Europe

UK - Plans to liberalise polarisation requirements have been attacked by the Society of Pension Consultants.

UK - The £630m Shropshire County Council Pension Fund is poised to appoint emerging market and venture capital managers to run approximately £50m of its fund.

UK - NAPF chairman Peter Thompson has hit back at critics who claim the association fails to represent defined contribution plans.

UK - Accounting giant Ernst & Young has been forced to rethink its plans to freeze its defined benefit scheme following legal pressure from members.

UK - Big Food Group, the supermarket formerly known as Iceland, is facing a possible legal challenge over the closure of its defined benefit scheme.

EUROPE/UK - EU plans which would allow companies to set up cross-border pension funds could come into force by August, the NAPF claims.

UK - Dresdner RCM Global Investors has appointed Frank Doyle as head of global consultant relations and Eilish O'Hagan as head of institutional sales for UK and Ireland.

UK - Financial services group HBOS will need to take swift action to pacify disgruntled shareholders after a controversial executive bonus scheme was passed, PIRC claims.

UK - High street bank HSBC is reopening its final salary scheme for employees who chose to opt out after being wrongly advised by financial advisers.

UK - City law firm Hammond Suddards Edge has strengthened its new international benefits practice with the appointment of Karen Gabriel.