World briefs

ISRAEL

Thousands without water

Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in east Jerusalem have been without running water for more than a month, victims of a decrepit and overwhelmed infrastructure and caught in a legal no man's land caused by the divisions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The local Israeli water authority says the existing system of pipes cannot handle the rapid population growth of the area and it is scrambling to solve the problem. Last week, the Israeli Supreme Court gave officials 60 days to find a solution. But with the scorching summer season approaching, residents are growing increasingly desperate. Basic tasks like brushing teeth are a challenge. Showers have become a luxury. Families often send their clothes to relatives elsewhere to wash them.

GUINEA

Fever checks mandatory

Health officials in Guinea say all passengers departing from the capital city's airport must fill out a health form and have their temperature taken as part of an effort to combat the spread of the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Dr. Sakoba Keita, director of prevention at the health ministry, said anyone with a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit would be tested for the disease, which has killed 86 people in the West African nation since an outbreak began in February. Two Ebola deaths have been confirmed in neighboring Liberia, and suspected cases have been reported in Mali.

SOMALIA

2 UN workers killed

Gunmen inside an airport in Somalia shot and killed two consultants working for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN mission in the country said yesterday A UN official said the two slain workers were working on a counter-piracy program and were looking at the financial flow of money related to Somalia's pirate attacks.