British police say Mo Chara displayed a flag of Lebanon’s Hezbollah at a concert.

A member of the Irish rap band Kneecap has been charged with a “terrorism” offence in the United Kingdom for waving a flag of the armed Lebanese group Hezbollah at a concert in November 2024 in London.

Liam O’Hanna, whose stage name is Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on June 18, charged under the Terrorism Act, British police said on Wednesday.

Kneecap has been vocal in its support for the Palestinian cause since the October 7, 2023-led Hamas attacks and Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, equating the struggles of the Irish under British colonial rule to that of Palestinians under that of Israel.

Pro-Palestinian chants are a regular fixture in their gigs. The band says they have been targets of a smear campaign for calling out Israel’s genocidal war.

KNEECAP STATEMENT:

Since our statements at Coachella — exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people — we have faced a coordinated smear campaign.

For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments’ complicity in war crimes.… pic.twitter.com/mBojb5QBOP

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 25, 2025

The Belfast trio is also well known for its political and satirical lyrics and use of symbolism associated with the Irish Republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland, currently part of the UK, with the Republic of Ireland.

More than 3,600 people were killed during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” involving the Irish Republican Army (IRA), pro-British Loyalist militias and the UK security forces.

Kneecap takes its name from a brutal punishment, which involved being shot in the kneecaps, that was meted out by paramilitary groups to informers and drug dealers.

The band has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between Protestant British Unionists and Catholic Irish Nationalist communities.

It has also been criticised for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references.

Kneecap came under intense scrutiny and criticism last month during their performance at the music festival Coachella in California when they projected the words “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.” on stage.

“The Irish not so long ago were persecuted by the Brits, but we were never bombed from the f****** skies with nowhere to go! The Palestinians have nowhere to go – it’s their f****** home and they’re bombing them from the sky. If you’re not calling it a genocide what the f*** are you calling it?” read the words projected by Mo Chara.

Kneecap came under renewed scrutiny at the start of this month when UK intelligence said they would investigate comments made by the rap group about UK and Middle East politics.

They were reported to police over footage from a 2024 concert in which a band member appeared to say: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Footage from another concert, in 2023, appears to show a member of the trio shouting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” – the UK considers both to be “terrorist” organisations.

In response, Kneecap said it had “never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” and accused “establishment figures” of taking comments out of context to “manufacture moral hysteria” because of the band’s criticism of Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

Several Kneecap gigs have been cancelled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organisers of June’s Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance by the group.

Bollywood megastar Hrithik Roshan is basking in the digital tsunami unleashed by the teaser drop for “War 2,” with the actor’s return as super-spy Kabir Dhaliwal sending social platforms into overdrive.

The teaser for “War 2” dropped on Tuesday, featuring a heavyweight showdown between Roshan and “RRR” star NTR Jr. It has already racked up some 25 million views on X and 3 million on Instagram, across languages.

The film is part of Indian studio Yash Raj Films‘ spy universe. “War 2” also stars Kiara Advani in the female lead, marking her entry into the universe. The film is directed by Ayan Mukerji, best known for his work on the fantasy adventure “Brahmastra,” making this his first foray into the high-octane spy thriller genre.

“‘War’ is a really special franchise for me,” Roshan says. “Seeing the appreciation that ‘War 2’s teaser is getting, seeing how people are pouring their love for NTR, Kiara, Ayan, for me, and the entire team makes me really happy. It is not easy making films of this scale, and we have given our best to make ‘War 2’ an action spectacle for people.”

For Roshan, whose box office dominance spans decades in the industry, the chance to revisit Kabir Dhaliwal offered both creative fulfillment and fan connection.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of the action genre since I was a kid, and I really have fun whenever I do films like ‘War 2,’” Roshan says. “So, for me, I had the best time reliving Kabir – a character that has given me love from all quarters for years now.”

“I’m delighted and humbled by the love and feedback that ‘War 2’ is getting right from the start of our campaign,” Roshan added. “I can’t wait to see the reaction of people when they see ‘War 2’ on the big screen.”

