Europe

UK - The Co-operative Group's £2bn pension fund (CWS Pension Fund) has become the latest scheme to seek legal advice over Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) following "dissatisfaction" with performance.

UK /GLOBAL - Pension schemes are being urged to use their shareholding muscle to put pressure on Premier Oil and end its investment in Mynmar (Burma).

EUROPE - Standard Life Investments (Standard) is to extend its reach in to the European market for the first time.

UK - The London Borough of Hackney has released details on its search for a pension fund administrator, first revealed on IPN in April.

UK - Small caps are set to outperform the FTSE100 and 250, predicts Baring Asset Management.

UK - New guidelines to force fund managers to disclose more information to pension schemes will kill the drive to increase fund management transparency, a consultant claims.

UK - A Commons Select Committee has described the Ministry of Defence's pension provision as "fatally flawed".

UK - Supermarket giant Safeway has closed its final salary pension scheme to new members.

UK - Trustees should have collective - rather than individual - responsibility placed on their investment decisions, Mercer Investment Consulting has urged.

EUROPE/UK - A European Union directive which would give fixed-term workers the same pension rights as full-time employees has been lambasted by industry experts.