tyb
International Military Flights over CONUS of Note presently
FAF CTM1281 Falcon 7X from Paris coming up the sidewalk
RAF RRR6652 C-17 Globey heading west from Springfield Mass Westover Metro
Brazilain Military out of Miami Int'l NW
GITMO844 Beechcraft out of Ft. Lauderdale se
Occidental Slashes Payout for First Time in 20 Years on Rout
Occidental Petroleum Corp. cut its dividend for the first time in at least 20 years as the oil explorer producer opts to conserve cash to cover debt incurred in its $37 billion takeover of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
The company trimmed its quarterly payout to 11 cents from 79 cents, according to a statement Tuesday. Occidental also trimmed capital spending for the year by 32% to about $3.6 billion.
The decision comes less than two weeks after Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub said the payout was “one of the defining characteristic of our company” and vowed to protect it.
Occidental is one of the most-exposed major oil explorers to declining crude prices because of the large debts it took on to outbid Chevron Corp. for Anadarko last year. The company had planned to sell $15 billion worth of assets by the middle of this year to help reduce borrowings. But that’s looking more difficult now, given collapsing valuations in energy markets.
https://www.bloomberg.com//news/articles/2020-03-10/occidental-slashes-dividend-for-first-time-in-20-years-amid-rout
Japan passes nearly $10bn aid package for coronavirus-hit businesses
The government of Japan on Tuesday night approved a financial aid package worth 1 trillion yen ($9.6 billion) for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as self-employed workers affected by the new coronavirus.
"Financing will focus on small and tiny businesses which need financing over the next two to three weeks," said Finance Minister Taro Aso. The government rolled out its first financial support package worth 500 billion yen in February, which provides low-interest loans for SMEs, particularly in the tourism industry. The second package will bring the total amount of financial support to 1.6 trillion yen.
Kengo Sakurada, chairman of corporate lobby Japan Association of Corporate Executives, said the government's fiscal stimulus would be key to avoiding an economic downturn. "It's important to offer abundant support early," he said. As part of the second package, the government will consider offer loans of up to 300 million yen at less than 1% annual interest to SMEs whose sales have declined 5% or more due to the viral outbreak. For SMEs and self-employed workers who saw a 10% to 20% decline and have to borrow from a bank, the government will pay the interest on the loans.
"Damages from the new coronavirus has hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, regardless of region, industry or company size," said Nobuo Tomoda, senior manager of the research department at Tokyo Shoko Research.
Some companies have seen business plans gone awry or have halted procurement, forcing them dangerously close to bankruptcy. Production at a semiconductor parts manufacturer in Tokyo has stalled due to a difficulty in shipping parts to China. Shipping delays have left the company and others like it with little chance in the short term to recover development and production costs. The 1 trillion yen package will also help large companies. The Development Bank of Japan, among others, will draw on a 200-billion-yen war chest to support companies who want to relocate production back to Japan. The funds will utilize a crisis financing system created in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis.
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation will also secure approximately 250 billion yen in funding, mainly to support the overseas operations of Japanese companies. Parents burdened by school closures requested by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Feb. 27 will be compensated, starting with school meal fees. In addition, some freelancers and self-employed parents may receive a daily compensation of 4,100 yen if forced to curtail work. A provision in the aid package calls for offering freelancers and non-regular workers interest-free loans of up to 100,000 yen. If their annual income declines by 20% or more, the government will consider waiving their debts.
Asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the government will need a supplemental budget to address the coronavirus, Aso said, "We don't know yet because we haven't fully assessed the situation."
The government will also contribute about 15 billion yen for emergency assistance to infected countries through the World Health Organization and other institutions. In a related matter, Abe extended by "around 10 days" the period he wants big sports and cultural events to be canceled or postponed, saying he would like to see how that and other containment measures are working out.
The original request, made Feb. 26, was for two weeks.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-passes-nearly-10bn-aid-package-for-coronavirus-hit-businesses
AZAZ0909 USMC C-560 out of Victorville SoCal Logistics Airport and NE
BlackRock Employee in New York Tests Positive for Coronavirus
BlackRock Inc., the world’s biggest asset manager, said that an employee in New York City tested positive for coronavirus.
The person worked at the firm’s 40 East 52nd Street office in Manhattan, near its headquarters, according to a statement. The individual had been in close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 and has self-quarantined and worked from home since March 4, BlackRock said, and has no symptoms. Colleagues in close contact with the person were asked to work from home for two weeks and the firm conducted a deep cleaning of the area.
“We are working closely with local health authorities and based on medical and official guidance, our office remains open,” the firm said in the statement. As the novel coronavirus spreads through the U.S. and Europe, businesses have been weighing how best to handle the situation. Wall Street firms face a particular challenge, as working from home can impose logistical and risk-related hurdles. A Deutsche Bank AG employee in Frankfurt and another at KKR & Co. in London were earlier said to have contracted the disease, setting off swift measures to contain potential outbreaks.
“BlackRock has been taking all precautions and preventive measures to maintain a clean and healthy environment for our employees and our clients,” the firm said Tuesday. “The business is operating at full strength, and there is no impact on our ability to serve our clients.”
https://www.bloomberg.com//news/articles/2020-03-10/blackrock-employee-in-new-york-tests-positive-for-coronavirus
shut the fuck up amateur