11.   Also approved were laws that will prohibit political parties from receiving foreign donations, and ban defacement of the Chinese flag.

12.   Also approved on Wednesday were Justice Minister Roland Giligashvili, who preserved his post, and newcomers Koba Narchemashvili as interior minister and Valery Khaburzania as security minister.

13.   If approved, the Japanese companies will be the first foreign interest in China to start such a nationwide chain-store business there, the newspaper reported.

14.   If approved by its members, most of whom are names themselves, no new unlimited-liability names would be accepted.

15.   Also approved were cooperation accords in the fields of merchant shipping, postal services and communications.

16.   Currently, investors are limited to owning up to eight percent of a commercial bank, and their directors are government approved.