An investigation into a triple murder in Argentina has led to two arrests in Peru
Brenda del Castillo, Morena Verdi and Lara Morena Gutiérrez were found brutally slain in a well in the Argentinian city of Florencio Varela last week
Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, known as ‘Pequeño J,’ is accused of masterminding the murders
Authorities in Peru have detained a 20-year-old man on accusations that he ordered the brutal, livestreamed torture and killings of two women and a teenager whose bodies were found buried in a well after they disappeared.
The dismembered remains of victims Brenda del Castillo, 20, Morena Verdi 20, and Lara Morena Gutiérrez, 15, were found last week in Florencio Varela, about 16 miles south of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, local authorities said, according to Pagina 12, Cadena 3 and La Nación.
Four people were arrested in Argentina in the immediate aftermath, but now investigators say they’ve apprehended the alleged ringleader of the killings, 20-year-old Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, BBC and El País report.
Victoriano, who reportedly goes by ‘‘Pequeño J,” was taken into custody from a seaside resort about 43 miles from the Peruvian capital of Lima, per BBC and theBuenos Aires Times.
Argentina’s Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich made the announcement on X on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Hours prior, she had announced the arrest of fugitive Matías Agustin Ozorio, who BBC reports is Victoriano’s right hand man, citing Peruvian authorities.
Patricia Bullrich/X
The National Police of Peru arrest Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, also known as “Little J”
The discovery of the remains in what was dubbed by local media as a “house of horror” sent shockwaves through the region and sparked mass protests in Argentina demanding justice for the victims.
An investigation revealed the three victims were allegedly lured into a van with the promise of being paid to attend a party on Sept. 19, Pagina 12, Cadena 3 and La Nación previously reported.
An examination of the bodies concluded they were killed hours later. Their remains were found on Sept. 24.
Their alleged torture was live-streamed in a closed group on a social media with 45 people, Buenos Aires Security Minister Javier Alonso previously confirmed, according to El Trece TV, Cadena 3 and La Nación.
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Ozorio will be extradited to Argentina, Bullrich said on X.
Authorities are working to extradite Victoriano, who is a Peruvian citizen, the BBC reports.
The bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried Wednesday in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing.
The crime, which investigators tied to drug gangs, was allegedly perpetrated live on Instagram and watched by 45 members of a private account, officials said.
Police announced Monday the arrest of a young woman following an interview she gave to a local television station.
The suspect was reportedly seen in a car belonging to her uncle, who was arrested Friday in Bolivia, near the Argentine border, on suspicion of providing logistical support for transporting the young victims.
On Wednesday, two men and two women were arrested, followed by a sixth suspect on Saturday.
According to authorities, the man suspected of ordering the massacre is a 20-year-old Peruvian drug trafficker nicknamed “Little J,” who was active an in impoverished southern suburb of Buenos Aires. An international arrest warrant has been issued for him. His alleged lieutenant, aged 23, is also being sought.
Antonio del Castillo, grandfather of the slain 20-year-old cousins, called the killers “bloodthirsty.”
Antonio del Castillo, grandfather of Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi, holds a shirt with their image demanding justice for their murder in La Tablada, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, on September 26, 2025.
LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images
“You wouldn’t do what they did to them to an animal,” he said.
“I have hope that the truth will be revealed,” he added during a protest in Buenos Aires. “I ask people to stand with us.”
Femicide in Argentina
The European Institute for Gender Equality says femicide “is broadly defined as the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender and can take different forms, such as the murder of women as a result of intimate partner violence; the torture and misogynist slaying of women; killing of women and girls in the name of ‘honor,’ etc.”
One woman is killed by a man every 36 hours in Argentina, according to a femicide monitoring group in the country, BBC News reported.
Femicide was added to Argentina’s penal code as an aggravating factor of homicides in 2012, and is punishable with life imprisonment, according to the Guardian.
However, earlier this year, Argentine President Javier Milei said he wanted to remove the concept of “femicide” from the country’s penal code, the Council on Foreign Relations reported. Milei had argued that femicide promotes the idea that “the life of a woman is worth more than that of a man.
Paula Fabero, Brenda del Castillo’s mother, reacts as relatives and friends of Brenda del Castillo, Morena Verdi and Lara Gutierrez march with abortion rights activists to mark the International Safe Abortion Day and call for justice after the three young women were tortured and murdered earlier this week in a suspected drug gang revenge attack, according to local media, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 27, 2025.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires this weekend to demand justice for two young women and a teen girl whose torture and murders were live-streamed on social media, in a case that has shocked Argentina.
The victims’ relatives held a banner with their names — “Lara, Brenda, Morena” — and placards with their images, flanked by supporters as they marched to Parliament.
“It was a narco-feminicide!” “Our lives are not disposable!” read signs and banners as protesters banged on drums at the march, organized by a feminist group.
The bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried Wednesday in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing.
The crime, which investigators tied to drug gangs, was perpetrated live on Instagram and watched by 45 members of a private account, officials said.
“Bloodthirsty” killers
“Women must be protected more than ever,” Brenda’s father, Leonel del Castillo, told reporters at the protest. He had earlier said he had not been able to identify his daughter’s body due to the abuse she had endured.
Antonio del Castillo, grandfather of the slain 20-year-old cousins, was in tears, calling the killers “bloodthirsty.”
“You wouldn’t do what they did to them to an animal,” he said.
“I have hope that the truth will be revealed,” he added. “I ask people to stand with us.”
