World/Nation
• CDC releases new Ebola gear guidelines for health workers
ATLANTA - Federal health officials on Monday issued new guidelines to promote head-to-toe protection for health workers treating Ebola patients.
Officials have been scrambling to come up with new advice for protective gear since two Dallas nurses became infected while caring for the first person diagnosed with the virus in the United States.
The new guidelines set a firmer standard, calling for full-body garb and hoods that protect worker's necks; setting rigorous rules for removal of equipment and disinfection of gloved hands; and calling for a "site manager" to supervise the putting on and taking off of equipment.
They also say health workers who may be involved in an Ebola patient's care should repeatedly practice and demonstrate proficiency in donning and removing gear - before ever being allowed near a patient.
And they ask hospitals to establish designated areas for putting on and taking off equipment.
• Nigeria declared Ebola-free
ABUJA, Nigeria - Water laced with salt and sugar, and gallons of the nasty-tasting stuff.
Doctors who survived Ebola in Nigeria credited heavy doses of fluids with saving their lives as the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free Monday, a rare victory in the battle against the disease that is ravaging West Africa.
In the end, Nigeria - the most populous country in Africa, with 160 million people - had just 20 cases, including eight deaths, a lower death rate than the 70 percent seen elsewhere across the stricken region.
Officials are crediting strong tracking and isolation of people exposed to the virus, and aggressive rehydration of infected patients to counter the effects of vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms.
• White House opposes S.S. payments to former Nazis
WASHINGTON - Former Nazis should not be getting the Social Security benefits they are receiving as they age overseas, the White House said Monday, responding to an Associated Press investigation that revealed millions of dollars have been paid to war-crimes suspects and former SS guards who left the U.S. for Europe.
"Our position is we don't believe these individuals should be getting these benefits," said spokesman Eric Shultz when asked about the situation.
He said the Justice Department has said it has "aggressively pursued Nazi war criminals and brought over 100 of them to justice." He added that the department and the Social Security Administration "work together within the confines of current law to cut off benefits for criminals that shouldn't be receiving them."
AP reported Sunday that dozens of Nazi suspects have collected benefits after being forced out of the United States. Though their World War II actions led to their departure, they were not convicted of war crimes.
• Turkey helps Iraqi Kurds enter Syria to fight Islamic State group
SURUC, Turkey - Turkey said it was helping Iraqi Kurdish fighters cross into Syria to support their brethren fighting Islamic State militants in a key border town, although activists inside embattled Kobani said no forces had arrived by Monday evening, raising questions about whether the mission was really underway.
The statement by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu came hours after the U.S. airdropped weapons and ammunition to resupply Kurdish fighters for the first time. Those airdrops Sunday followed weeks of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition in and near Kobani.
- The Associated Press