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Alex Warren No. 1 on Global 200 for 10th Week
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” continues as the biggest song in the world, as it tallies a landmark 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and an eighth week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.

In a busy top 10 on the Global 200, two tracks from the soundtrack to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters storm the region: “Golden,” by HUNTR/X, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (vaulting from No. 52 to No. 2), and “Your Idol,” by Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee (73-10). The former also bounds 51-5 on Global Excl. U.S.

aespa’s “Dirty Work” debuts at No. 5 on the Global 200 and No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. The South Korean pop group scores its highest ranks and second and third top 10 on the respective charts.

Plus, Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” rises 11-10 on Global Excl. U.S., where it’s her first top 10.

The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020 — and two weeks earlier marked their 250th week — rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 66 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 11,000 sold (up 2%) worldwide June 27-July 3. The song becomes the seventh to have topped the Global 200 for double-digit weeks — here’s a rundown of the list’s longest-leading hits:

19 weeks at No. 1, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey, 2020-25

18, “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, 2024-25

15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, 2022

13, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, 2023

12, “APT.,” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, 2024-25

11, “Stay,” The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, 2021

10, “Ordinary,” Alex Warren, 2025

Two songs from the soundtrack to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters blast to the Global 200’s top 10: “Golden,” billed to HUNTR/X, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami (52-2), and “Your Idol,” credited to Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee (73-10). The former soared by 135% to 48.4 million streams and 48% to 4,000 sold worldwide in the tracking week; the latter leaped by 117% to 37.6 million streams and 25% to 3,000 sold globally.

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack surges 8-3 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” holds at No. 3 on the Global 200, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” slips to No. 4 from its No. 2 high.

aespa’s “Dirty Work” opens at No. 5 on the Global 200 with 48.4 million streams and 6,000 sold worldwide following its June 27 release. The act adds its second top 10 on the tally — and first top 10 debut and first top five hit — after “Whiplash” hit No. 8 in November.

“Ordinary” leads Global Excl. U.S. with 47.7 million streams (down 1%) and 4,000 sold (up 1%) outside the U.S.

“Dirty Work” launches at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. with 45.2 million streams and 5,000 sold. aespa claims its second top 10 on the chart — and first top 10 debut; “Whiplash” reached No. 5 in November.

“Die With a Smile” dips 2-3 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September and “APT.” steps down 3-4, after reigning for a record 19 weeks beginning in November.

“Golden” shines 51-5 on Global Excl. U.S. with 35 million streams (up 137%) and 2,000 sold (up 46%) beyond the U.S.

Plus, Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” lifts 11-10 on Global Excl. U.S., powered by a 5% gain to 27.4 million streams outside the U.S. The Chicago-born singer-songwriter earns her first top 10 on the chart with the track, which hit No. 7 a week earlier on the Global 200, where it’s also her first top 10.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 12, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, July 8. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
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July 7, 2025
200 million year-old jawbone revealed as new species

Victoria Gill

Science correspondent, BBC News

Smithsonian

The new pterosaur has been named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, meaning ‘ash-winged dawn goddess’

Scientists have discovered a new species of pterosaur – a flying reptile that soared above the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.

The jawbone of the ancient reptile was unearthed in Arizona back in 2011, but modern scanning techniques have now revealed details showing that it belongs to a species new to science.

The research team, led by scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, has named the creature Eotephradactylus mcintireae, meaning “ash-winged dawn goddess”.

It is a reference to the volcanic ash that helped preserve its bones in an ancient riverbed.

Suzanne McIntire

The jawbone of the seagull-sized pterosaur was preserved in 209 million year-old rock

Details of the discovery are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

At about 209 million years old, this is now believed to be the earliest pterosaur to be found in North America.

“The bones of Triassic pterosaurs are small, thin, and often hollow, so they get destroyed before they get fossilised,” explained Dr Kligman.

The site of this discovery is a fossil bed in a desert landscape of ancient rock in the Petrified Forest National Park.

