ITALY - The €143m Fondogommaplastica has issued a tender for the the management of the sector of the fund destined for workers' final indemnity payments.

AUSTRALIA - Watson Wyatt has become the first consultant appointed to the A$18bn Future Fund, although in an exclusive interview with Global Pensions, the fund's chairman said it reserved its right to appoint additional asset consultants going forward....

UK - Interest in continental European real estate investment has increased by 30% over the last year, a survey by ING Real Estate Investment Management has shown.

UK - Research showing one in four employers would "level down" their pension contributions once personal accounts are introduced has given weight to fears that the National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS) will eat into sound pension schemes.

SWITZERLAND - The conversion coefficient for Swiss occupational pensions will be lowered to 6.4% by January 2011, the Swiss federal council has confirmed.

EL SALVADOR - Authorities are looking at ways to spread the cost of El Salvador's 1998 pension reform over a period of time, since parametric reforms of the pension system would be "difficult to achieve."

GOVERNMENT has allayed industry concerns that a national pensions savings scheme would compete with private pensions

US - Thomas "Britt" Harris has been appointed CIO of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, replacing James Hille who left in April this year.

Members face a "regulatory blackhole" if they accept incentives to leave a final salary scheme and move into a defined contribution plan, experts warn.

MAN INVESTMENTS has launched a inflation-linked guaranteed investment structure in a bid to help schemes eradicate liabilities whist protecting themselves from downside.