Gulf War II tottered towards a conclusion: President Sadaam ordered his troops to withdraw from Kuwait late on Monday, allowing John Simpson to liberate the city for the BBC on Tuesday. Mr. Bush, the self-proclaimed leader of some forces, rejected the Iraqi withdrawal, insisting that they come back and fight; there's nothing like spilled Arab blood to give his poll ratings a boost. By the end of the day, the newly-restored Emir of Kuwait had imposed martial law for the next three months. Forces loyal to Kuwait suspended operations at daybreak on Thursday; the battle had lasted a few hours over six weeks.

On Saturday, the Security Council accepted a cease-fire under Resolution 686, which specifically stated that Resolution 678 (which authorised the use of military force to remove Iraq) remained in operation while prisoners of war were freed. Clause 3a insisted that Iraq cease hostile or provocative actions by its forces against all Member States; once this had been achieved, the remaining Resolutions would automatically lapse.

In other news, Mr. Gorbachev accused Mr. Yeltsin of having political aims "at odds with the goals of perestroika". Mr. Gorbachev turned his back on those who would preserve the USSR at any cost, ahead of a referendum on 17 March on preserving the Soviet Union as a "renewed socialist union". He criticised dogmatic conservative forces upholding socialism without democracy, and liberal bourgeois forces upholding democracy without socialism.

Nine children were abducted by social workers who somehow convinced themselves that the youngsters were being abused by satanists, despite having no evidence whatsoever to back up this remarkable assertion. Michael Heseltine gave £2 million to support the World Student Games, which will be held in Sheffield in July. In the Five Nations, England won the Triple Crown, winning a scrappy game 17:6 at Lansdowne-park. France overpowered Wales 36:3, ensuring that England -v- France in two weeks will be for the Grand Slam.

New at 72 came Candyland's Fountain o' youth, and in at 71 for Tony! Toni! Toné!; the most interesting thing about It never rains (in southern california) was the punctuation. The FPI Project had had a top ten hit in early 1990 with Going back to my roots; their new song, Everybody (all over the world) could only make 66. New at 65 came Caveman with I'm ready. Warrant's Cherry pie was re-issued, and back in at 60.

New at 58 came the Eurythmics with a re-issue of Love is a stranger. David "A" Stewart and Annie Lennox formed their band out of The Tourists, and burst onto the scene in early 1983 with the number 2 hit Sweet dreams (are made of this). Their previous single, Love is a stranger, had stalled at 54 in autumn 1982, but was re-activated and stormed up to number 6. The group was in the midst of a run of six top ten hits, which came to a grinding halt when Julia could only make number 44. It was the beginning of the end for the group - though they finally squeezed a week at number one with There must be an angel (playing with my heart), the group wouldn't have a top 10 hit after September 1986's Thorn in my side.

Three albums and ten singles later, it was time for the almost contractually-obligated greatest hits collection. It's a rather obvious set of the UK top 40 hits, with one exception; omitting their 1981 release Never gonna cry again (62) is reasonable, as no-one remembers it; losing 1987's slightly barking Beethoven (I love to listen to) (29) was forgivable; dropping follow-up Shame (41) and the rather fab Julia wasn't. By now, it was clear that Lennox and Stewart were going to have solo careers - Stewart had already worked with Candy Dulfer on Lily was here, and Lennox was preparing her squillion-selling Diva album for a year's time. The Eurythmics re-united for new album Peace in 1999, and recorded a new song when they put out a second hits collection in 2005.

Second single of the year for Sting, Mad about you lands at 56, and the Stereo MCs enter at 55 with a cover of Sister Sledge's Lost in music. Truth to tell, we never quite got the point of the Stereos, they made tunes that were simple to the point of banality. Even their covers were inferior to the original, and - in this case - inferior to The Fall's radical 1993 interpretation. There's some success ahead for the Definition of Sound, Wear your love like heaven is in at 54, but not for Richie Rich's Salsa House Featuring Ralphi Rosarcio, for You used to salsa will not beat number 52.

Debbie Gibson had the misfortune to be beaten to the doors of 1988's hit factory by Tiffany, and then completely overpowered by the inane Minogue; Shake your love entered two weeks after I think we're alone now, and could only make number 7 while her rivals hit the top spot. Two more top 20 hits followed before Gibson's defining moment, the summer's Foolish beat, which deserved its place in the top 10. Two more singles came off her eponymous album to limited success. Unlike Tiffany, Gibson managed to have hits after 1988, though not many - Electric youth went into the top 20 in spring 1989, and We could be together rose to 22. Her comeback single was Anything is possible, not to be confused with the song Will Young recorded on Pop Idle 1, and it only made number 51. Gibson made a slight return in 1993 when a version of You're the one that I want took her and Craig McLachlan into the top 20. That was taken from her work on the London stage, and Gibson has mostly appeared in musicals since.

New at 46 came the Mock Turtles with Can you dig it?. Fastest climber honours go to Susannah Hoffs, whose My side of the bed moves up 23 to 44. Hoffs was the singer-songwriter from The Bangles, a group that took five years to get going, had three massive hits (Eternal flame, Manic Monday, and Walk like an Egyptian), a dozen or so lesser ones, and suffered an acrimonious break-up in 1989, after which came the inevitable hits compilation. By now, Vicki Peterson had already started touring with the Go-Gos, and Hoffs was beginning to promote her new album When You're a Boy. It didn't do much, the lead single couldn't manage the four-place climb into the top 40, and she vanished into the ether. If there's a greatest hits album, there's got to be a reunion; it took place in 2003, spawned the rather brilliant single Something that you said, succeeded in Germany, flopped everywhere else, and that's about it.

