Europe

UK - According to a report by FairPensions, the UK has recognised the need to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, but many well known companies are still dragging their feet on climate change and human rights.

UK - Overlay Asset Management has launched a specialist fund to invest exclusively in emerging market currencies.

UK - Guernsey's public sector pension fund has suffered a paper loss of £2.25m (US$4.6m) because of an ill-timed investment in Northern Rock.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) is urging its members to launch a joint legal challenge against the HMRC stance that VAT should be charged on investment managers' services to occupational pension schemes.

UK - The majority of contract-based defined contribution (DC) pension schemes in the FTSE 100 (68%) offer members a choice of 20 or more investment funds, according to Watson Wyatt.

UK - The pensions industry has expressed disappointment over aspects of the Pensions Bill released yesterday, claiming it fails to address deregulation and places higher cost and time burdens on pension schemes.

UK - The Tories claim the position of Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA) chairman Paul Myners is untenable after he branded the party's leaders "arrogant, superior young toffs".

UK - International Power workers are to consider industrial action in a row over the company's plans to close its defined benefit (DB) contribution scheme.

UK - The Pensions Bill has been introduced today, outlining the government's plans for automatic enrolment from 2012.

UK - Research shows the UK as the earliest and most active adopter of new investment strategies designed to reduce the volatility and risk related to defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, while actively preparing for a mass change-over to defined contribution...