UK - Two charities are to lobby UK pension funds and fund managers on the risks posed by inadequate analysis of the human rights and environmental impacts of mining projects in developing countries.

UK - Paternoster has launched a quarterly affordability index for pension funds looking to buyout the risks of their defined benefits plans.

THE £4.3bn Merseyside Pension Fund has gone out to tender for two to five unconstrained managers to run a £450m UK equities portfolio.

PATERNOSTER has launched a quarterly index analysing the cost of buying out defined benefit pension scheme liabilities.

COST pressures, workforce issues and union negotiations will be key issues affecting the Local Government Pension Scheme when personal accounts are introduced in 2012, delegates heard.

GLOBAL - Mercer has announced it will now place greater emphasis on the extent to which fund managers pro-actively integrate environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into their mainstream investment process.

NORTHERN TRUST has hired Douglas Gee as UK and Irish pension fund sales manager in its asset servicing group's business development team.

FINLAND - Aberdeen Property Investors has announced the investment of US$75m from the Finnish Local Government Pensions Institution (LGPI).

UK - The £4.3bn (US$8.45bn) Merseyside Pension Fund has placed over 10% of its assets out to tender in unconstrained UK equities strategies, including 130/30 and portable alpha.

GLOBAL - The market for responsible and ethical investments is set to explode to over €500bn (US$788bn) by 2014 but the sector may risk a 'green bubble burst' if sufficient care is not taken, a new report has warned.