Europe

UK - Numerous changes to pensions law have made the risks and costs of final salary schemes unacceptable, the Society of Pensions Consultants' president claims.

UK - Baring Asset Management (BAM) has appointed Andrew Edgington as head of product development.  

UK - A private equity fund-of-funds with no charges for establishment costs, annual management fees or carried interest has been launched by ViaNova Capital.

UK - Expatriate pensioner Annette Carson has been granted leave to take her fight for equal pensions to the House of Lords.

UK - OPRA received more than 66,000 whistleblowing reports that were so minor they did not affect scheme members.

UK - Text messaging and online flexible benefit programmes are key to the future of defined contribution scheme administration.

UK - Annuities are unlikely to mirror interest rate rises, experts warn.They believe the historic link between annuity rates and long-term gilt yields has been broken by changes in longevity.

UK - The Centrica Combined Common Investment Fund - an umbrella for four schemes - has unveiled a raft of specialist managers after a wide-ranging review.

UK - The House of Commons work and pensions committee has launched an inquiry to examine the department for work and pensions' management of information technology projects.

UK - Norton Rose has recruited Martha Quinn as a senior associate in its pensions team.