International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is pleased to announce a number of significant changes to further strengthen its China team, reflecting the strategic importance of China to the firm.

McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the expansion of its international platform with the opening of its office in Paris on May 2, 2011.  With Paris, McDermott now has seven offices across Europe, including Brussels, London, Milan, Rome, Düsseldorf and Munich.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced that it has dismissed an antitrust case surrounding Laboratory Corp. of America’s $57.5 million purchase of Westcliff Medical Laboratories Inc., a rival provider of laboratory services in California. LabCorp was represented in this matter by Hogan Lovells.

Davis Polk advised The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Standard Chartered Bank, UBS AG and Samsung Securities Co., Ltd. as underwriters in connection with an SEC-registered Schedule B debt offering by The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) of US$700 million aggregate principal amount of its 3.75% notes due 2016.

Wragge & Co has advised on the A400M defence procurement in Europe. Working with ‘Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement’ (OCCAR), the firm advised on the re-negotiation of a ground-breaking €20 billion contract for the development and supply of up to 170 A400M military transport aircraft from Airbus Military S.L.

Dewey & LeBoeuf has advised ONGC Videsh Ltd. (“OVL”), the international projects arm of India’s national oil & gas company, on a strategic new partnership to develop a block in the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea.

The ProSiebenSat.1 group has sold its TV and print activities in the Netherlands and its TV business in Belgium. The businesses will be acquired by a consortium between Sanoma Corporation and Talpa Holding NV regarding the Dutch assets and between Sanoma Corporation, Corelio N.V. and Waterman & Waterman CVA in Belgium.The enterprise value underlying the transaction totals EUR 1.225 billion. The transaction in the Netherlands is subject to the approvals by the competent antitrust authorities. The other business activities of the ProSiebenSat.1 group in the Netherlands and Belgium including the production sector are not part of the transaction.

On April 18, Willkie client France Telecom-Orange and Deutsche Telekom announced their plan to form a 50/50 procurement joint venture that is expected to result in a combined savings of a about €1.3 billion after three years of implementation. The agreement calls for combining the two companies’ procurement activities of customer equipment, network equipment, service platforms and IT infrastructure. France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 169,000 employees worldwide and sales of €45.5 billion in 2010.