United Kingdom

UK - The Association of Pensions Lawyers is working with the pensions advisory service OPAS to offer a formal mediation service for scheme disputes.

UK - Billionaire Philip Green has put his bid for retail giant Marks & Spencer on hold pending talks on the pension scheme's £670m deficit.

UK - Pension funds will hold more bonds than equities by 2010 and must ensure they manage the associated risks adequately, the Actuarial Profession warns.

UK - Investor lobby groups and voting advisory services are warning of a series of shareholder backlashes at annual meetings.

UK - Scheme trustees hold the fate of Bradford City Football Club in their hands.

UK - Local authorities will not have to raise council taxes to clear the West Midlands Superannuation Pension Fund's £1.3bn deficit, chief pensions officer Mike Woodall (pictured) insists.

UK - Trade unions fear their lawsuit against the government has been sabotaged by its £400m compensation package for workers who lost pension savings when their firms folded.

UK - The government's £400m compensation package will fall far short of restoring the pensions of 65,000 workers who lost savings when their firms collapsed.

UK - Third-party administrator MNPA has moved all of its clients on to Comino's new process-based administration system, UPM.

UK - Calls for the government to underwrite the Pension Protection Fund have been described as "outrageous" by its inaugural chairman, Lawrence Churchill.