Infectious diseases know no borders, whether it's Ebola spreading fromGuinea to Liberia, measles in the Fraser Valley brought to Canada from the Philippines, or MERS claiming victims across the Middle East. These health crises are grim reminders that new and old infectious diseases often strike where and when we least expect them, in ways that confound us.

A beacon of hope shines from the East River: Following a year and a half on a journey replete with bumps in the road and many twists and turns, member states of the United Nations completed a proposal for sustainable development goals, the set of global priorities to steer the international development agenda, once the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire at the end of 2015.

For the leaders of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, andSouth Africa), the announcement in July of their agreement to establish a "New Development Bank" (NDB) and a "Contingent Reserve Arrangement" (CRA) was a public-relations coup.

While China and the United States have generally competed for influence in Africa, a new Chinese proposal might be looking to change that competition into greater cooperation, particularly in the area of international development.  China has invited the United States to cooperate bilaterally on international development aid in Africa. 

To transform India into a global manufacturing power with long-term sustainable growth of 9-10 percent, India needs to develop bilateral relations with countries boasting cutting-edge technological prowess: Japan, South Korea, Germany, Britain, France, Israel and the United States, rather than pursue the Goldman Sachs-created fiction of the BRICS, a random grouping of countries that have neither the inner coherence nor the collective vision to achieve a global economic power shift.

President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will invest more than $38 million toward four regional Leadership Centers that will train thousands of Africa’s emerging leaders and foster connections, creativity, and collaboration in sectors critical to Africa’s growth and development, according to USAID.

The UK is set to spend £2m on medical support and supplies to tackle the spread of Ebola in West Africa, the International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today. ‘This Ebola outbreak poses a serious public health risk to West Africa,’ she said.

President Barack Obama said the U.S. is expanding an initiative to develop and train political and economic leaders in Africa.  Obama is expanding a U.S.-based program for young African leaders, and the U.S. Agency for International Development is providing $38 million to create leadership centers in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Senegal.