Also

* ChevronTexaco Corp., one of four oil companies embroiled in a legal dispute with Unocal Corp. over patents for clean-burning gasoline, said it received new patents for blending low-emission fuel using ethanol.

* NCR Corp. plans to fire about 1,500 workers, or 5% of its staff, as the world’s largest seller of automated teller machines continues to reduce costs amid slumping sales of hardware.

* Expedia Inc., the world’s largest Internet travel agency, introduced business services to win more of the $71-billion U.S. corporate travel market. Expedia is offering customized Web sites for bookings and services to help business managers cut costs and track travel, the company said.