UK - Public sector pensions can no longer be afforded in their present state and need to be reformed, the Conservatives say.

UK - The government must give employers access to better pension choices and rethink its strategy to encourage retirement saving, the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) says.

SOUTH KOREA - South Korea's National Pension Service has agreed to sell $1.1bn in US treasuries to the Bank of Korea, a central bank official said.

IRELAND - The government has been urged by trade union Unite to use the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF) to stave off approaches by private equity investors and sovereign wealth funds.

IRELAND - Those nearing retirement may be allowed to delay buying an annuity because of the impact of the global credit crisis, minister for social and family affairs Mary Hanafin said yesterday.

CANADA - The government has proposed to allow federally regulated pension plans to double the length of time required for solvency payments from five to ten years.

UBS Global Asset Management has donated a collection of its Pension Fund Indicators to The Pensions Archive Trust.

Fund managers only get around 50pc of their decisions right, latest Inalytics research reveals.

The cost of public sector pension will treble in three years to £3.8bn, the Liberal Democrats say.

WATSON WYATT has urged its clients to suspend securities lending activity if they are in any doubt about their lending guidelines and arrangements.