tribute to the former One Direction star.
  • Fans were also set to gather later Sunday in Birmingham in central England -- near Wolverhampton where Payne was born and raised.
Fans mourning Liam Payne's death turned out across Britain and beyond at organised vigils Sunday, with at least 1,000 gathering in central London to pay tribute to the former One Direction star.
It came four days after Payne died aged 31 following a fall from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room, prompting an outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.
Investigators have said he appeared to have been "going through an episode of substance abuse".
Those at the London memorial at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park were encouraged in social media posts to bring "flowers, letters, balloons, pictures" and did not disappoint.
Gathering in the rain under umbrellas bearing those things and more, the crowd of mainly young people sang One Direction songs after also standing in silence for periods.
"He was such a big part of our childhood -- we just came to pay our respect," student Katie Etchells, 20, wearing a One Direction t-shirt, told AFP.
She was one of many who said that they at first thought word of his death was "fake news", calling the realisation it was true "very upsetting".
"I think he'll be happy to know that so many people does love him," a tearful Luna Franco, 20, from Italy, told AFP.

'Unify' -

Musician Shukhrat Turdikhodjaev, 21, said he had gone from "disbelief at first" to shock on hearing Payne had died.
He added the turnout showed that the singer "was able to connect and unify so many different people".
Elsewhere, news reports and social media posts showed hundreds also gathered in the Scottish cities Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as Paris, New York, Stockholm and many other places.
Fans were also set to gather later Sunday in Birmingham in central England -- near Wolverhampton where Payne was born and raised.
He would shoot to fame around the world as a teenager in the hugely successful pop group One Direction, which formed in 2010 after its members appeared on "The X Factor".
Sunday's meet-ups mirror gatherings seen across Latin American in recent days.
In Buenos Aires, tearful fans have continued to mass in front of the Casa Sur Hotel, where Payne plunged to his death and an altar dedicated to him has been created full of flowers and messages.
On Friday, his father Geoff Payne visited the scene, thanking fans gathered there in a shared moment of grief.
Meanwhile Mexico City, the Ecuadorian capital Quito and various towns and cities in Colombia are among the other places to have seen impromptu ceremonies for Payne. 

'Just really sad'

Anguished reactions have continued to stream in, including from Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, Payne's former partner and the mother of their seven-year-old boy, who called his death an "earth shattering event". 
Payne's One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik said Saturday on X that he was postponing the current US leg of his tour until January, citing "the heartbreaking loss experienced this week."
Payne died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external haemorrhaging" after the fall from the hotel, an autopsy found.
It suggested he had not tried to stop his fall and was in a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" before his death.
The singer, who had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and coping with fame from an early age, was alone at the time and appeared to be "going through an episode of substance abuse," prosecutors have said.
Back in London, fan Chelsea Willy, 20, summed up the feelings of those mourning the loss.
"It is just really sad," the actress said. "I've been a fan of him since I was very little," she added, noting she cried on learning the news.
jj/giv

Canada

'Smile 2' scares up the biggest audiences in N.American theaters

  • Horror film "Terrifier 3," from indie studio Cineverse and Icon Events, earned $9.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.
  • Paramount's new horror film "Smile 2" has surpassed its successful predecessor, taking in an estimated $23 million in North American theaters this weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. 
  • Horror film "Terrifier 3," from indie studio Cineverse and Icon Events, earned $9.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.
Paramount's new horror film "Smile 2" has surpassed its successful predecessor, taking in an estimated $23 million in North American theaters this weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. 
"This is an excellent opening for the second episode in a horror series," said analyst David A. Gross, who noted that horror sequels tend to earn a fourth less than the originals.
The first "Smile," also directed by horror-master Parker Finn, made $22.6 million when it opened in 2022 and ultimately grossed $217 million worldwide.
"Smile 2" again tells the story of a grim curse, passed from one victim to the next, that afflicts a troubled pop star (Naomi Scott).
Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "The Wild Robot," about a dispassionate mechanical being, stranded on an island, having to cope with (and care for) fuzzy woodland creatures, placed second again with $10.1 million, part of what Gross said has become a welcome industry trend.
"With 'Inside Out 2' breaking records and 'Despicable Me 4' finishing sensationally well, 2024 has gone from a good year for family films to an outstanding year," Gross said. "Family moviegoing has come all the way back after the pandemic and is in very good health now."
Horror film "Terrifier 3," from indie studio Cineverse and Icon Events, earned $9.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. David Howard Thornton again plays the psychopathic Art the Clown. 
In fourth place again, and enjoying a nice run in its seventh weekend out, was Warner Bros.' "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," at $5 million. Michael Keaton again plays the creepily hilarious title character. 
Fifth place went to "We Live in Time," a weepy romantic drama from StudioCanal, at $4.2 million. Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in what Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian called a "breakout indie hit" with "a hugely appealing cast (and) a funny, moving and romantic plot."
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Joker: Folie a Deux" ($2.2 million)
"Piece by Piece" ($2.1 million)
"Transformers One" ($2 million)
"Saturday Night" ($1.8 million)
"Nightmare Before Christmas (reissue)" ($1.1 million)
bbk/dw

lifestyle

'One of the last': handmade bagpipes a dying art in Scotland

BY EDWARD SHARP-PAUL

  • While bagpipes have been recorded in Scottish history for some 600 years, the origins remain unclear.
  • The Highland bagpipe is an integral part of Scottish culture and history, famous for its distinctive, powerful sound that even accompanied troops as they landed in northern France on D-Day.
  • While bagpipes have been recorded in Scottish history for some 600 years, the origins remain unclear.
The Highland bagpipe is an integral part of Scottish culture and history, famous for its distinctive, powerful sound that even accompanied troops as they landed in northern France on D-Day.
But the wind instrument is slowly growing silent as demand dwindles and machine-made bagpipes replace traditionally crafted ones, consigning their use to largely ceremonial occasions.
Just off Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile, which sweeps down from the city's imposing castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is a faded storefront sign for artisan bagpipe maker Kilberry Bagpipes.
Inside, Ruari Black is one of only a few remaining craftsmen in Edinburgh who knows how to make the instrument by hand.
"At Kilberry, we're one of the last artisan bagpipe makers -- certainly in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland -- but probably all around the world," Black told AFP as he shaped a pipe with a lathe.
"It's got a big sound, it'll fill a room," said Black, describing the nine stages it takes to make the intricate instrument.
After boring and shaping the pipes, they are fitted with mounts and ferrules before adding the finishing touches and setting up the components.
The whole process takes around a week, with the craftsmen working on multiple bagpipes at the same time. 
The finished product has "our distinct sound", according to Black. "Every set, we're striving to have that consistency across, to make sure they're sounding the same."
Each handmade set also has "its own character, in terms of looks, in terms of feel", making it attractive to customers from around the world, he added.
The current wait time for an artisan Highland bagpipe is two years on Kilberry's website.

