Latest news with #BARS
ABC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Isaac Puerile
We dare you to find someone having more fun in the BARS booth than Isaac Puerile. Coming in like a hurricane of hype, the Western Sydney crown prince laid down an energetic flow that he'd only penned that morning. This is some straight-off-the-dome business from the Blacktown-raised yapper (and rapper). Not only that but Isaac Puerile hit the prod side of things on this one too, alongside STTRUKII. This is BARS, where triple j invites the best established and emerging rappers from Australia into the booth to show us what they've got. Posted 24m ago 24 minutes ago Wed 4 Jun 2025 at 11:00pm
Deccan Herald
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Assam: 42 arrested for 'defending Pakistan' after Pahalgam terror attack
#Update on Crackdown against traitors for defending Pakistan on Indian soil- 20.30hrs | 04 May 1️⃣Azibor Rehman arrested by @Barpeta_Police 2️⃣ Joynal Uddin arrested by @Hojai_Police 3️⃣ Asraful Islam arrested by @chirangpolice Total of 42 Anti Nationals put behind BARS.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
42 arrested in Assam for ‘defending Pakistan' after Pahalgam terror attack
Three more people have been apprehended from different parts of Assam for 'defending Pakistan on Indian soil' following the Pahalgam terror attack, taking the total number of arrests to 42 so far, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said. In a post on X on Sunday late night, Sarma said one person each was apprehended from Barpeta, Hojai and Chirang districts. '#Update on Crackdown against traitors for defending Pakistan on Indian soil… Total of 42 Anti Nationals put behind BARS,' he added. Earlier, opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on sedition charges for allegedly defending Pakistan and its complicity in the Pahalgam terror attack. On Friday, Sarma threatened to break the legs of those who raised 'Pakistan zindabad' slogan in the aftermath of the Jammu and Kashmir terror attack. Addressing a campaign rally for the panchayat elections, he appealed to the people to pray and give strength to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army so that Pakistani terrorists hiding anywhere in the world can be brought for 'breaking their legs'. Terrorists struck Baisaran, a prime tourist location, in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky: Chinese caught fighting for Russia in Ukraine
Credit: X/@ZelenskyyUa Two Chinese citizens were captured fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president claimed his forces had fought with and detained six Chinese soldiers in Donetsk and that there were 'many more' in the Russian ranks. He demanded an explanation from Beijing and said the discovery required a response from the United States, Europe and 'all those around the world who want peace'. 'Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting,' he said. However, Western intelligence sources said it was unlikely the soldiers were sent directly by China. Russia routinely recruits foreign nationals into its armed forces through irregular means. Mr Zelensky published a video showing what he said was a captured Chinese soldier describing how his commander had been injured by a Ukrainian drone strike. 'Vroom vroom… boom boom boom boom boom… and then my commander…,' he tells an unidentified Ukrainian interviewer, mimicking the drones that wounded him and his officer flying overhead. China claims to take a neutral stance on the war but has grown closer to Russia since the war broke out. Western officials have long accused China of sending weapon components and attack drones to Moscow, but there is no evidence Beijing has directly sent troops. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said he had summoned China's chargé d'affaires in Ukraine to provide an explanation. 'Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council,' he said. Last month, a separate video emerged on social media purporting to show Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine. The soldiers have equipment and clothing consistent with what regular Russian troops have been seen wearing in recent months. A patch on one soldier's right shoulder reads BARS, the acronym for Russia's army reserve, which has become a network of irregular units since the February 2022 invasion. BARS fighters have an unclear legal status, remaining unofficial 'volunteers' despite signing contracts with the Russian defence ministry. Thousands of volunteers and mercenaries have been recruited by Russia to bolster its forces throughout the war. But North Korea is the only other example of a state deploying soldiers, but the troops have not been allowed to fight inside Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has said Pyongyang's troops have been deployed to fight Ukrainian forces in parts of Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukraine staged a lightning incursion last summer. Mr Zelensky claimed: 'The North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk region, the Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. 