United Kingdom

UK - Executive remuneration is set to remain firmly in the spotlight, following the Government's proposals for an annual shareholder vote on executive remuneration, according to research by New Bridge Street Consultants.

UK - Manager of manager specialist SEI has won a £40m global equities portfolio from Millennium Chemicals.

UK - Nearly half of the investments made on behalf of the Privy Purse Private Estates Pension Fund fail ethical tests, research by financial website Citywire claims.

UK - Oliver Letwin, the Conservative shadow home secretary, has attacked the Civil Partnerships Bill, labelling it "both wrong and unnecessary".

UK - Pensioners of the Thorn Pension Fund have accused Nomura of wanting to hive off a scheme surplus before selling the company.

UK - Five shareholder meetings are of significance in the week beginning February 4, according to corporate governance specialists Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

UK - UK pension funds are aiming to put a brake on non-executive directorships following the collapse of US energy giant Enron.

UK - A new research organisation - The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) - has appointed its first director, Alison O'Connell.

UK - At the UK actuarial profession's conference on the ageing population in Edinburgh last week, actuaries, politicians and academics debated the issues facing both the UK and other countries, with government policy taking a battering.

SWEDEN/UK - SEB Invest is closing its London office, following the decision to co-ordinate its European operations from its parent company's headquarters in Stockholm.