Europe

UK - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Employee Benefits has appointed Richard Jones as marketing manager.

UK - Fund managers have hit back at Paul Myners's claim that shares trading creates no extra value for pension funds.

UK - Information technology staff rate training courses higher than their company pension, a survey has shown.

UK - Company donations to political parties will face opposition from pension funds under new voting guidelines from PIRC.

UK - BT has dismissed reports it is putting an additional £1.5bn into its pension scheme over the next 15 years as pure speculation.

UK - Associated British Ports has closed its £385m final salary pension scheme to new members - despite a 9% surplus.

EC - Fidelity Investments is urging the European Commission to clamp down on member states which have tax regimes that discriminate against mutual funds.

UK - Entegria - the benefits consulting division of Hogg Robinson - is hosting a series of regional seminars in April on the implications of the Green Paper.

EUROPE - Countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are set to sprout attractive investment opportunities from likely EU accession in 2004.

UK - Firms selling high income bonds must highlight the risks to customers, the Financial Services Authority says.