BERLIN: German police busted a pizzeria in the western city of Dusseldorf that also delivered a side order of cocaine when customers asked for item number 40 on the menu.
“That was one of the best-selling pizzas,” criminal director Michael Graf von Moltke told reporters in Dusseldorf.
He said police was first tipped off by suspicious food inspectors in March. When drug squad officers began observing the restaurant they soon discovered why pizza number 40 was so popular, Moltke told reporters on Monday, German news agency dpa reported.
When police buzzed the apartment of the pizzeria manager, the 36-year-old allegedly threw a bag of drugs out of the window, which “fell right into the arms of the police officers,” Dusseldorf police said. The bounty included 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of cocaine, 400 grams (14.1 ounces) of cannabis and 268,000 euros ($290,378) in cash.
Police said the restaurant manager, who was released from detention after a few days, soon reopened his business and started selling pizza number 40 with the cocaine side order again. That gave investigators an opportunity to look into the supply chain and after several weeks, some 150 officers busted an entire drug ring in western Germany, arrested three suspects including the 22-year-old head of the drug operation, and raided homes and businesses of another 12 suspects.
During the raids, they came across two cannabis plantations in nearby Monchengladbach and Solingen with 300 and 60 plants respectively. They also found cutting and stabbing weapons, as well as cash and expensive watches, dpa reported.
The pizzeria manager was arrested when he tried to flee abroad, and remains in custody. None of the suspects’ names were released in line with German privacy rules.
Police did not say how much the pizzeria charged for the special order.
German police say pizza order No. 40 came with a side of cocaine
https://arab.news/pu6kt
German police say pizza order No. 40 came with a side of cocaine
- Police was first tipped off by suspicious food inspectors in March why pizza number 40 was so popular
- The pizzeria manager was arrested when he tried to flee abroad, and remains in custody
New Zealand airport wants you to hug goodbye faster
- Travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to keep their emotional farewells brief after a new three-minute time limit
WELLINGTON: Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams.
“Max hug time three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking “fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead.
The cuddle cap was imposed in September to “keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told The Associated Press on Tuesday. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for “quick farewells” only.
The signs had polarized social media users, De Bono said.
“We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for,” he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.
The signs were meant as an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel clamping or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all drop-offs — however brief.
Dunedin’s airport — a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island — preferred a “quirky” approach, De Bono said.
Three minutes was “plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it.”
A 20-second hug is long enough to release the wellbeing-boosting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, De Bono said. Anything longer was “really awkward.”
But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We do not have hug police,” De Bono said.
Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.
‘Serious business’: influencer degree launches in Ireland
- Irish university is teaching wannabe influencers how to convert online presence and content on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube into revenue streams
CARLOW: It’s a job that didn’t exist until recently but becoming an influencer is an ever more popular career path among Gen-Z youth in the modern era of social media.
Now a first-of-its-kind course at an Irish university is teaching wannabe influencers how to convert online presence and content on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube into revenue streams.
“Influencing is something that’s catching fire,” course director Irene McCormick told AFP at South East Technological University (SETU) in Carlow, an hour’s drive southwest from the capital Dublin.
The idea grew out of a summer crash course “Digital Hustle” launched by McCormick that was taught by TikTokers and attracted 350 applicants for 30 places.
“It got amazing traction, we could see the appetite for more, so we broadened it to degree level,” said McCormick, a former television producer and director.
After two years of development the course — a four-year-long bachelor’s degree in “Content Creation and Social Media” — received accreditation and welcomed its first intake of 15 students last month.
On the state-of-the-art campus, students chatted, took selfies and scrolled their social media feeds on smartphones during a break between classes.
“My friends tell me I talk a lot so I thought I might as well make money out of it and try this course,” Harry Odife, 22, told AFP in the campus TV studio during a roleplay exercise.
Most of the students are already immersed in the digital space or working in it and want to expand their toolset and knowledge, McCormick said.
“You can try to learn yourself at home but being empowered with practice and theory about how to connect with target demographics online is going to make a big difference to your career,” she added.
The term “influencer” was officially added to the dictionary in 2019, and refers to a person well-known through use of social media who uses their celebrity to endorse, promote, or generate interest in products and brands, often for payment.
Now the most prominent such as YouTube challenge stunt creator Mr.Beast and gaming vlogger KSI tap vast online audiences, earning huge sums per sponsored post or via brand sponsorships and advertisements.
Surveys consistently show that most Gen-Z youths — those born between 1997 and 2012 — would consider a job as a vlogger, YouTuber or professional streamer.
“Of course people want to make money from influencing, so we look particularly at person branding, how to monetise being influential over large online followings,” said McCormick.
Students said they hoped the course would help them leverage their interests and hobbies which range from beauty and fashion to entertainment, social justice, and sport.
“I post a lot of the hairstyles I do on TikTok and Instagram, it would be nice to have the knowledge to grow that into an actual business,” said Favour Ehuchie, an 18-year-old hairdresser.
Another student, keen equestrian Marta Hughes Bravo, said horse stud farms now seek staff who are social media-savvy.