Antonio del Castillo, grandfather of Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi, holds a shirt with their image demanding justice for their murder in La Tablada, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, on September 26, 2025.
LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced the arrest of a fifth suspect, bringing the total to three men and two women.
The fifth suspect, accused of providing logistical support with a car, was arrested in the Bolivian border city of Villazon.
Authorities have released a photograph of the plot’s alleged mastermind, a 20-year-old Peruvian, who remains at large.
“What happens to those who steal drugs from me”
Investigators said the victims, thinking they were going to a party, were lured into a van on September 19 allegedly as part of a plan to “punish” them for violating gang code and serving as a warning to others.
Police discovered the video after one of the detainees revealed it under questioning, according to Javier Alonso, security minister for Buenos Aires province.
In the footage, a gang leader is heard saying: “This is what happens to those who steal drugs from me.”
Argentine media reported the torturers cut off fingers, pulled out nails, beat and suffocated the victims.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, disputed that the livestream occurred on its platform.
“We have not found any evidence of the livestream taking place on Instagram. Our team continues to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this horrific crime,” a spokesperson told AFP.
Federico Celebon, a cousin of Brenda and Morena, told AFP the young women had sometimes engaged in sex work “to survive,” without their families’ knowledge.
They had “bad luck” to “find themselves at the wrong time with the wrong people,” he said.
According to several media outlets, the women had been asked to attend the party as prostitutes.
Yamila Alegre, a 35-year-old leatherworker at the march on Saturday, blasted media coverage of the case.
“We always try to make the girls feel guilty, we know everything about their lives, what they were doing there, what their family is like… we publish their photos but we know nothing about the perpetrators, not their names, their faces are blurred,” she said.
Paula Fabero, Brenda del Castillo’s mother, reacts as relatives and friends of Brenda del Castillo, Morena Verdi and Lara Gutierrez march with abortion rights activists to mark the International Safe Abortion Day and call for justice after the three young women were tortured and murdered earlier this week in a suspected drug gang revenge attack, according to local media, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 27, 2025.
Cristina Sille / REUTERS
Del Valle Galvan, Lara’s aunt, denied that the 15-year-old was involved with drugs or prostitution.
“There is poverty in our neighborhood, but what people say about Lara is false,” she said.
“We want justice to be done, for nothing to be covered up, for the whole truth to come out so that those responsible can be held accountable for their actions. We are not afraid!” she told AFP.
Femicide epidemic
The European Institute for Gender Equality says femicide “is deeply rooted in and a manifestation of power imbalances in society, which promotes an unequal status for men and women.”
The institute says femicide “is broadly defined as the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender and can take different forms, such as the murder of women as a result of intimate partner violence; the torture and misogynist slaying of women; killing of women and girls in the name of ‘honor,’ etc.”
One woman is killed by a man every 36 hours in Argentina, according to a femicide monitoring group in the country, according to BBC News.
Femicide was added to Argentina’s penal code as an aggravating factor of homicides in 2012, and is punishable with life imprisonment, according to the Guardian.
However, earlier this year, Argentine President Javier Milei said he wanted to remove the concept of “femicide” from the country’s penal code, the Council on Foreign Relations reported. Milei had argued that femicide promotes the idea that “…the life of a woman is worth more than that of a man.”
Two years ago, Argentines elected the radical libertarian
Javier Milei as president with a mandate to fix the country’s chronically high inflation.
The odds didn’t look good. Previous presidents had failed to address one of inflation’s root causes: government deficits. Without access to capital markets, Argentina often turned to the central bank to finance its deficits by printing money. Efforts to rein in spending were stymied by resistance in Congress and by the public.
Argentine President
Javier Milei is staking the future of his free-market overhaul on his relationship with President Trump, who stopped short of promising a bailout for Argentina but issued an unusual political endorsement of the leader in coming elections.
“We’re going to help them,” Trump told reporters Tuesday after meeting with Milei on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly gathering of world leaders. “If he can continue to do the job that he’s been doing, it’s going to really be something special.”
Bust at an E.V. battery plant: “Immigration officials arrested nearly 500 workers, most of them South Korean citizens, at the construction site of an electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia on Thursday,” reportsThe New York Times. The Hyundai plant raid was the largest single-site immigration bust in recent history. The people arrested were accused of belonging to one of three categories: They’d illegally crossed in the first place, or they’d received a visa waiver that prohibited working, or they’d overstayed a visa. Most of them were classified as subcontractors, and some of them were working to complete construction of the plant.
“The unfinished battery plant represented the kind of strategic investment the United States has welcomed from South Korea in recent years—one that promised to create manufacturing jobs and build up a growing industry,” adds the Times. Georgia’s governor, who has visited South Korea twice, has spent a lot of time courting investment, luring semiconductor material, solar panel, and battery manufacturers to his state.
The Reason Roundup Newsletter by Liz Wolfe Liz and Reason help you make sense of the day’s news every morning.
“Seoul-based Hyundai, whose U.S. sales have hit record monthly highs for nearly a year straight, has pledged $26 billion in fresh American investments since Trump took office earlier this year—including $5 billion after South Korea’s leader visited the White House early last week,” reportsThe Wall Street Journal.
Given Trump’s purported manufacturing revitalization agenda, it will be interesting to see whether this plant gets completed, and on what timeline, following these busts.
