Europe

UK - Employers are granting almost eight out of 10 flexible working requests from parents with young children, new government statistics show.

UK - Firms can increase the return they get from their employee benefit schemes by embracing customer relationship management skills, Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow claims.

UK - Mellon Financial Corporation has acquired pension scheme member communication firm, Talking People.

BELGIUM - Belgian pension funds in 2003 saw a positive return for the first time this century thanks to powerful equity performance, according to a study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

UK - Pensioners are missing out on benefits worth £2.5bn because the system is mind-numbingly complex, the Liberal Democrats claim.

UK - Risk and healthcare benefits are becoming a key way to retain and attract skilled staff, a senior benefit consultant says.

UK - Corporate responsibility reporting is proving an "excessive burden" for listed companies and fails to meet the demands of institutional investors, new research reveals.

UK - Unions will increasingly be forced to accept the closure of final salary pensions to keep firms afloat, a law firm predicts.

UK - The government has published legislation to help ensure betterdistribution of assets between pensioners and other scheme members when pension schemes wind up with insufficient funds.

UK - The Mall Property Fund has bought the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Gloucester for £40m.