Best-known form

"Customers are coming to us for a set of handmade pipes, they're generally coming for the handmade aspect," Black explained. 
"They're wanting the sound we strive to produce -- the thing we want to be known for."
Clients include experienced pipers as well as newcomers looking to buy their "first practice chanter" -- the part of the bagpipe with finger holes, where the melody is played.
While bagpipes have been recorded in Scottish history for some 600 years, the origins remain unclear.
Different variations found around the world include the Irish bagpipe, the Northumbrian smallpipes and the Turkish tulum.
In Brittany, northwest France, a band called a bagad is composed of Breton bagpipes, or biniou, and drums.
However, the Highland bagpipe remains the best-known form, and has had significant influence in the military music of Britain and Commonwealth countries. 
Every year, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo -- a series of military musical performances with massed pipe bands -- takes place at the top of the Royal Mile.
The last song played at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022 was a rendition of the lament "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep", played by her personal piper.

'Means a lot'

Despite its enduring cultural significance, the traditionally handmade Highland bagpipe is vanishing. Unlike Kilberry, most other producers now use machinery. 
However, Black said it is easy to differentiate the instruments, with machine-made ones missing the "hand-turned" shapes and decorative designs that his bagpipes have.
Despite having fewer workers and taking longer to make each bagpipe, they "try and keep the cost down for customers to still have a handmade instrument", said Black. 
"So it's kind of up to the customer to choose us over mass-produced."
Some mass-manufactured bagpipes can also be told apart by their use of imitation ivory for the mounts, according to Black.
The artisans are trying to be more sustainable without compromising on quality.
For Black, there is no alternative to making bagpipes by hand. 
"Keeping it handmade means a lot to me -- it's the way it's always been done. It just feels right," he added.
"For something that's completely dying out, it's not nice to be one of the last... but it's nice to be carrying that on."
vid-aks/phz/ach/smw

Britain

Liam Payne's sister shares touching tribute to late brother

  • Payne's One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik said Saturday on X that he was postponing the current US leg of his tour until January, citing "the heartbreaking loss experienced this week."
  • The sister of One Direction member Liam Payne shared a heartfelt message to him on Saturday, in the latest emotional tribute from around the world following his death earlier this week.
  • Payne's One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik said Saturday on X that he was postponing the current US leg of his tour until January, citing "the heartbreaking loss experienced this week."
The sister of One Direction member Liam Payne shared a heartfelt message to him on Saturday, in the latest emotional tribute from around the world following his death earlier this week.
In a statement directly addressed to her late brother, who died Wednesday in Argentina, Ruth Gibbins said she does not "feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you".
"My brain is struggling to catch up with what's happening and I don't understand where you've gone," she posted on Instagram.
"Quite often over the last few years, you've had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you.
"You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music," she added.
On Friday, Payne's father visited the Buenos Aires hotel where his son plunged to his death from a third-floor balcony days earlier, thanking fans gathered nearby in a shared moment of grief.
After landing in the Argentine capital that morning, Geoff Payne also visited the morgue where the body of his 31-year-old son was being kept pending the results of toxicological tests.

'Sweet, kindly boy'

Reactions have stream in, including from Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, Payne's former partner and the mother of their seven-year-old boy, Bear.
She called his death an "earth shattering event".
In a social media message, Tweedy hit out at "abhorrent reports and media exploitation" following Payne's death, which were causing "further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces". 
"Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them," she said.
"Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last."
Payne's One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik said Saturday on X that he was postponing the current US leg of his tour until January, citing "the heartbreaking loss experienced this week."
Payne died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external haemorrhaging" after falling from the balcony of his room at the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires, an autopsy found.
Investigators said he appeared to have been "going through an episode of substance abuse."
Among others to pay tribute on Friday was Simon Cowell, the creator of and judge on "The X Factor" show that launched One Direction in 2010.
Cowell said he was "truly devastated", in an Instagram post also spoke directly to Payne.
"I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you," he said.
"I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared."
Cowell added that a meeting with Payne last year reminded him "that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago."
jj/giv/acb/jm

transport

Japan 'zombie' train spooks passengers ahead of Halloween

BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI

  • To counterbalance the subdued horror, the two-and-a-half-hour tour was peppered with light-hearted performances by zombie cheerleaders, magicians and comedians, including a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". 
  • It's usually a serene two-and-a-half-hour ride on Japan's famously efficient bullet train.
  • To counterbalance the subdued horror, the two-and-a-half-hour tour was peppered with light-hearted performances by zombie cheerleaders, magicians and comedians, including a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". 
It's usually a serene two-and-a-half-hour ride on Japan's famously efficient bullet train. But the journey quickly descended into a zombie apocalypse, with passengers screaming in terror.
Organisers of Saturday's adrenaline-filled trip, less than two weeks before Halloween, touted it as the "world's first haunted house experience on a running shinkansen".
On board one chartered car of the shinkansen -- the Japanese word for bullet train -- were around 40 thrill-seekers, ready to brave an encounter with the living dead between Tokyo and the western metropolis of Osaka.
The eerie experience was inspired by the hit 2016 South Korean action-horror movie "Train to Busan", in which a father and daughter trapped on a moving train battle zombies hungry for human flesh.
All seemed normal at first as the bullet train made a peaceful departure Saturday evening, but it wasn't long until the first gory attack.
The victims -- actors planted in seats by the organisers -- jerked in agony and then underwent a terrifying transformation before starting a rampage against their fellow passengers.
Event organiser Kenta Iwana of the group Kowagarasetai, which translates to the "scare squad", said they wanted to "depict the normally safe, peaceful shinkansen -- something we take for granted -- collapsing in the blink of an eye".

'Like I was in the film'

Sitting next to one of the actors was Joshua Payne, one of many foreign tourists on board.  
"I literally felt like I was in the film, just sitting here watching it take place in front of me," the 31-year-old American told AFP. 
"The fact that we can physically go from Tokyo to Osaka right now and have this whole performance at the same time... I think is really cool and maybe a little bit groundbreaking," he said. 
It was far from Central Japan Railway Company's first experiment with the usually dazzlingly clean, accident-free shinkansen, a Japanese institution that turned 60 this year.
After demand for long-distance travel plunged during the Covid-19 pandemic, the railway operator started renting out bullet train compartments for special events to diversify its business.
A sushi restaurant, a bar and even a wrestling match have been hosted on the high-speed train, and carriages can also be reserved for private parties.
Marie Izumi of JR Central's tourism subsidiary told AFP that she was surprised by the idea for a zombie-themed commute when Kowagarasetai approached her, thinking it would be "almost impossible to pull off".
But the event has convinced her of "new possibilities" for the bullet train, Izumi said, adding that concerts and comedy shows might be a good fit in the future.

