US revises policy on detaining asylum seekers

US revises policy on detaining asylum seekers

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Wednesday it will stop detaining asylum seekers who have a credible fear of persecution in their home countries.

To be released into the U.S., the asylum seekers will have to establish the credible fear and their identities and show they are not dangerous or a flight risk, said John Morton, Department of Human Services assistant secretary overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Foreigners who arrive at a port of entry and are found to have a credible fear will automatically be considered for release into the U.S., Morton said.

Asylum seekers still will spend time in detention while they undergo interviews and their information is checked, but the administration hopes to reduce the length of their stay with a policy change, ICE said.

Iran test-fires missile

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Wednesday test-fired an upgraded version of an advanced missile capable of hitting Israel and parts of Europe, an apparent show of strength aimed at discouraging attacks on its nuclear facilities.

The test of the medium-range Sajjil-2 fueled calls for tougher sanctions against Tehran, which has resisted U.N. demands that it rein in its nuclear ambitions. Iran touted the launch as a success proving it can deter any U.S. or Israeli military strike against its nuclear facilities.

“This is a matter of serious concern to the international community and it does make the case for us moving further on sanctions. We will treat this with the seriousness it deserves,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said after talks with U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon in Copenhagen.

Ho, ho, ho! Santa found to be a bad role model

LONDON — Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus. And he’s a public-health menace.

Public-health expert Nathan Grills of Monash University in Australia says the beloved Christmas icon should ditch his sleigh and start biking or walking to lose his jelly belly.

Grills’ light-hearted research was published online today in the annual Christmas issue of the British medical journal BMJ.

After conducting a literature review, Grills identified a “very high Santa awareness” among children. He determined that Santa made a reckless role model, noting his frequent cookie snacks, occasional cigars and refusal to don a helmet during “extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping.”

He also found a correlation between countries that celebrate Santa and large numbers of fat children.

Suspects in Iraq bombings linked to security forces

BAGHDAD — Dozens of suspected plotters in last week’s deadly suicide bombings that killed 127 people in Baghdad were linked to security forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Wednesday.

The revelation came as the Shiite prime minister, who is running for re-election in March, sought to assure Iraqis that he has security under control. But repeated security lapses attracted withering criticism from the Sunni vice president who hinted that the prime minister should resign.

Woman charged with keeping corpse in house

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Authorities have charged a woman with keeping the corpse of her elderly mother in their North Carolina home for months.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement late Wednesday that 47-year-old Amy Blanche Stewart was charged with concealment of death, which is a low-level felony in the state.

Stewart was charged one day after police said a 911 caller reported that 87-year-old Blanche Matilda Roth was unconscious and not breathing. Police found Roth’s body in her bed and say she likely died in May.

50 metal sewing needles found inside 2-year-old

SAO PAULO — A 2-year-old boy has as many as 50 metal sewing needles inside his body, apparently stuck there one by one, a doctor treating him said Wednesday. Brazilian media said the boy’s ex-stepfather was detained.

Dr. Luiz Cesar Soltoski told The Associated Press that surgeons hope to remove most of the needles — some as long as 2 inches — but those in the lungs will have to wait until the child’s breathing improves.

The boy’s mother told police she didn’t know how the needles got inside her son. But police Wednesday night detained an ex-stepfather of the boy who confessed, according to Brazil’s Globo TV.

Associated Press