Page 25 - aruba today

BUSINESS Saturday 14 March 2020
A25

Business fallout: Apple goes online, Delta slashes flights

By The Associated Press companies still must report.
Apple said its annual devel- Fiat Chrysler says it's accel-
opers conference would erating deployment of re-
take place entirely online mote working.
this year, joining a growing AT THE MOVIES: AMC The-
list of companies that are aters and Regal Cinemas,
canceling big, in-person the country's two larg-
events as the coronavirus est movie theater chains,
spreads. plan to fill their theaters no
Thousands of engineers more than 50%. AMC said
and customers attend the it would begin the policy
Worldwide Developers Saturday and keep it un-
Conference, or WWDC, til the end of April to help
which is in its 31st year. facilitate social distanc-
Apple said it would give ing. In larger auditoriums,
$1 million to organizations the chain will no longer sell
in San Jose, California, to more than 250 tickets for a
help with the money they showing.
would lose from Apple can- Meanwhile, The Walt Disney
celing the in-person event. Co. says its shutting down
The event had been held many of its live-action pro-
in San Jose for the past few In this May 24, 2018, file photo a Delta Air Lines passenger jet plane, a Boeing 737-900 model, ap- ductions, including "The
years. proaches Logan Airport in Boston. Little Mermaid" and Ridley
Google and Facebook Associated Press Scott's "The Last Duel," due
also canceled their flagship downturn in demand is un- off home-internet and cell- example. to the coronavirus. It has
developers conferences like anything the company phone service for people FCC Commissioner Jessica delayed the releases of sev-
in the face of coronavirus has ever seen, not even af- and small businesses that Rosenworcel, a Democrat, eral upcoming films, includ-
health concerns. ter the Sept. 11 attacks. He are unable to pay because has called on the FCC to ing "Mulan."IMF STAFFERS
Meanwhile, Berkshire Ha- said he's optimistic about of the coronavirus pan- do more to help families SENT HOME: The Interna-
thaway chairman Warren getting help from the White demic, which is causing whose children's schools tional Monetary Fund said
Buffett told shareholders House and Congress. But, workplace shutdowns and have shut down, like beef- Friday that a staff member
Friday that they won't be he said, Delta can't wait layoffs. They'll also waive ing up a program that helps had tested positive for the
allowed to physically at- for Washington to act, so it late fees and make their schools loan Wi-Fi hotspots coronavirus. As a result, all
tend the company's May 2 is preserving cash and cut- networks of Wi-Fi hotspots to kids stuck at home. The staffers at the IMF's Wash-
annual meeting in Omaha, ting costs. available to the public. AP has found that 3 million ington, D.C., headquar-
Nebraska, because of the Treasury Secretary Steven The companies acted students have no internet ters have been advised to
coronavirus threat. Mnuchin said Washington at the request of Federal access at home. work from home until fur-
The virus has infected will consider aid for the Communications Commis- Some companies are tak- ther notice. The 189-nation
137,000 people worldwide. airline industry. "Just as af- sion Chairman Ajit Pai, who ing additional steps like lending institution said that
Most patients have only ter Sept. 11, we are very is also encouraging — but those Pai suggested. Cable the staffer who has been
mild or moderate symp- committed to make sure not requiring — them to companies Comcast and diagnosed was self-isolat-
toms, but the elderly and that our U.S. airlines have take further steps to make Cox are boosting internet ing and receiving medical
people with existing health the ability and have the li- sure people can stay con- speeds on their low-cost care. The IMF said all of its
conditions are particular- quidity to get through this," nected to each other, their plans and offering one or staff missions to European
ly vulnerable. More than Mnuchin told CNBC. schools, jobs and doctors two months of free service countries with a large num-
5,000 have died. The federal government as the country increasingly for new low-income cus- ber of coronavirus cases
Among other ways the virus provided aid including shuts down. tomers. AT&T is waiving fees had been suspended and
is impacting businesses: loan guarantees to U.S. air- He suggested that the in- if people go over home- only essential travel will be
FLYING LOW: Delta is slash- lines after the terror attacks ternet service providers in- internet data caps. allowed to other countries.
ing its flying by 40% to han- of Sept. 11, 2001, when the crease and improve their The development comes Even with headquarters
dle an unprecedented number of people flying low-cost internet offerings as Ford and General Motors staff working from home,
nosedive in air travel de- also dropped sharply. for low-income people, re- are asking white collar em- the IMF said the agency re-
mand. It's the largest cut in GETTING ONLINE: U.S. lax their data caps and try ployees to work from home mained fully operational in
Delta's history. phone and cable compa- to help schools and librar- if possible, starting Monday. terms of helping its member
CEO Ed Bastian said the nies say that they won't cut ies with remote learning, for Factory workers for both countries.q

Oil crisis deepens in Libya as losses exceed $3 billion

ISABEL DEBRE barrels a day. But its regular a looming fuel shortage adversary, the Tripoli-based blockade and plunging oil
Associated Press oil production ground to a given the government's in- administration, which runs prices.q
CAIRO (AP) — The oil crisis halt in January when tribes ability to pay for imports. Libya's central bank.
in Libya is deepening as a loyal to eastern-based The country's oil wealth has The bank's monthly state-
blockade of the country's forces seized large export long been at the center of ment published earlier this
vital oil fields generated terminals and choked off strife between opposition week shows it continues to
losses of more than $3 bil- major pipelines, jeopardiz- forces under the command pay for fuel and food sub-
lion, the national oil cor- ing the national economy of Khalifa Hifter and the sidies and holds billions of
poration announced late that relies heavily on oil U.N.-backed government dollars in foreign reserves.
Thursday. revenues. The National Oil based in the capital, Tripoli. But since January it has
The war-torn country con- Corporation reported that By leveraging their control withheld salaries from civil
trols vast oil reserves, the production had been re- of much of Libya's east and servants and eliminated
biggest in Africa, and typi- duced to a trickle of 97,500 south, Hifter's allies seek to funding for development
cally pumps out 1.2 billion barrels a day. It warned of choke off cash flow to their projects because of the