Also

* Cigna Corp. said it won court approval for a settlement with 700,000 physicians who claimed they were underpaid. A federal judge in Miami affirmed a settlement that had been reached in September. In addition to a payment, the settlement also includes changes to the company’s billing procedures.

* IBM Corp. said it would receive $325 million from Sony Corp. to make a new line of computer chips. The investment is part of $1.1 billion Sony is spending to make so-called cell chips, which will be used in PlayStation game consoles and other electronic devices.

* Broadcom Corp., an Irvine maker of chips for consumer electronics and computer networks, said it had acquired RAIDCore Inc., a Nashua, N.H., start-up company that makes virtualization software.

* Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to open Blimpie restaurants in more than 100 of its U.S. stores in an effort to boost sales by offering to its shoppers submarine sandwiches and salads.

* Biotechnology Industry Organization President Carl B. Feldbaum said he would retire after 11 years at the helm of the Washington-based trade group.