IRELAND - The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) has called for social and family affairs minister Seamus Brennan (pictured) to expand the proposed 'euro for euro' pensions incentive to include occupational pensions.

EUROPE - Differences in occupational pensions' legal status in EU member states and in the management of the institutions have proved to be the greatest challenges the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) is facing...

US - President George Bush is today expected to sign the pensions bill that would overhaul the nation's pension system and is said to better protect pension plans going forward.

The Pension Scheme of the Year Awards' judges have started their deliberations - and here are the first shortlists.

Schemes will move out of hedge funds if the Pension Protection Fund tars them all with the same brush when fixing risk-based levies, managers warn.

SCHEMES are disappointing members because trustees have not implemented several A-Day "sweeteners", The Pension Advisory Service claims.

ASSETZ Fund Management has launched a new property fund that will help finance a £75m development in East Anglia.

US - The Massachusetts General Court has rebuffed the proposal by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), the pensions watchdog, to strengthen its oversight over the 106 retirement systems in the state.

Only 35pc of women contribute to an occupational pension scheme compared with 54pc of men, research shows.

CANADA - Enbridge Energy Partners has sold 5.4 million Class C units worth nearly C$250m to CDP Infrastructures Fund, a subsidiary of the C$122bn Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.