Thriller

On Saturday, toy chainsaws and guns were used as props, but depictions of extreme violence and gore that could tarnish the shinkansen's squeaky-clean reputation were avoided.
To counterbalance the subdued horror, the two-and-a-half-hour tour was peppered with light-hearted performances by zombie cheerleaders, magicians and comedians, including a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". 
"Nobody wants to sit tight for such a long time being constantly exposed to horror," said Ayaka Imaide from Kowagarasetai.
Many aboard the zombie-infested train said the experience alone was worth the ticket price of up to 50,000 yen ($335).
"It was very immersive," Naohiko Nozawa, 30, told AFP. "And the appearance of so many different kinds of zombies kept me entertained all the way." 
tmo/sco

youth

Romantasy and dark college: young readers drive new literary trends

BY LéA PERNELLE

  • The trend has been fuelled by authors and publishers posting on social media, and readers giving feedback, particularly under the hashtag BookTok on TikTok.
  • From romantasy to dark college, legions of young readers are diving into eclectic new literary subgenres in a trend turbo-charged by social media.
  • The trend has been fuelled by authors and publishers posting on social media, and readers giving feedback, particularly under the hashtag BookTok on TikTok.
From romantasy to dark college, legions of young readers are diving into eclectic new literary subgenres in a trend turbo-charged by social media.
At the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, fans flocked to colourful stands showcasing "new adult" literature that filled an 8,000-square-metre (86,000 square feet) hall.
The trend has been fuelled by authors and publishers posting on social media, and readers giving feedback, particularly under the hashtag BookTok on TikTok.
"New adult brought me back to reading," Julia Kendall, a 30-year-old teacher, told AFP at the book fair, the world's largest.
"I didn't read at all for a while, then I held my first book by Mona Kasten in my hand and loved it," she said, referring to a popular German author of romantasy -- a neologism of romance and fantasy. 
New adult literature is generally aimed at readers aged 18 to 25, and usually contains more mature themes, such as explicit scenes or drug use, that could be considered off-limits for younger audiences.
Some authors have taken on a near rockstar status, with legions of fans who will queue for hours at events to meet them and get autographs. 

Breaking boundaries

One such popular author is Jane S. Wonda, who has written hit "dark romance" books that fuse elements of traditional romance with eroticism and darker subjects such as violence or drugs. 
The 33-year-old, who is self-published, told AFP she believed her works "break boundaries" and represent a shift away from social "over-correctness... towards something more morally grey". 
For Wonda, her readers are "very close" and their responses -- particularly on social media -- influence her writing.
"I pay a lot of attention to what feedback readers give to me: So, what do they write to me in messages? What do they respond to the most?"
Astrid Ohletz, who runs the Germany-based independent publisher Ylva, which focuses on lesbian romance books, said the social media-driven buying behaviour of young adult readers was "changing the industry".
"The big publishers are conservative. They know that they need to change -- but they really don't like it," she said.
Ohletz established her own relatively small outfit 12 years ago and sells mainly ebooks, in German and in English, in her domestic market and overseas.

'Reading fever'

Splashy appearance and style are key in "new adult" literature. 
Readers want attractive books that will stand out on social media, with publishers striving to produce ever more elaborate covers.  
"For a lot of new adult readers, the book is more than just reading material," said Jeannette Bauroth at Second Chances, a publisher that translates books into German that she feels have been passed over by the local market. 
Many want "pretty books" to take so-called "shelfies" -- snaps of their book shelves that they post on social media, she said. 
Bauroth gave the example of a series of books they published in the "queer sports romance" subgenre with the edge of the pages sprayed with colourful patterns.
But there are concerns in some quarters that the new adult genres "dumb down" literature and encourage young readers toward less serious works.
Some romance books have also faced criticism for being too dark, especially when it comes to how they portray relationships.
"I wish that some of the books were more healthy in their relationships," Ohletz said. "I don't get why they have a tendency to be a bit misogynistic."
However she and many other industry figures at the book fair were broadly positive about a trend they believe is encouraging more young people to pick up books. 
Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, chairwoman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, said there was "an absolute reading fever" among younger adults.
"They are finding an impulse for reading online... This generation moves naturally between analogue and digital," she said.
sr/fz/ju/js

Britain

'Heartbreaking': Dad, fans grieve Liam Payne's death

  • As the outpouring of grief from loved ones and fans continued Friday, fellow British stars Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams expressing their shock. 
  • The father of One Direction member Liam Payne visited the hotel Friday where his son plunged to his death from a third-floor balcony two days earlier, thanking fans gathered nearby in a shared moment of grief.
  • As the outpouring of grief from loved ones and fans continued Friday, fellow British stars Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams expressing their shock. 
The father of One Direction member Liam Payne visited the hotel Friday where his son plunged to his death from a third-floor balcony two days earlier, thanking fans gathered nearby in a shared moment of grief.
As heartfelt tributes and touching eulogies continued to pour in from around the world, Geoff Payne landed in Buenos Aires Friday morning, then visited the morgue where the body of his son, 31, is being kept pending the results of toxicological tests.
Payne then went to the hotel where the tragedy happened, stopping for a silent moment at the makeshift shrine his son's fans had erected on the sidewalk with photos, flowers, letters and candles.
The older Payne read some of the messages, kissed a few photos and mouthed thanks to those gathered for their support. Some broke out in tears.
Payne died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging" after falling from the balcony of his room at the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires Wednesday, an autopsy found.
Investigators said he appeared to have been "going through an episode of substance abuse."
As the outpouring of grief from loved ones and fans continued Friday, fellow British stars Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams expressing their shock. 
Sheeran wrote on Instagram that Payne's death was "just such a heartbreaking situation," while Robbie Williams, who like Payne has a history of addiction, expressed "shock, sadness and confusion."
"Liam’s trials and tribulations were very similar to mine, so it made sense to reach out and offer what I could. So I did," said Williams, who had met Payne and the rest of One Direction on British talent show The X Factor.
Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy said his sudden death had left her "at a complete loss."
"Nothing about the past few days have felt real," she posted on Instagram.
"Liam, my angel, you are everything... I will continue to love you for the rest of my life."

