- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
The Beatles score first UK number one in 54 years
The Beatles' latest release "Now And Then" on Friday became the legendary band's first UK number one single in 54 years, with Paul McCartney calling it "a very emotional moment."
Artificial intelligence helped isolate late member John Lennon's vocals from a tape he recorded in 1978, two years before he was murdered.
They were combined with old session tracks, including parts by late guitarist George Harrison, and new lines from remaining members McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr to "reunite" the band for a final time.
The Official Charts Company announced Friday that "Now and Then" had climbed to number one following its release last week, making it the band's first chart-topper since "The Ballad of John and Yoko" in 1969.
The Liverpool group now claims the record for the longest gap between number one hits, and also the longest time span between an artist's first and last chart-topper.
The Beatles' first number one single was "From Me to You" in 1963, more than 60 years ago, and they have 18 in total.
"Now And Then" is the fastest selling single of the year so far and has accumulated the highest number of one-week physical sales in almost a decade.
Celebrating the news, McCartney, 81, told Official Charts: "It's mind boggling. It's blown my socks off. It's also a very emotional moment for me. I love it!"
Despite being highly anticipated, "Now and Then", which comes more than four decades after Lennon recorded it as a demo, received lukewarm reviews from music critics.
"'Now and Then' is not terrible... But ultimately, it's kind of mundane," wrote Geoff Edgers in the Washington Post.
The Times daily in the UK said the song showed AI at its best.
Parts of it also conjured up "that classic, bittersweet, Beatles-esque flavour", wrote reviewer Will Hodgkinson.
"Unfortunately, none of this can mask the fact that the Last Beatles Song is far from a lost masterpiece," he added.
But Martin Talbot, chief executive officer of the Official Charts Company, said the sales proved that "Beatlemania has returned".
"If there were ever any doubts that The Beatles are the greatest band of all time, they have surely consigned them to history this week," he added.
The demo tape was given to McCartney by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in 1994.
Two other songs, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love", were cleaned up by the producer Jeff Lynne, worked on by the other former Beatles, and released in 1995 and 1996.
An attempt was made to do the same with "Now And Then" but the project was abandoned due to the technical obstacles, unsurmountable at the time.
The two surviving Beatles finished "Now And Then" last year, including Harrison's electric and acoustic guitar parts recorded in 1995.
P.Silva--AMWN