Killing of woman on light rail in Charlotte: The common refrain on the right goes something like this: The left-leaning mainstream media fails to sufficiently cover crimes in which the victim is sympathetic and the perpetrator has a mile-long rap sheet. The killing of Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska provides a perfect example.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old blonde woman who fled her native Ukraine due to the war, was riding the light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, minding her own business late last month. Decarlos Williams, a 35-year-old black man with many arrests under his belt and schizophrenia, unprompted and seemingly out of nowhere, stabbed her.
“This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place,” said the city’s mayor in a statement released after the killing. “As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation. While I do not know the specifics of the man’s medical record, what I have come to understand is that he has long struggled with mental health and appears to have suffered a crisis.”
The kicker: “I am not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused. Mental health disease is just that – a disease like any other than needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer or heart disease. Our community must work to address the underlying issue of access to mental healthcare. Also, those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators. Too many people who are on the street need a safe place to sleep and wrap around services to lift them up.”
Looked at one way, it’s a local crime story, and not every local crime story rises to the news of mainstream media coverage. Looked at another, it’s a pattern: Someone who is a repeat offender, who should probably have been locked up, is able to kill an innocent person, and the Democratic mayor gives an awful lot of airtime to the plight of the perpetrator. We’ve seen this one play out again and again in blue cities over the last few years.
Now it’s becoming a “Republicans pounce” story—thus warranting coverage:
The gruesome video of the fatal knife attack on Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car in Charlotte is drawing attention from MAGA influencers seeking to elevate the issue of violent urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases. https://t.co/OIj3FYfDLE
Scenes from New York: “Lawmakers made two pledges in advocating for a law to enforce the city’s longstanding prohibition on short-term rentals, which finally went into effect in 2023,” reportsThe Wall Street Journal. “The first was that a crackdown would remove noisy, disruptive tourists from residential buildings that had turned into de facto hotels. The second was that curtailing Airbnb and other short-term rental companies’ operations would protect the city’s tight housing supply.” But that second one never came to fruition: “Apartment rents are at all-time highs, while the vacancy rate is next to nothing. The new legislation removed tens of thousands of short-term rentals from New York City apartment buildings, but it is unclear how many of those units are now occupied by year-round tenants.”
QUICK HITS
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has put forward an “austerity budget proposal, designed to confront a severe deficit and a worsening national debt, in part by freezing welfare payments at their current levels,” perThe New York Times. His reward? Most likely: a vote of no confidence that gives him the boot.
“Partial results of the Buenos Aires legislative elections: Fuerza Patria with 46.93% of the votes, while La Libertad Avanza achieved 33.85%,” reports La Nación (translated from Spanish). For those keeping track: That’s a victory for Perónism and a huge defeat for President Javier Milei’s party (La Libertad). And if Milei can’t get more supporters into the legislature, he’s going to be severely hamstrung in what he can do.
Resultados parciales de las elecciones legislativas bonaerenses: Fuerza Patria con 46,93% de los votos, mientras que La Libertad Avanza logró el 33,85%. pic.twitter.com/zsm0FtWMJ1
Florida’s New College has been the target of an ideological takeover by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (and henchmen like Chris Rufo). Now some disgruntled former administration insiders there are trying to privatize the school, which sounds like a win for the taxpayers of Florida.
Niiiice:
ProPublica looked into Trump’s cabinet and found three members who claimed multiple properties as a primary residence, the same accusation made against Fed governor Lisa Cook. pic.twitter.com/I99lNuzvo1
In 1978, during Argentina’s dictatorship, a pregnant woman was kept alive at a death camp only long enough to give birth. Her family spent decades searching for her stolen baby.
An Argentine federal court announced Wednesday that authorities had recovered the long-lost “Portrait of a Lady,” an 18th-century work by the Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi that was looted by the Nazis in World War II and rediscovered when it appeared in an online real estate listing last month.
Before the presentation of the giant gold-framed portrait Wednesday in the Argentine coastal city of Mar del Plata, the painting had not been seen publicly in 80 years.
The first-ever color photo of the portrait surfaced in a real estate listing unwittingly posted by one of the daughters of Friedrich Kadgien, the fugitive Nazi officer accused of stealing the painting from one of Europe’s most prominent prewar art dealers and collectors.
Daniel Adler, center, federal attorney general of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and federal attorney Carlos Martinez, left, give a press conference in front of a painting identified by Dutch newspaper AD as “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian baroque portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi, allegedly stolen by the Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector, at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Sept. 3, 2025.
STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
“We’re doing this simply so that the community to whom we partly owe the discovery of the work … can see these images,” federal prosecutor Daniel Adler said in a press conference to display the full-length portrait of Countess Colleoni, her hair ink-black and dress embroidered with pastel flowers.
“It was people from the community, specifically journalists, who prompted the investigation,” Adler said.
Dutch journalists made the shocking discovery while investigating Kadgien’s past in Argentina, where the high-ranking official fled after the collapse of the Third Reich, and later died in 1978.
News of the find thrilled historians the world over and eventually reached the heirs of the painting’s original owner, Dutch-Jewish art collector Jacques Goudstikker. He died in a shipwreck after fleeing Amsterdam ahead of advancing German troops in May 1940.
His descendants have sought to recover an estimated 1,100 paintings missing since the forced sale of Goudstikker’s extensive inventory to Adolf Hitler’s right-hand man, Hermann Göring, who built up a major art collection during WWII.
The sudden reappearance of “Portrait of a Lady” last week was fleeting. Within hours of the story’s publication in Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad last Monday, the real estate listing was taken down. Police raided the rustic Mar del Plata home of Patricia Kadgien, the Nazi officer’s daughter, but the painting wasn’t there.
