Also

* Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it had placed the rating of Palo Alto-based Sun Microsystems Inc. on review for a possible downgrade, as the company struggled to compete with cheaper Windows and Linux networking systems.

* A former manager at Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., now known as Yum Brands Inc., was indicted on insider-trading charges. Federal prosecutors allege that Devin Danehy traded on information about the Louisville, Ky.- based company in 1998 and 1999.

* Overture Services, a commercial search engine recently acquired by Yahoo Inc., said its advertising links would continue to appear on Microsoft Corp.’s MSN Web site through June 2005 as part of a contract extension.

* Coca-Cola Co. reached a settlement with National Basketball Assn. All-Star Yao Ming over his assertion that the world’s largest soft-drink maker used his image without permission, the company said. Terms weren’t disclosed.

* Meat inspectors are finding less of the harmful germ listeria in meat, the Agriculture Department said. Of 7,500 samples, 0.75% were positive for listeria monocytogenes last year -- a 25% drop from 2001, officials said.