BRIEFLY : Also . . .

May Department Stores Co. reported second-quarter earnings rose 17.6% as sales rose 9.3%. St. Louis-based May earned $154 million, or 43 cents per share, compared with earnings of $131 million, or 35 cents, a year ago. Sales were $3.07 billion, up from $2.81 billion last year.

* EchoStar Communications Corp., the No. 2 U.S. satellite-television company, said its second-quarter loss widened as it spent more to sign up new subscribers in the face of competition from DirecTV. EchoStar’s loss widened to $76.1 million, or 80 cents a share, from $45.7 million, or 61 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 42% to $349.9 million from $245.8 million. The company was expected to lose $1.03 a share.

* The New Jersey Supreme Court revived scores of product liability lawsuits filed by women who say they suffered ill health after using the Norplant contraceptive. State high court justices voted 5 to 2 to send more than 50 cases against Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories Inc., the American Home Products Corp. subsidiary that markets Norplant in the United States, back to Middlesex County Superior Court. Madison, N.J.-based AHP had no immediate comment on the decision. On Friday, a Texas jury awarded a woman $23.3 million against the company after she claimed she had heart problems because of the use of a diet drug known as fen-phen. AHP shares fell 50 cents to close at $44.38 on the NYSE.

* Elf Aquitaine Chairman Philippe Jaffre said he will consider merger talks with rival French oil company Total Fina if Total will discuss spinning off the combined company’s chemical business. Elf and Total each have launched hostile offers for the other. Elf’s desire to create a separate chemical business is the distinguishing feature of its plan to combine the two companies.

* Teamsters at Anheuser-Busch Cos. have approved a new five-year national labor contract, but the threat of a strike still looms after half of the brewery’s 12 domestic plants rejected local contract provisions. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch--maker of Budweiser, Michelob and other beers--said that until there is agreement on all national and local contracts, there is no deal.