WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States takes risks from the deadly Ebola virus very seriously and that some participants at an Africa summit taking place in Washington will be screened for exposure. "We are taking the appropriate precautions," he said. "Folks who are from these countries that have even a marginal risk, or an infinitesimal risk of having been exposed in some fashion, we're making sure we're doing screening."

ALTURAS, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires burning through dry terrain in West Coast states have forced scores of evacuations as fire teams worked to corral the blazes.

By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - West African leaders agreed on Friday to take stronger measures to try to bring the worst outbreak of Ebola under control and prevent it spreading outside the region, including steps to isolate rural communities ravaged by the disease. The World Health Organisation and medical charity Medicines Sans Frontieres said on Friday the outbreak, which has killed 729 people in four West African countries, was out of control and more resources were urgently needed to deal with it. WHO chief Margaret Chan told a meeting of the presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the countries worst affected - that the epidemic was outpacing efforts to contain it and warned of catastrophic consequences in lost lives and economic distruption if the situation were allowed to deteriorate. "The presidents recognise the serious nature of the Ebola outbreak in their countries," Chan said after the meeting.