More than 200 million years ago, this place was a riverbed, and layers of sediment gradually trapped and preserved bones, scales and other evidence of life at the time.

The river ran through the central region of what was the supercontinent of Pangaea, which was formed from all of Earth’s landmasses.

The pterosaur jaw is just one part of a collection of fossils found at the same site, including bones, teeth, fish scales and even fossilised poo (also known as coprolites).

Dr Kligman said: “Our ability to recognise pterosaur bones in [these ancient] river deposits suggests there may be other similar deposits from Triassic rocks around the world that may also preserve pterosaur bones.”

Ben Kligman

The ancient bone bed is in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Studying the pterosaur’s teeth also provided clues about what the seagull-sized winged reptile would have eaten.

“They have an unusually high degree of wear at their tips,” explained Dr Kligman. suggesting that this pterosaur was feeding on something with hard body parts.”

The most likely prey, he told BBC News, were primitive fish that would have been covered in an armour of boney scales.

Scientists say the site of the discovery has preserved a “snapshot” of an ecosystem where groups of animals that are now extinct, including giant amphibians and ancient armoured crocodile relatives, lived alongside animals that we could recognise today, including frogs and turtles.

This fossil bed, Dr Kligman said, has preserved evidence of an evolutionary “transition” 200 million years ago.

“We see groups that thrived later living alongside older animals that [didn’t] make it past the Triassic.

“Fossil beds like these enable us to establish that all of these animals actually lived together.”

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July 7, 2025
Tour de France Daily | Stage 3 | Saving our strength

Alex Baudin won the Tour de Limousin last year, finished second at the Coppa Bernocchi, and came third on GC at the Tour of Guangxi, but the 23-year-old from the French Alps says that his most memorable ride is still a month-long bikepacking adventure he took across Europe. He is going to fit right in in his first season in EF Education-EasyPost pink.

Alex is a punchy climber, who excels at sustained, explosive efforts like the Ardennes classics demand. His favorite race that he has done so far is the Clásica de San Sebastián. He also likes the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and Québec, because his uncles, who now live in Canada, can come to cheer. But Alex always returns home to the Alps and the roads he has been riding ever since he was a child.

He first fell in love with cycling when he was four-years-old. His dad was a racer and would take him up into the mountains to watch the Tour de France whenever the race neared their Albertville home. Alex was soon tearing up climbs like the Cormet de Roselend with his father, emulating the heroes he’d seen attacking through the colorful crowds. His dad was his first coach and had to tell him to slow down.

As Alex got older, he began to train harder and soon established himself as one of the most promising young climbers in France. The mountains are where he is most at home.

As soon as snow falls in the Alps, Alex heads to his local cross-country trails. Gliding across meadows and through forests is a great way for him to build his fitness and get away from it all.

To fuel all his time outside, Alex also loves to cook. When he is done cycling, Alex thinks he might become a chef.

For now, his focus is 100 percent on cycling. He wants to fly in his first year in pink.

This summer, Alex will make his Tour de France debut. Watch him soar in the mountains all around France this July.

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July 7, 2025
Assisted reproductive technology raises pregnancy risks in women with kidney transplants

Women with kidney transplants who use assisted reproductive technology (ART) to conceive might face higher risks of complications during pregnancy, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The study provides some of the first large-scale data on pregnancy outcomes in this unique patient population.

Silvi Shah, MD, associate professor in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in the Department of Internal Medicine, led the research in collaboration with the Transplant Pregnancy Registry International (TPRI). It was recently published in the journal Transplantation. The study is among the first of its kind to evaluate the effects of assisted fertility treatments in kidney transplant recipients.

Chronic kidney disease can significantly impair a woman’s fertility. While many women regain fertility after receiving a kidney transplant and are able to conceive naturally, some continue to experience infertility and turn to ART for help.

“Until now, little has been known about the outcomes of pregnancies using assisted reproductive technology in women with kidney transplants,” said Shah, a physician-scientist who also sees patients at UC Health. “Our study provides valuable evidence to guide physicians when counseling patients toward family-planning decision-making and the use of assisted reproductive technology.”