New at number 41 come the Happy Mondays' new single Loose fit, new at number 40 for LL Cool J's Around the way girl. Mr. J had had a top ten hit in 1987 with I need love, but this was his first top 40 hit in three years. A return to the top 10 would not happen until 1997. A climb, but only of three places, for the Dream Warriors' Ludi. This Canadian duo had been the critical darlings of late 1990, creating intelligent rap and clever use of samples on the top 20 hits Wash your face in my sink and My definition (of a boombastic jazz style). Success evaded them in the new year, and this third release turned out to be their last hit single.

The Bee Gees advance 15 to 38 with Secret love, their first top 40 hit since 1987's chart-topper Ewan again. Jesus Loves You are up 18 to 37 with Bow down mister, the first time we've seen Boy George in the top 40 since To be reborn, also in 1987. After getting past his heroin problem, George had become interested in Eastern mysticism. This particular track had a broadly similar feel to George Harrison's My sweet lord, and deliberately included elements of Culture Club's Karma chameleon. The Jesus Loves You project was intended to presage a Culture Club reunion; in spite of a best-of in 1993, new material didn't emerge until 1998, and George went off to hone his skills as a club DJ and litter collector.

Echo and the Bunnymen went up five to 36 with People are strange, re-released after it appeared on the television. The Banderas went up eleven to 33 with This is your life, and Chesney Hawkes was up 13 to 32 with The one and only. It might yet become a hit! New at 26 was REM with Losing my religion. It's only the group's second top 40 hit, and has already beaten the peak of 1989's Orange crush by two places.

It's a ten-place climb to 24 for Jesus Jones' Who? Where? Why?, a concept latterly covered by Marcus Brigstocke. N-Joi's Adrenalin ep climbs 9 to its peak at 23. Up 17 to 22 goes Mantronix's Don't go messin' with my heart, and the fastest climber within the top 40 is Quartz and Dina Carroll's It's too late. Yep, after staggering 44-42-40, one play on the chart show, and an addition to the Radio 1 B list, makes the song soar. Joey B Ellis and Tynetta Hare's Go for it! (heart and fire) moves up three to 20. There's a new entry at 18 for Roxette's Joyride, and Massive's Unfinished sympathy storms up 14 to 17.

A new entry, and a career high, for Ned's Atomic Dustbin. The group had formed in Stourbridge in 1987, and featured two bass guitars, giving the group an unusually dense sound. They spent a year touring as support for local colleagues the Wonder Stuff (of whom more in April), and the self-released single Kill your television made number 53 in summer 1990. Happy was the group's major label debut for Sony imprint Furtive, and gave an excuse to put the group on Top of the Pops. Always better live than on record (though the 1991 album Godfodder has lasted well), the group put out two more albums before splitting in 1995, washed away by the high-point of Britpop. Just for once, the re-union took place before the retrospective - ver Neds played a gig at the end of 2000, and have done a few shows each December since, including a 20th anniversary bash at the Wulfrun Hall last year. The best-of, Some Furtive Years - A Ned's Anthology, emerged earlier in 2007.

New at 15 came the Charlatans' Over rising ep; the pisspoor quality of this single, and failure of the Happy Mondays to secure a top 40 place, was proof positive that the Madchester explosion had shattered. Living Colour went up 5 to 14 with Love rears its ugly head. Out of the top 10 went 808 State (9-12), and the KLF's 3am eternal (7-11).

New at number 10 came Hale and Pace and the Stonkers with The Stonk, the 1991 song for Comic Relief. Oleta Adams dropped three to 9, and Free's All right now held at 8, suggesting that its next move would be right off. Xpansions rose three to 7 with Move your body, and Stevie B's sickly-sweet Because I love you (the postman song) was up 12 to 6. A potential number one? Hope not. Nomad dropped two to 5, and The Source held at 4 with You got the love. Last week's number one was this week's number 3, the Simpsons continue to Do the Bart, Man. There was no move at 2 for Madonna's Crazy for you.

In all their years together, the Clash never had a top 10 hit; the number 11 peak of London calling and number 12 for Bankrobber in 1980 were as good as the group got. That was until the marketing men came along waving oodles of money, and the anarchist punks, er, sold out to them. Jeans manufacturers bought the rights to Should I stay or should I go to put behind their advert. The original had made number 17 in 1982, the group's sixteenth hit in five and a half years, and the last time they'd put a single into the top 20.

The power of commercials was sufficient to turn any number of heads, and the song was back in at number 5, then rose to number 1. Up until this point, it had been one of the many songs from the Clash's back catalogue, certainly less well-known than London calling and White riot, less controversial than Rock the Casbah, probably more accessible to the casual listener than most. After this re-release, it became a touchstone for how the original punks had sold out to corporate interests. Next thing we know, they'll be reviving Woodstock, complete with commercial sponsorship. And the group will be selling their other hits to advertise cars and guns, and this song to sell vodka.

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