UK - Communication will be the key to the success of the new personal accounts, said John Hutton MP, during the NAPF annual conference in Manchester.

UK - Investment consultants have welcomed a proposal from Henderson Global Investors to use a diversified growth portfolio for the £300m Henderson Group Pension Scheme.

GLOBAL - Hedge fund managers have stepped up to defend the fees they charge pension funds.

GORDON Brown must make pensions a priority when he comes into office, the National Association of Pension Funds says.

FRANCE - The French Reserve Fund (Fonds De Reserve Pour Les Retraites) has invited tenders for a database software system to improve its internal information capability.

US - Morningstar has pledged to set up a pension, endowment and foundation database, to provide information for comparing fund performance.

CANADA - Strong equity performance and asset diversification have been credited with helping the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grow to C$116.6BN.

PERCEPTIONS about the value of pensions must change to ensure the ageing population copes with retirement, delegates at the National Association of Pension Funds were told.

THE government has launched an informal consultation exercise on transitional protections following the abolition of the so-called rule of 85 last year.

Hutton pledge on pensions trustees; FSA warns market over potential abuses; Activist investors risk abuse, says FSA; JPMorgan offers to buy back Greek pension funds bond