US - The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) board of trustees has appointed Christopher DeRose (pictured) as the fund's new executive director, effective October 30.

SOUTH AFRICA - The C$96bn Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) was among the nine failed bidders for the V&A waterfront, a prime section of real estate situated in Cape Town.

CHILE - Government fiscal surpluses should be invested in a pension fund that would help recapitalise the central bank and cover state pension liabilities, an International Monetary Fund staff report outlined.

SWITZERLAND - Swiss voters have rejected the proposal to fund the state pension scheme shortfall by funneling nearly e1bn a year from the Swiss National Bank's profits, known as the COSA initiative.

WHITBREAD Group Pension Fund has appointed Watson Wyatt as independent investment consultants to its £1.2bn hybrid scheme.

Total pension gap of FTSE 350 companies drops 28pc in a year; CBI urges government to give small firms White Paper support; >Labour's pension scheme is its largest creditor; Longevity forecasts for pensions are "too low"

GLOBAL - Baring Asset Management has appointed Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's Tim Scholefield to the newly-created position of global equities head as it seeks to better target US pension funds.

THE TOTAL deficit of UK defined benefit pension schemes has fallen by 28pc, latest research by PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals.

NETHERLANDS - SEI has opened its first Dutch office and will look to expand further into other as-yet unnamed European markets next year, said Patrick Disney, head of institutional business.

ITALY - A disgruntled trade union has opposed the government's proposal to block the windows for early retirement in the coming year.