Zimbabwean boys as young as 10 hurry every weekend to a boxing ring whose nickname, Wafa Wafa, in the local Shona language suggests that whoever enters will be lucky to come out alive.

 

No one has died in the ring, let alone suffered serious injury. But the exchanges can be brutal and bleeding is part of the game in this impoverished township 18 miles (30 kilometers) outside the capital, Harare.

 

In Zimbabwe, where unemployment is rife and many youths are taking to drugs and alcohol, a former boxing champion hopes the pain in the makeshift ring will make for some gains.

 

“We are teaching them discipline through boxing. They are less prone to do drugs once they are committed to this regime,” said Arigoma Chiponda, a former light heavyweight local champion who now runs a gym and encourages youths to take up boxing, even though the prospects of going professional are slim.

 

The floor of the ring is muddied from recent rains, the ropes supported by unprotected metal poles. Most boys go into the ring barefoot. They wear anything from old jeans and T-shirts to shorts. One fighter goes into the ring with formal trousers, shirt and shoes, looking like he’s come from a wedding.

 

There are two pairs of frayed gloves which the young fighters use to pummel each other. They are one-size-fits-all, so they are sometimes comically oversized for the youngest fighters.

 

Often there are bloodied noses, and tempers flare over “unprofessional conduct” when blows go below the belt.

 

Nearby is a shopping center teeming with beer drinkers. Other youths pass around a prescription cough syrup sold on the black market to get high. Groups of numbed youths sit like zombies there and at nearby street corners.

 

“I stopped being part of that crowd when I started boxing,” said Abel Chitsoka, 17, pointing at some teens his age gulping the cough syrup nearby.

 

“The ring is free for all. It helps keep the kids focused but eventually we would want them to go professional. Unfortunately, the sport is not viable in Zimbabwe right now. There are no sponsors and it has been years since we had professional tournaments,” said Gilbert Munetsi, a regular at the fight club and a former secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Boxing Control Body. “We are thinking of taking them to Namibia.”

 

Kudzai Chimwaya is 10 but throws and dodges punches like a mini-professional.

 

“I have been coming here for two years now,” he said. “I want the bigger boys now.”

 

Coaches milling around won’t allow it because the rule is to pair boys of the same age group to avoid serious injuries.

 

“Our challenge has been convincing their parents that this is a safe sport,” said one coach, Pamson Sankulani. “The lack of proper equipment and medical kits is something that always unnerves the parents.”

 

They don’t have such issues with Omega Chimwaya, Kudzai’s father. He is usually among the ringside spectators watching his son in action.

 

“He loves it, so I let him do it. I fear I will lose him to the drug and alcohol gang if he doesn’t grow up boxing,” said Chimwaya. He added that he hopes his son won’t think of taking the sport too seriously as he grows up.

 

“No way. Boxing doesn’t pay in this country. He should do school and become someone in life. He has to finish his weekend school homework before he ventures out here,” the father said. “Yes, it’s a good place to keep the kids from the wrong influences. As a career, no.”

 
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Egypt has unveiled a massive granite statue of Ramses II, the most powerful and celebrated of the ancient Pharaohs, after completing its restoration.

Standing 11 meters (36 feet) tall and weighing 75 tons, the statue was presented in a floodlit ceremony at the Luxor Temple on the banks of the Nile on Tuesday evening. When the statue was discovered between 1958 and 1960, it was in 57 pieces.

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great or Ozymandias, reigned more than 3,000 years ago. He led several military expeditions and expanded the Egyptian empire to stretch from Syria in the north to Nubia in the south.

The statue was displayed just hours after archaeologists unveiled the tomb of a nobleman from more than 3,000 years ago, the latest in a series of discoveries that Egypt hopes will revive a tourist business hit by political instability.

“What we’re happy with is that [the kind of tourists drawn to] classical Egypt, Luxor, Aswan, Nile cruises … are back to normal levels again,” said Hisham El Demery, chief of Egypt’s Tourism Development Authority.

However, an attack Tuesday claimed by Islamic State near St. Catherine’s Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula, one of the world’s most important Christian sites, revived fears for the tourist sector there.

The attack left one police officer dead and four others wounded.
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The Museum of the American Revolution has opened its doors in Philadelphia, with fife and drum music, colorful colonial re-enactors and the blessing of former Vice President Joe Biden.

 

Wednesday’s grand opening festivities traversed three spots in historic Philadelphia, starting at the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier.

 

A fife and drum corps provided an 18th century soundtrack as re-enactors marched to Independence Hall.