Visual arts teacher Ariel Bassano speaks in front of a painting identified by Dutch newspaper AD as “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian baroque portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi, which was allegedly stolen by the Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector, as it is displayed at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Sept. 3, 2025.
STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
Authorities earlier this week raided other homes belonging to the Kadgien sisters in Mar del Plata, seizing paintings and engravings that they similarly suspected of having been stolen during the 1940s.
Argentina’s federal prosecutor’s office placed Patricia Kadgien and her husband under house arrest pending a hearing Thursday on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice.
Adler, the prosecutor, told reporters that the couple’s lawyer had handed over the painting to authorities earlier Wednesday. He did not specify where the portrait would go next.
An art expert invited to assist with the investigation, Ariel Bassano, said the painting was being “stored in a special chamber” for safekeeping.
“It’s in good condition given its age,” Bassano said, dating the portrait to 1710 and valuing it at roughly $50,000.
It’s not clear exactly how the painting came into the possession of Kadgien, who worked as a financial adviser to Göring.
First, a look at what went into finding Argentina’s “death flight” plane. Then, a report on babies stolen during Argentina’s dictatorship. And, John Oliver: The 60 Minutes Interview.
Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik released a statement on Thursday saying they are “completely devastated” by his death.
Payne died Wednesday after falling into the interior patio of a hotel in Buenos Aires, officials in Argentina said. He was 31-years-old.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they wrote on Instagram. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
One Direction members at The BRIT Awards on Feb. 21, 2012 in London. L-R: Niall Horan, Zayn, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Liam Payne.
John Marshall / Getty Images
Formed in 2010 by “X Factor” judges including Simon Cowell, One Direction quickly became one of the biggest pop bands in the world — selling 70 million records by 2020. Cowell said on Friday in an Instagram post that he “feels empty” and “heartbroken,” and said Payne never “forgot the fans.”
After the band announced they were taking an extended hiatus in 2016, each member signed their own recording deals and released at least one studio album as a solo artist.
Malik also posted a photo and message on Instagram, saying, “I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.”
He thanked Payne for supporting him through some of the “most difficult times in his life,” and said that, even though the two “butted heads” occasionally because Payne was “headstrong” and “opinionated,” he “secretly respected” Payne for it.
“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever,” Malik wrote.
Styles posted on Instagram writing that he is “truly devastated” by Payne’s death. “The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” he said. “I will miss him always, my lovely friend.”
Tomlinson posted a detailed Instagram post on Thursday saying, “I am beyond devastated to be writing this but yesterday I lost a brother. Liam was somebody I looked up to everyday, such a positive, funny, and kind soul.”
He said the two met when Payne was 16 and he was 18, and Tomlinson was “instantly amazed by his voice,” praising him as an “incredible song writer with a great sense of melody.”
Tomlinson wrote, “we often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.”
Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne attend the world premiere of “One Direction: This Is Us” in London, England in 2013.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Horan shared an individual statement on Friday, writing on Instagram that he was “absolutely devastated about the passing of my amazing friend.” Alongside a photo of himself and Payne, he described Payne’s “energy for life and passion for work.”
“All the laughs we had over the years, sometimes about the simplest of things, keep coming to mind through the sadness. We got to live out our wildest dreams together, and I will cherish every moment we had forever,” Horan wrote. “The bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime.”
Horan also referenced seeing Payne recently. Payne was photographed attending Horan’s concert in Argentina earlier in October.
“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever,” Horan wrote. “It’s heartbreaking.”
“I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was,” Tomlinson wrote in his tribute. “I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you,” he said.
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne died Wednesday after falling into the interior patio of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Argentine Director of Emergency Medical Services, Alberto Crescenti, confirmed to CBS News.
He was 31 years old.
Crescenti said an ambulance arrived seven minutes later. He declined to answer questions about the incident, including whether Payne jumped from the balcony or fell by accident, The Associated Press reported.
Liam Payne at an event on Jan. 21, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal
Police were dispatched to the hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” a spokesperson for the Buenos Aires Police said in a statement to CBS News. The spokesperson said Payne “had thrown himself from the balcony of his room.”
Police and firefighters work the scene at Casa Sur hotel where former One Direction member Liam Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Tobias Skarlovnik / Getty Images
Payne, who was from the U.K., had attended a show in Argentina of his former bandmate, Niall Horan, according to media reports. Payne posted a series of social media videos showing him headed to Argentina.
Last year, Payne postponed his South American tour — with shows in Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico — after a serious kidney infection. He told fans he was hospitalized with illness in a video explaining his decision.
Payne, who struggled with alcohol, announced in 2023 that he was 100 days sober. During a podcast interview in 2021, he detailed how One Direction members became too famous too fast — and said he often turned to drinking to deal with the mounting pressures of being in the globally famous boy band.
Formed in 2010 after they appeared on “X Factor’s Boot Camp,” One Direction members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik went on to sell 70 million records by 2020, according to the BBC. “X Factor” judges including Simon Cowell first put them together as a boy band, and Cowell signed them to a record deal.
It was Payne’s second stint on the reality competition show. His first appearance was in 2008 at the age of 14, advancing to the judges’ houses round before being sent home.
One Direction won big at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, bringing home the Best New Artist award and Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video award for their song “What Makes You Beautiful.”
One Direction members pose during The BRIT Awards 2012 in London. L-R: Niall Horan, Zayn, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Liam Payne.
