AUSTRALIA - The government has taken on board the Business Regulatory Taskforce's call for simplification of superannuation tax rules but refused to raise the super guarantee exemption threshold by more than 100% to A$800 a month.

PRUDENTIAL has appointed Suffolk Life to head up property and investment administration for its latest deferred self-invested personal pension offering.

THE AUDITING Practices Board has issued a consultation draft of revisions to its practice note on pension scheme audit (PN15).

UNIONS have warned ministers that raising the state pension age will push more people into poverty unless firms hire more older workers.

NORWAY - Strong sales of mandatory occupational pensions were not enough to counter the downturn in Norwegian and international equity markets in the second quarter, seeing Storebrand Life Insurance post a value-adjusted investment return of minus 0.4%....

UK - Sixteen pensions staff from the £2bn pension fund of brewer Scottish & Newcastle have left the firm to join Mercer as part of an outsourcing arrangement.

UK - Employers' discriminatory practices push older workers onto state benefits, fuelling a demographic timebomb, a new report has claimed.

RICHARD Knight has been made partner at Burges Salmon's pension team.

TUC says raise on retirement age poses threat; Council funds invest in foreign exchange; Analysts predict 20% equity market plunge; Henderson deal boosts property market confidence

EUROPE - Deutsche Asset Management (DeAM) has boosted its European operations with two new appointments in its target growth markets, France and the Netherlands.