Topping the iTunes listings in 54 countries when we took a snapshot at 6pm on release day (November 3), Sam Smith's second album, The Thrill Of It All, will undoubtedly follow through with No.1 placings in many of the territories where official charts are compiled within the next fortnight.
 
Meanwhile, there's more evidence of the strong start made by Flicker, the introductory solo album by Niall Horan. The third original member of One Direction to release a solo album - following Zayn Malik and Harry Styles - the 24-year-old from Mullingar breezed to pole position in his native Ireland and the Netherlands, while debuting at No.2 in Italy, No.3 in Argentina, New Zealand and the UK, No.5 in Sweden and Flanders, No.8 in Germany and No.15 in Wallonia last week. Continuing at No.1 in Ireland, the album is in decline in the rest of the above but now debuts at No.1 in Canada and the USA, No.2 in Australia and Portugal, No.4 in Denmark, Norway and Spain, No.6 in Austria, The Czech Republic, Finland and Poland, No.11 in Switzerland, No.16 in Slovakia and No.24 in France.
 
No.1 in the UK, No.3 in Ireland, No.5 in New Zealand, No.6 in The Netherlands and Italy, No.9 in Flanders and Germany, No.15 in Wallonia and No.35 in Japan last week, the late George Michael's newly expanded 1990 classic Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1 now returns to the chart in Portugal (No.3), Australia (No.5), Denmark (No.7), Poland (No.8), Switzerland (No.12), Austria (No.13), Slovakia (No.13), The Czech Republic (No.16), France (No.20), Hungary (No.21), Canada (No.34) and The USA (No.41) while advancing 9-4 in Flanders.
 
Just 35 sales short of becoming their seventh No.1 album in the UK - where it has to settle for runners-up slot behind Michael Ball & Alfie Boe's Together Again - Stereophonics' Scream Above The Sounds makes only a small impact in most other territories for the Welsh band, opening at No.9 in Ireland, No.56 in Flanders, No.63 in Wallonia and No.77 in The Netherlands.
 
As mentioned last week, Dua Lipa's New Rules is a growing global smash, and once again her eponymous debut album reaches new peaks, this time in America where it climbs 63-58 and France, where it improves 127-109. It also climbs in New Zealand (29-25), Flanders (50-33), Italy (41-33), Sweden (50-47), Slovakia (90-52), The Netherlands (67-64), Australia (83-66) and Wallonia (139-101).
 
Top 20 in 22 countries in the last fortnight, Pink's seventh album Beautiful Trauma loses leadership of the chart in Canada (1-2), the USA (1-3), Slovakia (1-3), Switzerland (1-3) and Austria (1-4) but continues to rule the roost in Australia, The Czech Republic and New Zealand, while bouncing 5-2 in Germany and making a belated debut at No.53 in Greece.
 
Its progress in eight countries logged hereabouts in the last fortnight, The Ooz by King Krule - eclectic 23-year-old Londoner Archy Marshall - now debuts at No.45 in Portugal and No.70 in South Korea.

Finally, with latest single Perfect attracting a lot of support, Ed Sheeran's ÷ album makes widespread gains, and even returns to No.1 in Denmark where it has topped the list an incredible 29 times in 34 weeks. Sheeran's second album X, meanwhile, re-enters the often volatile Polish chart at No.1. 

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