The Prime Minister recently announced the government's intention to help turn the East End into one of the world's great technology centres. This new cluster of technology companies, to be known as ‘East London Tech City', has the backing of global superpowers Google, Facebook and Intel. If you add these to the growing number of tech companies in around Shoreditch and Old Street and the expanding Olympic infrastructure, the vision becomes clear.

Since the 1970s the Swedish city of Malmö has prided itself on its open arms to refugees. Many have come to the city in recent decades from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and former Yugoslavia. The city is very different to the Swedish mono-cultural stereotype. If you walk around the centre it's relaxed, affluent, modern and very diverse.   But in the last two years tensions between groups have spilled over into riots and disorder.

Leroy is shouting down at me from his third floor flat. The front door has a buzzer, but gives no indication of which floor his flat is on, so I opt for the stairs and begin searching from the first floor.

Yvonne Roberts attended the WISE conference in Dohar, Qatar.

Last week the Local Projects team put together a list of its favourite social innovations and social innovation methods. The list celebrates social innovations both big and small. Some are ambitious; others are more modest (basic but brilliant). Some employ new technology, while others harness manpower and technology that's been around for generations.

Not a day has gone by recently without some major banking or business disaster or other being reported by the press.

I did a talk a few weeks ago for the Guidestar International Assembly – bringing people from around the world interested in accountability and governance for civil society.

I was recently in Macedonia at the International President Meeting of AIESEC, the international youth leadership organisation, where I ran a session for the newly elected national presidents from 100 countries on goal-setting for the year ahead. I was a member of the organisation for 9 years and the cornerstone of its work is developing leaders who believe they can make a positive impact on the world.

At the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards, honouring those whom, often at great personal risk, give voice to issues and stories from around the world that would otherwise have passed unnoticed, the Economist New Media Award was won by Wikileaks.