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Indian Epic ‘Ramayana’ Lands at Sony Pictures for International Distribution

Sony Pictures has signed on as international distributor for “Ramayana,” the two-part Indian mythological epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra‘s Prime Focus Studios, covering all territories outside India.

Indian distribution will be handled by media personality Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

The story follows the exiled prince Rama and his wife Sita, whose abduction by the demon king Ravana sets in motion an epic war between the forces of righteousness and evil.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Designed for audiences across cultures, it will be released in multiple languages, including an English-language version.

Score duties fall to Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. The production also features action choreography by Terry Notary and Guy Norris, and production design by Ramsey Avery and Ravi Bansal.

Visual effects are being delivered by DNEG – the eight-time Academy Award-winning studio also led by Malhotra – whose credits include the “Dune” trilogy, “Blade Runner 2049,” “Interstellar,” “Inception” and “The Odyssey.”

Prime Focus Studios previously co-produced “The Garfield Movie” with Alcon Entertainment for Sony Pictures, a title that has taken in more than $257 million worldwide.

“For generations, the ‘Ramayana’ has inspired people through its timeless humanity and enduring values. Our ambition has always been to honor that legacy while creating a cinematic experience worthy of audiences everywhere. Through DNEG, we have spent decades helping filmmakers realize some of the world’s most ambitious cinematic visions. With Prime Focus Studios, we are now bringing that same commitment to storytelling to one of the world’s greatest epics. Collaborating with Sony Pictures gives ‘Ramayana’ an extraordinary opportunity to connect with international audiences and introduce this timeless story to moviegoers around the world,” Malhotra said.

The film is due to release in November, during the Diwali holiday frame.

Prime Focus Studios is also currently in production on “Animal Friends,” a live-action/animation hybrid with Legendary Entertainment and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort production company, and “The Angry Birds Movie 3” for Paramount Pictures.

July 23, 2026
There’s a Sharpe Ratio Signal for Bitcoin—An Analyst Makes a Breaking Claim

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez said that the sharp decline in Bitcoin’s Sharpe ratio, a risk-return indicator, could signal a favorable period for long-term buying in the spot market.

According to data shared by Martinez, Bitcoin’s Sharpe ratio has fallen to minus 23. The Sharpe ratio, which measures the return an investment provides in relation to the risk or volatility undertaken, indicates strong returns relative to risk when it is positive, while negative values point to periods where investors face significant losses.

The analyst noted that a reading of -23 doesn’t necessarily mean the decline in Bitcoin will continue indefinitely; rather, it suggests that sellers may have largely exhausted their options. According to Martinez, this creates an asymmetrical entry opportunity for long-term Bitcoin investors, where the risk is more limited compared to the potential gain.

Related News Experts Say 80 Percent of the Bitcoin Bear Market Is Over—Here’s What You Need to Know

Martinez stated that past data also revealed a similar picture, recalling that the Sharpe ratio had fallen to similar levels during the lows of the 2015, 2019, and 2022 bear markets. He noted that these periods coincided with the final capitulation and intense selling phases in the market.

On the other hand, according to on-chain data, Bitcoin has formed a strong support zone between $63,111 and $61,840. URPD data shows that more than 1.3 million $BTC changed hands within this price range.

Martinez noted that as long as this support zone is maintained, Bitcoin does not face a significant supply wall up to $84,569. Approximately 582,000 $BTC have traded at this level previously. Therefore, the analyst added, maintaining the region between $61,840 and $63,111 is critical for Bitcoin’s medium-term outlook.

*This is not investment advice.

July 23, 2026
Trump: US-Saudi nuclear deal hinges on Saudi joining Abraham Accords

NewsFeed

The United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a civilian nuclear cooperation deal, but US President Trump said it will only take effect if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and normalises relations with Israel.

Published On 23 Jul 2026

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July 23, 2026
Justice Department Withdraws Subpoenas For New York Times Journalists Who Reported On Trump’s New Air Force One

UPDATED, with Times and DOJ comment: The Trump administration withdrew its subpoenas to a groups of New York Times journalists who reported on the lack of security features on the new Air Force One, a gift of the government of Qatar that was accepted by President Donald Trump.

The Times reported on Thursday that Sean Buckley of the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan told a federal judge that they were “prepared to unilaterally withdraw the subpoenas at this time.” The judge, Arun Subramanian, later issued an order confirming that the subpoenas were withdrawn.

