The upper house of Bahrain's parliament on 17 February approved unanimously a $500 million government spending plan, rejected on 4 February by the lower house. The bill seeks funding for a Formula One (F1) motor racing track, a tourist resort, and an upgrade for Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)and for Bahrain Petroleum Company's (Bapco)Sitra refinery. Bahrain won the contract to stage the World F1 Championship 2004 event against strong competition from Dubai, Egypt and Lebanon. Deputies in the lower house rejected funding for the track and the resort on the basis that they were incompatible with Islamic values: 'If F1 comes to Bahrain then bets will come too,' said chairman of the services committee Isa al-Mutawa. However, a legislator in the appointed upper house, Mansoor al-Arayedh, said: 'We have approved these projects because they are infrastructure projects which will give a good boost to the economy.'