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Dua Lipa, Public Figures Urge UK to End Israel Arms Sales

Dua Lipa. (Getty Images/AFP)
Dua Lipa. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Dua Lipa, Public Figures Urge UK to End Israel Arms Sales

Dua Lipa. (Getty Images/AFP)
Dua Lipa. (Getty Images/AFP)

Pop star Dua Lipa joined some 300 UK celebrities in signing an open letter Thursday urging Britain to halt arms sales to Israel, after similar pleas from lawyers and writers.

Actors, musicians, activists and other public figures wrote the letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to "end the UK's complicity in the horrors in Gaza".

British-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa has been vocal about the war in Gaza and last year criticized Israel's offensive as a "genocide".

Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of genocide and says its campaign intends to crush Hamas following the deadly October 2023 attack by the Palestinian fighters.

Other signatories include actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and Riz Ahmed, and musicians Paloma Faith, Annie Lennox and Massive Attack.

"You can't call it 'intolerable' and keep sending arms," read the letter to Labour leader Starmer organized by Choose Love, a UK-based humanitarian aid and refugee advocacy charity.

Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, who stepped down from his role at the BBC after a social media post that contained anti-Semitic imagery, also signed the letter.

Signatories urged the UK to ensure "full humanitarian access across Gaza", broker an "immediate and permanent ceasefire", and "immediately suspend" all arms sales to Israel.

"The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime Minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?", the letter continued.

Earlier this month, Starmer slammed Israel's "egregious" renewed military offensive in Gaza and promised to take "further concrete actions" if it did not stop -- without detailing what the actions could be.

Last September the UK government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, saying there was a "clear risk" they could be used to breach humanitarian law.

Global outrage has grown after Israel ended a ceasefire in March and stepped up military operations this month, killing thousands of people in a span of two months according to figures by the Hamas-run health ministry.

The humanitarian situation has also sparked alarm and fears of starvation after a two-month blockade on aid entering the devastated territory.

Over 800 UK lawyers including Supreme Court justices, and some 380 British and Irish writers warned of Israel committing a "genocide" in Gaza in open letters this week.

Hamas killed 1,218 people, mostly civilians, in their October 2023 attack on Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Fighters also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's military offensive launched in response has killed 54,084, mostly civilians, in Gaza according to its health ministry, displaced nearly the entire population and ravaged swathes of the besieged strip.

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Entertainment

It’s ‘Sinners’ vs ‘One Battle’ as Oscars Day Arrives

An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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It’s ‘Sinners’ vs ‘One Battle’ as Oscars Day Arrives

An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)

After months of expensive campaigns, the Oscars finally arrive Sunday, with all eyes on the race between "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners" for best picture, Hollywood's most coveted prize.

Ahead of the star-packed gala, pundits say the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring political thriller "One Battle" is neck-and-neck with Michael B. Jordan's bluesy vampire horror "Sinners," while several acting prizes are similarly impossible to call.

Either movie could "break multiple Oscar records," Variety awards editor Clayton Davis told AFP.

But until "the final envelope is opened for best picture, we're not going to know who's going to win."

The ceremony -- live on ABC and Hulu from 4:00 pm in Los Angeles (2300 GMT) -- will be hosted for a second year running by comedian Conan O'Brien and will feature live musical performances from "KPop Demon Hunters", as well as "Sinners."

With political tensions running high and war raging in the Middle East, Los Angeles police have tightened security in the streets of Hollywood.

Inside the theater, both the frontrunner films have a chance of breaking the all-time Oscar wins record -- shared at 11 between "Ben-Hur,Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

"Sinners," the tale of gangster twins returning home to a supernatural and segregated Deep South in the 1930s, has already made Academy Awards history with its whopping 16 nominations.

Ryan Coogler, previously best known for "Black Panther," could become the first ever Black person to win best director, in the 98 years of Oscars history.

But "Sinners" will have to surge past "One Battle," this season's frontrunner, about a washed-up, off-grid revolutionary whose teen daughter is being hunted by a white supremacist soldier in a time of immigration raids and political extremism.

