Fatal stabbing of girl prompts manhunt

Fatal stabbing of girl prompts manhunt

san francisco

Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.

Calaveras County deputiesSFlband law-enforcement officials from neighboring counties, as well as California Highway Patrol officers and members of the California Department of Justice, were looking for a suspect after Leila Fowler was found stabbed in her Valley Springs home around noon Saturday.

The girl was found by her brother — reported by local media to be 12-years-old — after he encountered a male intruder in the home.

The suspect was seen wearing a black shirt and blue pants. Authorities considered him armed and dangerous. Investigators were asking area residents to call authorities if they had any information, or knew of anyone who may have unexplained injuries, or may have left the area unexpectedly after the girl was killed.

Iraq suspends 9 TV channels, Al-Jazeera

baghdad

Iraqi authorities suspended the operating licenses of pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and nine Iraqi TV channels on Sunday after accusing them of escalating sectarian tension. The move signaled the Shiite-led government’s mounting worries over deteriorating security amid Sunni unrest and clashes that have left more than 180 people dead in less than a week.

The suspensions, which took effect immediately, appeared to target mainly Sunni channels known for criticizing Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik’s government.

White House: Foxx in transportation post

washington

President Barack Obama today will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday.

If confirmed, Foxx would replace outgoing Secretary Ray LaHood. Foxx is Obama’s first black nominee in the new Cabinet members appointed for the second term.

Lawmakers: Syria’s weapons a menace

washington

Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons could be a greater threat after that nation’s president leaves power and could end up targeting Americans at home, lawmakers warned Sunday while considering a U.S. response that stops short of sending military forces there. U.S. officials last week declared that the Syrian government probably had used chemical weapons twice in March, newly provocative acts in the 2-year civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Gunman injures 2 policemen in Italy

rome

In the moments Italy’s new coalition government was being sworn in, ending months of political paralysis in a country hoping to revive a bleak economy, a middle-aged unemployed bricklayer opened fire Sunday in the square outside the premier’s office, seriously wounding two policemen, authorities said.

The purported gunman from Calabria, a southern region plagued by joblessness and organized crime, told investigators he wanted to shoot politicians. But finding none in the square, he instead shot at Carabinieri paramilitary police.

A bullet pierced one of the policemen in the neck, doctors said, adding it wasn’t yet known if the 50-year-old officer would have paralysis. The other one was shot in the leg and suffered a fracture.

Associated Press