Researchers used data from the TPRI to analyze pregnancy outcomes in kidney transplant recipients during the 54-year period between 1968 and 2022. This study focused on 130 ART pregnancies in 77 kidney transplant recipients across North America and compared them to pregnancies conceived naturally in the same patient population. ART methods in the study included fertility medications, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Shah and collaborators found ART pregnancies among kidney transplant recipients were associated with a higher risk of some complications. They included increased rates of hypertension during pregnancy, a greater likelihood of cesarean delivery, a higher risk of preterm birth (defined as delivery before 37 weeks gestation) and lower birth weights in babies.

However, the study found no significant difference in live birth rates or two-year kidney transplant survival between ART and natural conceptions – an encouraging sign that ART is a viable and ultimately safe option.

It’s safe for women with kidney transplants to pursue ART, provided they have stable creatinine value, optimal immunosuppression, well-controlled blood pressure and no recent episodes of rejection. We now have data showing that while certain risks are higher, outcomes such as long-term kidney function and live birth rates are not negatively impacted.

This research is an important step in understanding how best to support kidney transplant recipients who are considering pregnancy with assisted reproductive technology and enhances our ability as physicians to help patients make informed reproductive choices.”

Silvi Shah, MD, Associate Pprofessor, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Shah’s work helps to fill a critical knowledge gap: Although pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients has long been recognized as high-risk, little was known about outcomes involving ART.

The research team also included Anthony Leonard, PhD, biostatistician and adjunct associate professor in UC’s Department of Biostatistics, Health Informatics and Data Sciences; Prasoon Verma, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and neonatologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; and graduate student collaborators Brenna Rachwal, Pragati Basera and Nisha Sheshashayee.

Collaborators from other institutions included Prema Vyas, MD, Texas Christian University; Swati Rao, MD, University of Virginia; Jonathan Konel, MD, University of Maryland Medical Center; Shilpanjali Jesudason, PhD, University of Adelaide; and Serban Constantinescu, MD, PhD, Michael Moritz, MD, and Lisa Coscia from Transplant Pregnancy Registry International – Gift of Life Institute in Philadelphia.

Source:

Journal reference:

Shah, S., et al. (2025). Pregnancy Outcomes Using Assisted Reproductive Technology in Kidney Transplant Recipients. Transplantation. doi.org/10.1097/tp.0000000000005449.

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July 7, 2025
Texas floods: Death toll rises to 91, officials say, as storm warnings continue

‘Incredibly heartbreaking’ – local campaigns for warning sirens after flood tragedypublished at 19:12 British Summer Time

Gary O’Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from Texas

As the search continues, the focus is increasingly moving to
what could have been done, if anything, to prevent this tragedy.

One local campaigner, Nicole Wilson, has already set up a
petition with 450 signatures calling for flood sirens to be
set up in Kerr County along the Guadalupe River – something in place in other counties.

Such a system has been debated in Kerr County for almost a
decade but funds have never been allocated for it.

Nicole told me she thought sirens could have prevented the
tragedy: “When you’re a child, you expect somebody, an adult’s
going to come save you… It’s incredibly heartbreaking.”

Nicole, who has children who also go to summer camps in the
area, says she’s saddened by the decisions over the years not to invest.

“To have camps, to have RV camps, to have houses that
close to a river and it flood like that, I don’t understand why Kerrville and
Kerr County hadn’t invested in flood sirens,” she says.

President Trump is expected to visit the area later in the
week and Nicole says she wants him to arrive with, as she puts it, “a blank
cheque”.

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July 7, 2025
Bessie Carter on playing Nancy Mitford in Outrageous

This article contains spoilers for all episodes of Outrageous

BritBox’s newest period drama, Outrageous, portrays the true story of how the turbulent politics of the 1930s simultaneously tore a family apart and also forged their desire to rebel against their upper-class sheltered background.

