More than half of scheme managers want the government to relax section 75 employer debt regulations, a PP poll reveals.

GLOBAL - Large multinationals could see pension liabilities fall by €250bn (US$386bn) due to discount rate distortion caused by the credit crunch, Lane Clark & Peacock says.

US - Motorola has announced it will permanently freeze its defined benefit pension plans and suspend contributions to its 401(k) plan.

US - Following an external search for a new chief executive officer, the California Public Employees' Retirement System has appointed its interim chief investment officer to the role.

CANADA - Bell Canada Enterprises has started court action against the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and its partners over the failure of the buyout deal.

GLOBAL - Total exchange traded fund (ETF) assets under management (AuM) have fallen by more than 20% so far this year, but fell less than global markets, according to Barclays Global Investors (BGI).

AUSTRALIA - Northern Trust is to launch a tax and investment accounting solution for superannuation funds in 2009, as part of a plan to deliver a broader range of custody and asset services from its Melbourne office.

INCLUDING: UK - FTSE offers short and leveraged indices; AUSTRALIA - Mercer selects RCM; EUROPE - STOXX indexes licensed to Commerzbank AG

NETHERLANDS - The number of Dutch pension funds that fail to meet government rules on the ratio of assets to obligations increased more than fivefold in the third quarter as equity investments declined.

Another defined benefit pension scheme entered into the Pension Protection Fund in November resulting in an additional 402 people receiving compensation.