NEW YORK: They were omnipresent on the streets of New York day and night, as emblematic of the Big Apple as the Empire State Building or Yankees caps. But the pandemic has made yellow taxis scarce and facing an uncertain future. 

SYDNEY: Google and Facebook are “very close” to deals with major Australian media to pay for news, a top government official said yesterday, as the tech giants scramble to avoid landmark regulation. 

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Health (MoH) registered yesterday 823 additional COVID-19 cases over a 24-hour span, increasing the total number of infections to 178,524, while six fatalities were recorded, raising the death toll to 1,009. 

WASHINGTON: For the past 11 months, Reign Free has done everything she can think of to keep her catering company open after the pandemic hit-a fight shared by many Black-owned businesses across the United States. 

YAPACANA NATIONAL PARK, Venezuela: Delicately, Jose Valenzuela places a small quantity of gold powder on a digital scale. He sets it aside to pay for fuel in the Venezuelan Amazon, where the precious metal is the currency of choice. 

LONDON: Europe’s financial capital is feeling the cold of Brexit but UK officials insist the City of London is suffering a temporary blip and is well-positioned to profit from new trading horizons. For the first time last month, as Britain’s withdrawal from the EU took full effect, London’s financial district lost its European share trading crown to Amsterdam.

COLOMBO: An import ban in cash-strapped Sri Lanka is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of its curry lovers, depriving them of vital turmeric supplies and encouraging budding smugglers to take their chances with the spice.

KUWAIT: Kuwait registered 851 new coronavirus cases yesterday after announcing 1,021 new cases Friday, while total deaths reached 998 after six new fatalities were declared yesterday and seven a day before. The total number of COVID-19 infections stood yesterday at 176,903, the Ministry of Health announced.

WASHINGTON: US dating app Bumble, where women make the first move, won Wall Street’s heart as it went public Friday, with markets valuing the company at $13 billion.