Twitter is abuzz with speculation that MS Dhoni might be bidding adieu to international cricket, thanks to a video of him asking for the match ball after the Leeds One Day International went viral.
The video shows Dhoni, accompanied by Virat Kohli, calmly asking for the match ball from the umpire. It wasn't immediately known why he wanted the ball, but quite a number of cricket fans seem to think that Dhoni's days on the international cricketing circuit are numbered.
Check out a few tweets below:
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Dhoni has asked for a ball from umpires does it mean is he going to retire??????
Dhoni's performance at the Leeds ODI has been criticised by cricket fans who wasn't happy with his go-slow approach when India was tasked with chasing 323 runs. Frustrated fans booed him when he became the fourth Indian to cross the 10,000-run mark in ODIs. Dhoni has joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Kumar Sangakkara, Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya on the list of cricketers who have crossed the 10,000 mark.
Could this long, hot summer see violence like last year’s riots erupt again? It surely could. That may depend on some trigger event – though the way in which the tragic murders of Southport were used to mobilise inchoate rage, targeting asylum seekers and Muslims, showed how tenuous such a link can be. There has already been unrest again in Ballymena this summer. Northern Ireland saw more sustained violence, yet fewer prosecutions than anywhere in England last summer.
"We must not wait for more riots to happen" says Kelly Fowler, director of Belong, who co-publish a new report, ‘The State of Us’, this week with British Future. The new research provides a sober and authoritative guide to the condition of cohesion in Britain. A cocktail of economic pessimism, declining trust in institutions and the febrile tinderbox of social media present major challenges. Trust in political institutions has rarely been lower – yet there is public frustration too with an angry politics which amplifies division.
The political arguments this autumn will not take place only at the traditional party conferences. Both the supporters of Tommy Robinson and his opponents in anti-racism groups will try to mobilise marches and street movements in September, just days before US president Donald Trump’s state visit provides a focal point for political protest that could stake a claim to unite, rather than polarise, British public opinion.
Amid a febrile political atmosphere, the State of Us report does find reasons for grounded hope too. There is pride in place just about everywhere. In the long run, Britain’s story is of increasing tolerance and liberalism across generations, despite cities and towns having contrasting experiences of economic change. Talk of a ‘lost decade’ of growth after the 2008 crash had turned into 17 years, Southport MP Patrick Hurley told the recent Belong summit, fuelling a nostalgic sense of decline and loss in many towns. That event spotlighted useful work on cohesion happening around the UK, though Fowler notes that this can be patchy. The 35 areas where unrest briefly flared up did get one-off community recovery grants of £650,000 each to spend in six months. There were no conditions to prevent councils just shoring up general finances, but most tried to do something constructive. Sunderland and Tamworth held community conversations that could found longer-term strategies. Some councils hoped to myth-bust misinformation or contest racist narratives, but they can struggle to know how to engage low-trust sections of the public effectively.
What should be done - and by whom? Because the State of Us report is a foundational input for an Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, being co-chaired by Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas, the report sets out the key challenges, but deliberately stops short of recommending an action plan. The government should act faster on the flashpoint risks. The very incitement for which users were imprisoned last August remains online today, illustrating how slow platforms and regulators have been to act on this ongoing national security threat.
Immigration and asylum divide opinion. Governments have spoken loudly about stopping boats crossing the Channel, but failed to do so. Perhaps the new UK-French pilot deal unveiled last week will scale up into an orderly asylum process that could reduce dangerous crossings. The UK government does already have more control over local impacts. The incentives to concentrate asylum seekers wherever housing is cheapest, with minimal communication with local authorities nor contact with local communities, exacerbate local cohesion tensions.
Faith minister Lord Khan rightly notes that addressing the root causes of division and discontent will take time. Making a start requires a clear analysis of both the drivers and the useful responses. This government can sometimes see cohesion as an issue for deprived and diverse areas, rather than as a challenge for everywhere.
Even in withdrawing his contentious “island of strangers” comments, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer again fell into sending parallel messages to different audiences, “deeply regretting” the language in the Observer before reassuring Sun readers that he “stood by” the underlying sentiments. The acknowledged lack of pre-delivery scrutiny over the speech was a symptom of the government not yet finding the bandwidth to work out its philosophical framework, public narrative or policy strategy. This government has had no public position, for example, on whether it is an advocate or critic of multiculturalism, or seeks to offer its own distinct framework for what integration should mean in this changing society.