'And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners, I think urgently.' His comments come as Russia continues to gradually take territory in Ukraine while peace talks stall and international attention has been drawn towards Mr Trump's trade war and threats to Iran. On Monday, Ukraine publicly confirmed its troops had advanced into Russia's Belgorod region in the latest sign he was attempting to strengthen the country's position in peace negotiations. The Ukrainian president said his soldiers had broken through the enemy's heavily fortified western border with a warning that 'war must return to where it came from'. He said the main objective of the attack, which follows a failed incursion into Belgorod last month, was to protect communities in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy border regions. 'We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and this is just – war must return to where it came from,' he said in a post on X. It marks the first time Ukraine has publicly confirmed its troops' presence in the western Russian stronghold. Thanks for following our live coverage today. Here is a summary of the main events: Two Chinese soldiers were captured in eastern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media Ukrainian forces engaged with a total of six Chinese troops in Donetsk Mr Zelensky has criticised Putin's involvement of China and said the Russian leader wants to do 'anything but end the war' The Ukrainian president called on the United States, Europe 'and all those around the world who want peace' to respond Sir Keir Starmer said he is seeking advice from intelligence figures in light of the recent development Ukraine publicly confirmed its troops had advanced into Russia's Belgorod region for the first time Russia has reportedly retaken Guyevo, one of the last important villages held by Ukraine in the Kursk region You can read more of our Ukraine coverage here. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said the involvement of Chinese citizens in the war would bring 'into question China's declared stance for peace'. Mr Sybiha wrote on X: 'We have summoned China's chargé d'affaires in Ukraine to the Foreign Ministry to condemn this fact and demand an explanation. 'Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council.' Ukraine has thanked its 'partners' in the UK for sending a convoy of fire and rescue vehicles to the country. The Government, in conjunction with 18 fire and rescue services from across the UK, delivered over 15,000 pieces of life-saving equipment to the nation. Some 30 fire and rescue vehicles, including 26 fire engines, made up the convoy, which was the largest of its kind. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on X: 'Ukrainian rescuers are eagerly awaiting the 8th humanitarian convoy from Fire Aid UK, the National Fire Chiefs Council and the UK government,' adding: 'Thank you to our partners!' Volodymyr Zelenskyy said China would be the third country to offer military support to Russia after Iran, which has supplied attack drones, and North Korea, which has supplied soldiers, according to American and South Korean officials. Speaking to reporters, Mr Zelensky said: 'The North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk region, the Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. 'And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners, I think urgently.' In more news from the battlefront, Russia has reportedly retaken one of the last important villages held by Ukraine in the Kursk region. The Russian defence ministry said its troops had recaptured the village of Guyevo, near the Ukraine border and south of the regional hub of Sudzha. Moscow has already reclaimed much of the border area lost to Kyiv during its shock August 2024 incursion, which marked the largest attack by a foreign army on Russian territory since the Second World War. The Kremlin has in recent weeks praised its troops for carrying out a quick offensive in Kursk and pushing back against the Ukrainian troops still clinging to swaths of Russian territory won last year. More footage has emerged of Ukrainian drone strikes on Belgorod after the presence of Ukrainian troops in the western Russian region was confirmed for the first time. Dramatic video released by Ukraine's 47th mechanised brigade showed the moment a house used by Russian troops exploded in the village of Popovka after a drone entered through an open window, as well as a strike on a pipe running underneath a road. Credit: 47th Mechanised Brigade Kyiv had until this moment been seeking to deepen ties with Beijing. Just this week, Mr Zelensky appointed a new ambassador to China and last year, Dmytro Kuleba, the then Ukrainian foreign minister, travelled to the country to meet his Chinese counterpart. But Moscow and Beijing have in recent years boasted of their 'no limits' partnership. In a visit to Russia last month, Beijing's foreign minister declared the two countries were 'friends forever, never enemies' and said this served 'as a solid legal basis for advancing strategic cooperation at a higher level'. Beijing insisted, however, that it remained neutral in the ongoing conflict. Footage released by Ukraine's 47th mechanised brigade on Monday captured the moment drones struck Russian troops gathered inside a damaged building in the Belgorod village of Demidovka. Russian media reported that the country's air defence systems destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod and Kursk regions overnight. Credit: 47th Mechanised Brigade Volodymyr Zelensky's claim that Chinese nationals have been found fighting for the Kremlin comes as Ukraine publicly confirmed its troops had advanced into Russia's Belgorod region. Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that his soldiers had broken through the enemy's heavily fortified western border with a warning that 'war must return to where it came from'. The Ukrainian president said the main objective of the attack, which follows a failed incursion into Belgorod last month, was to protect communities in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy border regions. 'We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and this is just – war must return to where it came from,' he said in a post on X. It marks the first time Ukraine has publicly confirmed its troops' presence in the western Russian stronghold. The two captured Chinese nationals were carrying identification documents, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The pair were reportedly taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. 'Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their possession,' the Ukrainian president said on X. 'The captured Chinese citizens are now in the custody of the security service of Ukraine. Relevant investigative and operational actions are ongoing,' he added. Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to consult British intelligence figures before he comments on claims the Ukrainians have captured Chinese citizens fighting in the country. The Prime Minister was asked about the developing news and his message to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, during his appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee. Sir Keir said: 'I've only just seen the development of this. I haven't had the opportunity to take advice from my own intelligence and security advisers. I haven't had the opportunity to talk to President Zelensky about it. 'So I'd very happily provide you with an answer but, if you'll forgive me, I just want to make sure that we've got to the bottom of what we actually think has happened here before giving a definitive answer here. 'I will obviously be taking intelligence and security advice on it. We will obviously be talking to the Ukrainians about it.' Soldiers from several other nations, including Serbia, Belarus and some central Asian nations, have offered their services to the Kremlin's cause in the past. Many of those who volunteered to fight against Ukraine came from countries once within the Soviet sphere of influence. In late 2023, Cuba uncovered a human trafficking ring that had allegedly coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said at the time. The statement noted the trafficking ring was operating both within the Caribbean island nation, thousands of miles from Moscow, and within Russia. The war in Ukraine is now partly a battle for the attention of the White House. In such circumstances, the capture of Chinese citizens on the battlefield is a boost to Kyiv and to Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Zelensky wasted little time in casting the men as proof that 'one more' nation, as in China, had entered the war against Ukraine. The truth may be more mundane – that these men are part of ragtag mercenary forces hoovered up by Moscow's meat-hungry armed forces. Nevertheless, their presence should complicate the Trump administration's desire to look beyond Ukraine to what it sees as a looming, generational clash with Communist China. At the end of last month, Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, distributed an internal memo reorienting the US military towards deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan – and preparing to win a potential conflict with Beijing. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has said that Vladimir Putin will only be a small chapter in the history of the 21st century, with the rest taken up by America's titanic contest with China. It is no wonder that Mr Zelensky, in trying to win back the fading support of America, will do everything he can to argue the two theatres cannot be so easily separated. Last month, a separate video emerged on social media purporting to show Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine. In the unverified clip, allegedly shot in Selydove near Pokrovsk, East Asian troops graffiti the inside walls of a damaged house with what appear to be Chinese characters. The soldiers have equipment and clothing consistent with what regular Russian troops have been seen wearing in recent months. A patch on one soldier's right shoulder reads BARS, the acronym for Russia's army reserve, which has become a network of irregular units since the February 2022 invasion. According to independent Russian media, BARS fighters have an unclear legal status, remaining unofficial 'volunteers' despite signing contracts with the Russian defence ministry. The video appeared online over a month before Volodymyr Zelenksy posted a clip today showing one out of two Chinese soldiers captured by Ukraine. Credit: @TGTM_Official Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said that Beijing must be sanctioned if the soldiers captured were part of the Chinese army. Mr de Pulford told The Telegraph: 'This is the authoritarian axis in action: North Korea, China, and Russia. 