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Former Word of Life Christian Church member Nathan Ames wasn't the least bit surprised to learn of the Oct. 11, 2015, beating death of 19-year-old Lucas Leonard inside the insular congregation in Chadwicks, a small hamlet located just six miles outside of Utica, New York. According to Ames, the Word of Life Christian Church - where nine congregants allegedly kicked, whipped, and punched Lucas and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, who survived the merciless, 12-hour blitz - had lost its luster, transforming from a place of worship to a house of torment. "There were a lot of good things that had been going on at the church,...

Fresh from trying to count the Dark Knight's takings and having to give up at a gajillion, producer Charles Roven has announced plans to adapt political thriller Damascus Gate for Sony and bring a big helping of Middle Eastern intrigue to our screens.Damascus Gate, a 1998 novel by Robert Stone, follows journalist Christopher Lucas into the colourful heart of Jerusalem, where he stumbles upon an extremist plot to sabotage the peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. The titular gate is part of Jerusalem's old city walls, originally built by Suleiman The Magnificent.We've got fingers crossed Damascus Gate will deliver a suitably byzantine thriller, following in the footsteps of the two recent book adaptations to delve into the murky world of Middle Eastern politics, ex-cia agent Bob Baer's See No Evil (Syriana) and Washington Post journo Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life In The Emerald City (the upcoming Green Zone...