Europe

UK - Local authorities are warning of cuts to public services to fend off mounting pension deficits.

UK - Three Pensions Management Institute members were elected to the council at the annual general meeting.

UK - Manufacturing firms are failing to tackle their pension scheme deficits despite their increasing influence on mergers and acquisitions, new research shows.

UK - UK institutional investors have raised the benchmark for corporate governance but standards of pension fund activism still "vary", an international conference heard.

UK - The £1.1bn British American Tobacco UK Pension Fund has selected Scottish Widows Investment Partnership to manage a £165m bond mandate.

UK - HSBC is to encourage staff to take early retirement as part of its plans to axe 3500 jobs nationwide.

UK - Moves to prevent pension costs scuppering public sector outsourcing deals have been unveiled by the Treasury.

UK - Cleaners at three Welsh colleges are threatening to strike after learning that their pension benefits could be lost following a change of employer.

UK - A hard core of employers have decided to keep their final salary schemes open to new employees because they believe it fits their organisational culture and gives them a competitive advantage, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt.

UK - A portal that allows IFAs to give clients up-to-the-minute investment positions is being offered by software provider WMS Fairs.