Europe

UK/EUROPE - A legal battle over part-time judges' right to a pension from the Ministry of Justice has been referred to Europe for a final ruling.

CANADA/UK - The board of car parts manufacturer Tomkins has backed the 325p per share cash offer from Onex and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) despite strong opposition from shareholder Standard Life Investments.

UK - The shape of changes to the pension taxation system should be confirmed by the end of September, a Treasury consultation paper says.

UK - BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, probably won't buy U.K. inflation-linked bonds at today's sale amid "confusion" about the government's planned changes to pension indexing.

UK - Some 600 AstraZeneca workers are being balloted on strike action over proposed changes to the defined benefit pension scheme.

UK/GLOBAL - Aberdeen Asset Management clinched £300m (US$465m) of net new business in the quarter from its global clients and said redemptions have slowed, but total assets under management dropped 3.6%.

UK/US - Trade union Unite has threatened Ford with legal action over staff who lost their pension when Visteon UK went into administration last year.

US/UK - PIMCO hired six new investment professionals for its expanding equity team, including the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's emerging markets equity strategy.

UK - The Universities Superannuation Scheme board of trustees has approved employers' proposals for fundamental reform of its benefit structure.

UK - Communications watchdog Ofcom has ruled out changes to British Telecom's wholesale charging structure, despite the telecoms giant's £9bn (US$13.9bn) scheme deficit.