Its director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest auteurs of contemporary US cinema, but has never won any of his 11 previous nominations for films including "There Will Be Blood" and "Boogie Nights."

One Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members cannot disclose their ballots, told AFP they voted for Anderson "because of his body of work" but admitted the choice was "very tough."

"It is time. I think the Academy will honor" Anderson, they said.

"But that's not to say that Ryan Coogler is not equally deserving."

- Tight races -

While suspense about best picture doesn't happen every year, what is truly unusual this time is the amount of uncertainty surrounding the acting prizes.

Timothee Chalamet had long appeared a lock for his pushy 1950s ping-pong player in "Marty Supreme."

But a series of ill-advised comments, most recently dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that "no one cares about," have seen the 30-year-old golden boy's chances plummet.

The anonymous voter said they try to tune out controversy because "we honor the work and not the personality," but predicted Michael B. Jordan would win the "tight race."

The "Sinners" star plays two roles as twin brothers, and won the important Screen Actors Guild's Actor Award this month, just before Oscars voting closed.

"This is a movie star performance that we don't get very often," said Davis, who also does not rule out DiCaprio or Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon").

The supporting acting prizes are also up for grabs.

Sean Penn could win a third acting Oscar for his comic yet terrifying soldier in "One Battle."

But he is up against international arthouse favorite Stellan Skarsgard ("Sentimental Value") and veteran Delroy Lindo, who earned his first Oscar nod at 73 for "Sinners."

Supporting actress could see a rare horror villain role rewarded for Amy Madigan in "Weapons," or go to "One Battle" revolutionary Teyana Taylor or "Sinners" Hoodoo healer Wunmi Mosaku.

The only sure thing appears to be best actress nominee Jessie Buckley, who plays William Shakespeare's wife in "Hamnet."

"It's been the steamroller all season. That's the one thing you could take to the bank," said Davis.

- KPop, Redford tributes -

For best international film, Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" will vie with Brazil's surreal political thriller "The Secret Agent."

The annual in memoriam segment for recently passed icons will honor Robert Redford, who died in September, and Rob Reiner, who was murdered in December.

Oscars producers declined to comment on reports that Barbra Streisand will sing a tribute to her "The Way We Were" co-star.

Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind "KPop Demon Hunters" fictional girl group HUNTR/X, will perform the Netflix smash film's Oscar-nominated song "Golden."

Entertainment

Netflix Announces 'Kpop Demon Hunters' Sequel

Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
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Netflix Announces 'Kpop Demon Hunters' Sequel

Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)

Streaming giant Netflix announced on Friday it would release a sequel to "Kpop Demon Hunters", its most popular film of all time and a two-time Oscar nominee.

The animated film, about a K-pop girl group descended from demon slayers, is the latest Korean tale to enjoy global recognition.

"KPOP DEMON HUNTERS will return for a sequel written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans," Netflix posted on X.

The film is nominated for two Academy Awards this Sunday - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

Its hit track "Golden", which dominated music charts worldwide, also won Best Song Written for Visual Media, becoming the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.

Korean-Canadian director and writer Maggie Kang, who created the original and will also be in charge of the sequel, previously said that she wanted to "portray Korean culture authentically".

"I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters," Kang said, according to Netflix.

Launched in June last year, the film followed the critical success of other works exploring Korean and diasporic experiences, such as "Parasite", "Squid Game" and "Pachinko".