'If these were mercenaries it's important to understand that this means China is tolerating nationals providing on-the-ground support for Putin's illegal war, prolonging a conflict which is killing innocents and fracturing democratic alliances. 'If these were People's Liberation Army soldiers, swift and meaningful coordinated sanctions must follow.' Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has captured two Chinese citizens fighting as part of the Russian army, and claims there are many more. These fighters are now prisoners of war and are protected under the Geneva Conventions. That means they cannot be tortured, must be cared for, and if prosecuted – have the right to a proper trial. What happens to China, if it has knowingly sent its citizens to Russia in order to fight against Ukraine, is less clearcut. The collective Western response would likely begin with sanctions against individuals seen as key decision makers in China's military. They could target Dong Jun, the defence minister, for example. North Korean generals faced similar targeted sanctions when troops from the Hermit state were sent to fight against Ukraine, as did the Iranian generals ultimately responsible for sending Shahed drones for use by Moscow. Sectoral sanctions could also be applied – targeting security companies, or businesses run by people close to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president. In 2024 the United States imposed sanctions on two Chinese drone suppliers and their alleged Russian partners for helping arm the Russian war effort. Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised that that China is another country, along with Iran and North Korea, that supports Russia in its war against Ukraine. 'But there is a difference: the North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk direction, the Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine,' the president said at a press conference along with Bart de Wever, Belgium's prime minister. In Autumn, North Korea sent at least 12,000 troops to its western Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded in August, seizing swaths of Russian territory. Pyongyang sent another 3,000 soldiers to Russia this year, South Korea's military said in late March. Ukraine summoned China's charge d'affaires after Kyiv's troops took prisoner two Chinese citizens fighting in the eastern front. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said: 'We strongly condemn Russia's involvement of Chinese citizens in its war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as their participation in combat against Ukrainian forces.' He added: 'Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council.' At first glance this does not appear to be a state-sanctioned deployment of Chinese troops by Beijing. Thousands of volunteers or alternatively paid mercenaries have been recruited by Russia to bolster its forces throughout the war. North Korea is the only other example of a state deploying soldiers. However, North Koreans fighting alongside Russian forces have only been allowed to do so on Russian territory. Before they arrived in Kursk, Pyongyang had donated weapons first – clearly tracked by the West. China, according to intelligence sources, has not even gone as far as sending lethal aid. However, Beijing is accused of propping up Russia's war-stricken defence industry by sending precision tools and sanctioned components for arms. It would be an unprecedented leap by Beijing to send troops before it offers even the smallest consignment of artillery ammunition. One that would likely lead to a furious response from Western backers of Ukraine that could end with severe sanctions. Moscow and Beijing have deepened political, military and economic co-operation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict, claiming it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the US and Kyiv's other Western allies. It has also been vocal in its support for peace efforts. Nato members, however, have branded Beijing a 'decisive enabler' of Moscow's invasion, which it has never condemned. Western officials have also claimed that China has been sending components of weapons and attack drones to help Russia's war effort. Volodymyr Zelensky did not say whether Ukraine believed the captured Chinese citizen were operating on Beijing's orders. The captured Chinese troop, in the footage released by Volodymyr Zelensky, said he and his commander had been injured by a Ukrainian drone strike. 'Vroom vroom… boom boom boom boom boom… and then my commander…,' he said in the interview footage, mimicking the drones that wounded him and his officer flying overhead. Volodymyr Zelensky said new evidence of Chinese citizens fighting in the Russian army shows Vladimir Putin does not want peace. 'Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war,' he wrote on Telegram, after announcing the capture of two Chinese soldiers. 'He is looking for ways to continue fighting. This definitely requires a response. A response from the United States, Europe, and all those around the world who want peace.' The captured Chinese soldiers, he said, are now being held by the Security Service of Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