Created by producer Aditya Chopra, the spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), and continued with “War” (2019), starring Roshan and Tiger Shroff. These were followed by “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, and “Tiger 3,” both in 2023. “Alpha,” starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, the first female-led film in the universe is due after “War 2,” followed by “Tiger vs Pathaan,” featuring both Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

In the Tiger franchise, Salman Khan plays Avinash Singh Rathore, AKA Tiger, who belongs to Indian intelligence agency RAW and Kaif plays Zoya Humaini from Pakistan’s ISI. In “War,” Roshan is rogue RAW agent Kabir Dhaliwal and Shroff his protégé Khalid Rahmani. In “Pathaan,” Shah Rukh Khan plays exiled RAW agent Pathaan and Padukone ISI agent Rubina Mohsin.

Tiger has an extended cameo in “Pathaan” and the film also features Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), who first appeared in “War” and is in “Tiger 3” as well. The character Pathaan has a cameo in “Tiger 2” as does Kabir Dhaliwal.

“War 2” is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on Aug. 14, and will be available in the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a fiery statement after the U.K. suspended free trade talks over Jerusalem’s handling of the war in Gaza. The U.K. simultaneously imposed new sanctions on the West Bank as it condemned the “persistent cycle of serious violence undertaken by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.”

The ministry claimed that talks for a new U.K.-Israel free trade agreement were already at a standstill before London’s announcement on Tuesday. Additionally, it accused the U.K. of harming its own citizens due to its “anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations.”

“Even prior to today’s announcement, the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced at all by the current UK government,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote. “More than that, the agreement would serve the mutual benefit of both countries. If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy – that is its own prerogative.”

Israel also slammed the additional sanctions on the West Bank in light of the recent death of Tzeela Gez, an Israeli woman who was shot and killed in a terror attack while she was en route to the hospital to give birth. The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that doctors are still “fighting for her newborn’s life.”

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR LASHES OUT AT UN OFFICIAL, CONDEMNS UK, FRANCE, CANADA STATEMENT ON AID

The ministry dismissed the U.K.’s threats toward the end of the post, saying, “[T]he British Mandate ended exactly 77 years ago. External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction.”

Palestinians continue their daily lives amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Feb. 10, 2025. (Mahmoud ssa/Anadolu via Getty Images)

HAMAS CAPTIVITY SURVIVORS APPEAL TO NETANYAHU, TRUMP AFTER EDAN ALEXANDER’S RELEASE

U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy announced the suspension of trade talks as he addressed British lawmakers, saying Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza, Operation Gideon’s Chariot, marked a “dark new phase in this conflict.” In his announcement, Lammy said “the Netanyahu government’s actions have made this necessary.”

Lammy reiterated U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s demand that Israel allow aid to flow into the Gaza Strip. In a joint statement from the U.K., France and Canada, the countries urged Israel to work with the United Nations to “ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles.”

“If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” the statement read.

Israel stopped the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip 11 weeks ago, but has resumed allowing limited aid. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told Fox News that the NGOs that are being allowed to distribute aid have ensured that Hamas has not infiltrated their ranks or taken aid meant for civilians.

The U.K. is demanding that Israel allow more aid into the Gaza Strip. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images/File)

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SLAMS UN, CALLS IT ‘ROTTEN, ANTI-ISRAEL, AND ANTISEMITIC BODY’

While aid is being allowed to enter Gaza, Israel has faced backlash over the stringent restrictions, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot saying it was “insufficient.”

Tom Fletcher, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator who recently accused Israel of committing genocide, described the aid as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed” and called for “significantly more aid” to Gaza.

“We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms. I am grateful for that reassurance, and Israel’s agreement to humanitarian notification measures that reduce the immense security threats of the operation. I am determined that our aid reach those in greatest need, and that the risk of theft by Hamas or other armed groups is minimized,” Fletcher said in a statement.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.