Nancy Mitford (Bessie Carter), the eldest sibling, acts as the narrator who explains that her younger sister Diana fell in love with the leader of the British fascists Oswald Mosley (Joshua Sasse), and another sister Unity (Joanna Vanderham) became obsessed with Hitler. On the other side of the spectrum, sister Jessica (Zoe Brough) joined the Communist movement, after seeing how her upper-class family lived in comfort while others were starving.

Previously, GBH Drama interviewed the Executive Producers on their creative process. In the second part of our coverage, GBH Drama spoke with actress Bessie Carter about her perspective on Nancy’s journey throughout the season, the scenes she struggled with most, and what’s next if the series gets renewed.

GBH Drama: What drew you to the role of Nancy?

Bessie Carter: I was saying “I’m not going to do another period drama.” Then my agents sent me this audition. They were like, “I don’t think you’re going to want to say no to this, though, because it is the lead of a show.” I’d never played a lead before. Then I read the script, and I knew loads about Nancy Mitford; I had weird connections to Nancy Mitford. I [narrated] her book “The Pursuit of Love” five years ago. I went to the same school as her. I lived near where she and Peter Rodd ended up living.

The script is the most important thing in any job. If you have a good script, it’s hopeful that [the product] might be good. If it’s a bad script, there’s no chance. This script was brilliant, and I thought it was funny, and intelligent, and heartfelt. I thought it was mad, the fact that we’d never seen the Mitford Sisters on screen before. I thought, “Oh, my God. I want to be in the first version that tells their story.” Then, to be honest with you, when I went in for my audition, I met Joss Agnew, the director, and Rachel Sheridan, the casting director. I had the best audition in my life, because they were so nice and kind and open and curious. It felt collaborative and energetic. I left with a skip in my step and thinking, “I might have got that job.” Not in an arrogant way, but I got a good feeling. I waited two weeks, and then I got the job. It was great.

GBH Drama: How did being the eldest affect Nancy’s relationship with her parents and her younger siblings throughout the season?

Bessie Carter: They have a close relationship. Her parents put a lot of responsibility on her to look after the brood. It was quite natural for Nancy to look after them. There was a 16-year difference between Nancy and Debo, the youngest. There was some pressure from her parents to keep them all together, but Nancy also feels increasing pressure from her parents to be successful in love and to find an appropriate person. She continually doesn’t do that. Nancy feels quite ashamed towards the end. She then comes back and spends a lot more time with her parents when her relationship with Peter starts to go down the drain. And that’s quite human, isn’t it? You go, “Let’s go back to mum and dad’s,” if you’ve got the privilege of having mum and dad who can have you. She wanted to be looked after.

GBH Drama: Do you believe that if Nancy knew more about the world, she would have made different relationship choices?

Bessie Carter: Her marriage was a rebound because of Hamish. She was with Hamish for four years in an unofficial engagement. She didn’t want to look beyond what she had with Hamish; she wanted to hope for the best. Nancy decided, “okay, I’m going to take the lead,” but it failed. Poor Nancy. When the relationship fell through, I think she felt the shame and the pressure from society to hurry up and get on with it. She never acted or behaved like a victim or felt like a victim, but I think she was a victim of her time. I believe she did have time to potentially find someone else, but I don’t think she let herself. She was a hopeless romantic, and Hamish was very charming, and we’ve all been there. If it were in modern days, she probably would’ve dated Hamish for about six months and then realized the red flags were far too loud to ignore. I think they got married within a month in those days, which is remarkable.

GBH Drama: Nancy narrates the stories of her sisters as well as telling her own. What were the most difficult scenes of hers to portray and why?

