Remains of unidentified boy found at New Mexico compound
AMALIA, N.M. — Investigators found the remains of an unidentified young boy after raiding a compound in New Mexico where they suspect a father had taken his severely disabled son after saying he wanted to perform an exorcism on the child and abducting him in Georgia, authorities said Tuesday.
The remains were found Monday during a search on the outskirts of Amalia, a tiny, remote town near the Colorado border marked by scattered homes, sagebrush and open plains.
Authorities were awaiting positive identification of the remains by medical examiners.
Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe indicated the body appeared to be that of a boy similar in age to Abdul-ghani, who suffers from seizures and was reported missing in December after his father said he was taking him to a park in Jonesboro, Georgia, south of Atlanta.
The father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, had told his wife he wanted to perform an exorcism on the child, authorities said.
New Colombian president promises ‘corrections’ to peace deal
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s youngest elected president was sworn in to office Tuesday, promising to “make corrections” to a peace deal with leftist rebels that has divided the country and to crack down on lingering armed groups still roaming the countryside.
Ivan Duque, the 42-year-old protege of a powerful right-wing former president, now faces the task of implementing the historic accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that ended a half century bloody conflict, but which remains on shaky ground. He will also have to deal with burgeoning coca and cocaine production that has strained relations with key ally Washington and negotiate a peace with a holdout guerrilla army.
“The moment has come for all of us to unite to fight against illegal groups,” Duque said in his inauguration speech to more than a dozen heads of state, promising to get tough on crime, drug trafficking groups and other armed and rebel groups.
The new president said he believed in “the demobilization, disarmament and reinsertion of the guerrilla base” into society under the accord with the FARC. But he added that “we will make corrections to ensure that the victims receive truth, proportional justice, reparations and not a repetition” after a conflict that left at least 260,000 dead, some 60,000 missing and millions displaced.
In another nod to conservatives who have demanded tougher negotiation terms with rebel groups, Duque said he will push for a constitutional reform that makes it impossible for the government to grant amnesty to individuals who have been involved in drug trafficking and kidnappings.
Christian heartland opens window into fight for China’s soul
NANYANG, China — The 62-year-old Chinese shopkeeper had waited nearly his entire adult life to see his dream of building a church come true — a brick house with a sunny courtyard and spacious hall with room for 200 believers.
But in March, about a dozen police officers and local officials suddenly showed up at the church on his property and made the frightened congregants disperse. They ordered that the cross, a painting of the Last Supper and Bible verse calligraphy be taken down. And they demanded that all services stop until each person, along with the church itself, was registered with the government, said the shopkeeper, Guo.
Without warning, Guo and his neighbors in China’s Christian heartland province of Henan had found themselves on the front lines of an ambitious new effort by the officially atheist ruling Communist Party to dictate — and in some cases displace — the practice of faith in the country.
“I’ve always prayed for our country’s leaders, for our country to get stronger,” said Guo, who gave only his last name out of fear of government retribution. “They were never this severe before, not since I started going to church in the 80’s. Why are they telling us to stop now?”
Under President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, believers are seeing their freedoms shrink dramatically even as the country undergoes a religious revival. Experts and activists say that as he consolidates his power, Xi is waging the most severe systematic suppression of Christianity in the country since religious freedom was written into the Chinese constitution in 1982.
Ruby Rose cast as lesbian superhero Batwoman for The CW
NEW YORK — Ruby Rose is making history with her latest role as Batwoman, the first openly gay superhero to headline a TV series.
Batwoman will be introduced in a December crossover event between the network’s other DC Comics shows, “Arrow”, “The Flash” and “Supergirl.”
A stand-alone series about Batwoman, whose real name is Kate Kane, is in development for the 2019-20 TV season. Kane is described as a highly-trained street fighter with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind.
Rose wrote Tuesday on Instagram that she’s “thrilled and honored” and “an emotional wreck” over the news. As a young, gay person, she never felt represented on TV.
Rose gained stardom when she was cast in season three of Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black.”