“As stated by the Government at the hearing, to the extent that a decision is made to renew the subpoenas, the Government will come to the Court in advance of issuance,” the judge wrote.

At a hearing, the judge expressed his opposition to the government’s efforts to obtain testimony from the reporters, including Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, and Eric Schmitt, as the White House launched an investigation into the source of leaks. The DOJ also sought phone records from the reporters and their relatives.

“Subpoenas are the last step, not the first step, but the last step,” the judge said in the hearing, per the AP.

David McCraw, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for the Times, said in a statement, “Today’s proceeding was an important affirmation of our country’s commitment to a free press. We are pleased that the government finally conceded that the subpoenas violated the law, but they should never have been issued in the first place. The Times and our journalists will continue to report and seek the truth without fear or favor. We will not be deterred in the face of tactics like these.”

A DOJ spokesperson said, “This judge threatened our attorneys with sanctions unless subpoenas were withdrawn, and blocked us from presenting the meticulous process of this investigation. The grand jury has a right to hear testimony from all material witnesses in a federal criminal investigation. This judge’s conduct overrides clear longstanding principles and common sense—blocking the grand jury from receiving core evidence in a national security investigation.”

The spokesperson added, “Make no mistake, this investigation remains ongoing, and we will pursue justice against those threatening national security by leaking classified information, a serious federal crime.”

The Times sought to quash the subpoenas, arguing that they were “brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage.”

The Times reported that phone record subpoenas were also issued to Adam Goldman and Tyler Pager, two other co-authors of the reports on Air Force One.

The Times reports detailed security concerns about the new Air Force One, as Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month in the old aircraft. The report included the lack of antimissile capabilities in the new aircraft, a Boeing 747-8 that was donated by the government of Qatar and later retrofitted.

The case was closely watched by First Amendment and press freedom groups, amid warnings that the issuing of the subpoenas were efforts to intimidate journalists.

Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, said in a statement, “Targeting reporters to appease the White House has reached a dead end once again in the federal courts. Judge Subramanian saw DOJ’s effort clearly for what it was: a brazen and careless government overreach.”

July 23, 2026
CryptoQuant Warns: Ethereum is Historically Cheap, But It’s Still Too Early for the Bottom! Here’s Why

Bitcoin and altcoins have experienced sharp declines since last October. With $BTC falling to $57,000 and Ethereum to $1,400, investors are now eagerly awaiting an upward trend.

At this point, as investors closely monitor the data, CryptoQuant analysts have shared their latest analysis for Ethereum.

According to a recent report from the on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant, Ethereum is cheap, but the data suggests the bottom hasn’t been reached yet.

According to CryptoQuant analysts, $ETH has fallen to more attractive valuation levels compared to Bitcoin. However, the analysts note that despite the price drop, a classic “capitulation” (complete surrender) has not yet occurred in the market, and therefore it is too early to say that the bottom formation is complete.

The report states that Ethereum’s valuation ratios against Bitcoin have fallen to historically low levels, which could present a significant opportunity for long-term investors. However, on-chain data suggests that Ethereum has not yet bottomed out.

The report initially stated that $ETH was trading below its cost basis. At this point, $ETH is trading around $1,900. This is approximately 17% below the actual price of $2,304, placing it in the lower half of the current price range.

According to analysts, this region has historically been associated with market lows and asymmetric rallies.

Secondly, $ETH has undergone a shift from an overvalued position relative to Bitcoin to a generally neutral one. The $ETH/$BTC MVRV ratio peaked around 0.95 in August 2025 and has since fallen to approximately 0.65.

However, the MVRV ratio remains above the ~0.45 threshold relative to Bitcoin, marking previous $ETH lows.

Thirdly, relative selling pressure is decreasing. The $ETH/$BTC inflow rate has fallen from above 1.5 in August 2025 to approximately 0.8, reducing downside risk. However, it still remains below the ~0.4 low selling pressure zone seen at previous lows.

Fourth, institutional demand is reversing direction for the first time in a year. The $ETH/$BTC ETF asset ratio fell from ~0.20 in August 2025 to ~0.115 in June 2026. During this period, institutional investors preferred Bitcoin over Ethereum. However, from the end of June, the ratio rose to 0.13. This data shows that institutional investors’ interest in Ethereum is starting to increase again. However, it is still at a low level in terms of supporting $ETH’s rise.

