Including: GLOBAL - AIMA unveils Hedge Fund Matrix; UK - Royal London appoints new group financial controller; UK - Regulator appoints executive director for strategic development

US - The public pension fund industry has urged calm despite being in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns in history and facing mounting losses by the day.

NETHERLANDS - The Dutch central bank and pension fund regulator De Nederlandse Bank (DNB) has rejected claims it interfered with pension funds' investment decisions as a result of declining funding ratios reported by Dutch pension schemes.

The 200 largest private sector defined benefit pension schemes lost more than £45bn since the end of August, Aon Consulting says.

THE Conservative Party has called for emergency pension protection in the light of the current troubles in the financial markets.

The National Association of Pension Funds has rebuffed suggestions it is a "big club for defined benefit" schemes.

A new certification will differentiate between above average defined contribution pension schemes and the norm, the National Association of Pension Funds says.

Jeannie Drake has been named as the acting chairman of the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority.

The complete shortlists for the Specialist and Alternative Investment Manager Awards 2008 are below.

Town hall millions may be lost in Iceland; Funds managers welcome confidence boost; Uniq blames lost appetite for profit warning; Henderson seeks investor backing for restructuring