The Fighters
About The Fighters
Hoping to reverse the two-decadeslong decline of boxing's popularity, specifically in his native South Boston, gym owner and former fighter Peter Welch formulates a revitalization plan. "The Fighters" documents his efforts to bring together rival trainers and amateur boxers to represent their gyms in weekly bouts. After seven days of intense training, the combatants face off in the ring with, perhaps, their professional futures at stake. Each episode captures the daily struggles, personal relationships and arduous gym sessions as the young men prepare to defend their pride as well as help save a sport that was once integral to the culture in "Southie. " One of the series' executive producers is Dana White, a former boxer and trainer in Boston before becoming president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, an organization for mixed martial arts. …
King Charles Kenya trip: Mau Mau uprising hangs over visit
... Images of six-year-old Michael Ruck - hacked to death along with his parents and a farmhand - and his bloodied teddy bears, were published in newspapers abroad, and drew no sympathy for The Fighters...
Ukraine war: Why Kyiv's Dnipro east bank gain could be significant
... But The Fighters we spoke to acknowledged that, even if the troops were to take Krynky, a modern day " Normandy landings" style attack was unlikely...
Sudan conflict: Ethnic cleansing committed in Darfur, UK says
... They listened to what The Fighters were saying - and examined what they were wearing - to try to identify who they were...
Israel attack: People hide in homes as Palestinian militants enter from Gaza
... " The unprecedented attack by Hamas began early on Saturday morning, as The Fighters used cover from a barrage of thousands of rockets...
Evidence found of German mass execution by French Resistance after D-Day
... But The Fighters were then forced to flee into the mountains by the arrival of German reinforcements...
Wagner mercenaries must swear allegiance to Russia - Putin
... And it is a clear signal to The Fighters, too, he suggests...
'It's like playing with death' - Ukraine's female front-line soldiers
... " When I had just joined the special forces, one of The Fighters came to me and said: Girl, what are you doing here? Go and cook borshch [Ukrainian traditional soup]...
Wagner mutiny: Junior commander reveals his role in the challenge to Putin
... As they approached Rostov-on-Don, The Fighters were given orders to surround all the law enforcement agency buildings in the city and to occupy the military airport...
Wagner mercenaries must swear allegiance to Russia - Putin
By Ece GoksedefBBC News
President Vladimir Putin has called on all employees of Wagner and other Russian private military contractors to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian State .
The decree applies to anyone participating in military activities in Ukraine, assisting the army and serving in territorial defence units.
He signed the decree on Friday, with immediate effect.
It Comes Two Days after Wagner leaders were presumed killed in a plane crash.
" Putin wants to have tighter control on Wagner, " says Natia Seskuria, Associate Fellow at The Royal United Services Institute, " to make sure he won't be facing another crisis in The Future . It indicates that Putin is becoming more risk-averse. "
The decree comes at a time when Wagner mercenary fighters are lacking an obvious leader, after a plane presumed to be carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin and other leaders crashed on Wednesday killing all 10 people on board.
Described in the decree as a step to forge The Spiritual and moral foundations of the defence of Russia, the wording of The Oath includes a line in which those who take it promise to strictly follow the orders of commanders and senior leaders.
" It is a concealed message to Military Intelligence to find and prosecute Wagner fighters, " Petro Burkovskyi, Executive Director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a Think Tank based in Ukraine, told The Bbc .
And it is a clear signal to The Fighters , too, he suggests.
" They took The Oath in The Past as well, it's standard procedure for many armies. So it is a signal to Wagner fighters: Either take The Oath and keep your arms or disarm yourself. You obey or you go to prison. "
A few weeks before Prigozhin's failed uprising in June, The Russian defence ministry gave mercenary groups until 1 July to sign army contracts.
Prigozhin refused to sign, because he didn't want his Wagner Group to operate under the ministry.
Mr Putin backed the ministry's contract scheme at The Time , which was The First public blow against his long-term ally Prigozhin.
But what effect will it have on the Wagner fighters without an obvious leader?
Mr Burkovskyi thinks that as trained and experienced fighters, they are good assets for The Russian army.
" They are mostly career military servicemen, other than being ideological.
" They chose Wagner because Wagner gave them Special Treatment , without the bureaucracy of the huge Russian army. If they get Special Treatment under Putin's orders, I don't think they care about where, to whom and for whom they will fight. "
Ms Seskuria believes that Prigozhin's real supporters, who don't want to take The Oath , might create problems in the long term.
" I think The Message is very clear, you either follow The Rules or end up like Prigozhin, " she says.
" In that sense it will work in a short-term perspective. However, Prigozhin had loyal supporters within Wagner and this can potentially create problems for Putin in a longer term-perspective. "
Meanwhile there were drone attacks on Moscow and Belgorod regions on Saturday Morning , both shot down by air defence systems, according to Russian officials.
No casualties nor damages were reported. Moscow's three main airports suspended flights for a couple of hours.
In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, four people were wounded as a result of shelling, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Moscow blamed Ukraine for the shelling and drone attacks. Kyiv has not commented yet, as they almost never publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks inside Russia.
And in Ukraine, Two People have been killed And One wounded after Russia shelled a Ukrainian Village near the northeast town of Kupiansk, Kharkiv's regional governor said, adding that a cafe had been hit.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