John Marshall / Getty Images
Payne co-wrote over 30 songs for the group at the height of their fame.
Rumors began to circulate the band was going to break up with Zayn Malik announcing he was leaving in 2015. At the time, the band released a statement saying, “Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year.”
In total, the band released five studio albums (with Malik appearing in four) featuring hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”
After the band announced they were taking an extended hiatus in 2016, each member signed their own recording deals and released at least one studio album as a solo artist. Payne signed a solo deal with Capitol Records’ U.K. division, roughly one month after former bandmate Harry Styles signed a recording contract with Colombia Records.
Since his studio album dropped, he released three songs and also went through a turbulent personal period. In a video posted last year titled “I’m back…,” Payne apologized to his fans for being “MIA” and he had to take some time out for himself.
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com
President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic reforms have touched many sectors, but few have felt the effects more acutely than Argentina’s housing market. His decision to repeal rent control laws late last year has reshaped the country’s rental market, increasing housing supply and stabilizing rents.
The 2020 Rental Law, enacted under former President Alberto Fernández, aimed to protect tenants. It mandated three-year lease terms and required rent to be paid in pesos—a currency rapidly losing value due to rampant inflation. Rent adjustments were limited to once a year, based on a central bank rate that factored in inflation and wage growth. The law also allowed tenants to dictate the conditions for lease termination.
While the law seemed to offer relief for tenants, it backfired. By late 2023, one in seven homes in Argentina sat empty, yet Buenos Aires residents struggled to find available rentals.
Faced with inflation and rigid restrictions, landlords were hesitant to sign long-term leases. Many either set excessively high rents to hedge against future inflation or withdrew their properties from the rental market altogether. Others opted to sell in U.S. dollars or list them on short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, where they could charge in foreign currencies.
The crunch of rental properties triggered a full-blown housing crisis. As the supply of rental units dwindled, rental prices skyrocketed, far outpacing inflation. A study by the Institute of Economic Research of the Cordoba Stock Exchange found that rents increased by an average of 140 percent in inflation-adjusted terms between 2020 and 2023.
“In the last three years, the [number of properties in the] normal rental offer has shrunk to a size that I have never seen in my 25 years in the market,” Diego Nocera, an estate agent in central Buenos Aires, told the Financial Times earlier this year.
In December 2023, Milei repealed the law as part of his broader push to deregulate the economy. The move sparked a shift in Buenos Aires’ housing market: “For many locals, finding a new apartment had become ‘mission impossible.’ But after the repeal, Buenos Aires saw a doubling of available rental units, and rental prices have stabilized,” reports Newsweek. The repeal also introduced more flexible agreements between landlords and tenants. Lease durations, if unspecified, now default to two years, and landlords can legally accept rent in foreign currencies—offering much-needed protection against inflation.
Buenos Aires, a city once gripped by a housing crisis, has seen a flood of available rental units. By June 2024, rental listings increased by 184 percent, with a 62 percent jump in May alone, according to Zonaprop, Argentina’s largest property site.
As for rents, the influx of supply is offering much-needed relief to tenants. “While rents are still up in nominal terms, many renters are getting better deals than ever, with a 40% decline in the real price of rental properties when adjusted for inflation since last October,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
Argentina’s 2020 Rental Law, intended to protect tenants, ended up making housing unaffordable for the average Buenos Aires resident. The issue isn’t unique to Argentina—rent control measures have had similar outcomes elsewhere. In San Francisco, expanded rent control laws led to in a spike in evictions. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, rent caps have prompted property owners to sell their buildings and exit the rental market, according to Reason‘s Christian Britschgi.
Argentina’s experience should serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers: Well-intentioned policies aimed at protecting tenants can sometimes backfire, causing more harm than good.
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina (AP) — Argentina changed three of its pack and could debut a tighthead prop against title-chasing South Africa in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Pumas handed Australia its biggest defeat, 67-27, in Santa Fe two weeks ago and recorded its biggest win over a tier one team.
But the Springboks are the only unbeaten team and can clinch their first championship title since 2019 by not losing to Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
An Argentina upset win would set up a title decider between the teams in the last round next week in Nelspruit.
Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi has rotated in locks Pedro Rubiolo and Franco Molina for veterans Guido Petti and Tomas Lavanini, and made Joaquin Oviedo the starting No. 8 after a two-try performance off the bench, ahead of Juan Martin Gonzalez, who also bagged a try.
The backs were unchanged while the reserves were not.
The Pumas lost their two main backup props, Eduardo Bello, to a torn right ACL, and Mayco Vivas, who was unavailable. They have replaced them with uncapped tighthead Pedro Delgado, who is from Santiago del Estero, and Ignacio Calles, who has three previous caps. Calles was playing for Pau in France when the Pumas were crushing the Wallabies.
If they both get on, they will likely oppose Springboks Vincent Koch (56 caps) and Gerhard Steenekamp (six).
Delgado, aged 27, helped Dogos XV win the Super Rugby Americas in June. He was picked ahead of Racing 92’s Lucio Sordoni.
Contepomi called Delgado “a pleasant surprise” in that he joined the squad on short notice last week and adapted quickly. “It is a great challenge for him,” the coach added. Captain and hooker Julian Montoya said, “We have a lot of confidence that he’ll have a great game.”
The reserves returned to a traditional 5-3 split, from 6-2, to accommodate a third back, center-wing Matias Moroni, who missed both Australia tests due to a muscle tear.
