German CDU leader says balanced budget principle is indispensable

BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Germany’s conservatives regard the government’s so-called “black zero” balanced budget policy as indispensable, the leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) said on Monday.

“The black zero, as an expression of finance policy solidity, is an indispensable principle for us,” CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told a joint news conference with the head of the CSU, the CDU’s Bavarian sister party.

Hundreds of thousands flee fighting in northern Syria

Displaced people in northern Syria have nowhere else to go as the border with Turkey is sealed.

The United Nations says the humanitarian conditions for three million people in northern Syria are worsening as Syrian forces bomb the few remaining hospitals.

Russian-backed Syrian government forces have been shelling and launching air attacks against targets in Idlib province since May, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu reports from Idlib.

Global Times editor says top U.S., Chinese negotiators didn’t hold talks

Global Times editor Hu Xijin, followed closely by financial markets due to his perceived links with Chinese authorities, tweeted that top U.S. and Chinese negotiators did not hold talks. "Based on what I know, Chinese and U.S. top negotiators didn’t hold phone talks in recent days. The two sides have been keeping contact at technical level, it doesn’t have significance that President Trump suggested. China didn’t change its position. China won’t cave to US pressure," he wrote. U.S. stock futures YM00, +0.57% moved off their highs but were still stronger for the day after the tweet.

Oil Prices Inch Higher As Trade Tensions Ease

Oil prices rose slightly on Monday after the United States and China sought to ease trade war tensions.

Benchmark Brent crude rose 0.45 percent to $59.05 a barrel, while U.S. crude oil futures were up 0.75 percent at $54.57 a barrel.

China’s Vice Premier Liu He, who has been leading the talks with Washington, said on Monday Beijing was willing to resolve the trade dispute through “calm” negotiations and resolutely opposed the escalation of the conflict.

“We are willing to resolve the issue through consultations and cooperation in a calm attitude and resolutely oppose the escalation of the trade war,” Liu said, according to a government transcript.

Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations, U.S. President Donald Trump hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping as a great leader and said he welcomed his desire for a deal and for calm.

Trump said Chinese officials had contacted U.S. trade counterparts overnight and offered to return to the negotiating table.

“They want calm, and that’s a great thing, frankly. And one of the reasons that he’s a great leader, President Xi, and one of the reasons that China’s a great country is they understand how life works,” Trump said.

DGCA bars 15-inch MacBook Pro on flights

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday said passengers should not carry models of 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops that Apple deemed a safety risk due to overheating batteries. 

Apple had on June 20 issued a notice on its website regarding the risk posed by the models of the MacBook Pro laptops. 

“Apple has determined that, in a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units, the battery may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. Affected units were sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017 and product eligibility is determined by the product serial number,” it added. 

The company said it has voluntarily decided to replace affected batteries, free of charge. 

DGCA chief Arun Kumar tweeted, “Consequent upon the recall of a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops by Apple Inc (sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017) due to fears that their batteries may overheat and pose a safety risk, DGCA requests all air passengers not to fly with the affected models either as hand-baggage or checked-in baggage until the battery has been verified/certified as safe or replaced by the manufacturer.”

Canopy Growth shares rise premarket after Seaport Global upgrades to buy from neutral

Canopy Growth Corp. shares CGC, -0.96%WEED, -1.04% rose 1.6% in premarket trade Monday, after Seaport Global upgraded the stock to buy from neutral and said it now looks attractive after a steep selloff. Canopy shares are down 7.4% in 2019, while the S&P 500 SPX, -2.59% has gained 13.6%, following two declines in the broader market that coincided with a large selloff in the cannabis space. }To be sure, cannabis has been a risk-off trade to this point, and the Street has had to reset growth and profit expectations for the space and Canopy, alike," analyst Brett M. Hundley wrote in a note. "However, we would argue that cannabis beta needs to improve going forward, particularly for CGC. In addition, forecasted cash for Canopy cannot be valued on a 1-for-1 basis; it will likely be multiplicative." The analyst assigned the stock a $31 price target, that is about 25% above its current level. Earlier Monday, Constellation Brands Inc. STZ, -1.56%, which has invested $4 billion in Canopy, said it expects its share of the Canadian company’s second-quarter losses to come to $54.3 million on a net basis.

Lilly : FDA Approves Taltz To Treat Active Ankylosing Spondylitis

Eli Lilly and Co.(LLY) said Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Taltz or ixekizumab injection 80 mg/mL to treat adults with active ankylosing spondylitis or AS, also known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

It is the third indication for Taltz, which was first approved by the FDA in March 2016 for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy and then approved by the FDA in December 2017 for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis, Lilly said.

AS is a type of spondyloarthritis that affects the pelvic joints and spine, and can be characterized by chronic inflammatory back pain, stiffness and impaired function and mobility.