Europe

UK - Thousands of former workers at Maxwell Communications will have their pensions halved after the Government refused to cover its deficit.

UK - Nearly half of all DC schemes offer an average of only three investment options, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

PORTUGAL - Portuguese pension fund performance continued to nosedive during the third quarter.

UK - Jardine Lloyd Thompson has been appointed to provide the University of Liverpool Pension Fund with actuarial, consulting and strategic investment advice services.

UK/EUROPE - Pension problems faced by the UK are common across the whole of Europe, says government actuary Chris Daykin in a book published this week.

BELGIUM - Telecoms giant Belgacom is looking for managers for its E3.1bn pension scheme.

UK - Government tax advisors have slammed the Chancellor's pre-budget report for not taking steps to simplify pensions tax.

UK - Britannic Asset Management has appointed Gavin Stewart as chief operating officer.

UK/EU - The Engineering Employers Federation has called on the government to block EU plans to give agency workers occupational pension rights.

UK - GlaxoSmithKline has officially "postponed" a proposal to increase the value of its chief executive remuneration package by £7.5m.