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Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia, Bautista Delguy, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Joaquin Oviedo, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi, Julian Montoya (captain), Thomas Gallo. Reserves: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Pedro Delgado, Guido Petti, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Matias Moroni.
LA PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Agustin Creevy is set to end a 19-year international career after Argentina plays Australia in the Rugby Championship in his La Plata hometown this weekend.
Creevy informed the Pumas of his plans this week, and the 39-year-old hooker was included in the reserves for Saturday’s test.
Since his test debut in 2005 against Japan on the wing, Creevy has set Argentina records for the most tests (109), the most as captain (51) and the most appearances in the Rugby World Cup (22). He led the team to the 2015 World Cup semifinals.
“I am leaving after having given it my all,” he told ESPN. “I have played to the utmost, and it is time to step aside because it is best for the team, and, like I always say, the team comes first.
“I have many mixed feelings. Of sadness, of joy and, above all, of immense pride for having worn this shirt for a long time. All the decisions and actions I made, everything I went through was to wear the Los Pumas shirt that I love so much.”
The Wallabies later announced a starting lineup with yet another skipper. Harry Wilson will lead the side against Argentina — Australia’s eighth captain in 15 tests and the fourth under Joe Schmidt in five matches this season.
It allows Schmidt to start his most damaging props, Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell, with Ala’alatoa providing leadership from the bench.
No. 8 Wilson has played 15 tests and faces a difficult leadership assignment against a Pumas team that upset the All Blacks in Wellington in the first round of the tournament.
Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi said Creevy’s decision didn’t play any part in giving him a sendoff in his hometown.
“This is the national team, the best players play. What we consider to be the best 23 for each match,” Contepomi said. “It is a blessing for him to have been able to make the decision to retire and not to be retired by rugby. We support him in his decision. He will bear his emotions inside. This day was going to come at some point, it was not going to last forever.”
Creevy wasn’t expected to play test rugby again after his fourth World Cup last November in France, where the Pumas reached another semifinal. But an injury to Julian Montoya prompted Contepomi to recall Creevy for the tests in New Zealand. He came off the bench and scored the go-ahead try against the All Blacks in a stunning 38-30 win in Wellington three weeks ago.
Montoya, who succeeded Creevy as the starting hooker and captain, praised his former mentor.
“I debuted when he was captain. We have been together for 11 years, competing for a position,” Montoya said. “We have a very nice relationship and I thanked him for how he sponsored me in my beginnings. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better for that and I am grateful.”
The Pumas made three changes after losing the second match to the All Blacks 42-10 in Auckland two weeks ago.
Joel Sclavi replaced tighthead Lucio Sordoni, who has gone to France to complete his transfer to Racing 92, Franco Molina was back in the second row and bumped Marcos Kremer to his natural position on the flank, and Santiago Cordero was on the wing for the injured Matias Moroni.
On a bench split 6-2, forwards Guido Petti and Santiago Grondona could make their first test appearances this year.
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Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia, Santiago Cordero, Lucio Cinti, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou; Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera, Pedro Rubiolo, Franco Molina, Joel Sclavi, Julian Montoya (captain), Thomas Gallo. Reserves: Agustin Creevy, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Santiago Grondona, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Tomas Albornoz.
Australia: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Hamish Stewart, Marika Koroibete, Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; Harry Wilson (captain), Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Matt Faessler, Angus Bell. Reserves: Josh Nasser, Isaac Kailea, Allan Alaalatoa, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen
NEW YORK (AP) — A tiny South American deer that will weigh only as much as a watermelon when fully grown is making its debut at the Queens Zoo in New York City.
The southern pudu fawn weighed just 2 pounds (just under 1 kilo) when it was born June 21, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs New York City’s zoos, said in a news release Thursday. It is expected to weigh 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kilograms) in adulthood.
The southern pudu, one of the world’s smallest deer species, is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is native to Chile and Argentina, where its population is decreasing because of factors including development and invasive species.
The Queens Zoo breeds southern pudus in collaboration with other zoos in an effort to maintain genetically diverse populations, the conservation society said. Eight pudu fawns have been born there since 2005.
The newborn fawn will share a Queens Zoo habitat with its parents. There are two more pudus at the conservation society’s Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Addressing crowds of struggling farmers in flat caps and home-knit sweaters who helped vault him to power but have grown increasingly impatient with his progress, President Javier Milei on Sunday vowed to scrap export taxes and rescue Argentina’s key agricultural industry.
The country’s powerful agricultural producers say they’re willing to give the libertarian more time to deliver on his free-market promises. But many farmers are disillusioned that seven months into Milei’s presidency, they remain hobbled by labyrinth currency controls, crushing export taxes and an uncompetitive exchange rate.
“We said we were going to lift the restrictions and every day we do,” Milei said at Argentina’s annual La Rural convention, where for one week the huge Buenos Aires exposition ground becomes one vast farmyard teeming with sleepy cows and whinnying horses. “No one is as eager as we, and me in particular, are to get out of this disastrous model where the state, through withholdings and restrictions, expropriates 70% of what the countryside produces.”
Argentine President Javier Milei, center, and Rural Society President Nicolas Pino drink mate during the official opening ceremony for the Rural Society’s annual exposition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
The crowds whooped and cheered. As the farmers tell it, that model of budget-busting populism confiscated their wealth for redistribution among the unproductive masses and devastated the lush grain belt that made Argentina among the world’s richest economies a century ago.
Today, Argentina remains one of the biggest livestock and grain producers but its more dubious distinctions include being beset with one of the world’s highest debt burdens and highest annual inflation rates.