The anniversary of the riots offers the prime minister another opportunity to voice a more coherent public narrative of what it means to respect our differences and work on what we can share in common. That could underpin a sustained, practical strategy on cohesion. Even in polarising times, one core test of a shared society is how far we can develop a shared story about who we are, how we got here, and where we want to go together.
Sunder Katwala is the director of thinktank British Future and the author of the book How to Be a Patriot: The must-read book on British national identity and immigration.
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Beyoncé performing during her Cowboy Carter tour in Atlanta
Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue’s rental car was broken into on 8 July in Atlanta.
Five hard drives with Beyoncé’s unreleased music, show visuals, and setlists were among the stolen items.
Police tracked the location of missing devices and issued an arrest warrant, but no suspect has been publicly named.
The incident occurred two days before Beyoncé’s four-night tour stop at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Just two days before Beyoncé was set to take the stage in Atlanta for her Cowboy Carter tour, a major security breach rocked her team. Unreleased music, private show material, and luxury items were stolen from a rental vehicle used by her choreographer and dancer, police confirmed.
Atlanta authorities say the break-in happened on 8 July around 8 pm in a parking garage near Krog Street Market. The SUV, a black Jeep Wagoneer, was briefly left unattended by choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue while they grabbed food. When they returned, the rear window had been smashed, and two suitcases containing sensitive material were missing.
Beyonce attend the Louis Vuitton's Menswear Ready-to-wear Spring-Summer 2026 collectionGetty Images
Jump drives contained unreleased Beyoncé music and show visuals
The stolen items included five hard drives loaded with unreleased, watermarked tracks by Beyoncé, as well as detailed visual plans and setlists for her ongoing Cowboy Carter tour. According to the official police report, the drives held both past and upcoming show footage, material Beyoncé typically keeps under tight wraps to avoid leaks.
Also taken were personal laptops, designer clothing, and Apple AirPods. A tracking ping from the AirPods helped police briefly locate a suspect vehicle, which moved across several zones in Atlanta. While fingerprints and CCTV footage were collected from the scene, it’s not yet clear if any of the stolen contents have been recovered.
Beyoncé continued her Cowboy Carter tour in Atlanta despite the setbackGetty Images
An arrest warrant has been issued, but no suspect named
Police have issued an arrest warrant, but the name of the individual involved has not been publicly disclosed. Officers reportedly stopped a "suspicious" individual near the pinged AirPods location, but no official confirmation of an arrest has followed.
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities relying on fingerprints, surveillance footage, and digital tracking from the stolen devices. Beyoncé’s team has not released any public statement so far.
Beyoncé’s choreographer and dancer reported sensitive materials missing from their rental carGetty Images
Beyoncé has a history of tight security around her unreleased music
Known for her secrecy around new projects, Beyoncé’s entire approach to album releases has revolved around maintaining complete control over when and how her music is heard. Her 2013 self-titled album dropped without warning, revolutionising the “surprise release” strategy.
In more recent years, fans even refused to leak her 2022 album Renaissance when it briefly appeared online early, a gesture Beyoncé acknowledged with gratitude. In that context, this Atlanta theft is particularly damaging, threatening to derail the rollout of potential future material.
Beyoncé’s team hit by major theft in Atlanta as unreleased music goes missingGetty Images
Cowboy Carter tour continues as planned despite setback
Despite the incident, Beyoncé carried on with her Atlanta residency at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, performing across four nights from 10 to 15 July. Her husband Jay-Z made a surprise appearance during one of the shows, and the tour remains on track to conclude in Las Vegas on 26 July.
The Cowboy Carter album, released earlier this year, marked Beyoncé’s bold entry into country music while celebrating its Black roots and went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Christopher Grant and Diandre Blue, both longstanding collaborators, remain active members of the Cowboy Carter tour team. Grant has worked with artists like Shakira, while Blue featured prominently alongside Beyoncé in a Super Bowl ad earlier this year tied to the album’s release.