'Completely devastated'

The autopsy suggested Payne had not tried to break his fall and was in a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" before his death.
The singer, who had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and coping with fame from an early age, was alone at the time of the fall, prosecutors said.
He was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services twice to report "a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room," according to leaked audio.
Two women who had been with Payne in his room -- but left before his fall -- have been questioned by police, according to local press reports. 
His former One Direction band mates, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, said they were "completely devastated" by his death.
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC also offered their condolences, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Payne had been in Argentina to attend a concert by Niall Horan.
Argentine media published photos which they said showed the interior of his hotel room, with white powder on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter, and a television with a broken screen.
Payne is father to a seven-year-old boy, Bear, with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy.
sa-lm-cb/st/mlr/jgc

Britain

Father of One Direction star Payne arrives in Argentina

  • Payne suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging" after falling from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, an autopsy found.
  • The father of One Direction pop singer Liam Payne, whose death in a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires shocked the music world, arrived in Argentina on Friday, police sources told AFP. Geoff Payne landed in Buenos Aires at 6:00 am, the source said.
  • Payne suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging" after falling from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, an autopsy found.
The father of One Direction pop singer Liam Payne, whose death in a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires shocked the music world, arrived in Argentina on Friday, police sources told AFP.
Geoff Payne landed in Buenos Aires at 6:00 am, the source said.
The source did not say whether he would visit the morgue where the body of his son, the 31-year-old member of one of Britain's most successful pop groups of recent years, is being kept pending the results of toxicological tests.
Payne suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging" after falling from the balcony of his room on the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in central Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, an autopsy found.
The autopsy suggested he had not tried to stop his fall and was in a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" before his death.
The singer, who had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and coping with fame from an early age, was alone at the time and appeared to be "going through an episode of substance abuse," prosecutors said.
He was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services twice to report "a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room," according to leaked audio.
Tributes to the singer have been pouring in since Wednesday.
His former One Direction bandmates, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, said they were "completely devastated" by his death.
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC also offered their condolences, as did British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Payne was in Argentina to attend a concert by Niall Horan.
Argentine media published photos which they said showed the interior of his hotel room, with white powder on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter, and a television with a broken screen.
Fans have left a mound of letters, flowers and pictures of the singer at a makeshift shrine to him outside the hotel in Palermo district.
"I feel like it's a part of adolescence lost," said Lena Duek, 21.
Payne is the father of a seven-year-old boy, Bear, shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy.
sa-lm-cb/st

AI

Meta unveils AI tie-up with horror movie producers

  • But Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said he welcomed the chance to test the program while it was still being developed.
  • Tech giant Meta has unveiled a partnership with horror film production company Blumhouse to road-test its latest AI video tool.
  • But Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said he welcomed the chance to test the program while it was still being developed.
Tech giant Meta has unveiled a partnership with horror film production company Blumhouse to road-test its latest AI video tool.
The program, known as Movie Gen, was announced earlier this month though Meta said it was still being developed and would not be added to publicly available products until next year.
On Thursday, Meta announced that it had been working with filmmakers from Blumhouse -- known for producing franchises like "Paranormal Activity", "The Purge" and "Insidious" -- to refine and improve the tool.
Oscar-winner Casey Affleck, who was also given early access to Movie Gen, praised it in a promotional video as "more like a collaborator than it is like a tool".
The advance of AI was one of the flashpoints during last year's writers' strike in Hollywood, where creatives feared that studios would use AI tools to create scripts or even replace actors.
But Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said he welcomed the chance to test the program while it was still being developed.
"These are going to be powerful tools for directors, and it's important to engage the creative industry in their development to make sure they're best suited for the job," he was quoted as saying in a Meta blog post.
Meta also released a sleek three-minute video packaged like an advert made by filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty, framed around the idea that he should "hate" AI because it was going to wreck his industry.
Chaganty revisited a series of snippets he had filmed when he was a youngster, using Movie Gen to add aliens, or change the location from the countryside to Manhattan, or make it appear like he was in a bank vault rather than his family home.
"I hate AI, but with a tool like this... I dunno... maybe I would've just dreamt a little bigger," the voiceover concludes.
Meta has hailed Movie Gen's ability to create videos with sound from short prompts or photos as a major breakthrough, though the tool is still limited to 16-second clips.
jxb/lth

Britain

One Direction members 'devastated' by Liam Payne's death

BY LEILA MACOR AND MARTIN RASCHINSKY

  • "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say," One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik said on social media.
  • The members of hugely successful pop group One Direction said Thursday they were "completely devastated" by the death of bandmate Liam Payne, who fell from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room at the age of 31.
  • "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say," One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik said on social media.
The members of hugely successful pop group One Direction said Thursday they were "completely devastated" by the death of bandmate Liam Payne, who fell from the balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room at the age of 31.
Family members said they were "heartbroken" as condolences poured in from the world of music, fans and the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Singer Rita Ora interrupted a concert saying she "can't even sing." NSYNC said the bandmates were "deeply saddened." And the Backstreet Boys as well as Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood were also among those who paid tribute to the British singer.
In Argentina, an autopsy suggested that Payne had not tried to stop his fall on Wednesday, and "may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness" before his death.
"We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say," One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik said on social media.
"But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly," they said. 
In a separate tribute on Instagram, Styles said Payne's "greatest joy was making other people happy."
"The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend," he wrote.
Tomlinson described Payne as "the kind brother I'd longed all my life for."
"Liam was in my opinion the most vital part of One Direction," he said on Instagram.
"His experience from a young age, his perfect pitch, his stage presence, his gift for writing. The list goes on. Thank you for shaping us Liam."
Payne was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services twice to report "a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room," according to leaked audio.
"I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. But he has a room with a balcony and we're a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening," an employee said.

Family remembers 'brave soul'

Payne, the father of a seven-year-old boy shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and coping with fame from an early age.
He had been staying in a room on the Casa Sur hotel's third floor, with a balcony overlooking a rear patio that was about 14 meters (45 feet) high. 
Post mortem results indicated that he was alone at the time of the fall and "was going through an episode of substance abuse," prosecutors said.
The singer suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging," they said.
Payne's family issued a statement saying they would remember him for "his kind, funny and brave soul" and asking for privacy. 
Mikey Graham, a member of 1990s Irish boy band Boyzone, suggested that record companies "have psychologists on their books from now on in his memory as a duty of care for the vulnerability of their young talent."
"Fame can be very damaging especially in today's world," he wrote on X.

'Adolescence lost'

The Clarin newspaper published photos Wednesday of what it said was the interior of Payne's room, with white powder on a table next to a piece of aluminum foil and a lighter, and a television with a broken screen.
The prosecutor's office said substances that appeared to be "narcotics and alcoholic beverages" had been found in the room with pieces of furniture and other objects broken.
The results of medical and toxicological tests on Payne's body have not been made public.
One Direction began in 2010 when the then teenagers appeared on the British television contest "The X Factor." 
They went on to release an album of radio-ready songs each year in time for the holiday shopping season and became one of the highest-grossing live acts in the world.
In 2016, after Malik left, the group said it was on an indefinite hiatus but not splitting up.
Payne's first solo single "Strip That Down" peaked at number three on the UK charts and number 10 on the US Billboard top songs list.
But in recent years, he had spoken openly about struggles with alcoholism and fame.
In a 2023 video posted to his YouTube account, he said he had spent time in rehab and discussed his efforts to stop drinking: "I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore." 
Last year, he said he was working on a second solo album and released a single this March. 
Distraught fans -- most in their 20s and 30s -- gathered near the scene in Buenos Aires soon after news of Payne's death was announced Wednesday, many crying.
"I feel like it's a part of adolescence lost," said Lena Duek, 21.
Starmer's office offered "sincere condolences" to Payne's family and friends.
In Codsall in England, where Payne's parents live, residents voiced a mixture of shock and sadness on Thursday.
"I think everybody's talking about it because everybody knows Liam. Knows of Liam... because he was one of us," Maria Davies, 67, told AFP.
burs-mlr-cb/rsc/sco