Analysts also added that on-chain data showed that investor panic selling was not as intense as in past bear markets.

Finally, it’s important to remember that whether Ethereum bottoms out isn’t solely influenced by on-chain data; macroeconomic developments can also play a significant role. Factors such as the Fed’s interest rate policy, dollar liquidity, and ETF inflows also have a major impact on the price.

*This is not investment advice.

July 23, 2026
Attention XRP Investors: Ripple Announced a Major and Strategic Investment Today!

As partnership and investment news continues to emerge in the cryptocurrency market, the latest news comes from Ripple (XRP), one of the most important names in the market.

Accordingly, Ripple has made a strategic investment in the on-chain service provider Notabene.

Notabene, a provider of compliance-focused on-chain transaction services, announced in an official statement that it has received a strategic investment from Ripple. However, the amount of the investment was not disclosed.

“Notabene received a strategic investment from Ripple.”

By integrating $RLUSD into Notabene Flow and exploring how trusted payment authorization can complement Ripple Payments, we will collaborate to expand institutional stablecoin payments.

According to the announcement, Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, $RLUSD, will be integrated into Notabene’s institutional payment platform, Notabene Flow. The parties also aim to combine Ripple Payments infrastructure with Notabene’s transaction verification and payment authorization technologies to enable financial institutions to conduct regulated stablecoin transfers more securely and efficiently.

Notabene currently operates an open network connecting more than 2,300 financial institutions across over 100 jurisdictions, processing over $2 trillion in network transaction volume annually. The two companies also plan to work together to expand the use of $RLUSD.

Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President of Ripple Stablecoins, said the following about the investment: “Stablecoins are rapidly becoming part of mainstream financial infrastructure, but institutional adoption isn’t solely dependent on efficient payment systems. Trusted identity, compliance, and transaction authorization are needed before value can move. Notabene’s network addresses one of the key hurdles to institutional adoption, and together, we are helping to build the compliant infrastructure that institutions need to transfer value globally and expand the use case of $RLUSD.”

Notabene CEO Pelle Braendgaard stated that financial institutions have moved beyond the question of “should we use stablecoins?”, and the real issue is how to use them securely and in compliance with regulations. According to Braendgaard, the combination of Ripple’s global payment network and Notabene’s trust infrastructure will accelerate the widespread adoption of corporate stablecoin payments.

*This is not investment advice.

July 23, 2026
Crypto for Advisors: It’s time for tokenization to get to work

Regulation is why the mood changed from last year. The $GENIUS Act gave payment stablecoins legitimacy, and speakers repeatedly pointed to the CLARITY Act, still working through the Senate, as the bigger unlock. RedStone co-founder Marcin Kazmierczak framed it bluntly: CLARITY could be a 10x or even 100x moment relative to $GENIUS, because it opens the door to the full range of asset classes.

Where’s the traction? Cash and collateral are the beachheads

Collateral is where tokenization earns its keep first. On the repo panel, Broadridge’s Robert Krugman said his firm now moves around $370 billion of tokenized repo a day on the Canton network. That is a sliver of the $12 trillion US repo market, but a real one, and the programmability pitch is simple.

“If you want to borrow for five minutes, you pay for five minutes [instead of a full day]. It’s a no-brainer,” said Ami Ben-David, CEO at Ownera.

Asset managers echoed utility over novelty. A recurring principle was that if you tokenize a product, it has to be a net better product than the one it replaces. Apollo’s Christine Moy said the firm’s tokenized private credit fund has confirmed what she calls the “superpowers” of onchain assets: secondary liquidity for otherwise illiquid products, and the ability to post private credit as collateral in DeFi protocols like Aave and Morpho.

July 23, 2026
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July 23, 2026
Isabel Davis Appointed Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund

Isabel Davis has been appointed the new director of the BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds. She’ll take over from Mia Bays later this year.

Davis will be responsible for managing an annual fund of £20 million ($26.6m), which will go into cultivating a culturally vibrant, inclusive and original independent film sector here in the U.K. Among the features backed by Bays in the post were 2025’s Kneecap, My Father’s Shadow, and Two Black Boys in Paradise.

She’ll join the BFI in October for a five-year fixed term after eight years as executive director of Screen Scotland, where she has championed the Scottish screen industry and “been central to its transformation and growth.”

