United Kingdom

UK - The government has announced plans to legislate to allow same-sex partners to pass on pension benefits to their survivor, giving them equal legal rights to married couples.

UK - JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management has appointed David Shairp strategist within its global multi-asset group (GMAG).

UK - The £4.5bn West Yorkshire Pension Fund is set to invest up to 5% of its assets in hedge funds to boost returns and diversify its risk.

UK - Beleaguered US car component giant Federal Mogul has made an 11th-hour offer to avert the wind-up of the pension scheme at its UK arm.

UK - Defined contribution schemes are increasingly becoming the main focus of attention for employers and trustees, new research shows.

UK - The £1.5bn Staffordshire County Council pension fund is tendering for three investment managers for its specialist UK equity and global equity portfolios following a recent investment review.

UK - The pensions system cannot be reformed effectively unless it is removed from the political battlefield, the Pensions Management Institute claims.

UK - Banking giant Barclays has boosted the number of staff making pension contributions by 70% since introducing its hybrid scheme Afterwork 16 months ago.

UK - Pension funds have returned 1.9% for the third quarter, according to preliminary figures from Russell/Mellon CAPS.

UK - Councillors fear a wave of protests when council tax-payers realise how much may be needed to cover local authority pension shortfalls.