Current and former governors of states making up the 13 original colonies gave toasts.

 

Another march led to the new museum for the official dedication and performances including songs from the Broadway hit “Hamilton.”

 

Biden told the crowd the museum is an important reminder of “how we got where we are.”
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Julia Roberts was named People magazine’s world’s most beautiful woman for a record 5th time on Wednesday, but the actress said she thought her best years were yet to come.

Roberts, 49, was first given the annual honor in 1991, a year after she skyrocketed to fame in the romantic comedy “Pretty Woman.” She was also named most beautiful woman in 2000, 2005 and 2010.

“I’m very flattered,” Roberts told People magazine, adding “I think I’m currently peaking.”

The actress, who won an Oscar in 2001 for playing against type in “Erin Brockovich,” has been married for 14 years to cinematographer Danny Moder, with whom she has three children.

Former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston was last year’s most beautiful woman for People magazine.
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Plans to release new music by Prince on Friday’s one-year anniversary of the singer’s death have been hit with a lawsuit claiming the works were stolen by his former sound engineer.

The six-song EP “Deliverance,” was due to go on sale on Friday and would mark the first in a series of planned posthumous releases of material by Prince from the large vault of discarded or unfinished material he reportedly left behind.

According to a statement from independent record company Rogue Music Alliance (RMA), the six songs were recorded by Prince between 2006 and 2008.

After his death of an accidental drug overdose in 2016, his sound engineer, Ian Boxill, spent the last year completing, arranging and mixing the songs, RMA said.

Prince’s estate however filed a civil lawsuit in Minnesota district court on Tuesday seeking an injunction against the release.

According to the court documents, the lawsuit claims breach of contract, theft and misappropriation by Boxill of the recordings.

Boxill and RMA did not immediately return calls for comment on the lawsuit on Wednesday.

However, Boxill said in a statement on Tuesday that he felt Prince would have wanted the songs released independently because they were recorded at a time when he was embroiled in disputes with major record labels.

“Prince once told me that he would go to bed every night thinking of ways to bypass major labels and get his music directly to the public. When considering how to release this important work, we decided to go independent because that’s what Prince would have wanted,” Boxill said.

Prince split with record label Warner Bros. in 1996, when he changed his name to a symbol, but re-signed with them in 2014. Warner Bros. said in February it would release two albums of new music from the pop funk musician in June, along with a remastered copy of his hit album “Purple Rain” and two complete concert films from the vault of the singer’s Paisley Park recording complex near Minneapolis.

Prince died on April 21, 2016, at age 57 of an overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.

The value of his musical legacy, including a cache of unreleased recordings, has been estimated by some to exceed $500 million when factoring in future royalties, retail sales and commercial rights.

Prince left no will and his estate has been plagued for the past year by disputes among his sister and five surviving half-siblings over how to manage and protect his legacy.
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Twenty-First Century Fox has decided to part ways with star cable news host Bill O’Reilly following allegations of sexual harassment, the company said Wednesday.

“After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” the company said in a statement.

O’Reilly said in an April 1 statement that he had been unfairly targeted because of his public prominence. Marc Kasowitz, O’Reilly’s lawyer, said in a statement Tuesday that the television host “has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America.”

It is not known exactly how Fox News will handle O’Reilly’s exit or whether he would be allowed to say goodbye to viewers on the air, according to a New York magazine report.

 

 

Representatives at Fox News and its parent, Twenty-First Century Fox, were not immediately available for comment about how O’Reilly might be replaced. A representative for O’Reilly, who has been off the air on vacation since April 11, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Vatican photograph showed O’Reilly shaking hands with Pope Francis after a general audience Wednesday, but it was not clear if the Pope knew who the television host was.

The New York Times reported on April 1 that Fox and O’Reilly, a 20-year veteran of the conservative cable network, paid five women a total of $13 million to settle harassment claims. The five women who received settlements either worked for O’Reilly or appeared as guests on his program, according to the New York Times story.

O’Reilly said in the statement at the time that he had settled only to spare his children from the controversy.

O’Reilly’s show, The O’Reilly Factor, is the top-rated show on Fox News. According to ad-tracking firm Kantar Media, it brought in $147.13 million in advertising revenue in 2016.

Twenty-First Century Fox’s last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2016, brought in a total of $7.65 billion in advertising revenue.

But after the New York Times report, advertisers including BMW of North America, Allstate Corp, French pharmaceuticals maker Sanofi SA and T. Rowe Price, pulled their advertising from O’Reilly’s primetime The O’Reilly Factor show.