Entertainment

One Surprise after Another? Oscars Night Set to Be Unpredictable

An Oscars ceremony hosted by Conan O'Brien will feature several nail-biting reveals, culminating in the announcement of the year's best film, which remains anyone's guess. Frederic J. Brown / AFP
An Oscars ceremony hosted by Conan O'Brien will feature several nail-biting reveals, culminating in the announcement of the year's best film, which remains anyone's guess. Frederic J. Brown / AFP
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One Surprise after Another? Oscars Night Set to Be Unpredictable

An Oscars ceremony hosted by Conan O'Brien will feature several nail-biting reveals, culminating in the announcement of the year's best film, which remains anyone's guess. Frederic J. Brown / AFP
An Oscars ceremony hosted by Conan O'Brien will feature several nail-biting reveals, culminating in the announcement of the year's best film, which remains anyone's guess. Frederic J. Brown / AFP

With "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" neck-and-neck for best picture and several acting races far too close to call, this Sunday's Oscars gala is shaping up to be the most unpredictable in years.

A Hollywood ceremony set to feature music from "KPop Demon Hunters" and Conan O'Brien as host will feature several nail-biting reveals, culminating in the announcement of the year's best film, which remains anyone's guess.

Until "the final envelope is opened for best picture, we're not going to know who's going to win," said Variety's awards columnist Clayton Davis.

"Both have a huge opportunity in order to break multiple Oscar records," he told AFP.

"Sinners," a smash-hit vampire period horror film from director Ryan Coogler, has already made Academy Awards history with its whopping 16 nominations.

The blues-inflected race allegory has a chance to chase down the most Oscar wins by a single movie, shared at 11 between "Ben-Hur,Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Coogler, previously best known for "Black Panther," could become the first ever Black person to win best director, in the 98 years of Oscars history.

"He's only the seventh ever nominated," noted Davis, who spoke to many Oscars voters and says "the love for Coogler is undeniable."

But the frontrunner of this awards season has long been "One Battle," a zany thriller about a retired revolutionary looking for his teen daughter.

Set against a wild backdrop of radical violence, immigration raids and white supremacists, it earned 13 nods and could also break the overall wins record.

Its director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest auteurs of 21st century US cinema, but has never won any of his 11 previous nominations for films including "There Will Be Blood" and "Boogie Nights."

Though "Sinners" was the bigger commercial hit, the exciting race between two "popular movies that people will know at home" should be good for ratings, Davis predicted.

'Steamroller'

While suspense about best picture doesn't happen every year, what is truly unusual this time is the amount of uncertainty surrounding the acting prizes.

A year after narrowly losing best actor honors with his uncanny Bob Dylan portrayal in "A Complete Unknown," Timothee Chalamet had long appeared a lock for his pushy ping-pong player "Marty Supreme."

But a series of ill-advised comments, most recently dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that "no one cares about," have seen the 30-year-old golden boy's chances plummet.

"Sinners" star Michael B Jordan, who plays two roles as twin brothers, won the important Screen Actors Guild's Actor Award this month, just before Oscars voting closed.

"This is a movie star performance that we don't get very often... he's really two steps away from the finish line," said Davis, who also does not rule out Leonardo DiCaprio ("One Battle") or Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon").

The supporting acting prizes are also up for grabs.

Sean Penn could win a third acting Oscar for his comic yet terrifying soldier in "One Battle."

But he is up against international arthouse favorite Stellan Skarsgard ("Sentimental Value") and veteran Delroy Lindo, earning his first Oscar nod at 73 for "Sinners."

Supporting actress could see a rare horror villain role rewarded for Amy Madigan in "Weapons," or go to "One Battle" revolutionary Teyana Taylor or "Sinners" Hoodoo healer Wunmi Mosaku.

The only sure thing appears to be Jessie Buckley, who plays William Shakespeare's wife in "Hamnet."

"It's been the steamroller all season. That's the one thing you could take to the bank," said Davis

KPop, Redford tributes

Best international film is arguably the hardest to call of all, with Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" up against Brazil's surreal political thriller "The Secret Agent."

O'Brien returns to host the Oscars for a second year running, while Barbra Streisand is rumored to be singing a tribute to her "The Way We Were" co-star Robert Redford, who died in September.

Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind "KPop Demon Hunters" fictional girl group HUNTR/X, will perform the Netflix smash film's Oscar-nominated song "Golden."

The Oscars will air live on ABC and Hulu from 4:00 pm in Los Angeles (2300 GMT).