Source: BBC
Security & Justice
Lebanon’s Border Villages Face Renewed Devastation Amid Israeli Withdrawal
The Israeli army withdrew from the southern Lebanese village of Bani Hayyan on Friday morning, two days after entering the area in the Marjayoun district. According to local reports, Israeli forces demolished multiple homes as they retreated.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Interview Set to Shed Light on Mossad’s Decade-Long Covert Operation Against Hezbollah
In a highly anticipated episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes, recently retired Mossad agents provide unprecedented insights into a decade-long covert operation targeting Hezbollah. The agents, whose identities remain concealed with masks and altered voices, share with journalist Lesley Stahl the intricate details of their mission to sabotage Hezbollah’s communications network.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Friday 2 July 2021 20:02:25
Abba Gold Reaches Record-Breaking 1,000 Weeks in UK Album Chart
Released in 1992, the record is the second biggest-seller of all time in the UK with sales of 5.61 million, only behind Queen's Greatest Hits.
Featuring the Swedish band's biggest songs Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Waterloo, it has now spent a total of 19 years and 12 weeks in the top 100.
"Not bad for four old turnips," joked Benny Andersson on hearing the news.
Abba Gold has spent eight weeks at number one over the years, and is currently at number 17.
It is the group's biggest-selling record, eclipsing studio albums like Voulez-Vous and Arrival, which both reached number one in the 1970s.
The compilation was put together when the band's career was being reappraised by critics. It was preceded in early 1992 by Erasure's Abba-esque EP, which saw the synth-pop band cover four songs including Lay All Your Love On Me and SOS.
The EP charted throughout Europe and the United States, reaching number one in the UK and Sweden, signalling the lasting appeal of Abba's music 10 years after they broke up.
However, their greatest hits albums were all out of print at the time - leading PolyGram to issue a new compilation.
Released that September, Abba Gold has been lauded as a perfectly-curated album in its own right. Pitchfork recently called it the "definitive example" of the greatest hits format, which "rounded up all of the Swedish pop band's international smashes into a refined package with surprising emotional range".
The album led to a resurgence of interest in the band, culminating in the hit stage show Mamma Mia!, which spawned two films starring Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep.
Each new project has propelled Abba Gold back up the charts, and it shows no signs of slowing down - the album hasn't left the top 100 since July 2017.
"To have racked up 1,000 weeks on the Official Albums Chart, a solid 20 years of chart presence, is quite remarkable," said charts boss Martin Talbot. "It not only highlights [Abba's] incredible popularity, but just how closely they have connected with a succession of new generations."
