Alun Michael MP told yesterday's meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Civil Society and Volunteering that there is often a gap between the government's intentions and the outcomes created by its policies.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed several million dollars to a healthcare private equity fund that plans to invest in health services for poor people in African communities.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has announced that its appeal for the East Africa Crisis, has so far raised the charity’s largest amount ever for a food crisis.

Some are up, some are down, some are staying put. The Charity Market Monitor 2011 finds that while events fundraising has flatlined, other income streams are either more or less profitable than before. Cathy Pharaoh discusses some of the top trends from 2009/2010.