Successive left-leaning Peronist administrations in recent decades took an estimated $200 billion from the agricultural sector into state coffers, banning meat exports to stem inflation and levying sky-high export taxes on agricultural commodities to pay for bloated budgets.
So far under Milei, Argentina’s agricultural industry — which accounts for some 20% of the country’s gross domestic product — is “hopeful but realistic,” said Nicolás Pino, head of the Argentine Rural Society, the country’s agribusiness lobby.
Mounted “gauchos” perform during a parade at the opening ceremony for the Rural Society’s annual exposition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
“There are sufficient reasons to complain, but we prefer at this time to appeal to the patience of the men and women of the countryside,” Pino said. “We believe it’s useful to give the government some space for trust.”
But already there are signs that patience in Argentina’s fertile Pampas is wearing thin.
Earlier this week, the Argentine Rural Confederation, one of the country’s main producers’ groups, turned up the pressure on Milei with a harsh statement lamenting the government’s failure to eliminate the “unfair, arbitrary and distortive tax” on agricultural exports” that it said, “suffocates our producers.”
President Milei has prioritized balancing the government’s books and quelling inflation — key campaign promises that he hopes can keep public opinion from swinging against him as his austerity drive hits Argentines hard.
But agricultural leaders say these goals have come at the cost of other campaign pledges to unleash the free market and end heavy-handed state intervention.
Medals cover a prize-winning Hereford cow during a parade at the opening ceremony for the Rural Society’s annual exposition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Clara Macaroni, 3, rests on her father’s cow before a parade at the opening ceremony for the Rural Society’s annual exposition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
“We need clarification about some of these recent economic measures,” said Elbio Laucirica, the head of another agribusiness group.
In recent weeks, Milei has moved to hike up taxes and tighten his grip on the exchange rate, contradicting his libertarian orthodoxy and stoking frustration among farmers.
Because Milei’s plans to prop up the peso have reduced export competitiveness, Argentine farmers whose sales are linked to the U.S. dollar are hanging on to their harvests, stockpiling billions of dollars worth of exportable grain and soybeans so they don’t have to surrender their dollars for less than what they are worth.
At the rural expo on Sunday, the grumbling was audible among the gauchos, or Argentine cowboys.
“Every decision like this affects us so much, and an overvalued exchange rate is not what we need from a government that promised us something different,” said Maurro Berrra, a 34-year-old farmer wearing a trademark poncho and bombachas (trousers) who had hoped Milei’s policies would prompt a gush of exports to his Chinese buyers. “We have more stability than last year, that is something, but we’re still facing huge obstacles.”
People watch the parade at the opening ceremony for the Rural Society’s annual exposition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A drop in local demand has also hurt Argentine producers. With poor and middle-class Argentines staggering under the government’s extreme austerity measures and 270% annual inflation, beef consumption has dropped to its lowest recorded level in history, according to the Rosario Board of Trade.
“The economy has never been good to us, but this drop in consumption has really hit us hard,” said 67-year-old rancher Jorge De Marcos. “It’s tragic because steak here isn’t just steak, it’s a way of life.”
WATCH the terrifying moment a 95-year-old nan was almost set on fire after her family crammed her birthday cake with 95 candles.
The clip starts off with the grandma beaming with joy as a dog barks in the background on July 25.
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The nan was beaming with hot moments before the cake set on fireCredit: Jam Press Vid
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A huge flame suddenly rose and the family blew all 95 candles out effectivelyCredit: Jam Press
Her family start singing an Argentinian rendition of Happy Birthday while she is seated across from the cake which is glowing brightly.
They grin, clap and cheer as they capture footage of the jovial birthday bash but the gateau quickly catches fire.
A huge flame starts rising from the cake, just millilitres away from the elderly woman’s face.
The astonished gran opens her mouth in shock and points at the flaming cake.
The family shriek in panic before blowing each of the 95 candles out.
Their joint efforts proved successful as smoke is seen rising and the 95-year-old continued her birthday celebration in peace.
Her granddaughter said: “My grandmother turned 95, and my family decided to put 95 candles on the cake.
“No one thought it might catch fire, and my grandma.”
When one follower asked the granddaughter what happened to the cake, she replied: “It didn’t make any sense”.
She continued: “But we had to quickly remove all the candles while they were still burning.
Woman poured petrol on ex-lover’s brother before new van is torched
“The top of the cake ended up covered in white wax.
“Still, it was totally edible – [we] just needed to remove the wax.”
This comes after haunting footage in Iraq captured a deadly fire erupt at an wedding as the newlywed couple enjoyed their first dance.
Bride Haneen and groom Revan were seen smiling as they sway sweetly, just seconds before their big day turns into a fatal disaster.
An elaborate indoor fireworks display began as the pair slow danced, which investigators believe sparked the horror blaze that ripped through al-Haitham Hall in Qaraqosh, Iraq.
Officials announced that 98 people had been confirmed dead while more than 100 were injured and suffered serious burns.
The newlyweds were also feared to have perished in the inferno, but it has since emerged that they survived after reportedly escaping through a kitchen door.
They suffered minor burns and lost a number of close relatives, a friend of the couple told AFP.
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The family say they didn’t realise placing 95 candles on the cake would be dangerousCredit: Jam Press
SIX people have reportedly been killed and seven have gone missing after a fishing boat sank off Falkland Islands.
The tragedy struck nearly 200 miles off the coast when the ship under the flag of British territory St Helena carrying 27 people ran into trouble.
