Popstar Liam Payne has died after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, yesterday.

The 31-year-old of former global boyband One Direction, had been on holiday with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, and had been in Argentina earlier that month to watch his friend, Niall Horan, in concert.

Liam fell from the third floor balcony at Casa Sur where he was staying in Palermo.

Emergency crews said they had initially responded to a 911 report from the hotel manager of an “aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”.

When they arrived at the hotel, emergency services found Liam in an interior courtyard with “very serious injuries incompatible with life”. An autopsy will take place.

Fans of the singer held a candlelit vigil at the hotel overnight.

Rise to fame

Payne rose to fame in 2010, while competing in the The X Factor. He was placed in a band with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

They went on to become one of the world’s most famous boybands, selling more than 70 million records worldwide.

Liam enjoyed some solo success with his solo singles Strip That Down and Both Ways, following the band’s split.

He had a son, Bear, with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, in 2017.

Tributes

Many celebrities have expressed their sadness on social media this morning, including Liam Gallagher who wrote on X, “Life is precious kids and you only get to do it ONCE, go easy LGx”.

Singer Olly Murrs, who appeared on The X Factor the year before Liam, said he was “lost for words” after describing the death as “devastating”.

Just WHO is the UK’s master burrito maker?

The search for the UK’s Ultimate Burrito Master faces its thrilling conclusion in London, where the grand finale of the nationwide competition by Tortilla, the Mexican restaurant, is taking place today. 

After months of fierce heats across the country, the final showdown will be hosted at Tortilla’s Leadenhall restaurant, with six finalists battling it out for the prestigious title of Burrito Master 2024.

These culinary champions have chopped, grilled, and wrapped their way to the top, and now they’re ready to prove they’ve got what it takes to claim the burrito crown. 

Each finalist represents the best of the best that Tortilla offers from across the UK from Manchester, Lincoln, Stratford, Cardiff, Richmond, and Dalston. 

With their unique flair and skills, they’ll face a series of challenges, all designed to test their expertise and creativity in crafting the perfect burrito.

In the first round, the contestants will showcase their ability to build and wrap the perfect burrito—turning it upside down to demonstrate flawless technique. 

The heat will be turned up in the second round when the finalists create their ultimate taco, a blind round where the judges will step away, leaving presentation and portioning as key factors in scoring. 

The third challenge requires them to design a picture-perfect burrito bowl, built to Tortilla’s high standards. 

Finally, the contestants will let their imaginations run wild in the last round, where they’ll create their own signature dish, highlighting their personality, passion, and culinary knowledge.

Then one talented finalist will be crowned Tortilla’s Burrito Master of 2024 and rewarded with a fantastic array of prizes, including £1,000 in travel vouchers, exclusive Burrito Master merchandise, and Just Eat takeaway vouchers.

Judging the event will be a panel of experts, including Tortilla’s CEO Andy Naylor, food director James Garland, and head of brand standards & compliance, Kristal May. 

CEO Andy Naylor said: “This summer we’ve been on the hunt for the ultimate Tortilla Burrito Master, it’s been fantastic to see all our teams get so involved and showcase their skill and craft in making our famous burritos.”

Tortilla Mexican Grill recently launched its first-ever app, introducing a new loyalty programme called The Burrito Society. This app brings together fans of Tortilla, offering rewards for loyalty and surprise perks that drop into the app for its most dedicated burrito lovers.

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Panda Fluff – headquarted in Ruislip – has secured 30 sites across the UK and Europe in 12 months making it the UK’s fastest growing candy floss vending machine business.

The high-tech, brightly coloured machines are capable of producing 130 different styles of candy floss, from heart shaped designs to floral patterns. There are six natural fruit flavours to choose from, including strawberry, melon and vanilla, plus two types of toppings.

Customers tap on the machine’s touch screen, select a candy floss, then watch it being made – taking just 90 seconds from start to finish. 

Panda Fluff’s machines can now be found at Haven Holidays, Moto Services, and numerous theme parks and destination shopping centres.