film

'Like Texas': Spain's arid south draws Western film shoots

BY MARIE GIFFARD

  • Elaborate sets were built featuring dusty streets and saloons, now serving as Western-themed amusement parks that draw tourists to one of Spain's less visited regions, which still features as a backdrop for big-name films.
  • A cowboy collapses after gunshots ring out outside a saloon -- this is not America's Wild West but Spain's arid Almeria region, long a popular backdrop for Western movies.
  • Elaborate sets were built featuring dusty streets and saloons, now serving as Western-themed amusement parks that draw tourists to one of Spain's less visited regions, which still features as a backdrop for big-name films.
A cowboy collapses after gunshots ring out outside a saloon -- this is not America's Wild West but Spain's arid Almeria region, long a popular backdrop for Western movies.
The Tabernas Desert, one of Europe's driest regions which extends over 28,000 hectares, attracted Italian director Sergio Leone to shoot his iconic Western films from the 1960s, drawn by its barren landscape, abundant sunshine and low costs.
Among the movies he shot in the southern region are his masterpieces "A Fistful of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", which starred Oscar-winning actor Clint Eastwood.
Other directors followed. Dozens of Westerns were filmed in the region in the 1960s and the area soon became known as the "Hollywood of Europe".
Elaborate sets were built featuring dusty streets and saloons, now serving as Western-themed amusement parks that draw tourists to one of Spain's less visited regions, which still features as a backdrop for big-name films.
Mock cowboys on horseback put on a show for visitors to one of the theme parks, Fort Bravo, that includes a fake duel.
Rafael Aparicio, one of the performers sporting cowboy boots and a sleeveless waistcoat, said he started out working on film shoots in Tabernas.
"I must have been 14 or 15, and that's where I learned everything: how to ride a horse, how to fall from the top of a building, how to fight on the ground," the 49-year-old told AFP.

'Family affair'

The car park was packed with trucks, large camper vans and a white tent, a sign of filming in progress nearby.
Fabio Testi, an 83-year-old Italian actor who appears in several movies made in the region, said the light of the Tabernas Desert is what appealed most to filmmakers.
"You can shoot from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and it will always be the same," he told AFP. "It was like Texas for us, it really was like a desert." 
Jose Enrique Martinez, an author of two books on the history of filmmaking in Almeria, said "the scenery is the same as in Arizona and southern Texas -- it doesn't rain."
"And it's a lot cheaper than in the United States," he added.
"In its early days, cinema in Almeria was a family affair. Everyone wanted to be in the films. Workers would call in sick to go to film shoots where they were paid more."

'Long live the Western!'

After an airport opened in Almeria, the capital of the province of the same name located 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Tabernas, it became easier for stars such as Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot to come to the remote location for a shoot.
Tabernas has also been used as a stand-in for the Middle East and North Africa, such as for the 1962 epic drama "Lawrence of Arabia", said Bob Yareham, who wrote the book "Movies made in Spain".
Filming in Tabernas slowed down after the 1970s but has picked up recently with the filming of scenes for popular English-language series including "The Crown" and "Game of Thrones" as well as the French series "Lucky Luke" and "Zorro".
And since 2001 Tabernas has hosted each October Europe's only film festival dedicated to Westerns.
"It's not a thing of the past, it's still alive," said 41-year-old teacher Juan Castro, who attended this month's festival sporting a cowboy hat and a bandana around his neck.
"We must continue to promote it so that it doesn't fall into oblivion." 
Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen picked up the award for best picture at this year's festival for his feature "The Dead Don't Hurt" about star-crossed lovers in the Wild West.
"The Western is not dead, that's not true," Mortensen said on stage as he collected the prize.
"Long live the Western and long live the Western filmed in Almeria!" 
mig/ds/imm/js

film

Mitzi Gaynor, star of 'South Pacific,' dies aged 93

  • Soon after "South Pacific," Gaynor retired from film, as grand musicals fell out of fashion in Hollywood.
  • Mitzi Gaynor, best known for hit movie musical "South Pacific," has died at the age of 93, her representatives said Thursday.
  • Soon after "South Pacific," Gaynor retired from film, as grand musicals fell out of fashion in Hollywood.
Mitzi Gaynor, best known for hit movie musical "South Pacific," has died at the age of 93, her representatives said Thursday.
An actress, singer and dancer, Gaynor played the lead female role in the 1958 big-screen adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's Broadway sensation.
Her performance as Nellie Forbush, a naive US Navy nurse who falls in love with a French expat plantation owner on a remote Pacific island during the Second World War, earned Gaynor a Golden Globe nomination.
Gaynor "passed away peacefully of natural causes" in Los Angeles on Thursday, her managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda said in an email to AFP.
The movie's soundtrack, which featured Gaynor's vocals on songs like "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy," spent 31 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. 
Soon after "South Pacific," Gaynor retired from film, as grand musicals fell out of fashion in Hollywood.
Gaynor went on to enjoy considerable success performing in Las Vegas shows and in Emmy Award-winning television variety specials.
But she is remembered for her 1950s movie musicals, which also included "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Anything Goes," and "Les Girls."
Gaynor was born Francesca Mitzi Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago in September 1931, the only child of a Hungarian musical director and a vaudeville dancer.
Her husband of 52 years, Jack Bean, died in 2006.
amz/aha

Britain

What we know about One Direction star Liam Payne's death

BY SONIA AVALOS

  • Payne was in a room on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking a rear patio that was about 14 meters (45 feet) high. 
  • Liam Payne, a British singer and former member of boy band One Direction, died after falling from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel.
  • Payne was in a room on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking a rear patio that was about 14 meters (45 feet) high. 
Liam Payne, a British singer and former member of boy band One Direction, died after falling from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel.
The circumstances of the pop star's death, however, remain unclear.
Here is what we know so far:

Multiple trauma, hemorrhaging

Almost three hours after his death on Wednesday, Payne's body was removed from the hotel at around 8:30 pm (23:30 GMT) and autopsied. 
The autopsy established that Payne suffered "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhaging," the public prosecutor's office said in a statement. 
A preliminary report noted "25 injuries consistent with a fall from a great height."
First responders said there was "no possibility of resuscitation" at the scene, according to the head of emergency services in Buenos Aires. 

Drugs, alcohol

Hotel staff had called emergency services to respond to a hotel guest shortly after 5:00 pm, according to leaked audio of the call run by several media outlets.
"We have a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room, we need you to send someone!" a voice identified as a hotel employee said on the call. 
"I don't know if the guest's life is in danger. But he has a room with a balcony and we're a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening," said an employee who identified himself as the hotel's front desk manager in a second call.
Payne was in a room on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking a rear patio that was about 14 meters (45 feet) high. 
He had been in Argentina for several days, after attending a concert by former bandmate Niall Horan in Buenos Aires in early October. 

