21.   The legal battle for the shares formerly held by BRGM, a French government agency, should be decided by the end of the year, newspapers reported.

22.   The Ministry of International Trade and Industry is urging large-scale retailers to cut the size of planned branches, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

23.   The U.S. also demanded that Japan abolish its Large-Scale Retail Store Law, which is aimed at protecting small shopkeepers, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

24.   They are taking this step to bolster their capital so that they can write off bad loans, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

25.   Tokyo police questioned executives of Nomura Securities Co. yesterday about possible bribes made to government officials, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

26.   While the cause of the crash has not been determined, investigators are expected to focus on driver error or signal failure, newspapers reported Wednesday.

27.   Yesterday, speculation that the total amount of privately issued bonds would be lower than expected fueled an afternoon rally in prices, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

28.   Young, the owner of a North Little Rock restaurant, was said to have turned down the offer, the newspaper reported.

29.   Police appreciated the gesture enough to not arrest the man for possessing the heavy weapon, but still confiscated the gun, newspapers reported Tuesday.

30.   Police detained three young Ukrainians on suspicion of beheading four dead bodies in a regional morgue and stealing the heads, newspapers reported Wednesday.