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Measures have been adopted by the Brazilian government in the last two years to safeguard the economic stabilization programme by curbing money supply increases caused by foreign investment inflows. On October 31 1996, two of the measures were relaxed as follows:

A recent bill published by the Brazilian authorities is set to make money-laundering in Latin America's largest country a specific criminal offence for the first time. By Bruno Balduccini of Pinheiro Neto Advogados, São Paulo

Switzerland has amended its rules to compete with the attractive Luxembourg regime. By Filippo Beck of Wenger Mathys Plattner, Zurich and Basle, with the assistance of Christina Amgwerd-Sheaff and Jlona Caduff

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has reacted strongly to the loss of the leading names in its English law practice to rival firm Shearman & Sterling. "We are out in the lateral hire market for partners, to help our English law capability," says managing partner and chairman Mel Immergut. Reiterating the firm's commitment to an English law practice, he says he is hopeful it will not take long to rebuild the practice: "The timing has been somewhat set back, but we are optimistic it is not by very much."

For the first time, Austria's bar association rules are being called into question and competition is likely to arrive soon. Austrian firms are preparing for mergers to face that competition. By Samantha Wigham

• Clifford Chance's London office has lost its head of corporate finance, Peter Brooks. Brooks has left to become general counsel for one of his clients, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. He has worked at Clifford Chance for 28 years.

The contract for Laibin B, China's first 100% wholly foreign-owned build-operate-transfer (BOT) power plant, was formally agreed in Beijing on November 11 1996. Under the HK$4.57 billion (US$600 million) contract, GEC Alsthom, an Anglo-French engineering group, and Electricite de France (EDF) will jointly control the company undertaking the contract. EDF will hold a 60% stake and GEC, 40%. The project is scheduled to be completed sometime after 1999, whereupon EDF and GEC will operate the power plant to recoup their investment before the power plant reverts to the Guanxi government at the end of the term.

In the largest privatization in European history, 600 million shares in Deutsche Telekom have been sold for a total of Dm20 billion (US$13 billion). At a share price of Dm28.50, in the middle of the Dm25 to Dm30 guide, the issue was five times oversubscribed.

Recent developments in the legal field in Turkey include the following:

Limiting professional liability; Lending to local authorities; Disqualification of directors; Enforcing an assigned debtBy Neil Mirchandani, City Litigation Group, Lovell White Durrant, London