Bloomberg The coronavirus outbreak that has sent markets worldwide on a collective nosedive is forcing US oil and gas explorers already burning through borrowed cash and failing to deliver returns to the brink of distress. Drillers’ fall from grace has worsened as shareholders increasingly demand they shift their focus to generating cash flow, instead of increasing production at any costs. ...
Read More »Arctic oil drilling plan coming soon: US interior chief
Bloomberg The Trump administration is moving to sell drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said. “We are about to finalise a leasing plan for that,†Bernhardt said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, without providing a more specific timetable. His declaration comes amid delays in standing up a sale — originally expected ...
Read More »Eskom waiting for guidelines on gas-fired plant
Bloomberg South Africa’s Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd is making preparations for a 3,000-megawatt gas-fired plant, but the debt-stricken utility is still awaiting formal guidelines from the government before it can proceed with the project. The facility could alleviate a serious shortage of electricity led to a series of rolling blackouts, as the state-owned company has been forced to implement nationwide ...
Read More »US urges Ethiopia to reach deal on Nile dam
Bloomberg Egypt, Ethiopia and mutual neighbour Sudan should conclude an agreement before the completion of Ethiopia’s disputed Nile dam, to prevent “significant harm to downstream countries,†US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. “Final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement,†Mnuchin said in a statement on the Treasury Department’s website following the latest Washington meeting, which Ethiopia ...
Read More »US gas export firms forced to sell shares
Bloomberg Two pioneers of the US natural gas export industry were forced to sell shares of the company they founded amid a global market rout and concern that a key supply deal won’t be finalised. Tellurian Inc Chairman Charif Souki and Vice Chairman Martin Houston sold 4 million and 3.4 million shares respectively, according to filings. In both cases, the ...
Read More »FDA policy change takes aim at coronavirus test shortages
Bloomberg Qualified labs will be able to develop and use their own coronavirus screening tests without waiting for an FDA authorisation, under a policy change that aims to address test-kit shortages that have come under heavy criticism. The Food and Drug Administration announced the move, hours after the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced four new cases of the ...
Read More »Property world summit postponed on virus fears
Bloomberg The world’s biggest property event held on the French Riviera has been pushed back to June over concern about the coronavirus epidemic, the summit organisers said. The four-day event, known as MIPIM, will now take place June 2-5 in Cannes instead of its usual March slot. “The well-being of our clients and staff is our priority,†Paul Zilk, chief ...
Read More »Sajid Javid planned tax cut before resignation
Bloomberg Sajid Javid was planning to reduce the basic rate of income tax, cut the tax on home sales and offer relief on capital investments in the budget he was expecting to present as Boris Johnson’s finance minister. In an interview with the Times conducted two weeks after he quit the government in a dispute with the prime minister, Javid ...
Read More »Most graduates wish ‘they majored in different subject’
Bloomberg Three out of five college graduates say they should have majored in something different and would go back and change their field of study if they could, according to a survey by Bestcolleges.com. Why they want a change depends on their age. About a third of dissatisfied folks ages 24-39 said they should have focused on subjects that improved ...
Read More »GM adds 1,200 staff at Michigan plants
Bloomberg General Motors Co said it will hire 1,200 new workers for its two plants in Lansing, Michigan, in part because of rising demand for the company’s mid-sized sport utility vehicles. The automaker plans to add a third shift and 800 workers at its Lansing Delta Township plant, where it builds the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs. GM also ...
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