Norway tops human development index

Norway has been ranked number one in the UN's 2014 Human Development Report, which assesses countries based on measures of poverty. The US was ranked fifth and the UK forteenth. 

$100bn sustainable development bank launched by BRICS

An international sustainable development bank based in Shanghai has been formally launched by the the world's largest developing economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). 

£10m boost to charity bond growth in UK

Big Society Capital has launched the Charity Bond Support Fund to encourage more charities into the bond market. One of the leading providers of investment management services in the UK, Rathbones, has confirmed its appointment as manager of the £10m fund.

Prudential pledges $1bn investment portfolio

Prudential has committed to build a $1bn impact investment portfolio by 2020 following the meeting of the U.S. Advisory Board and G7's Social Impact Investment Taskforce at the White House. 

Twitter happy MPs: a good thing for UK politics?

Dave Hart, a senior lecturer in media and communication from Birmingham City University, has warned that "while it is refreshing to see politicians unafraid to air their views in public in such a direct way", the impact of MPs being on Twitter can also be devastating for their party. 

Cooperatives have health benefits

285,000 people around the world die each year through financial difficulty. A recent study conducted by the World Health Organisation and Harvard University found that cooperatives can help prevent this by providing a focus on long-term investment to prevent economic shocks, which will in turn have a positive impact on people's health. 

Yunus meets Aung San Suu Kyi 

Nobel prize winner Prof Muhammad Yunus met with Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition politician in Myanmar, to discuss social buinesses in a variety of sectors including education, healthcare and renewable energy.

Ageing challenge launched in Australia

The Australian Centre for Social Innovation is offering $100,000 in funding for projects that improve the lives of older people living in South Australia. 

Job boom for third sector in Scotland

New research by S1jobs – Scotland's largest recruiting platform – finds that the fundraising and voluntary sector is the fastest growing industry in Scotland in terms of year-on-year percentage rises in numbers of jobs advertised.