Wrecked room

Local media published photographs purportedly of Payne's room, showing a chaotic scene.
A TV with a broken screen, multiple bottles, cans with burn marks, candles and traces of white powder on a table are visible. There was also a half-full glass of champagne. 
The public prosecutor's office corroborated the depiction of drugs and alcohol, saying "substances were seized in the musician's room which would accredit a previous situation of alcohol and drug consumption." 
A telephone, a computer and the musician's papers were seized, as well as, according to local media, drugs such as the anti-anxiety medication Clonazepam.
The results of medical and toxicological tests on Payne's body were not immediately available. 
Payne had in the past spoken of his difficult relationship with fame and his problems with alcoholism.

Was it an accident?

The courts said they were officially investigating the death but did not suggest foul play was suspected.
"Everything seems to indicate that the musician was alone at the time of the fall and that he was going through an episode of substance abuse," authorities said.
The prosecutor's office has taken statements from at least five witnesses, including three hotel employees and two women who had earlier been in Payne's room.
sa-pbl/lab/aha/bgs

protest

UK's National Gallery bans liquids after activist art attacks

  • From Friday, the gallery said all liquids would be banned, except baby formula, expressed breast milk and prescription medicines.
  • The National Gallery in London said Thursday that it was banning liquids in a move to bolster security of its artworks after a spate of high-profile attacks by activists.
  • From Friday, the gallery said all liquids would be banned, except baby formula, expressed breast milk and prescription medicines.
The National Gallery in London said Thursday that it was banning liquids in a move to bolster security of its artworks after a spate of high-profile attacks by activists.
Over the last two years, various liquids have been thrown at iconic paintings in the gallery on Trafalgar Square, including Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and John Constable's "The Hay Wain".
From Friday, the gallery said all liquids would be banned, except baby formula, expressed breast milk and prescription medicines.
The attacks "have caused physical damage to the artworks, distress to visitors and staff alike, and disruption to our mission to ensure great art is available for everyone, everywhere to enjoy," it said.
Theatrical attacks on paintings and sit-in protests at the National Gallery have been a way for activists to protest the climate crisis and other causes, arguing that art is "worthless" if the climate and human life are threatened.
Last week, two people were arrested after pasting a photo of a bloodied mother and child in Gaza over a Picasso painting, calling for an arms embargo on Israel.
Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" has been the target of two attacks. 
Three people from the Just Stop Oil group threw soup at the painting in September, after two other JSO activists were jailed for committing a similar act in 2022.
The pair who targeted "Sunflowers" two years ago were sentenced to 20 months and two years in prison.
Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand on Wednesday wrote an open letter to the National Museum Directors' Council, offering to meet them at the Gallery for talks.
It said its protests were part of a proud tradition dating back to the Suffragette movement, and its actions "cause small amounts of damage and disruption" to highlight global warming and the dangers of fossil fuels.
"The arts are unsuccessful in refuting climate denial. Politics has failed us. Resistance is our only remaining option," the groups said.
aks/phz/jj/js

Nobel

S Korean Nobel winner Han Kang hopes daily life 'won't change much'

  • "I hope and believe that my daily life won't change too much," she said.
  • Author Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize for Literature said Thursday that she hoped her daily life would not change too much after her historic honour.
  • "I hope and believe that my daily life won't change too much," she said.
Author Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize for Literature said Thursday that she hoped her daily life would not change too much after her historic honour.
The short story writer and novelist is best known overseas for her Man Booker Prize-winning "The Vegetarian", her first novel translated into English.
The 53-year-old, who also became the first Asian woman author to win the Nobel, was chosen "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life", the Swedish Academy said last week.
Winning the Nobel was "a joyful and thankful moment, and I quietly celebrated that night," she said at an award event in Seoul.
Han's win has created a sensation in South Korea, with the websites of major bookstores and publishing houses crashing after it was announced, as tens of thousands rushed to order her books.
"The past week, filled with so many people sharing in my joy as if it were their own, will be remembered as a special and moving experience for me," she said. 
As of Wednesday morning, at least 1.06 million copies, including e-books, had been sold since last Thursday's Nobel announcement, with bookshops telling AFP her sales were "unprecedented" and had dramatically boosted sales of South Korean literature as a whole.
The writer said that she hoped she would be able to continue her normal routines, focused on writing.
"I hope and believe that my daily life won't change too much," she said.
"I'm someone who connects with the world through the writing I do, and I hope to continue writing and meeting readers through my books, just as I’ve always done."
"I don't drink alcohol. Recently, I’ve stopped consuming all caffeine, including coffee, for health reasons. I rarely travel anymore, something I once enjoyed. In other words, I'm often asked, 'What do you find fun in life?' Instead, I enjoy walking."
She said she was currently working on finishing a novel she started in the spring, which she hoped would be ready for release next year.
"But since I often misjudge the timing of my own writing, I can't give a firm answer on when exactly it will be completed," she added.
She has three more books in mind to write, she said, adding she hoped to devote the next six years of her life -- before she turns 60 -- to them.
"However, just as it has always been, I suspect that as I write these, I'll come up with ideas for more books, and I'll never stop thinking about the books I want to write," she said. 
"This makes me worry that I might not even be able to die properly, always haunted by the thought of the next three books I want to write."
kjk-ceb/lb

music

Liam Payne: One Direction singer swept up by teenage stardom

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR

  • - Charity - Payne, who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Argentinian capital on Wednesday, was in the city to watch his former bandmate Horan in concert.
  • Liam Payne, who died aged 31 after plunging from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, spent more than half his life in the public eye as a member of one of the world's most successful boy bands.
  • - Charity - Payne, who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Argentinian capital on Wednesday, was in the city to watch his former bandmate Horan in concert.
Liam Payne, who died aged 31 after plunging from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, spent more than half his life in the public eye as a member of one of the world's most successful boy bands.
The singer from Wolverhampton in central England was first unsuccessful in his audition on the hugely popular television talent show "The X Factor".
But he hit gold on the programme in 2010, aged just 16, joining Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik -- and One Direction was born.
Over the next six years, the group enjoyed global fame and legions of screaming fans, selling more than 70 million copies of their five albums. They went on four world tours and won nearly 200 awards. 
Payne, described by former X Factor host Dermot O'Leary as "a joy... polite, grateful and... always humble", was said to be the "driving force" behind some of One Direction's most loved songs.
He penned "Story of My Life", "Night Changes" and "Midnight Memories" among others, and once referred to himself as the "first verse man" -- singing the coveted first verse of most of the songs on the band's first album "Up All Night".
After Malik left One Direction in 2015, the band went on an "indefinite hiatus" a year later, prompting Payne and the others to start solo careers. 
Payne met with early success with his debut solo single "Strip That Down", released in 2017, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Last year, he revealed he was working on a second solo album, having delayed a planned tour due to health problems, and released his last single "Teardrops" in March 2024.