Davis replaces Bays, who has led the fund since 2021. Bays caught up with The Hollywood Reporter just this year about being in the riskiest job in British film.

“I’m honored to be stepping into this role at a time when this public funding is critical to building a successful future for U.K. film and the public value it represents,” said Davis. “It’s a challenging moment for U.K. independent film, economically and structurally. But audience appetite for great stories, and for the communal experience of cinema-going, is strikingly resurgent and our filmmaking talent continues to be among the world’s best. Enabling filmmakers to produce work that connects with a broad range of audiences across the U.K. — through ambition, inventiveness and heart — has to be at the core of our response. Daunting, yes, but exciting too.”

“My excitement is tempered only by sadness at leaving Scotland, which I’ve been lucky enough to call home for much of my adult life, including through the creative upswing of the past eight years,” she added. “Huge thanks to my Screen Scotland teammates, whose talent, hard work and good nature serve our industry, audiences and young people to such positive effect, and to our colleagues at Creative Scotland for their support.”

Davis’ appointment follows a rigorous interview process, which saw a wide range and diverse pool of candidates considered. To ensure independent voices from industry contributed to the decision, external panelists on the interviews included producers and BFI board members Elizabeth Karlsen and Hakan Kousetta, producer Nicky Bentham as co-chair of Pact’s Film Producers’ Group, while CEO Ben Roberts and deputy CEO Harriet Finney were among those representing the BFI.

The exec joins during an exciting year for the BFI Filmmaking Fund, with titles announced this week to world premiere at major upcoming festivals: Our Share of Sand (Shalini Adnani) at Venice and Stuffed (Theo Rhys) at Toronto International Film Festival. The Incomer (Louis Paxton) opens the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) next month alongside Extra Geography (dir. Molly Manners), which both previously premiered at Sundance, and Out There (Simon Ryninks) will get its world premiere in Edinburgh’s competition selection.

Elsewhere, I See Building Fall Like Lightning (Clio Barnard) premiered in Cannes and won the People’s Choice award in Directors’ Fortnight, and Animol, from Adolescence‘s Ashley Walters, earned its world premiere at the Berlinale and won the FIPRESCI prize for best film. Lady (Olive Nwosu) screened in Sundance and won the special jury award for acting ensemble, while Ish (Imran Perretta) is released on Friday in cinemas U.K.-wide.

July 23, 2026
‘Heated Rivalry’ Star François Arnaud Named Global Brand Ambassador of Under Armour

François Arnaud has been tapped as a global brand ambassador for Under Armour, the athletic apparel brand announced Thursday.

The Heated Rivalry star’s first order of business as an ambassador is leading the brand’s For When It’s Hot campaign, which was released alongside the news. Under Armour had teased Arnaud’s involvement with the brand earlier over the last week on social media. Arnaud also wore the brand in character as Scott Hunter in Heated Rivalry,

“If you’d told the skinny awkward kid I used to be that one day I’d be an ambassador for a sportswear brand, I would’ve laughed,” Arnaud said in a release.

“What makes this moment feel so special is that it’s reminder that we don’t always end up where we expect, and growth can look very different from what we imagined,” he continued. “Grateful and honored to partner with Under Armour who were willing to meet me right where I want to be.”

The new campaign celebrates the brand’s HeatGear line. It launches this week, as the brand notes it’s historically the hottest week of the year in North America. In the accompanying campaign spot, the actor is shown shirtless and putting on his Under Armour gear as temperatures continue to rise. A nearby woman snaps photos and videos of Arnaud as he works out, ending the spot shirtless again and cheekily throwing his shirt at the camera.

Under Armour believes that Arnaud reflects a “forever athlete” mindset and someone who’s constantly pursuing improvement on and off the screen, according to a release. “What drew us to François was more than his obvious talent and looks, it was what he represents. The character he portrays ultimately finds his greatest success when he stops trying to fit someone else’s mold and embraces who he truly is, Under Armour’s chief communications offer Matt Dornic said in a release. “That’s a lesson that resonates deeply with us.”

The executive continued, “The best athletes perform with confidence, conviction and authenticity, and we believe the strongest brands do too. As Under Armour continues to evolve, we’re focused on being unmistakably ourselves, and François embodies that mindset in everything he does.”

Watch the new Under Armour spot below.

July 23, 2026