Egyptian Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has donated three million Egyptian pounds ($156,664) to help rebuild a church in Giza where a fire on Sunday killed 41 people and left several others injured.
Social media channels in Egypt were full of messages of gratitude to the footballer beloved by millions.
The donation was confirmed by prominent Egyptian sports reporter Ibrahim Abdel Gawad, who joined many others in thanking Salah in a Facebook post.
These included renowned cardiologist Dr Gamal Shaban, whose post, which was shared by thousands, included a part addressed to business mogul Naguib Sawiris.
Mr Sawiris, one of the country’s most high-profile Copts, has come under fire since Sunday for a tweet he made in the aftermath of the Abu Seifein Church fire, which strongly suggested that the blaze was not an accident and said he would not offer condolences until the culprit was established.
“You want to know the culprit? You are the real culprit. For neglecting your charity work, not taking care of the poor and only really investing in film festivals,” Dr Shaban wrote on Facebook, “Mohamed Salah donated 3 million to the church, how much have you donated?”
A number of other social media users expressed similar sentiments, prompting a response from him, which he made on Twitter to a user named Azza, to whom he wrote, “I don’t make public my donations, Azza.”
Salah was in June ranked by UK newspaper The Sunday Times as the eighth most charitable person in Britain. The player had in 2019 donated $3 million to Egypt’s National Cancer Institute after a terrorist attack that killed 20 and injured dozens.
He gave 12 million Egyptian pounds' worth of equipment to a prominent children’s cancer hospital in Egypt.
Salah was also photographed in Liverpool in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic paying for some of his fans’ fuel.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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