India’s new government unveils budget

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government is promising to generate higher economic growth in India with their new budget. The budget focuses on foreign investment, spending on social infrastructure and a goods and services tax.

India’s finance minister, Arun Jaitley, also announced a range of new social measures including funds to improve security for women in India’s cities.

Scotland spots social investment trend – sports and leisure clubs

Social Investment Scotland (SIS), a leading provider of finance to the third sector, has appointed its first investment manager dedicated to managing its growing portfolio of sports and leisure clubs across Scotland. This comes as the RBS SE100 index announces a report spotlighting the meteoric growth of social enterprise leisure companies.

The appointment of Tracy Drummond comes just before Glasgow plays host to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Tracy Drummond said: “It is a huge year for sport in Scotland and it is important that the opportunity to build on that momentum is not missed.”

Prince Charles calls for business to support ex-military personnel

Prince Charles has urged business leaders to help ex-service personnel back into employment after they have left the armed forces. The Prince of Wales made the comments at the Business in the Community’s 2014 Responsible Business Awards Gala Dinner at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which he attended with his sons, Princes William and Harry this week. 

Charity payments get caught up in money laundering scams and terrorism 

The Charity Finance Group (CFG) have launched a survey to assess the experience of UK charities facing enhanced scrutiny by banks and government because of new anti-money laundering and counter terrorism measures.

Enhanced scrutiny has been known to affect international payments by charities, in particular to ‘high risk areas’ such as those under sanctioning clauses, experiencing conflict and where terrorist groups are known to operate. 

Airtel Nigeria, Computer Warehous Group and the World Bank support Nigeria's entrepreneurs with tech 

Telecommunications company, Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with the Computer Warehouse Group to deploy the first Research and Education Network in order to empower Nigerians with the latest mobile internet and enterprise business solutions. 

The project is supported by the World Bank and is a part of Airtel’s major corporate social responsibility agenda. The aim is to make communication, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge between research and education institutions in Nigeria and around the world easier. 

Guide to social investment launched

Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) has launched a new guide to explain how social investment works so that organisations in the UK can make more informed investment decisions. 

The guide was commissioned by the Big Lottery Fund and written by David Floyd from Social Spider and SEUK’s Nick Temple, with support from Dan Gregory. 

Social impact of US farmers markets put under the microscope

A new project will analyse the social impact famers markets have on local communities in the US.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Farmer’s Market Coalition will develop practical tools for evaluating farmers markets and communicate impacts to local, regional and national stakeholders. The project aims to develop a knowledge base about optimal impacts of markets on communities.

Social enterprises and cooperatives launch lobbying mission

The Social Economy Alliance (SEA) is calling for social enterprises and cooperatives in the UK to unite and support a crowdfunding campaign that could boost the sector, giving it the platform to rival the lobbying power of big businesses. 

The SEA, which is made up of 450 organisations, plans to takeover billboards, posters and ticket barriers in Westminster station so that MPs returning from the summer recess will be forced to acknowledge the value and needs of the social enterprise and cooperative sector. 

Photo credit: Yuval Y, Flickr.