Source: BBC
Security & Justice
Lebanon Receives Interpol Warrant for Syrian Regime's Air Force Intelligence Chief
Lebanon has received an Interpol warrant issued by the United States for the arrest of Jamil Hassan, the former chief of Syria’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate. Judicial sources told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that the warrant was handed over to Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor, Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, on Thursday. The judge promptly disseminated it to all relevant security agencies.
Saturday, December 21, 2024
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
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
Wednesday 1 March 2023 16:31:37
Ed Sheeran Says Wife Developed Tumor in Pregnancy, as He Announces New Album
Ed Sheeran says he "spiralled" into depression last year, after his wife was diagnosed with a tumour and his friend Jamal Edwards died unexpectedly at the age of 31.
The star's childhood sweetheart, Cherry Seaborn, who he married in 2019, was told she had a tumour while pregnant with their second child.
There was "no route to treatment until after the birth", he explained.
At the time, the star was in court every day facing a copyright trial.
The devastating impact of those events "changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music", said the star in a handwritten note posted to social media.
As a result, he scrapped "hundreds" of songs he'd written for his upcoming sixth album.
Sheeran and Seaborn welcomed their second daughter last May. The singer did not provide an update on his wife's health.
Sheeran was writing to fans to announce the release of - (Subtract), an Aaron Dessner-produced acoustic album that was written against "a backdrop of grief and hope".
The album was long-planned as the conclusion to his "mathematical era", which began with + (Plus) in 2011, and continued with x (Multiply), ÷ (Divide) and = (Equals).
But the entire project was rewritten in a week-long outpouring of emotions, as the star was "spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety" last February.
It came after Edwards - who gave Sheeran his first big break - suddenly died from a heart attack after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol, a coroner concluded.
Shortly afterwards, Sheeran faced a three-week copyright trial, over claims he had plagiarised his hit song Shape Of You.
Although he eventually won, the singer and his co-writer, Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, said the case had put an "extraordinary strain" on them.
To get through those experiences, Sheeran used songwriting to "make sense" of his feelings.
"I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air," he recalled.
"I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade's worth of work with my deepest, darkest thoughts.
"For the first time I'm not trying to craft an album people will like, I'm merely putting something out that's honest and true to where I am in my adult life.
"It's opening the trapdoor into my soul."
The album is due for release on 5 May, and follows the one-off single F64, which was a visceral response to Jamal Edward's death.
That song will not feature on the final tracklist, which was revealed on Wednesday morning.
- Boat
- Salt Water
- Eyes Closed
- Life Goes On
- Dusty
- End Of Youth
- Colourblind
- Curtains
- Borderline
- Spark
- Vega
- Sycamore
- No Strings
- The Hills of Aberfeldy
Sheeran's mathematical quintology has made him one of Britain's biggest music stars, with songs like Shape Of You and Thinking Out Loud among the most-streamed songs of all time.
Subtract, which was originally planned as an acoustic album, will now range from "paired back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements," according to a press release from Sheeran's record label, Atlantic.
Unlike his previous albums, the artwork for Subtract does not focus on the title's mathematical symbol, instead featuring a picture of a corroding heart.
The star also posted a cryptic video on Instagram, featuring his song titles scored into the shore of a windswept beach, intercut with footage of what appears to be a child's birthday party.
Sheeran's record was produced by Dessner, best known as the frontman of alternative rock band The National, after the two were introduced by mutual friend Taylor Swift.
Dessner previously collaborated with Swift on her Grammy Award-winning lockdown album Folklore.
"This is last February's diary entry and my way of making sense of it," Sheeran concluded. "This is Subtract."
