news afghanistan

WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP: ABBA RETURNS AFTER 40 YEARS, US WAR IN AFGHANISTAN ENDS, KANYE DROPS DONDA & MORE

WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP: ABBA RETURNS AFTER 40 YEARS, US WAR IN AFGHANISTAN ENDS, KANYE DROPS DONDA & MORE

by Christopher Kelly
8 min
news afghanistan

On this week’s CULTED Weekly News Roundup, Swedish supergroup ABBA announce their return to music after 40 years, Cristiano Ronaldo officially returns to Manchester United, the US & British war in Afghanistan ends as last troops leave Kabul and Kanye West drops his highly anticipated 10th studio album Donda. Catch up on all of the top stories from around the world every week with the CULTED Weekly News Roundup.

ABBA ANNOUNCE REUNION ALBUM ‘VOYAGE’
Swedish supergroup and pop icons ABBA have announced their plans to release a brand new 10 track album titled ‘Voyage’ for the first time in 40 years. After splitting up in 1982 due to turmoil within the band, ABBA has once again returned to the studio to craft their long-awaited return to international music. The group plan to release ‘Voyage’ in mid-November and aim to perform during a revolutionary series of virtual concerts. When commenting on the group’s reunion, founding member Benny Anderson stated “At first it was just two songs, and then we said, ‘Well, maybe we should do a few others”.The first single from the upcoming project titled ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ has already been released alongside a second single ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’.  

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ABBA (@abba)

7 BLACK MEN WRONGLY EXECUTED FOR ALLEGED RAPE ARE PARDONED 70 YEARS LATER
7 young black men referred to as ‘The Martinsville Seven’ who were condemned as guilty by an all-white jury in 1949 have been officially pardoned 70 years after their wrongful execution. Virginia’s Democratic governor Ralph Northam announced his plans to pardon all those convicted after an appeals court found that none of the men had been afforded the right to due process. 

CRISTIANO RONALDO OFFICIALLY RETURNS TO MANCHESTER UNITED
One of the world’s greatest footballers Cristiano Ronaldo has reached an agreement to return to the club that first signed him at the age of 17. Last Sunday, Manchester United signed a £12.9m deal to purchase Ronaldo from his former club Juventus after rumours began circling5 that the superstar may be headed to rival club Manchester City. Rather than see him play at City, United ownership made the move to bring Ronaldo back to the club he first started at. In Ronaldo’s first stint in Manchester, he scored 118 goals in 292 games before departing the club for Real Madrid in 2009. Now all attention turns to this year’s Premier League race as United look ready to make a strong push for the title. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited)

THE US & BRITISH WAR IN AFGHANISTAN OFFICIALLY ENDS AS THE LAST TROOP LEAVES KABUL
On Tuesday, the 20-year long occupation of Afghanistan by US & British troops officially came to a close as the last remaining troops left Kabul airport aboard military aircraft. As the evening of the 31st of August came to a close and Biden’s evacuation deadline came and passed, Major General Chris Donahue boarded a military cargo vessel as the last soldier in Afghanistan, ending the longest war in American military history. The announcement was met with mixed responses as the joys felt at the return of armed forces were muffled by fears of an uncertain future for remaining western and Afghan civilians now living under Taliban rule.    

TERRORIST ATTACK ROCKS THE CITY OF AUCKLAND IN NEW ZEALAND
This morning, New Zealand police have confirmed that they have shot dead an ‘extremist’ inspired by Islamic State after he stabbed and injured at least 6 people at a supermarket in Auckland. The attack unfolded this morning at LynnMall in the city centre of Auckland as a man known to police as a potential threat entered the supermarket with a knife and began attacking innocent civilians. In a statement made by New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, it became clear that the attacker was being closely monitored by police, stating “ The attacker was a Sri Lankan national who had been in New Zealand for 10 years and had been a “person of interest” for about five years”. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster added, “We were doing absolutely everything possible to monitor him and indeed the fact that we were able to intervene so quickly, in roughly 60 seconds, shows just how close we were watching him”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Yahoo News Australia (@yahoonewsau)

OUTKAST RELEASES ‘ATLINES’ MERCH TO CELEBRATE THE ALBUMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
After announcing the release of the upcoming ATlines Video Games, OutKast has teased a new line of apparel including a bespoke Bomber Jacket to compliment the release. Both the video game and the apparel collection are being made to commemorate the 1996 release of the groups iconic breakout album ATLiens. Now they plan to drop an expanded version of the original album including unheard tracks, The apparel collection comprises slides, bucket hats, hoodies and of course their signature letterman jacket.  

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Outkast (@outkast)

HURRICANE IDA KILLS 46 AS HUGE FLASH FLOODING DESTROYS NEW YORK
Both New York and New Jersey have declared a state of emergency as extreme flash flooding and reports of tornadoes tear through heavily populated areas. Subway stations, roads, residential areas and government buildings have all become submerged in heavy flooding with at least 8 people dead thus far.  In a recent statement, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio urged all residents to stay inside, adding that the storm was the “biggest wake-up call we could possibly get”.

KANYE WEST FINALLY DROPS HIS LATEST ALBUM ‘DONDA’
After one of the most unprecedented album rollouts of all time, Kanye West has officially released his 10th studio album titled ‘Donda’. The album boasts an impressive selection of contemporary superstars including features from the likes of Jay-Z, DaBaby, Roddy Rich, Travis Scott, Pop Smoke and many more. ‘Donda’ has been met with mixed reviews on its way to claim the second-highest debut-day streaming record of any album with some fans criticising Ye for including condemned sex offender Marilyn Manson on the project. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian)

JAKE PAUL DEFEATS UFC CHAMPION TYRON WOODLEY TO IMPROVE HIS RECORD TO 4-0
On August 29th, Jake Paul defeated UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in an 8 round exhibition boxing match in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. After beating former Olympic Wrestler Ben Askren at the beginning of the year, Jake overcame his toughest opponent yet as he attempts to establish himself as a real boxer rather than just a ‘Youtube Boxer”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jake Paul (@jakepaul)

VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT APPROVES REMOVAL OF ROBERT E. LEE STATUE
The infamous statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee will officially be torn down after years of protests and activist efforts. Yesterday, more than a year after Gov. Ralph Northam announced the states intention to take down the monument, the Virginia judicial court approved the removal of the 12-ton statue from the state’s capital. In response to the ruling, the democratic Governor announced, “Our public memorials are symbols of who we are and what we value. When we honour leaders who fought to preserve a system that enslaved human beings, we are honouring a lost cause that has burdened Virginia for too many years. Today it is clear: The largest Confederate monument in the South is coming down.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 7News DC (@7newsdc)

in other news

Comment

JOIN THE CULTED COMMUNITY TO GET THE LATEST ON FASHION, ART AND CULTURE