Bessie Carter: The scene where Nancy finds her husband cheating on her. When I read the script and I came to the end, I saw Nancy didn’t forgive him, but also made the choice to stay married. When I read that, the 21st-century feminist in me struggled with it. I was like, “No, he’s a shitbag and she should walk away. She should leave.” Sarah Williams, our amazing writer, was like, “No, well. This is just what happened. Nancy made this decision, but not from a place of being a victim who was staying stuck, but from an empowered place where she goes, if he can do whatever he wants, he can never tell me I can’t do what I want.” You have to be true to what their actual story was. It is in some ways very empowered to say, “Right, okay. I see him now for who he is.” There is power in that, but I found that difficult. I found that journey from the betrayal, which she did feel, and the hatred and all of that, to then come to that place of peace… I found that as Bessie, the actor, I had to quieten her opinions about it and step up as Nancy.

GBH Drama: Nancy’s eventual falling out with Diana on the surface is about politics. What else do their conversations reveal?

Bessie Carter: I believe Diana was seduced by a man who needed her and her brain. With a lot of the sisters who went down the extreme paths, they went to places where they felt heard and respected. They weren’t being heard or respected in their normal society, where they were told, “no, you’ve just got to be a wife or a mother,” and “you’re not allowed to go to school. School is for boys.” They then go to the corners of the world where they do feel heard, and I think Diana felt heard by Mosley. She lost interest or connection with her friends in the love affair. Nancy’s continually trying to say, “where are you going? Where have you gone? We are here. What are you doing?” I believe the love story between Nancy and Diana is the interesting love story of the series.

GBH Drama: Do you believe that Nancy had it in her to stop Unity from going off the rails into extreme fascism?

Bessie Carter: Unity was completely ignored and taken the mick out of, and none of them took her seriously. I don’t believe they could see where that path was going to lead. She was a child who was not being heard, and if you think about 18-year-olds in 1930, they’ll be even younger than 18-year-olds today, who look about 25. Nancy didn’t take it seriously; thought it was harmless until it was too late and they received that letter. Then they realized the severity of Unity’s ambition and drive, which [all the sisters] had in different areas, and it probably came from their parents. Nancy had it with her writing. She wrote under her own name. She didn’t care about being a female author.

GBH Drama: Circling back to the age gap, can you elaborate on how that is presented through Nancy’s interactions with Debo, Pam, and Decca?

Bessie Carter: Nancy and Decca have that big sister/little sister thing. They argue, they butt heads; “oh, shut up,” and “oh, no. You.” Pamela was different; very independent from the family. She had her car, so she could drive around. Debo was a lot younger. She was like a child. We were all just trying to honor what was written in Sarah Williams’ scripts. What’s great is that this series is only a tiny fraction of their lives. There’s so much more to go. You see, there are many more dynamics that happen between them all, carrying on. This is very much the setting up; the first few steps leading up to the war. The dream is to do a series two and three as a complete story.

GBH Drama: Were you surprised by the ending in the script? Is there a possibility for more episodes of Outrageous, and what would you like to see from Nancy’s story in the future?

Bessie Carter: It was a clever ending with the photograph. Knowing what has happened in between, it’s excellent. I’d like to see Nancy get to Paris, mainly because I’d love to spend some time in Paris. Nancy felt Paris suited her. I can imagine her with her chic little bob sort of trotting down a pristine cobbled alleyway. That’s probably around the era where Nancy’s voiceovers come from. It would be cool to get to the person who is doing the reflecting.

All episodes of Outrageous are currently streaming on BritBox.

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July 7, 2025
Bluesky is finally adding more ways to filter notifications

Bluesky has updated its notification settings so that users have more control over when and why the social media app sends them a ping. Besides more granular controls over which things will trigger a notification, you can now receive alerts for any activity from a chosen account.

As a fledgling app, Bluesky has lacked the in-depth notification toggles you might find in something like Instagram, which has had over a decade to figure out when people want to be contacted. With this update, the situation on Bluesky has improved significantly. Now you can choose between receiving notifications from everyone, just the people you follow or no one. And those options can be applied to nearly every interaction in the app now, including when someone reposts something you repost or likes something you repost.

Bluesky

You can now also turn on Activity Notifications for any account you choose, if you want to receive notifications about what they’re doing in the app. Bluesky imagines it being useful if you follow news organizations who post about breaking news, but if you want to be the first person to like a friend’s new post, now you have an easier way to keep tabs on their account.