Charity

Payne, who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Argentinian capital on Wednesday, was in the city to watch his former bandmate Horan in concert.
While the exact circumstances of the fall are unclear, police said they responded to a report of "an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol". 
He leaves behind a son from a previous relationship with the Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
News of Payne's death left fans distraught. "I feel like it's a part of adolescence lost," said one, Lena Duek, 21, outside the hotel.
She described One Direction as the soundtrack of her teenage years and had been hoping for them to reunite.
British anti-poverty charity Trussell praised Payne for his "compassion and kindness" for supporting their foodbanks. Chief executive Emma Revie said he funded more than 360,000 meals during the pandemic. 

Anxiety, frustrations

Payne's death came as he faced heavy criticism on social media following an interview in which his ex-partner Maya Henry accused him of being abusive.
In the interview this week, Henry said Payne would tell her he was "going to die" as a manipulation tactic. The Daily Mail reported Henry obtained a "cease-and-desist" order against Payne. 
In recent years, the singer opened up about his struggles with alcohol and dealing with fame at such a young age.
"I've found in my life at the moment, because of the way things have happened, that everything's kind of fast-forwarded," he told Esquire Magazine in 2019.
Speaking about anxiety and losing his sense of self, he added: "It's a bit like being stuck out in deep water and you're just going 'well, it would be really nice to get back now'."
However, after taking a break, Payne said last year he was ready to return to music career in a video titled "I'm Back... ".
In it, he said he was sober and apologised for taking out "frustrations" with his career on "everybody else".
"The rest of the boys really stuck by me when I needed them most, they kinda came to the rescue," he added.
"I feel like I've got more of a grip on life now, and everything that was getting away from me."
aks/phz/ach 

BTS

BTS member J-hope discharged from South Korean military

BY HIEUN SHIN

  • "During the past one year and six months, I realised that many soldiers in the military are making great efforts and sacrifices to protect the country," he said, urging the public to support active duty military.
  • K-pop megastar J-hope from BTS ended eighteen months of South Korean military service Thursday, and hailed the "sacrifice" of soldiers working to keep the country safe, as fans wept for joy at his return to the industry.
  • "During the past one year and six months, I realised that many soldiers in the military are making great efforts and sacrifices to protect the country," he said, urging the public to support active duty military.
K-pop megastar J-hope from BTS ended eighteen months of South Korean military service Thursday, and hailed the "sacrifice" of soldiers working to keep the country safe, as fans wept for joy at his return to the industry.
The seven members of the world's most popular boy band have been on a self-described "hiatus" since 2022 due to their military service, which South Korea requires of all men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North.
J-hope, the main dancer of the group, emerged from the gates of his army base in South Korea's central Wonju city, and hugged fellow band member Jin -- who finished his service in June -- before saluting waiting reporters and fans.
"During the past one year and six months, I realised that many soldiers in the military are making great efforts and sacrifices to protect the country," he said, urging the public to support active duty military.
"Thank you so much for waiting for me, and I deeply appreciate the strong support and love you have shown," he told fans, before getting into a vehicle.
Outside the base fans had hung up colourful banners to welcome the star back to civilian life saying: "The sun is finally shining upon ARMY" referring to the group's official fandom, and: "My bank account! It's ready to go straight to J-hope!"
Fans had put a life-size cut out of J-hope dancing outside the base, with a giant balloon congratulating him on his military discharge flying overhead. 
Fans had been urged not to show up for safety reasons, but early Thursday there were around 50 admirers present -- including international fans from China and Brazil -- outside the base.
A group of Japanese fans rented a bus to get to the military unit, which is located about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Seoul.
Fernanda Polo, a Brazilian influencer who lives in Seoul, said she waited for J-hope since 5 am. 
"I was almost dying when I saw him," Polo told AFP, holding up her hand to show that she was still shaking with emotion. 
Her friend Theana, a flight attendant, said she came to South Korea specifically to see J-hope, adding it was "very emotional" to be in the presence of her hero, even for just moments. 
Later Thursday outside his agency HYBE's headquarters, J-hope was met with hundreds of fans who had waited for hours to greet his vehicle. 
"Take Three of J-hope's life has begun," J-hope said on fan platform Weverse. 
"I'll focus on losing weight and working out, so that I can return to you with a beautiful appearance and show you a lot of amazing activities," he told his fans.

Good for the industry

The latest BTS military discharge is likely to be good for the K-pop industry as a whole, analysts said.
"J-Hope's comeback is certainly like a refreshing downpour for HYBE during a long, dry spell," Yoo Sung-man, an analyst at Leading Investment and Securities, told AFP.
BTS' agency HBYE is struggling with a legal battle with K-pop girl group NewJeans' superproducer Min Hee-jin, which has been causing a headache for investors, he added. 
In addition, another BTS member, SUGA, was investigated over a drunk e-scooter incident in Seoul earlier this year, which led to HYBE's share price dropping to a record low.
"Even putting aside the 'Suga' issue, the 'Min Hee-jin and NewJeans' issue needs to be resolved first," said Yoo.
"Unless all BTS members complete their military service and make a full-group comeback, J-Hope's solo return might not be enough to overshadow the conflict completely," he added.
HYBE's share price closed up seven percent Thursday afternoon 
The rest of the band will complete their service in June 2025.
Jin announced Monday that he will release his first solo album in November.
hs/ceb/ssy

LGBTQ

Bronski Beat's gay anthem 'Smalltown Boy' strikes chord 40 years on

BY FANNY LATTACH

  • Patrick Thevenin, a journalist of LGBTQ music and culture, said he was "quite astonished by the support for 'Smalltown Boy', whether gay or straight, by all generations".
  • Forty years on from its 1984 release, Bronski Beat's new wave hit "Smalltown Boy" has transcended generations to become an LGBTQ anthem for young and old alike.
  • Patrick Thevenin, a journalist of LGBTQ music and culture, said he was "quite astonished by the support for 'Smalltown Boy', whether gay or straight, by all generations".
Forty years on from its 1984 release, Bronski Beat's new wave hit "Smalltown Boy" has transcended generations to become an LGBTQ anthem for young and old alike.
Narrowly spared the censor's axe in a Britain where being gay was only partially decriminalised, its tale of coming out and fleeing home has found a new lease of life with a younger audience on social media platforms including TikTok.
Released on the band's debut album "The Age of Consent", its synth and echoed drum-driven groove rode the wave of popularity with a public increasingly hungry for the "Hi-NRG" electronic disco trend. 
Charismatic Scottish frontman Jimmy Somerville, later of The Communards, and his plaintive countertenor voice did the rest.
Bronski Beat's label London Records knew they had a surefire hit on their hands as soon as they turned to the UK capital's iconic LGBTQ club Heaven, famous for its long-running G-A-Y night, to promote the single.
"Suddenly, as we were playing the record, you could see the dance floor get quieter, you know, as people were actually listening to the words," the label's former chief Colin Bell told AFP.
"And then the DJ did something, which he says to this day that he's never done before: he played the record and then he played it again, straight after," Bell added.
"And that was the moment we knew it was something special."