As the tour progresses, fans and industry insiders alike will be watching closely to see whether Beyoncé addresses the theft or modifies any show elements as a result of the stolen material.
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Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion, the British Future report said. (Photo: Getty Images)
COMMUNITIES remain at risk of fresh unrest unless urgent action is taken to address deep-seated social tensions, a new report, published one year after last summer's riots, has cautioned.
Titled 'The State of Us' by British Future thinktank and the Belong Network, the report published on Tuesday (15) said successive governments have failed to take action and warned that a "powder keg" of unresolved grievances could easily ignite again without immediate intervention.
Immigration and asylum remain contentious issues, as per the report.
Three in ten respondents selected "divisions between people who have migrated to the UK, arrived as refugees or sought asylum, and people born in the UK" as the top issue affecting how people from different backgrounds get on locally.
There are widespread worries about the cost-of-living, declining public services, and inequality - leading to frustration about the potential for political change, the survey found.
In a foreword to the report, Sir Sajid and Cruddas wrote: “The bonds that hold society together – civic participation and a shared sense of belonging – are under growing pressure. This is leaving our society more fragmented, fragile and less resilient to internal and external threats. At the same time, forces driving division are intensifying, political polarisation is deepening and trust in institutions is declining.”
“Only through coordinated leadership and collaboration across sectors can we build resilience and connection on a national scale – but it will take boldness, bravery, and a willingness to step outside our comfort zones.”
Led by senior researcher Jake Puddle and co-authored by Jill Rutter and Heather Rolfe, the latest study gathered evidence from 177 UK organisations working on social cohesion through regional roundtables and 113 written submissions. They also conducted a nationally representative survey by Focaldata and held eight focus groups in towns and cities across the UK, including areas that experienced riots.
“Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion. People's engagement with society is increasingly shaped through online platforms, creating an environment where misinformation can direct grievances toward minority groups. Online hate and clickbait headlines perpetuate anxiety through a sense of ‘permanent crisis’,” it noted.
“Trust in politicians has reached very low levels, with the public viewing them as self-interested and disconnected from their concerns. Across the UK, people report feeling less aligned to mainstream political parties and sceptical about their ability to deliver change.”
According to the study, three in ten adults - around 15 million people - said they rarely or never have opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds. A similar number say they don't frequently get a chance to meet other people at all in their local community.
Meanwhile, at neighbourhood level, 69 per cent of people feel their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. It highlighted many examples of successful community work across the UK, often led by local authorities and civil society organisations.
Kelly Fowler, chief executive of the Belong Network, said: "Good work is happening across the UK on cohesion and community strength, but it is patchy and often confined to areas of high diversity or where tensions have spilled over into unrest. A lack of sustained funding limits its impact. It's time this issue was treated with the urgency it merits, in every part of Britain. We must not wait for more riots to happen."
The report said while strong foundations exist at neighbourhood level, coordinated leadership and collaboration across all sectors will be essential to build resilience and connection on a national scale.
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The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a 'comprehensive operation'. (Photo: Getty Images)
FOUR members of an organised crime network that stole more than £1 million worth of jewellery from Indian and South Asian families in London have been sentenced to a total of 17 years and one month in prison.
The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a “comprehensive operation” that led to the imprisonment of Jerry O’Donnell, 33, Barney Maloney, Quey Adger, 23, and Patrick Ward, 43. All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to burglary.
The police said the group “largely targeted the South Asian community throughout the capital”.
“This comprehensive operation enabled us to disrupt a key part of an organised crime network. As a result of the work conducted by specialist officers, a handful of serial criminals will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars,” said Detective Sergeant Lee Davison of the Met Police, who led the investigation.
“While the monetary value of this crime is staggering, its sentimental worth is priceless. I hope these men spend a lot of time reflecting on the impact their actions have had on the community,” he said.
Three of the men – O’Donnell, Maloney and Adger – were arrested in July 2024 during a one-year intelligence-led operation covering London and surrounding counties. They were detained while carrying stolen jewellery and were each sentenced to over five years in prison.
CCTV enquiries had identified their car as being connected to several burglaries. Specialist officers pursued the vehicle and conducted a forced stop. Officers found hundreds of items inside, including a gold wedding ring, gold necklaces, and a solid gold hair pin.
