Europe

EUROPE - Crédit Agricole Cheuvreux has been awarded the Farsight Award for its 'Utilities vs Carbon: Phase II' research paper.

UK - Actuaries and employers' organisations have met the standing committee working on the Pensions Bill 2008 to promote risk sharing and the protection of current schemes.

UK - The BP pension scheme's announcement it would take a contributions holiday in 2008, has been met with approval by Aon consulting.

With the effects of 2007's credit crunch making themselves felt in the equity markets, the UK's pension funds are looking at ways to reduce risk and volatility. Heather Dale reports from London

Heather Dale talks to Nigel Waterson, Shadow Pensions Minister for the Conservative party

UK - Aon Consulting has launched a specialist trustee service to provide support for covenant assessments of sponsoring employers.

UK - Trustees of pension schemes whose company sponsors have ceased trading should now be able to claim VAT on incurred expenses following a court ruling.

UK - Northamptonshire County Council Pension Fund is to split its investment and actuarial consulting mandate, currently held by Mercer.

UK - Scotland's police budgets are being "plundered" in order to deal with a pensions' shortfall, Labour leader Wendy Alexander has claimed.

NORWAY - The Government Pension Fund - Global has pledged its continued devotion to ethical investing, in a speech given by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) governor Svein Gjedrem.