 

 

O’Reilly’s exit, which was first reported by New York magazine, follows that of former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, who was forced to resign in July after being accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women, including former anchor Gretchen Carlson. Ailes has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Twenty-First Century Fox has tapped the law firm Paul, Weiss Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which also looked into the allegations against Ailes, to investigate O’Reilly’s conduct.

The O’Reilly Factor is the most watched program on Fox News and is coming off the highest-rated first quarter in its history, averaging 4 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Investors seemed to take the news in stride. Shares of Twenty-First Century Fox were down less than 1 percent at $30.50 in Wednesday afternoon trading.

O’Reilly’s departure will not have any effect on Twenty-First Century Fox’s overall profitability, said Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are co-executive chairmen of the company, and son James is chief executive officer.

“They could literally go dark during the time his program airs and they would still be profitable,” said Wieser.

A bigger issue for investors is what the Murdochs will do to prevent the company being in the headlines again just a few months from now, Wieser said. “That’s bigger than O’Reilly,” he said. “The cultural issue is a big issue.”
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Archeologists in Egypt have made a major discovery of statues, coffins and several mummies in a 3,500-year-old tomb.

According to the Antiquities Ministry, the tomb, which is on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, was believed to have been built between 1,500 and 1,000 B.C., likely for a judge.

The tomb, which is located in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis not far from the Valley of the Kings, is made up of a courtyard that leads to two halls. One hallway had four colorful coffins, while the other had six.

The Associated Press reports that the head of the dig, Mostafa el-Waziri, said another area contains statues depicting royalty from previous ruling dynasties.

“It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside” the tomb, Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told reporters outside the tomb, according to Al Jazeera.”We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them. This is an important discovery.”

More discoveries, including more mummies, are expected.
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Monday marked the 121st running of the annual Boston Marathon. But wounds stemming from the 2013 bombings are still open. Four years after the event, Rebekah Gregory, who lost a leg in the attack, is back in the city to launch her memoir. It’s called Taking My Life Back.
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Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya won the 121st Boston Marathon on Monday, leading a sweep for his nation of the men’s and women’s divisions.

Kirui pulled away from three-time U.S. Olympian Galen Rupp with 2 miles (3 kilometers) to go in the 26.2-mile (42 km) run to take the title in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds. Rupp was 21 seconds back, and Suguru Osako of Japan placed third, 51 seconds behind the winner.

“In my mind, I was sure that one day I would win this race,” said the 25-year-old Kirui, competing in his third marathon. “To come here to Boston, I knew I was going to face my colleagues who have run many times here. … I knew I would challenge some of the champions who have been competing here.”

Edna Kiplagat won the women’s race in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 52 seconds for the Kenyan sweep. Rose Chelimo of Bahrain was runner-up, 59 seconds back, and American Jordan Hasay was another 9 seconds behind to take third place.

Ethiopians swept the titles last year. Kenyans had won either the men’s or women’s race every year since 1991 before being shut out in 2014 and again last year.

Temperatures were much warmer than normal this year, with the thermometer hitting 79 degrees (26 C) at the 20-kilometer mark.

Americans dominated the men’s division with six runners placing in the top 10.

“It’s so exciting to see Americans being competitive here,” said Rupp, the Olympic bronze medalist who was making his Boston debut. “It’s a real exciting time. And it’s awesome to see American distance running on the upswing and being competitive in these races.”

“American distance running is looking good today,” said sixth-place finisher Abdi Abdirahman, a Somali immigrant and Arizona resident who is a four-time Olympian. “We have the podium for both men and women, so the future is great.”

It was the first time since 1991 that two U.S. women had finished in the top four, with Desi Linden placing fourth.

Earlier Monday, Boston city officials announced plans for memorials to mark the sites near the finish line where two bombs exploded during the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others.

Two brothers who immigrated from Russia, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were identified as the perpetrators. Tamerlan was killed during a shootout with police four days after the twin explosions that came 12 seconds apart. Dzhokhar remains in a federal prison after being sentenced to death.
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After nine attempts to sneak across the border between Syria and Turkey, with an indescribable amount of fear and painful near-death experiences, 31-year-old Mustafa Hamed finally found a home in Germany, where he is working hard to piece together his life.

“The most important thing is you are lost here. So you have to find a new job, new friends — you have to find a new life,” Hamed said. “So this is a new start for me.”

His priority right now is mastering the language. His dream is to work in journalism. As he works hard to achieve this dream, he constantly struggles with a nightmare — the memory of his days in Aleppo.

