Briefs package

Neighbor charged in girl’s death

A 9-year-old Ohio girl last seen playing in the mobile home park where she lived was found dead in a nearby trash bin after a frantic search, and police on Sunday arrested a neighbor they’ve described as a family friend in the killing. Jerrod Metsker, 24, was arrested at his home on a murder charge about 12 hours after deputies found the body of Reann Murphy near her home in Smithville, about 30 miles southwest of Akron, Wayne County Sheriff Travis Hutchinson said. It was not clear whether Metsker had an attorney. His first court appearance is scheduled for this morning. Reann was last seen Saturday night playing outside in a shared area at the mobile home park. Hutchinson wouldn’t say how Reann was killed or offer a motive.

INDIANA

Newlywed killed helping motorist

A man married less than seven hours was killed along with a stranded motorist he stopped to help in the snow when they were struck by several vehicles, authorities say. The man was on the way back from his wedding reception to a hotel when the accident happened. William “Riley” Knight, 49, of Crown Point, was driving with his wife, Nikki, about 11:45 p.m. Saturday when they saw a woman who had slid off the road in the snow near Crown Point. He pulled his truck into a nearby driveway and Nikki Knight waited inside while he went out to help Linda Darlington, 42, of Crown Point. They were standing by the side of the road when they were struck by one vehicle, and then two more, the Lake County sheriff’s office said.

VATICAN CITY

Pope shrugs off ‘Marxist’ label

Pope Francis says he’s not worried about the “Marxist” label that some ultra-conservatives might apply to him because he frets that economic growth doesn’t always help the poor. In an interview published on Sunday, Francis is quoted as saying: “Marxist ideology is wrong.” But the Argentina-born pontiff added he has “known many Marxists who were good persons, and that’s why I don’t feel offended” by the label. He also mentioned that at a recent public audience at the Vatican he told a mother whose baby was crying but who was ashamed to nurse in the pope’s presence: “Please feed him!” He said he wants to tell all humanity to feed the hungry.

SWEDEN

Police detain 28 after neo-Nazi attack

Swedish police detained 28 people Sunday after a group of neo-Nazis attacked an anti-Nazism demonstration in a Stockholm suburb by hurling bottles, torches and firecrackers. Two people were hospitalized and a police officer was injured after being hit by a heavy object, police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson said. Olsson said about 200 people participated in the planned, peaceful demonstration in the suburb of Karrtorp when they were attacked by a smaller group of about 40. The demonstration was organized by a local citizen group as a protest against increased neo-Nazi campaigning in the area.

GAZA STRIP

Much-needed fuel shipment arrives

The Gaza Strip received its first shipment of industrial fuel in 45 days on Sunday, bringing much-needed relief to the coastal territory after a winter storm dumped rare snow across the region. The storm, which began late Wednesday and saw temperatures dip below freezing, crippled the city of Jerusalem, leaving thousands without power in Israel and the neighboring West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as the worst storm in decades. It dumped up to 2 feet of snow on Jerusalem, a huge amount for a city that often goes entire winters without a snowstorm.

ISRAEL

Sniper’s bullet kills Israeli soldier

An Israeli soldier was killed by a Lebanese army sniper late Sunday as he drove along the border, the Israeli military said, drawing Israeli threats of retaliation. The shooting near Rosh Hanikra raised the possibility of renewed fighting in the volatile area, which has remained mostly quiet since a month-long war in the summer of 2006. Hezbollah, the guerrilla group that waged the war seven years ago, did not appear to be involved in Sunday’s incident. Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the shooting by a member of the Lebanese army. It was not clear why the soldier opened fire.

SYRIA

Helicopters hit northern city

Syrian government aircraft dropped barrels packed with explosives on opposition-held areas of the contested northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, leveling buildings, incinerating cars and killing at least 37 people, including 16 children, activists said. On Sunday, government helicopters pounded the opposition neighborhoods of Haidariya, Ard al-Hamra, Sukhour, Marjeh and at least two others with barrel bombs, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said Syrian air force jets were also flying sorties over the same districts.