Film venue latest to axe Kneecap screening
Storyhouse in Chester was due to show Kneecap, a comedy drama about the rise of the band from Belfast, as part of its Moonlight Flicks in the Park series at Grosvenor Park on 13 July.
Counter-terror police are also investigating footage which appeared to show a band member shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah".
The band said it has never supported either of those groups and would not incite violence against any individual.
Storyhouse said it was "committed to free expression... but also to the safety, dignity, and respect of all communities".
Several of Kneecap's gigs have been cancelled by venues around the world.
The Belfast-based group previously apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, but claimed the footage had been "taken out of all context and weaponised"
Kneecap said they rejected "any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever".
Councillor Adrian Waddelove, Conservative group leader at Cheshire West and Chester Council, had written to the Storyhouse, which is subsidised by the local authority, urging the film to be pulled, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
In his letter, he wrote: "I believe many local council taxpayers would be shocked to understand that their money is being used to give Kneecap a platform in Chester."
Confirming the decision to cancel the screening, a Storyhouse representative said: "This decision follows comments made by a member of the group that have recently come to light which allude to violence against MPs.
"We are committed to free expression and critical debate but also to the safety, dignity, and respect of all communities."
Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
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A year after a bloody uprising, Bangladesh is far from political stability
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Abdur Rahman Tarif was talking to his sister Meherunnesa over the phone when the voice on the other end of the call suddenly fell silent. In that moment, Tarif knew something bad had happened. He rushed home, dodging the exchange of fire between security forces and protesters on the streets of Dhaka. When he finally arrived, he discovered his parents tending to his bleeding sister. A stray bullet had hit Meherunnesa's chest while she was standing beside the window of her room, Tarif said. She was taken to a hospital where doctors declared her dead. Meherunnesa, 23, was killed on Aug. 5 last year, the same day Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country in a massive student-led uprising, which ended her 15-year rule. For much of Bangladesh, Hasina's ouster was a moment of joy. Three days later, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over the country as head of an interim government, promising to restore order and hold a new election after necessary reforms. A year on, Bangladesh is still reeling from that violence, and Hasina now faces trial for crimes against humanity, in absentia as she is in exile in India. But despite the bloodshed and lives lost, many say the prospect for a better Bangladesh with a liberal democracy, political tolerance and religious and communal harmony has remained a challenge. 'The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Sheikh Hasina's abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled,' said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based human rights group. Bangladesh's anti-government movement exacted a heavy price. Hundreds of people, mostly students, were killed in violent protests. 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'The interim government appears stuck, juggling an unreformed security sector, sometimes violent religious hardliners, and political groups that seem more focused on extracting vengeance on Hasina's supporters than protecting Bangladeshis' rights,' said Ganguly. Yunus' office routinely rejects these allegations. Bangladesh also faces political uncertainty over a return to democratically held elections. Yunus has been at loggerheads with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, now the main contender for power. The party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has demanded elections either in December or February next year. Yunus has said they could be held in April. The interim government has also cleared the way for the Islamists, who were under severe pressure during Hasina's regime, to rise, while the student leaders who spearheaded the uprising have formed a new political party. 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2 hours ago
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A year after a bloody uprising, Bangladesh is far from political stability
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Abdur Rahman Tarif was talking to his sister Meherunnesa over the phone when the voice on the other end of the call suddenly fell silent. In that moment, Tarif knew something bad had happened. He rushed home, dodging the exchange of fire between security forces and protesters on the streets of Dhaka. When he finally arrived, he discovered his parents tending to his bleeding sister. A stray bullet had hit Meherunnesa's chest while she was standing beside the window of her room, Tarif said. She was taken to a hospital where doctors declared her dead. Meherunnesa, 23, was killed on Aug. 5 last year, the same day Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country in a massive student-led uprising, which ended her 15-year rule. For much of Bangladesh, Hasina's ouster was a moment of joy. Three days later, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over the country as head of an interim government, promising to restore order and hold a new election after necessary reforms. A year on, Bangladesh is still reeling from that violence, and Hasina now faces trial for crimes against humanity, in absentia as she is in exile in India. But despite the bloodshed and lives lost, many say the prospect for a better Bangladesh with a liberal democracy, political tolerance and religious and communal harmony has remained a challenge. 'The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Sheikh Hasina's abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled,' said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based human rights group. Stalled change Bangladesh's anti-government movement exacted a heavy price. Hundreds of people, mostly students, were killed in violent protests. Angry demonstrators torched police stations and government buildings. Political opponents often clashed with each other, sometimes leading to gruesome killings. Like many Bangladeshis, Tarif and his sister took part in the uprising, hoping for a broader political change, particularly after when one of their cousins was shot and killed by security forces. "We could not stay home and wanted Sheikh Hasina to go,' 20-year-old Tarif said. 'Ultimately we wanted a country without any discrimination and injustice.' Today, his hopes lie shattered. 'We wanted a change, but I am frustrated now,' he said. After taking the reins, the Yunus-led administration formed 11 reform commissions, including a national consensus commission that is working with major political parties for future governments and the electoral process. Bickering political parties have failed to reach a consensus on a timetable and process for elections. Mob violence, political attacks on rival parties and groups, and hostility to women's rights and vulnerable minority groups by religious hardliners have all surged. Some of the fear and repression that marked Hasina's rule, and abuses such as widespread enforced disappearances, appear to have ended, rights groups say. However, they accuse the new government of using arbitrary detention to target perceived political opponents, especially Hasina's supporters, many of whom have been forced to go into hiding. Hasina's Awami League party, which remains banned, says more than two dozen of its supporters have died in custody over the last one year. Human Rights Watch in a statement on July 30 said the interim government 'is falling short in implementing its challenging human rights agenda.' It said violations against ethnic and other minority groups in some parts of Bangladesh have continued. 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Korea Expects $350 Billion US Fund to Be Less Than 5% Equity
South Korea's presidential policy chief said the country's $350 billion investment pledge as part of the US trade deal is largely structured as loan guarantees rather than direct capital injections, seeking to ease domestic concerns over the scale and risks of the agreement. In a televised interview on Sunday, Senior Presidential Policy Director Kim Yong-beom said Seoul's actual equity commitment would remain below 5%, emphasizing the initiative is designed to support commercially viable, pre-vetted US-based projects and not intended to provide unconditional financial support.