Bluesky’s new notification options join other recent updates to the X and Threads competitor, like the company’s new verification program for “authentic and notable accounts” and an experimental live streaming feature that will let you know when select accounts you follow are live on Twitch or YouTube.

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July 7, 2025
What to expect from Samsung Unpacked July 2025: Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, Watch 8 Series, more

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Three things are certain when July comes along: backyard barbecues, fireworks past midnight, and Samsung Unpacked.

Just last month, Samsung confirmed that the next Unpacked event will take place on Wednesday, July 9, in Brooklyn, New York. This follows the host cities of Paris, France, and Seoul, South Korea, over the past two years — with the company suggesting that it’s chosen Brooklyn for its “bold ideas, creativity, and culture.”

Also: The best Samsung phones to buy in 2025

While the ZDNET team will report on all the announcements live from the event floor, we’ve also gathered the essential information you need to know before the Wednesday keynote. Here’s what we’re expecting to see at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked, including products that may make surprise appearances.

What’s expected at the Samsung Unpacked July event?

Foldable phones have been the trend for Samsung, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 slated for release.

Key improvements we’re expecting include lighter and thinner designs (partly inspired by the Galaxy S25 Edge), camera upgrades such as a 200MP Ultra-level sensor, and displays that match the quality of the well-tested S25 series.

Last year’s Unpacked July event saw the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 (left) and Z Flip 6 (right).

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Considering how much focus Samsung has invested in making its phone displays more durable and brighter than ever, prepare for news on improved glass materials and hinge designs across the board. That’s in line with the company’s continued commitment to seven years of operating system and security updates, allowing the new foldable phones to stay feature-relevant until at least 2032.

Also: I changed 7 Samsung phone settings to instantly improve the battery life

With these upgrades in mind — and the unpredictable economic climate — it wouldn’t be surprising to see both the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 cost more this year. Samsung previously alleviated its price hikes with storage upgrades, doubling the base memory of select Galaxy phones from 128GB to 256GB.

Whether the company plans to repeat that strategy remains up in the air. Just don’t expect these phones to cost any less in 2025.

Last year’s Samsung Unpacked saw the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, Watch Ultra, and Galaxy Buds 3 series.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

If we’re lucky, we’ll also see a set of wearables and accessories to accommodate the handsets on Wednesday. Maybe a new Galaxy Watch Ultra? Galaxy Buds? Galaxy Ring? Regardless, the upcoming Samsung event will kick off the second half of the year for consumer hardware launches after a busy stretch of software-focused developer conferences.

Also: Did Samsung’s fitness coach just outpace Apple’s Workout Buddy?

What’s certain is that Samsung will continue to focus on interconnected health and fitness features with its next wave of wearables, with OneUI 8 introducing helpful AI tools like Running Coach, Bedtime Guidance, and more.

What about the tri-foldable phone?

It’s been long rumored that Samsung has been working on a foldable phone that bends in two ways. While the company wouldn’t be the first to do it — the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate gets that honor — it could be the first in the broader international market, including the US.

We don’t expect Samsung to fully launch a tri-foldable phone at Unpacked this week, but there’s a fair chance that the device will be teased to some capacity; perhaps through a sizzle reel at the end of the keynote. That’s become the company’s launch strategy for its most anticipated products in recent years, including the Galaxy Ring in 2024 and the Galaxy S25 Edge in 2025.

Reservation offer

Ahead of Unpacked, Samsung is opening up a reservation offer to folks who are interested in the upcoming devices. By placing a reservation to preorder — not to be mistaken with committing to buy — on Samsung’s website, you’ll get $50 worth of Samsung store credit (with the opportunity to save up to $1,150 off with a trade-in later) for free, applicable toward accessories and other products.

Also: I changed 10 Samsung phone settings for an instant performance boost

Get the morning’s top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

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July 7, 2025
Measles cases in the US reach 33-year high

The number of reported measles cases in the US has reached a 33-year high, with nearly 1,300 confirmed infections across the country as of Friday.