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At least six dead after a fishing boat sinks near Falkland IslandsCredit: AFP – Getty
The 176-foot vessel, called the Argos Georgia, went down in the South Atlantic Ocean near Argentina, according to Spanish officials.
The other 14 passengers have been rescued by two nearby fishing boats.
Ten members of the crew were identified as Spaniards by Pontevedra regional officials in Galicia.
No information was provided regarding their health while family members are being notified.
The regional government stated on X that one of the deceased is the ship’s cook, who is from the northwest town of Baiona.
They further mentioned that the crew consisted of various other nationalities.
The British-controlled Falkland Islands, which Argentina claims as its own, had received an emergency signal on Monday.
The signal indicated the boat was east of Stanley, the island’s capital, when it took on water and was travelling at a pace of 35 knots per hour, according to tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
A helicopter, another aircraft and several vessels scrambled to the crew’s rescue but had to halt their operation due to severe weather.
The rescue team spotted the survivors stranded at sea on Monday but were forced to turn around because of poor visibility, wind and rough water.
The efforts were picked back up on Tuesday after the storm passed.
The Argos Georgia was constructed in 2018 and is operated by the privately held joint British-Norwegian business Argos Froyanes Ltd.
The company said in a statement: “Our crew members are true professionals and have regular training for such a situation.
“We trust in their ability to use the safety equipment to the best of their ability.”
In 1982, Argentina’s army launched an invasion of the Falkland Islands, which claimed the lives of 255 British soldiers and 649 Argentines.
This led to a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British-controlled territories in the South Atlantic – the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
First, he sank to the ground, grimacing. Play continued for a few seconds and then came the communal gasp.
Lionel Messi was down. And Lionel Messi is not a player who goes down for nothing.
Argentina’s playmaker and talisman clutched his right ankle. He had fallen on his own, with no obvious kick to point to as the cause of the injury that he knew meant his evening was over.
He took off his right boot and stood up gingerly. The physios asked him how he was but they must have known. He shuffled to the touchline, every step a little dagger in Argentine hearts. Then the board went up: Nicolas Gonzalez on, Messi off.
Messi walked slowly to the bench and threw his boot onto the floor. He sunk into his seat, placing his face in his hands. Leandro Paredes, his team-mate, ruffled his hair but said nothing. What was there to say?
A second or two later, the camera returned to Messi, zooming in on the most recognisable face in football. Humanity, even. And Messi, the arch stoic, was no longer able to hold back the emotion.
The crowd chanted his name. Messi was sobbing.
The tears were for the moment — Argentina needed him; they always do — but it was impossible to abstract them from the wider context. For Messi, wherever he treads in this extended career outro, is always accompanied by the unmistakable sense of an ending.
Messi is 37. He confirmed earlier in the week that this was to be his final edition of the competition. The mood music around the Argentina camp has suggested that it might be his last major tournament, period. He will be 38 when the next World Cup starts in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and will turn 39 during the tournament.
Those endless summer days spent watching Messi gambol around the football pitches of our souls? They could now be numbered.
Stopping is never an appealing prospect for any sportsperson. Athletes die twice, they say. Messi’s incredible longevity — and continued excellence — has been an effective shield against retirement talk but no one can run forever. At some stage, everything you do becomes the last time. Everything comes laced with heavy finality.
Messi, clearly, seems to have some inkling of what awaits him on the other side of the great beyond. “I am a bit scared of it all ending,” he told ESPN Argentina earlier this year. “I try not to think about it. I try to enjoy it. I do that more now because I’m aware there’s not a lot of time left.”
Here, on a stifling, charged night at the Hard Rock Stadium, he surely wasn’t banking on being denied a chunk of that remaining balance. As he sat there on the bench, an ice pack on his swollen ankle and yellow vest covering his blue and white jersey, it was tempting to wonder what was going through Messi’s mind.
(Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)
Perhaps, in that instance, he simply became a fan. Perhaps the vision of the team playing without him — an image he will have to get used to in the decades ahead — twisted his already knotted guts into new, uncomfortable shapes.
“Leo has something that everyone should have,” said Scaloni. “He’s the best in history and, even with an ankle like that, he doesn’t want to go off.
“It’s not because he’s selfish but because he doesn’t want to let his team-mates down. He was born to be on a pitch.”
At least there was, in the end, relief. When Lautaro Martinez stroked home the winning goal four minutes before midnight in Miami, it was telling that the biggest huddle of players was not around the scorer. No, Argentina’s players flocked to Messi, their guiding light.
(Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)
“When we talk about players who have left a mark on the history of football, we try to extend their careers when we begin to see the end,” his Inter Miami coach, Tata Martino, said recently. “I believe that Leo and his family are preparing themselves for when that ending will come. It comes for everyone.”
It has not come for Messi quite yet. He will play on in MLS when this injury heals, maybe even do his bit to get Argentina to the World Cup, but this was the final episode of Messi Does Tournaments and another staging post on the way to The End. The real end. The day this absurd, magical, laugh-out-loud-good little sprite of a footballer skips away into the past tense.
“I’m lucky I can do something I’m passionate about,” Messi said in the Apple documentary about his American adventure. “I know these are my last years and I know when I don’t have this, I’m going to miss it dearly because no matter how many things I find to do, nothing is going to be like this.”
No more big finals, potentially. No more nights like this, raw and glorious for his nation. And so, long before the celebrations, he cried. You could understand it.
(Top photos: Juan Mabromata; Buda Mendez; Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images; design: Ray Orr)
