Author: BBC

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…

Esme StallardClimate and science reporter, BBC NewsChristopher Furlong/Getty ImagesTreated waste water flows into the River Irwell from wastewater treatment works in Bolton in JuneSerious pollution incidents by water companies have risen 60% in a year, according to the Environment Agency.In total there were 2,801 pollution incidents in England in 2024, the highest on record, compared with 2,174 in 2023.Of these, 75 were considered to pose “serious or persistent” harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health – up from 47 last year.The Public Accounts Committee – a cross party group of MPs – called the level of pollution “woeful”.Industry group…

Netflix says it has used visual effects created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its original TV shows for the first time.The streaming giant’s co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said AI, which produces videos and images based on prompts, was used to create a scene of a building collapsing in the Argentine science fiction show, The Eternauts.He said the technology allowed the production team to complete sequences faster and at a lower cost.The use of generative AI is controversial in the entertainment industry over concerns it creates content using others’ work without their consent and fears that it will…

Fire engulfs main stage of Tomorrowland music festivalTens of thousands of campers have arrived at Tomorrowland in Belgium, a day after a fire destroyed the festival’s main stage.Festival organisers have insisted that the event in the town of Boom, south of Antwerp, will continue without the stage, adding that they are “focused on finding solutions”.Nobody was injured in Wednesday evening’s blaze and experts are working to determine a cause.The electronic dance music festival is due to start on Friday, with 400,000 people expected to attend over two weekends.Hundreds of artists, including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Swedish House Mafia and Charlotte…

Watch the moment DNA from a mum and dad is injected into the egg of another woman – the critical step in the creation of a baby made from three peopleEight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say.The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman.The technique has been legal here for a decade but we now have the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable…