Also

* Nokia, the world’s biggest cell phone maker, said its first-quarter sales and earnings will be lower than a year ago, led by a steep drop in sales of equipment for cell phone networks.

* Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., initially seen as one of the strongest contenders to acquire AOL Time Warner Inc.’s books business, declared it was out of the running.

* Gilead Sciences Inc. of Foster City, Calif., won European Commission approval of Hepsera, a new treatment for hepatitis B.

* Guidant Corp. agreed to buy closely held X Technologies Inc. of Tustin to add a product for heart arteries. Terms weren’t disclosed.