Europe

UK - Alastair Hunter (pictured) has been appointed head of the retirement practice and a member of the UK Executive Committee at Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

ITALY - The general strike called by three of Italy's biggest trade unions on Friday to protest against the pension reform process has been "very successful."

UK - The Actuarial Profession is supporting the new Careers Guide to the UK Pensions Industry unveiled by Professional Pensions last week.

UK - Network Rail workers are poised to strike over the company's decision to close its final salary scheme to new entrants from April 1.

UK - Trustees must cast aside any hesitations they have about using swaps and allow fund managers to use them to match scheme liabilities, Pimco claims.

UK - Pension Schemes are putting the British economy in jeopardy by continuing to cut their equity weightings, London Stock Exchange chairman Chris Gibson-Smith claimed.

NETHERLANDS/UK - Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) has been appointed by Gouden Gids, the pension fund of the Dutch Telephone Directory company, to run an equity index mandate.

UK - A key architect behind the government's Pensions Protection Fund has admitted its design is flawed and that it will be another burden on schemes.

UK - Man Group has appointed Jonathan Nicholls to the board of directors as an independent non-executive director with effect from March 24.

UK - Schemes joining securities class action lawsuits will destroy their lines of communication with companies along with management's ability to run them, delegates were told.