Ward was arrested separately at his home address. Intelligence obtained during the investigation linked him to the group as a member of the same organised network. He was sentenced to two years and five months.
As part of the investigation, officers also raided a jewellery shop in Hatton Garden, where they believed stolen gold was being melted down and sold. Police recovered £50,000 in cash and eight kilos of jewellery from the location.
The recovered items included a World War One officer’s Rolex, a gold locket containing old photographs, an engraved gold ring, and a gold pocket watch marked Harlow Bros Ltd.
“While the most identifiable items were reunited with their rightful owners after dozens of people came forward following a media appeal in March, detectives are still looking to identify the owners of the remaining jewellery and urge anyone who may have been a victim to contact police,” the Met Police said in a statement.
The thefts took place between December 2023 and July 2024 from homes across south London, including Croydon, Sutton and Wandsworth, as well as in Surrey, Sussex and Essex.
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Producer Namit Malhotra reveals how AI will make Ramayana resonate globally with native-language realism
Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, will be released in two parts on Diwali 2026 and 2027.
Producer Namit Malhotra confirmed the combined budget is over £375 million (₹4,000 crore).
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, and Sunny Deol, with music by Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.
It will use AI dubbing and IMAX-scale VFX from Prime Focus for a global cinematic release.
Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is officially the most expensive Indian film ever made, with a staggering production budget exceeding £375 million (₹4,000 crore). Confirmed by producer Namit Malhotra, the two-part epic is being developed at nearly £400 million, placing it alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest projects in terms of scale and ambition.
The project, backed entirely by Malhotra’s team without outside investment, is being hailed as a landmark cultural and cinematic moment for India. With its use of cutting-edge technology, an international musical collaboration, and a cast of some of the country's biggest names, Ramayana is being positioned as a visual retelling of India’s most revered epic for global audiences.
Fans await Ramayana teaser as early reviews spark buzz online Instagram/iamnamitmalhotra
VFX, AI dubbing and a grand IMAX vision
Malhotra, who is also the CEO of Prime Focus, the VFX house behind Inception, Dune, and Interstellar, is bringing the same scale of production to Ramayana. From AI-powered dubbing to ensure effortless multilingual release to custom-built IMAX-ready visuals, the film is expected to be a technological leap for Indian cinema.
The use of AI dubbing marks a first for India, with actors’ voices being translated seamlessly across languages without additional recording, potentially revolutionising how pan-India films are made.
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Star-studded cast to bring the epic to life
Leading the film is Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, alongside Sai Pallavi as Sita and Kannada superstar Yash as Ravan. Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, with support from Ravi Dubey, Lara Dutta, and Vikrant Massey. Although Amitabh Bachchan’s name has been linked to the project, his role has not been officially confirmed.
The story will unfold across two instalments, with Part 1 slated for Diwali 2026 and Part 2 arriving in 2027. Sources suggest the first part may end with the pivotal ‘Sita Haran’ episode, though plot specifics remain tightly under wraps.
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Zimmer and Rahman to compose original soundtrack
Adding further weight to the project is its musical team, Academy Award winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. Their collaboration for Ramayana is in fact a rare union of East and West and is expected to deliver a stirring, cinematic score that matches the film's scale.
A motion poster launched earlier this month gave fans the first animated glimpse of the characters and set the tone for the scale of storytelling. The visuals, backed by a teaser of the original score, have already begun building buzz among audiences.
AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer smile together in viral selfie Instagram/arrahman
A cultural milestone, not just a blockbuster
For Malhotra, this film goes beyond box office numbers. Speaking on Prakhar Gupta’s podcast, he said, “This isn’t just about money. It’s about telling the greatest story ever told, and doing it in a way the world has never seen.” He added that while the budget may seem large, it’s still more cost-effective than many comparable Hollywood tentpoles.
The producer also emphasised the deeply personal nature of the film, calling it a tribute to India's heritage. “This is a story that every Indian knows. Now it’s time the world sees it too,” he said.
With production fully underway, Ramayana is poised to become a milestone not only in Indian filmmaking but also in how ancient narratives are brought to screen with new-age tools.