News In Brief

In a move that could create one of the nation's biggest electronic companies, FirstEnergy Corp. is in negotiations to acquire GPU Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported. The deal would be valued at about $4.5 billion, but people close to both sides warned it has not been finalized. FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio, has 2.2 million customers and would add 2 million more with the acquisition. FirstEnergy's negotiations follow the announcement last week that FPL Group and Entergy Corp. would merge, creating the nation's largest electronic company worth $6.2 billion.

Barnesandnoble.com, the Web site of bookseller Barnes & Noble, will open the first major online store today selling digital books that can be downloaded and read on a computer screen or printed out, The New York Times reported. The site will utilize the latest version of Microsoft's free software for reading on personal computers, laptops, and hand-held devices. More than 2,000 digital titles will be made immediately available, with 150 new books added each week.

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