SLOVENIA - Slovenia needs to "urgently" overhaul its pension system to prevent an increase in borrowing costs and help maintain long-term fiscal stability, the International Monetary Fund said.

Russell Investments has seen assets under management at its EMEA fiduciary management business reach £7bn ($11.3bn), with £1bn of new business coming in over the last 12 months.

GLOBAL - Pension funds and other institutional investors believe Greece and other troubled European countries will be forced to restructure or default on their debt within the next three years, research suggests.

NORWAY - The Government Pension Fund Global returned 9.6% in 2010, driven by widespread gains in global stock and bond markets.

CANADA - Quebec has become the first Canadian province to introduce a new pension programme for workers who don't have their own retirement savings.

POLAND - Polish lawmakers have begun debating pension changes proposed by the government that are opposed by almost half of the country's voters before elections expected within seven months.

AUSTRALIA - Russell Investments has launched a new exchange-traded-fund (ETF), which specifically targets Australian institutional investors.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development today recommends the UK government further increases the state pension age to combat rising costs.

US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has endorsed proposals to prohibit Board members and officers from accepting employment with business partners after leaving the fund.

GLOBAL - The number of public pension systems investing in hedge funds has grown by 50% over the past four years, research by Preqin shows.