The company was founded by entrepreneur, Kelly Poon (pictured) in 2023, when her daughter asked for a special after-school treat. She wanted candy floss but Kelly didn’t want to settle for something in a packet. She wanted to get her the real deal. Proper candy floss on a stick.

“That’s when I fell down the rabbit hole of candy floss and vending machines,” laughs Kelly. “After lots of research, I found a factory and worked closely with them to design the machine capability and branding that I wanted.”

With a natural eye for design, following a career in the fashion industry, Kelly created the unique, colourful Panda Fluff brand and set about securing sites for the candy floss machines.

“The first Panda Fluff machine went to St. Enoch, a beautiful big destination shopping centre in the heart of Glasgow City Centre,” explains Kelly. “It was so exciting to find a home for that first one, and to see the hard work paying off. Interest increased very quickly from there.

“It is still relatively unusual to see a candy floss machine – despite the fact that the British vending machine market is expanding rapidly, across the board. So, that definitely piques the interest of business customers. The opportunity to have something unique.

“The Panda Fluff machines are also very easy to maintain and they’re reliable – plus, we have support staff on the ground in the UK, should customers need anything.

“The quality of the candy floss product is also something that is mentioned a lot,” she adds. “The candy floss contains filtered water and natural sugars – nothing else – and we use 100% biodegradable sticks, so businesses can feel good about what they’re providing to customers and their families.”

As well as continuing to grow Panda Fluff across the UK and Europe, one of Kelly’s ambitions is to demonstrate to her daughters and other girls and women that owning and running a business is possible.

“One of my proudest moments has been one of my daughters telling her teacher that she wants to be a ‘candy floss boss’ like mum when she’s older.”

The Panda Fluff business model is a mixture of franchisees, machine sales and machines owned and serviced by Panda Fluff.

Suppliers from across the industry recently came together to take part in Jewson’s dragon boat race tournament, one of the national builders’ merchant’s annual fundraising events for its two official charity partners, Band of Builders and Whiteleys Retreat.

Taking place for a third consecutive year, more than 400 people – made up of Jewson colleagues and team members from 35 of its suppliers – were split across 25 teams, competing in a series of races at Draycote Water, ahead of a knockout round. A grand finale took place between three teams, with the highly competitive race won by ‘Super Fast Plus’, made up of colleagues from CT1.

Every year, Jewson organises a wealth of fundraising activities for Band of Builders, which supports tradespeople and their families during times of need. These include initiatives such as the annual Big Brew, which this year took place on October 10.

The event encourages tradespeople to connect over a hot drink and discuss the different elements of their job
which impact their mental health, to drive more positive conversations about wellbeing in the construction industry. Jewson has been official charity partners with Band of Builders for seven years and has raised more than £3000,000 during that time.

In 2023, Jewson announced Whiteley’s Retreat as its official charity partner for Scotland and the North. The organisation, which has a centre based in Ayrshire, provides free therapeutic respite breaks and extended support for children, young people and their families with cancer or life altering illnesses.

Richard Holland, category manager at Jewson, said: “Each year, our dragon boat race event gets better and better. There was an incredible atmosphere amongst all participants, who were here to work together, play hard, and most importantly raise money for charities that are incredibly close to our hearts.”

Tony Steel, operations director at Band of Builders, said: “Our partnership with Jewson continues to thrive, and the dragon boat race is just one example of the brilliant ideas Jewson has to continue supporting our charity, and the people who benefit from it.

“The money raised from this year’s event will go towards some of the many tradespeople and their families that we’ll be working with in coming months, ensuring they have the tools and support they need to get back on track and rebuild their lives.”

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a firearm discharge in West Kensington.

The incident happened at around 4am on Sunday, October 13, outside a nightclub in Russell Gardens.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots after a verbal altercation involving a group of people. All those involved left the scene prior to police arriving.

Officers attended and during a search of the location, casings were found. A crime scene remains in place while investigative work continues.

No injuries were reported.

Detectives are appealing for anyone who was in the area and saw events unfold, or anyone who has information that could assist police, to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD1158/13Oct.

You can also provide information anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Image credit: Nigel J. Harris