Author: BBC

Walt Disney has announced plans to open its first theme park in the Middle East. The resort, which will be in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, is a collaboration between Walt Disney and local leisure and entertainment company Miral. Disney already has six theme parks spanning North America, Europe and Asia. Its most recent opening was in 2016 in Shanghai.Miral is responsible for the development of Yas Island as a tourist destination and already operates SeaWorld and Warner Bros World where it is developing a Harry Potter-themed park. In a statement announcing the new facility,…

Shanaz Musafer, Liv McMahon & Ije NdukweBBC NewsGetty ImagesThe country may be enjoying the sunny weather, but the storm clouds that have been gathering over Marks & Spencer currently show no sign of abating.The company has said it is working “day and night” to manage the cyber attack that hit the retailer two weeks ago and has caused problems in store and shut down its online operations.Here’s what we know about the attack and the impact it’s having.Online orders are still pausedM&S’s problems began over the Easter weekend, with customers reporting problems with Click & Collect and contactless payments.The company…

Media regulator Ofcom needs more powers to remove posts such as those which encouraged the 2024 summer riots, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary says.Sir Andy Cooke said it took too long to remove misinformation on social media, allowing it to spread further and have a greater impact.He said the Online Safety Act – despite being only recently passed – did not give the regulator the tools it needed to contain such content.”Ofcom needs to have the proper capacity and capability to get posts taken down quickly if it’s going to be effective,” he said.”If you don’t get them down quickly,…

Stuart WoodwardBBC News, EssexSteve Hubbard/BBCFinley has received weekly lipid infusions directly into his heart since he was fourLike most teenagers his age, Finley is given a cake every year to celebrate his birthday, but he can never eat it – or any other food. If he did, he would bleed internally.The 14-year-old’s digestive system cannot tolerate lipids – fatty compounds or oils which are found in foods – so he has them injected directly into his heart.The treatment is a six-hour process which he has undergone every week since he was four years old, and over the past year it…

Rebekah Vardy must pay more than £1.4m of Coleen Rooney’s legal costs following their libel battle, a judge has said.Mrs Rooney ran up a legal bill totalling more than £1.8m while successfully defending herself against Mrs Vardy’s High Court claim in 2022. After Mrs Vardy lost the case, court documents showed she had been ordered to pay 90% of Mrs Rooney’s costs.Earlier on Tuesday, a specialist costs court was told that Mrs Vardy had agreed to pay £1.19m to Mrs Rooney, who was also asking for a further £315,000 in “assessment costs”.Costs judge Mark Whalan then said it was “reasonable…

PAThe takeover of Deliveroo by its US counterpart DoorDash is an illuminating example of the differing fortunes and attractions of US and UK stock markets.DoorDash’s offer for Deliveroo values the business at £2.9bn and will create a company with operations in more than 40 countries.While both are similar companies, their fortunes have dramatically diverged over the past few years.Both started out as food delivery services offering customers convenient and speedy access to their favourite restaurants and offering restaurants the ability to more fully utilise the capacity of their kitchens.Both extended their offerings to include other convenience shopping items – like…

Suzanne BearneTechnology ReporterTaran WilkhuSabine Zetteler is resisting the rise of AINothing has convinced Sabine Zetteler of the value of using AI.”I read a really great phrase recently that said something along the lines of ‘why would I bother to read something someone couldn’t be bothered to write’ and that is such a powerful statement and one that aligns absolutely with my views.”Ms Zetteler runs her own London-based communications agency, with around 10 staff, some full-time some part-time.”What’s the point of sending something we didn’t write, reading a newspaper written by bots, listening to a song created by AI, or me…

Funding is being given to around one in six GP practices in England to help them improve their buildings, the government says.Around £102m is being provided to expand and modernise surgeries, with work getting under way this summer. The government said it was the biggest public investment in facilities for five years.It comes as satisfaction levels with GP service have hit record-low levels and figures suggest two in five GPs are reporting their practices are not fit for purpose.Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a “significant step”, but warned it would not solve all existing problems overnight.Under the plan, some…

Emma SaundersCulture reporterGetty ImagesMarvel’s Thunderbolts* is currently top of the US box officeUS President Donald Trump has said he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world.Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America’s movie industry was dying “a very fast death”.So what might this mean for both the US film industry and the global movie business, including the UK?Is Hollywood ‘dying’?Announcing the new tariffs,…

Peter HoskinsBusiness reporterGetty ImagesUS President Donald Trump says he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world.Trump said he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America’s movie industry was dying “a very fast death”.He blamed a “concerted effort” by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a “National Security threat”.His remarks could spell a “knock-out blow” to the industry, one union warned, where filmmakers have for years…