Author: News Desk

The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected an amendment to more than double the federal minimum wage over five years, as it launched what is expected to be a long debate over President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The vote on the proposal offered by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent aligned with Democrats, was the first in what is expected to be a lengthy series of amendments on the bill that could extend into the weekend. The Senate fell far short of the 60 votes needed to overrule the Senate parliamentarian’s decision that a minimum wage increase cannot be…

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) announced the launch of ticket sales for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. The tickets will only be available to vaccinated or COVID-19 recovered individuals to ensure that the event can proceed in a safe environment, and in line with Government health advice. The 2021 edition of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will take place between 26 and 28 March and tickets are on sale now at Bahraingp.com with a single discounted price of BD100 for tickets across stands for the three-day event.  Fans should be aware that entry will be…

Bahrain has announced the extension of Covishield-AstraZeneca dosing intervals from 4 to 8 weeks. This decision follows recommendations made by the World Health Organization which revealed a strong correlation between longer dose intervals of between 8 and 12 weeks and greater vaccine efficacy. Ministry of Health’s Undersecretary for Public Health and member of the Technical Consultative Committee of the Arab Health Ministers Council, Dr. Mariam Al Hajeri said that the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), an advisory group to the WHO, had recommended administering inoculations 4 to 12 weeks apart, with a strong recommendation for a longer dose intervals…

An agreement on the overhaul of cross-boarder corporate tax rules is within reach by a summer deadline now that Washington has dropped a proposal that could let U.S companies opt out of the future deal, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday after a meeting with G20 counterparts. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday told the G20 meeting that Washington was dropping the former Trump administration’s demand for a “safe harbor” clause in talks to reform global taxation rules, which other countries said would make a deal impossible. (Reuters)

Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal’s 18-month ban over corruption charges has been reduced to a year, the Court of Arbitration for Sports said Friday. The verdict from the Lausanne-based body will likely come as a relief for the troubled batsman, who has a history of disciplinary issues that have earned him a string of fines and bans during his career. But the court also hit him with a hefty fine of 4.2 million rupees ($26,854) over his breaching of the Anti-Corruption Code. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) disciplinary committee banned Akmal for three years last April after he failed to report…

Yusuf Pathan, former India all-rounder, announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Friday. Yusuf, the older brother of another former India cricketer Irfan Pathan, is a two-time World Cup winner. Yusuf has also won the Indian Premier League twice with Kolkata Knight Riders – in 2012, 2014 – and once with Rajasthan Royals in 2008. “I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love,” tweeted Yusuf along with a retirement statement. https://twitter.com/iamyusufpathan/status/1365252075710410754?s=20 Yusuf played 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India since making his international debut in 2007. He was part of the Indian…

A clash of two fan-favorite Bantamweights is the latest addition to BRAVE CF 48: Arabian Nights, scheduled for March 18, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, also known as “The Kombat Kingdom”, as Kuwait-Canadian Tariq Ismail takes on South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele. Tariq Ismail holds a professional record of 6 wins and a single loss, suffered on his last professional appearance, against Bernardo Sopai, at BRAVE CF 38, back in October. Eager to bounce back after experiencing the bitter taste for the first time ever, the “Desert Storm” will face fierce competition in one of the most prominent young stars in…

The global economy warrants caution due to uncertainty over coronavirus vaccinations and variants, though Japan’s economy shows signs of recovery with low infections, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday. Speaking to reporters after attending a virtual meeting of Group of 20 financial leaders, Aso also urged the major economies to unite in backing low income countries given widening disparities of economic growth and vaccinations. “To support low income countries, Japan will back a new allocation of SDRs (Special Drawing Rights),” Aso said, referring to the International Monetary Fund’s resources. (Reuters)

Facebook ended a one-week blackout of Australian news on its popular social media site on Friday and announced preliminary commercial agreements with three small local publishers. The moves reflected easing tensions between the U.S. company and the Australian government, a day after the country’s parliament passed a law forcing it and Alphabet Inc’s Google to pay local media companies for using content on their platforms. The new law makes Australia the first nation where a government arbitrator can set the price Facebook and Google pay domestic media to show their content if private negotiations fail. Canada and other countries have…

Indonesia has authorised one of the world’s first private vaccination schemes to run alongside its national programme so that companies can buy state-procured vaccines to inoculate their staff in Southeast Asia’s biggest country. The initiative, approved by a government regulation, has drawn criticism from some health experts who warn it could worsen inequity. The world’s fourth most populous country has launched an ambitious programme to vaccinate 181.5 million people for free in about a year, but business had been pushing for a way of inoculating staff faster to open up the economy. The regulation stipulates that companies can buy vaccines…