“Companies are all over Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. One girl who works for a farm has been pulling in brand deals. To know how to do that would be fantastic,” she said.
Degree modules include creative video and storytelling psychology, entrepreneurship, celebrity studies, storytelling psychology, data analytics, and podcasting.
“A lot of people think it’s an easy life being an influencer, just posting 60-second videos on TikTok, but there is way more to it,” said Hughes Bravo.
Creating content involves “editing, planning, organizing, and so on, it takes up more time than you might think, people don’t understand that quite yet.”
Practical elements of the course include camera and microphone learning, and work placements.
“Having influencer knowledge like how to be comfortable in front of cameras will help us build our confidence, whatever we end up doing,” said another student Naoise Kelly, adding that becoming the next big thing on social media is not her top priority.
McCormick said employment opportunities for influencer talent are multiplying exponentially, either in front of camera or behind the scenes.
“Yes, influencer posts on social media may sometimes be frivolous, but the actual business is not, it is a very serious business,” she added.
“So many Gen Z young people buy a lot of bling, and that bling is being sold through influencers.
“Around 70 percent of marketers now believe in influencers as the future of marketing, governments are also using them to message people, that’s how we access markets now.”
Toxicology tests show Liam Payne had ‘multiple’ drugs in system: reports
- 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
LOS ANGELES, United States: 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.
Liam Payne’s ex-partner calls for media restraint after ‘painful’ death
- Payne died at age 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires
LONDON: Liam Payne’s former partner, pop singer Cheryl, joined an outpouring of grief on Friday over the death of the One Direction band member, calling for restraint in coverage to protect his family during an “indescribably painful time.”
Payne, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, died at age 31after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, triggering tributes from fans around the world.
Cheryl Tweedy, more commonly known by just her first name, was in a relationship with Payne between 2016 and 2018 and she used her statement to urge the media to remember they had a seven-year-old son, Bear, who could read the reports.
“As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time. I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” she said on her Instagram account.
“What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.”
It was not clear which reports she was referring to, but she called on people to “give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.”
Payne’s current girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, said on Instagram she had been “at a complete loss” and she would “continue to love you for the rest of my life.”
In the central English city of Wolverhampton, Payne’s home town, more than 100 people came to mourn him, often singing some of his songs.
The tributes to Payne, who found fame as a teenager, have flowed since the 31-year-old was reported dead.
A joint statement was signed by his One Direction band mates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. 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,” Payne’s former band mates said.
“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
In a separate statement posted on Instagram on Thursday, Styles said Payne’s greatest joy was making people happy.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” Styles said.
Malik also posted on Instagram about the late singer, along with a photo of them dozing off next to each other.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give just to give you a hug one last time,” he wrote.
Along with a picture of Payne embracing him at a gig, Tomlinson wrote he was beyond lucky to have had him in his life.
“I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye,” he said.
Music mogul Simon Cowell, who signed One Direction to his label, posted his tribute on Instagram on Friday, saying he was “truly devastated” and “heartbroken.”
“And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,” he said.
Sharon Osbourne, former judge of TV talent show X Factor, where One Direction was formed, said on Instagram the music industry had let Payne down, describing him as “just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world.”
Prosecutors in Buenos Aires said on Thursday an initial search suggested Payne’s fall from the hotel balcony came after substance abuse.
Police earlier said they had found the room in “total disorder” in a search after his death, with various things smashed and medications scattered around.
Google wins delay opening Android app store to rivals
- The order follows a similar setback in August when a different judge found that Google’s world-leading search engine was also an illegal monopoly
SAN FRANCISCO: A US judge on Friday let Google put off opening Android-powered smartphones to rival app shops while the tech titan appeals an order to do just that.
The ruling by federal Judge James Donato spares Google from having to meet a November 1 deadline to open its Android smartphone operating system to rival app stores.
A Google spokesperson said the tech giant is pleased with Donato’s decision to “temporarily pause the implementation of dangerous remedies demanded by Epic” while an appeals court considers a permanent block.
“These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” the spokesperson added.
The order issued earlier this month is the result of Google’s defeat in an antitrust case brought by Fortnite-maker Epic Games, where a California jury decided that Google wields illegal monopoly power through its Android Play store.
The order follows a similar setback in August when a different judge found that Google’s world-leading search engine was also an illegal monopoly.
Google is also facing an antitrust lawsuit in a third federal case in Virginia over its dominance of online advertising.
Under the Epic Games order, for the next three years Google will be prohibited from engaging in several practices that were deemed anticompetitive by the jury in the landmark case.
Phones running on the Android operating system have about a 70 percent share of the world’s smartphone market.
A sizable chunk of app store revenue comes from video games, and Epic Games has long sought to have payments for its mobile games, such as Fortnite, take place outside the Google or Apple app stores that take commissions as high as 30 percent.
Epic mostly lost a similar case against Apple, where a different US judge largely ruled in favor of the iPhone-maker.
Apple and Google regularly argue that their app shop commissions are industry standard, and that they pay for benefits such as reach, transaction security and ferreting out malware.
