The chief executive of Volunteering England, Justin Davis-Smith, has warned the government that compulsory volunteering for migrants could undermine the sector.

UK aid agencies with offices in the area of Pakistan affected by the 2005 earthquake are on high alert after three employees were killed yesterday in an attack on an office of Plan International.

A VAT expert has warned that a lack of detailed records may prevent some charities benefiting from a recent House of Lords decision that could see them entitled to reclaim millions in overpaid tax. Last month charities which believed they overpaid VAT at any point between 1973 and 1996 were urged to seek expert guidance following a Lords ruling in the Fleming and Conde Nast cases.

Local communities are set to benefit from an estimated £1.5bn in endowments created by a new government fund. Stephen Hammersley, chief executive of the Community Foundation Network said the government's £50m fund, designed to incentivise philanthropists to support small community projects by more than trebling the value of their donations, had the potential to "completely transform local charitable giving".