The Premier League in England has been thrown into chaos after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi both contracted the coronavirus, leaving one game postponed and other fixtures in doubt.
Arsenal's match at Brighton was put on hold after Arteta's diagnosis sent the London club into lockdown, while Chelsea's players and coaching staff were also ordered into isolation.
Chelsea said they would discuss their upcoming games, starting with Sunday's trip to Aston Villa, with Premier League officials.
The league will hold emergency talks on Friday "regarding future fixtures" in light of the pandemic, which has shut down football and other sports around the world.
Hudson-Odoi, 19, is the first Premier League player confirmed to have the virus. He displayed cold symptoms on Monday morning and has stayed away from the club since then.
"Chelsea personnel who had recent close contact with the player in the men's team building will now self-isolate in line with government health guidelines," a club statement said.
"These will include initially the full men's team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff."
Arsenal's training ground has been closed and their players and staff have gone into self-isolation following Arteta's positive test.
"This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I'm allowed," Arteta said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said the government was "considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures", but was not ready to do so yet.
But Arteta and Hudson-Odoi's illnesses could force the Premier League's hand and lead to the cancellation of matches this weekend and possibly into the future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are not the only top-flight clubs affected by the virus.
Leicester, scheduled to play at Watford on Saturday, said on Thursday that three of their players have shown symptoms and are self-isolating as a precaution.
The Foxes said the unnamed trio had "presented with extremely mild illness" in recent days.
"We've had a few players that have shown symptoms and signs," Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said.
"We've followed procedure and they have been kept away at this moment from the rest of the squad and then we'll see how that develops."
Manchester City said one unnamed member of their squad, reportedly France defender Benjamin Mendy, is in self-isolation after a family member suffered a respiratory illness.
It is a similar picture across the continent. In Italy, Europe's worst-hit country, Serie A has suspended matches until at least April 3 and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has been quarantined.
City's Champions League last 16 second leg meeting with Real Madrid, set for Tuesday, has been postponed after one of the Spanish club's basketball players tested positive for the virus.
All French Ligue 1 matches will be held behind closed doors until April 15, the next two La Liga match days have been suspended and this weekend's Bundesliga fixtures will also go ahead without watching fans.
UEFA, European football's governing body, will consider whether to postpone the Champions League and Euro 2020 at a meeting next week.
Arsenal's league match at Manchester City last Wednesday was postponed and several Gunners players went into self-isolation after Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis contracted the virus.
Marinakis, 52, met Arsenal players and staff when the Gunners faced Olympiakos in a Europa League tie in February.
If the Premier League does decide to play on, Liverpool could be crowned champions on Monday.
If second placed City lose to Burnley, then Liverpool will win the title for the first time in 30 years if they beat Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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The%20Caine%20Mutiny%20Court-Martial%20
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Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20UAE%20men%E2%80%99s%20cricketer%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWhen%20he%20debuted%20against%20Bangladesh%20aged%2016%20years%20and%20314%20days%2C%20he%20became%20the%20youngest%20ever%20to%20play%20for%20the%20men%E2%80%99s%20senior%20team.%20He%20broke%20the%20record%20set%20by%20his%20World%20Cup%20squad-mate%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20of%2017%20years%20and%2044%20days.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20wicket-taker%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20taking%20the%20wicket%20of%20Bangladesh%E2%80%99s%20Litton%20Das%20on%20debut%20in%20Dubai%2C%20Aayan%20became%20the%20youngest%20male%20cricketer%20to%20take%20a%20wicket%20against%20a%20Full%20Member%20nation%20in%20a%20T20%20international.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20in%20T20%20World%20Cup%20history%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAayan%20does%20not%20turn%2017%20until%20November%2015%20%E2%80%93%20which%20is%20two%20days%20after%20the%20T20%20World%20Cup%20final%20at%20the%20MCG.%20If%20he%20does%20play%20in%20the%20competition%2C%20he%20will%20be%20its%20youngest%20ever%20player.%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20Mohammed%20Amir%2C%20who%20was%2017%20years%20and%2055%20days%20when%20he%20played%20in%202009%2C%20currently%20holds%20the%20record.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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