IRELAND - The government has decided to leave unchanged current provisions on public pensions' indexation, despite having announced in this year's budget current arrangements were under review and could be amended.

NORWAY - Radical changes to laws governing defined benefit plans in Norway will be needed to adapt the schemes to the new old-age state pension, a commission tasked with examining the future of pensions in the country's private sector has concluded.

US - Former director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Charles Millard will not face criminal charges for supposed illegal procurement practices at the corporation, according to a letter by PBGC inspector general Rebecca Batts.

FINLAND - Valtion Elåkerahasto (VER), Finland's state pension fund, gained 5.3% during the first quarter on the back of its equity investment performance.

BRAZIL - Brazil's lower house of parliament has approved a 7.7% increase in pension payments for some of the country's pensioners but serious obstacles remain before it can go into effect, including a possible veto from president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva....

UK - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has combined its global developed and global emerging markets desks after six investment directors quit the firm for rival investment manager Martin Currie.

US - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's (PBGC) losses due to multiemployer pensions could rise to an average US$4bn in 2019 from an actual $869m at the end of September 2009.

GLOBAL - Only 11.8% of respondents to the Global Pensions 100 Panel said they have made or are considering making investments in microfinance vehicles. The results, come after the California State Teachers' Retirement System began last month a discussion...

GREECE/GLOBAL - Greece has pledged to undertake a pensions overhaul as part of the structural reforms agreed with its partners in the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a €110bn (US$144bn) rescue package.

AUSTRALIA - The Rudd government has committed to raising the employer contribution to superannuation funds from 9% of salary to 12% by 2020, a move that will mean an extra half a trillion dollars in superannuation assets under management by 2035.