Compromise and obscenity

But to launch the nascent band to stardom, London Records had to walk on eggshells to make sure the hit could air on radio and its iconic music video pass on television.
Same-sex relations were in part decriminalised in England and Wales by the Sexual Offences Act 1967 -- later extended to Scotland in 1980 and Northern Ireland in 1982. 
But the age of consent -- which gave Bronski Beat's debut album its title -- remained 21 years old for gay lovers, compared to 16 years for their heterosexual counterparts. 
And the same year "Smalltown Boy" came out, Frankie Goes to Hollywood saw their own gay club banger "Relax" banned from the BBC's airwaves on the grounds it was deemed obscene.
But convincing Bronski Beat to compromise proved easier said than done.
"We would ask them to moderate some of the things that they had to do in order to get the records on the radio or on the TV," Bell said. 
"There was some tension in the creative relationship we had," but "we compromised, we softened it and successfully," he added.
Over the song's insistent upbeat tempo, Somerville weaves a mournful tale of a boy who has to escape the clutches of parenthood to assert his own identity, however painful that may be: "Run away, turn away," is the refrain.
Yet the ex-label head underlined that its lyrics and accompanying music video are open to other, more varied interpretations.
"It didn't stand just for a gay boy being beaten up and taken back to his parents," Bell said.
"That could be a woman, that could be a girl, that could be anybody." 

'Transcends all divides'

With 122 million views on YouTube, "Smalltown Boy" is experiencing a resurgence in popularity on social media.
On TikTok, the song has trended as the focus of a challenge where users play the 1984 hit and ask their parents to dance like it is the 80s again.
Patrick Thevenin, a journalist of LGBTQ music and culture, said he was "quite astonished by the support for 'Smalltown Boy', whether gay or straight, by all generations".
"It's a classic of gay emancipation and coming out, but its strength lies in the fact that it transcends all divides of gender and sexuality."
The record has "long since transcended the gay sphere", Thevenin said.
Even if homophobic attacks and LGBTQ acts persist today, the journalist said he took that as proof that "society is progressing".
In 2017, a remix of "Smalltown Boy" by Arnaud Rebotini brought the song to a new generation in France after it was included on the soundtrack for Robin Campillo's film "120 Battements par minute" about AIDS activism, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes.
Three events are planned in London on Saturday to celebrate the album's 40th anniversary, with marches and concerts by LGBTQ artists at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Somerville, long a recluse from the media spotlight, is not expected to attend.
fan/sbk/giv

women

'Our time has come': the female Indian director hoping to make Oscars history

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR

  • While trying to drum up attention for the film among Academy members, Rao also wanted to use "Lost Ladies" for social outreach in the Indian countryside.
  • Despite Bollywood's popularity worldwide, the mammoth Hindi-language film industry has made barely a dent in the Academy Awards, with just 10 Indian Oscar wins since 1957.
  • While trying to drum up attention for the film among Academy members, Rao also wanted to use "Lost Ladies" for social outreach in the Indian countryside.
Despite Bollywood's popularity worldwide, the mammoth Hindi-language film industry has made barely a dent in the Academy Awards, with just 10 Indian Oscar wins since 1957.
Kiran Rao is hoping to change that with "Lost Ladies" -- India's official entry for best international film in 2025 -- which she said comes at a "special moment" for South Asian cinema centring women's stories.
Only three Indian entries in the category have been nominated and none has won.
The last entry to be nominated was the 2001 film "Lagaan". Rao was an assistant director in that epic, while the lead role was played by her ex-husband, Aamir Khan, who was a producer of "Lost Ladies".
"We've seen a lot more participation from Asia at the Oscars," Rao told AFP in London, referring to triumphs for South Korea's "Parasite" and Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh's Best Actress win for "Everything Everywhere All at Once".
South Asian films, however, "haven't seen as much in terms of representation at the Oscars", said Rao. "There's a lot that we can offer the world in terms of our stories, in terms of our styles."

'Change mindsets'

"Lost Ladies" ("Laapataa Ladies" in Hindi) tells the story of two young women in rural India who get mistakenly swapped by their newly wed husbands while wearing similar face-covering veils.
Forging intimate connections and navigating conservative norms with humour, both women and the families they accidentally join question their convictions on marriage and womanhood.
The fresh take on the comedy-of-errors plot -- a popular trope in Indian cinema -- follows their journey "not just towards getting back home, but towards finding themselves and their purpose and their voice", explained Rao.
While trying to drum up attention for the film among Academy members, Rao also wanted to use "Lost Ladies" for social outreach in the Indian countryside.
Since its release, she has been showing the film to "communities where women perhaps need new ideas and solutions and encouragement" and where "women would not perhaps otherwise be able to go to cinemas".
"Storytelling, it can open that little window of perception, can change very old mindsets with sometimes just a small question or a small decision," said Rao.
Rao said the film aims to address patriarchal issues "in a way that's quite gentle and inclusive and doesn't necessarily pass judgement on women's decisions and the way they've chosen to live their lives -- or have been forced to live their lives".
While focusing on the challenges and pockets of hope for women in small-town India, the story "touches upon issues that affect women everywhere", she said.
"Issues of agency, identity... women's daily struggles and daily triumphs."

Women directors

Some of these problems reflect in her life as well, said Rao.
"Despite being halfway across the world, we still find women under-represented when it comes to most industries, especially when it comes to places where there's decision-making involved," she added.
Women directors have been rebuffed in the Oscars until recently. The awards have faced strong criticism in the last decade for a lack of diversity.
Only three women have won the best director category, and less than two percent of all Oscar nominees have been women of colour, according to research by the University of Southern California's Annenberg school for journalism.
India's Oscar entries for the foreign film category over the last seven decades have included less than a dozen women directors.
"I think women's stories need to be seen more. Women directors need a lot more encouragement," said Rao.
The selection of "Lost Ladies" comes as another Indian movie -- Payal Kapadia's Malayalam-language "All We Imagine as Light", about two nurses who forge an intergenerational friendship while working in Mumbai -- won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
The UK entry for the Oscars foreign film category, "Santosh", is a Hindi drama by British-Indian director Sandhya Suri about a widow who takes on her late husband's role as a police constable in rural north India.
"It's great that in this Oscar race, Britain is represented by Sandhya Suri, again, a woman of South Asian origin. Payal Kapadia will be in the best film running after winning Cannes," said Rao. 
"It's a special moment for women from India. Finally, our time has come, and I hope it's the start of a wave of many more stories from India by women," she said. "We've been quiet for far too long."
aks/phz/tw/sco