The data, released by John Hopkins University, marks a new milestone in an ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that was once thought to be eliminated in the US.

Measles cases have been reported in 38 states and the District of Columbia this year. At least three people have died from the illness, and 155 others were in hospital.

A vast majority of the measles cases – 92% – were in people who were either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

The worst hit state is Texas, CDC data shows, where more than 700 cases have been reported. Other states with dozens of cases include Kansas and New Mexico.

Health officials say that measles spread is occurring mostly in neighbourhoods where vaccination rates are lower, such as Mennonite communities in Texas that opt out of modern medicine.

The outbreak comes as anti-vaccine sentiment in the US and elsewhere has grown in recent years.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr had previously spread misinformation about childhood vaccinations and had minimised the outbreak. He later endorsed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as illness spread, saying in a post on X that it is “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles”.

Measles cases in the US were at their highest in recent memory in 1990, with nearly 28,000 reported infections, according to CDC data.

The illness was later declared eliminated around the year 2000, when cases sharply declined to less than 90 thanks to high vaccination rates and rapid outbreak response.

Cases started ticking up slightly in 2014 and again in 2019, when 1,274 confirmed infections were reported. But cases in 2025 have just surpassed that figure, with 1,277 infections now reported across the US.

Public health experts have said that the US will lose measles elimination status if there is continued spread of measles at the current rate for more than 12 months.

As a result of the current outbreak, more people are now getting the measles vaccine in the US. Between 1 January and 16 March, Texas gave at least 173, 000 measles doses compared to 158,000 in the same time period last year, state health department data shows.

The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to fight off the dangerous virus, which can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. The jabs are 97% effective and also immunise against mumps and rubella.

Large measles outbreaks have been reported recently in other countries, including the UK. Last year marked the highest number of confirmed measles cases reported in England since 2012 at nearly 3,000.

Since January of this year, there had been 529 cases reported in England.

Canada is also experiencing a measles outbreak, with more than 3,000 cases reported in 2025 so far. The bulk of the cases are in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta.

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July 7, 2025
Woman who had skin cancer warns of sunbed danger

Stuart Maisner

BBC News, South East

Levi-Mariah Verrall

Levi-Mariah Verrall had been using sunbeds since she was 16

A woman from Kent has warned of the dangers of excessive sunbathing and sunbed use after she had surgery on her face for skin cancer.

Levi-Mariah Verrall, 33, from Rochester, started using sunbeds when she was 16.

She described herself as “pale-skinned and freckly”, but said she would “lay in the sun whenever I could”.

Ms Verrall said: “We’re all told about the dangers of sunbeds now, and having too much sun, but you never think it’s going to happen to you.”

She said she used oil for sunbathing, adding: “I didn’t use high-factor sunscreen or cover up when I was out.”

In 2022, her partner noticed a white patch on her face.

She said: “I thought it was just pigmentation, because it didn’t look like a mole or what I took to be the usual signs of skin cancer.

“Even the GP thought it was pigmentation.

“But I wasn’t happy because it just didn’t look right so I pushed for some tests.”

A biopsy revealed she had basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer which develops from cells found in the deepest part of the outer layer of the skin.

For most people, this type of cancer does not spread.

It can be removed by surgery and no further treatment is required.

However, Ms Verrall’s carcinoma needed a deep and lengthy incision to remove all traces of it.

Levi-Mariah Verrall

Ms Verrall was operated on when she was 30

Around 3,100 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year in the south-east of England, according to Cancer Research UK.

Ms Verrall, who runs an industrial door company, said she is now passionate about urging people to look after their skin.

“What I went through was traumatising and I don’t want other people to experience that,” she said.

Beth Vincent, Cancer Research UK health information manager, said: “Getting sunburnt just once every two years can triple the risk of developing skin cancer, compared to never being burnt.

“Even on a cloudy day, the sun can be strong enough to burn between mid-March and mid-October.”

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July 7, 2025