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Unprecedented California Blackout Plunges Millions Into Dark

(Bloomberg) — The unprecedented power shutdown by California’s PG&E Corp. has spread deeper into densely populated cities near San Francisco, ensnaring millions of people and raising the prospect that much of a major metropolitan area could go without electricity for days.The bankrupt utility said late Wednesday that it had begun a second round of power cuts that will plunge another 234,000 customers in cities including Berkeley and Oakland into darkness. It’s part of the biggest blackout ever orchestrated to prevent strong winds from knocking down electrical lines and igniting fires. Half a million homes and businesses in Northern California were …read more […]

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Philips warns that trade tariffs will mean 2019 margin goal miss

Philips said on Thursday trade tariffs and poor results at its Connected Care arm meant the Dutch healthcare technology firm would miss its 2019 target for profit margin improvement. Although Philips now expects adjusted EBITA margin to improve by 10 to 20 basis points, well off its previous 100 basis point goal, it said in a statement it was sticking to its 2020 target of improving comparable sales by 4% to 6%. “We continue to see good growth momentum across our businesses,” Chief Executive Frans van Houten said, adding he was disappointed by a margin decline in …read more […]

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Japan stocks end higher on hopes for U.S.-China thaw

Japanese stocks bounced back from early losses to end higher on Thursday, helped by a flush of optimism over chances that the United States and China can scale back their trade war at high-level talks set for later in the day. The Nikkei index ended up 0.45% at 21,551.98, after shedding as much as 0.7% earlier in the day. Japanese shares were boosted by a New York Times report that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration will soon issue licences allowing some U.S. companies to supply non-sensitive goods to Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. …read more […]

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UPDATE 1-Belgium's UCB to buy Ra Pharmaceuticals in $2.1 bln cash deal

UCB has agreed to acquire U.S.-based Ra Pharmaceuticals for $2.1 billion, both companies reported on Thursday, in a deal that will enable the Belgian drugmaker to offer new treatment opportunities for several rare diseases in neurology and immunology. “Ra Pharma is an excellent strategic fit addressing multiple areas of UCB’s patient value growth strategy,” UCB’s Chief Executive Officer Jean-Christophe Tellier said in a joint statement. The acquisition of the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which was founded in 2008, is expected to contribute to UCB’s core earning per share and increase its revenue and net profit from 2024 onwards. …read more […]