Author: BBC

Cast member unfurls Palestinian flag at Royal Opera HouseA cast member at the Royal Opera House unfurled a Palestinian flag on stage during a curtain call on Saturday night.Video shows a brief scuffle as an official at the central London venue tries unsuccessfully to stop the protest, with the performer refusing to let go of the large flag. It came on the closing night of Il trovatore, a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi.Royal Ballet and Opera said the protest was “completely inappropriate for a curtain call”.A spokesperson said: “The display of the flag was spontaneous and unauthorised action by the…

Thirty-eight cases of botulism poisoning have been recorded in England in the last six weeks after the suspected use of unlicensed Botox-like products in cosmetic procedures, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Botulism is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, a key ingredient in the injection. Cases have been recorded in the East, East Midlands and the North East regions. The UKHSA urged those seeking treatments to obtain proof that their Botox practitioner was qualified and that their products were licensed.Botox injections are a common cosmetic procedure given to reduce facial lines…

An Oxfordshire council has “paused” its bid to be accredited as an employer that pays the real living wage.Green councillors on Vale of White Horse District Council pushed for the move back in 2023, after it was revealed some council contractors were paying the lower minimum wage.But the Lib Dem-controlled authority said it had undertaken a “consideration of workload” following the government’s announcement that local government would be reorganised.It said that it would be “for the new council to set its own direction on HR matters such as pay”. The Living Wage Foundation puts the real living wage at £12.60…

Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to settle a multibillion dollar lawsuit with a group of shareholders over how top executives and directors at Meta handled repeated privacy violations by Facebook.The shareholders were seeking $8bn (£6bn) in damages. It is unclear how much they agreed to settle for.The settlement was announced on Thursday by a lawyer for the shareholders, just before the trial was about to enter its second day in a Delaware court. Meta declined to comment on the settlement.The Meta shareholders had alleged that Mr Zuckerberg’s actions led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which the data of millions of…

Paul GlynnCulture reporterBBC/Disney/Marvel/GettyThis week, another new Marvel movie arrives in the form of Fantastic Four: First Steps.But that’s not all the next seven days have in store.Pokémon Presents appears to place Pikachu in the DJ booth, while Ray of Light-era Madonna gets the remix treatment, and Happy Gilmore returns to the greens after almost 30 years.Read on for what’s coming up this week…’It’s clobberin’ time!’The 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the first of phase six – lands in UK cinemas from Thursday, so we hope you’ve been keeping up.The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal as…

Philippa RoxbyHealth reporterUniversity Hospital SouthamptonCeri Cox’s two-year-old son Harry took part in a trial of the injectionThousands of premature babies in the UK can now be protected against a common winter virus which can cause a dangerous lung infection, and sometimes kill.The injection will provide them “with a protective bubble” against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in time for the colder months, NHS medics said.Most babies are protected via vaccination late in pregnancy, but babies born before 32 weeks are more vulnerable to life-threatening infections from the virus.From late September, 9,000 babies and young children at risk across the UK will…

Jennifer MeierhansBusiness reporterEpoch Company LtdSylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children’s toys in dark and debauched storylines.The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing “irreparable injury” to its reputation.The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming…

Getty ImagesLawmakers in the US have passed the country’s first major national cryptocurrency legislation.It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year’s election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump. The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar. Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.Known as the…

Tom RichardsonBBC NewsbeatSony PicturesI Know What You Did Last Summer is the latest big horror release out of HollywoodLights down, armrest gripped, teeth clenched – just an average evening at the cinema for a horror film fan.The genre is having a great year in 2025, with the top three examples – Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines and 28 Years Later – taking a total of £41.3m ($55.6m) in the UK.That’s compared with £39.5m ($53m) for the nine biggest horrors released throughout last year, according to Box Office Mojo.In North America, scary movies have accounted for 17% of ticket purchases this year…

Resident doctors say they have had “constructive discussions” with the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, and talks will continue over the next few days, in an attempt to avert planned strike action.The doctors, previously known as junior doctors, announced last week that they will walk out for five consecutive days from 25 July until 30 July in a dispute about pay. Representatives of the doctors’ union, the BMA, said the discussions so far have involved looking at “creative solutions” and “nothing is off the table”.The government has insisted it cannot improve its offer of a 5.4% pay increase for this year…