“The clashes started in Aleppo in, maybe, 2012,” he recalled. “You can imagine, it was daily and you can hear every night bombing someplace near you — maybe for just two kilometers [away]. The electricity was cut down for a long time. You have to wait for 7 or 8 hours just to charge your phone.”

Resetting their lives

Psychologist and researcher Kenneth Miller, in his book War Torn: Stories of Courage, Love and Resilience, recounts Hamed’s story, among many others from Guatemala, Mexico, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

During his more than 25 years of working with war victims, Miller noticed that the majority of what has been written about war focuses on soldiers. He wanted to draw attention to what’s missing from the conversation: the experience of civilians. In his book, he shares dozens of stories of people he met and worked with in many places around the world.

One of the most compelling stories is from Samad Khan, an Afghan who became a refugee in the 1980s, during his country’s war against the Soviets. Khan participated in Miller’s research in Afghanistan. In one of the counseling sessions on dealing with painful experiences, Khan shared a traumatic memory.

“He was driving a pickup truck with his sister’s family in the back, up a steep, winding mountain road and the road was controlled by the Mujahedeen, the freedom fighters,” Miller said. “They stopped him at one point and asked him to show his papers. So he stopped the car, and got out to show them his papers, but he realized he had forgotten to set the hand brake. He watched in horror as the truck spiraled off the side of the mountain and tumbled hundreds of feet down to the valley below. He had to go down to retrieve the bodies and bring them back to Kabul for burial.”

Overcoming tragedies

However, when Miller met him, Khan was a life-loving community leader. “I said, ‘How did you get over this? You seem to be doing so well now!’ He said it was a combination of the power of his faith and he also had a tremendous support of his extended family and friends,” Miller explained. “They got him through. I tell his story because this is something that recurs in the book, in every country that I worked in, that we are more alike than we are different. His story also captures something that we’ve seen in a lot of refugee communities, which is war, of course, can be devastating, but we’re built to heal. If the conditions are supportive, safe and stable, people have a remarkable capacity to be resilient and to heal.”

When the environment is safe and supportive, Miller says, refugees not only survive painful experiences, but they can thrive.

He tells another story, based on his experience in Guatemala:

“I got adopted by this one family while I was living in the camp for a year. This family fled when they heard about a massacre in a neighboring village where about 370 people were killed. They spent two months hiding in the mountains in the rainy season. They finally came down on the Mexican side of the border and found their way in to the refugee camp. This young fellow, Emilio, had developed a combination of trauma and severe shock. After a couple of days of traditional prayers and use of herbs, he healed. I think more than anything what really helped him heal was this tremendous love and support of his family. He has become a vibrant young professional musician, he became a refugee in Canada, who is doing wonderfully well.”

The social media effect

Miller says he hopes sharing these stories can help raise awareness about refugees’ situations.

“One of the biggest predictors about whether the refugees become severely depressed or adapt successfully is the extent to which they’re either made to feel welcome, given language and the material resources to get a new start, or whether they encounter a lot of discrimination. The more people feel marginalized and discriminated, of course, the harder it is for them to integrate, and the harder it is for them to heal,” he said.

One point Miller raises is the effect of social media. He says these tools can be helpful in raising awareness about the plight of refugees, but they also can be harmful if they’re used to spread misconceptions.

He points to images shared on social media of Syrian refugees on Lesbos, Greece. “When you see this father holding his two children and weeping and just arriving safely after crossing the sea, it mobilizes people and brings them to want to help, do something to counter this. Now, on the other hand, you also see social media being used to spread rumors and lies about refugees. Social media can spread tremendous fear, and that has serious consequences. It gets people turned back. It causes great harm.”

Miller says he also hopes these stories can inspire refugees and help them discover the inner strength they need to survive and start anew.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted thousands of children and their parents Monday at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll.

The president, first lady and their 11-year-old son Barron, accompanied by an Easter Bunny, greeted the crowd from a balcony of the White House. “We will be stronger and bigger and better as a nation than ever before,” Trump said. “We’re right on track. You see what’s happening.”

The Easter Egg Roll at the White House, on the day after Easter, has a long tradition dating back to 1878.

This year’s event, with 21,000 tickets handed out to Washington-area schoolchildren and military families, was a smaller affair than in years past. About 35,000 people attended a year ago, when then-first lady Michelle Obama organized a carnival-like affair with pop singers, celebrity chefs and professional sports stars.

Children and families roamed the White House lawn at Monday’s event, pushing wooden eggs across the grass with oversized spoons, playing beanbag games and coloring drawings that are being sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Military bands, a pop-rock band and a family circus performed for the crowd.
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