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By Michael Evans and Thomas Williams

With many telecoms companies in trouble, much of the high-yield debt they favoured during the 1990s needs restructuring. By Mark Cannon of Latham & Watkins, London

With the US gripped by fears of corporate dishonesty and the New York Stock Exchange proposing stringent governance rules, executives must be surer than ever that their behaviour is unimpeachable. By Mark Bergman and Heather White of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

Allen & Overy's Simon Gleeson rebuffs accusations that lawyers have been spreading unnecessary panic among clients following the introduction of new UK market abuse rules

The regulations applicable to finance companies in the Netherlands have changed again as of July 1 2002. The existing exemption regulation is revoked with effect from that date. This exemption was itself recently amended and stated that Dutch finance companies could be exempt from being qualified as a credit institution (kredietinstelling) within the meaning of the Act on the Supervision of Credit Institutions 1992, as a consequence of which the finance company would not fall under the scope of this Act. In addition to the new regulation, a policy guideline of the Dutch Central Bank (DCB) in respect of the terms used in the regulation has become effective.

David Bernstein of Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP, New York, argues for a return to old-style accounting. It may have been less accurate, but modern methods create confusion and hinder comparisons between one business and another, he says

Bank of China has completed one of the biggest and most complex deals in Hong Kong's history. The $2.47 billion offering will create the seventh-largest stock on the Hong Kong exchange by market capitalization. As one of Hong Kong's note-issuing banks Bank of China has a prominent name in the local market – a factor that certainly contributed to the deal's success. Cheating the odds, the offering priced at the top end of its range and was vastly over-subscribed. This, despite weak global demand for equities, depressed sentiment in Hong Kong and a bad loans problem that mirrors the problems within China's banking industry as a whole.

Allen & Overy has advised on the world's first global Islamic securities issue – the Federation of Malaysia's $600 million offering of trust certificates. The securities were issued in the form of trust certificates, governed by English law.

Brazil is talking tough despite the problems of nearby Argentina. Ben Maiden finds out why local lawyers are sure recent reforms mean their nation will not suffer the same difficulties

China has shown its willingness to open markets to competition. But the country's insolvency laws need updating if lawmakers want foreign investment to last. By Campbell Korff and Xinhong Liu of Clifford Chance, Hong Kong