Europe

UK - Schemes must overhaul their business practices to boost returns and protect themselves from damaging market crashes, Watson Wyatt claims.

UK - Ways to avoid and handle pensions disputes will be discussed at a seminar hosted by law firm Norton Rose.

UK - Leading pension authorities will debate the value of bonds versus equities at an industry forum in London, sponsored by Horwath Clark Whitehill.

UK - Amendments to the Local Government Pension Scheme regulations dealing with family-friendly rights are set to come into force on October 1.

UK - Scheme Manager of the Year winner Chris Lewin is stepping down as Unilever's head of pensions at the end of the year.

UK - Watson Wyatt is teaming up with IPN's sister title Professional Pensions to launch its third annual survey into the costs of administering pension schemes.

UK - Supermarket giant J. Sainsbury and chemicals manufacturer ICI are raising contributions to their money purchase schemes substantially to boost member take-up.

SCOTLAND - The £600m Fife Council Superannuation Fund has appointed Northern Trust as its global custodian.

UK - More workers will lose out when firms go bankrupt because ministers are dragging their heels over changes to creditor priority orders, actuaries warn.

UK - The £2.5bn Merseyside Pension Fund has appointed six external fund managers to run approximately 70% of its assets.