ALSO. . .

* Benihana Inc. founder Rocky Aoki was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on seven criminal counts for allegedly making more than $590,000 by engaging in insider trading. Aoki, 59, resigned last month as chairman and chief executive of the Japanese restaurant chain he founded in 1964, saying his personal investments were under investigation. “Mr. Aoki intends to plead not guilty and respond to the charges in court,” said his attorney, Martin Auerback.

* The United States and South Korea signed an open skies aviation agreement that will liberalize air service between the countries. Carriers from both countries will be allowed unrestricted flights to and beyond each other’s territory under the pact signed in a White House ceremony. Joint marketing of flights through code-sharing agreements will also be possible under the accord.

* Tommy Hilfiger Corp.’s shares fell 5.7% after the maker of casual clothing said its order backlog at the end of the fiscal fourth quarter rose a less-than-expected 7.1%, analysts said. Hilfiger shares fell $3.63 to close at $60.31 on the NYSE.

* Shareholders of Crown Butte Resources Ltd. approved a deal to sell the company’s disputed gold mine near Yellowstone National Park to the U.S. government. Company Chairman Karl Elers said the shareholder vote authorizes the sale of the property, based on final terms approved by the board. Nearly two years ago, the U.S. government agreed to pay Crown Butte $65 million for part of the New World Mine site in Montana, ending a 10-year battle between the Toronto-based miner and American environmentalists.

* Heineken, the world’s second-largest beer maker, said it bought a 9.6% stake in Brewpole, which it plans to eventually merge with its Zywiec unit to form Poland’s biggest brewer. Amsterdam-based Heineken, which declined to provide financial details about the transaction, said combining Zywiec with Polish market leader Brewpole would create a company generating $290 million in annual sales.

* RAO Gazprom, Russia’s natural gas monopoly and largest company, said it offered to sell part of the government’s 40% stake in the company abroad to raise as much as $1 billion for the federal budget. Likely buyers of the 2% or 3% stake would be Italy’s ENI gas company or Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Both companies already have agreements with Gazprom, which supplies about 25% of Western Europe’s natural gas.

* Texaco Inc. said it opened its first filling station in Kazakhstan and promised to build another as it courts the nation’s leadership to approve plans to export oil from the region to the West.