Europe

UK - Pensioners who saw their company pensions disappear will be confronting Labour ministers at their annual conference tomorrow in Bournemouth.

UK - Investment consultants have claimed that people matter more than past performance when it comes to managerial selection.

FRANCE - Five rail unions have announced plans to strike on October 18 in protest against proposed pension reforms.

UK - CQS, a London-based hedge fund, has revealed it will acquire investment manager New City creating an asset management business with US$9bn of assets under management.

UK - The trustees of J Sainsbury plc's pension scheme are to be approached "imminently" by Delta Two, the Qatari-backed investment group which has been in talks with the retail company.

UK - The number of pension funds seeking buyout quotations has risen dramatically over the first half of 2007, claim new figures by Aon.

UK - Local authority pension funds prefer fixed income specialists over a multi-manager approach, and favour processes and people over performance, according to new research from Fidelity.

UK - British pensioners who have lost out in pension scandals should receive the same treatment as the compensation promised to Northern Rock savers, according to Ros Altmann, an independent pensions policy adviser.

FRANCE - French president Nicolas Sarkozy's long awaited announcement on pension reform has been met with harsh criticism by some trade unions who claimed it was unfeasible

NORWAY - Knut Kjær has resigned as head of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the US$328bn Government Pension Fund - Global.