Also

* California’s electricity demand hit a record 45,597 megawatts Wednesday, the seventh record-breaking day this summer, the California Independent System Operator said. The figure doesn’t include some municipal utilities, including Los Angeles and Sacramento.

* Merck & Co. said U.S. regulators had approved Vioxx, a drug linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, for use by children with rheumatoid arthritis.

* Rite Aid Corp. will pay $250,000 and be prohibited from selling cigarettes from vending machines under an agreement to settle investigations by 20 states and the District of Columbia into tobacco sales to minors.

* Sporting-goods maker Adidas-Salomon said it signed a contract with Stella McCartney to design a women’s sports collection. The line will appear in stores in the U.S., Europe and Japan.