epa08051957 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane (C) celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain, 07 December 2019. EPA/WILL OLIVER EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications
epa08051957 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane (C) celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain, 07 December 2019. EPA/WILL OLIVER EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications
epa08051957 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane (C) celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain, 07 December 2019. EPA/WILL OLIVER EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications
epa08051957 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane (C) celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, B

Premier League stars launch #PlayersTogether fund to assist NHS in fight against coronavirus


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Premier League players announced on Wednesday they had launched an initiative to generate funds for Britain's National Health Service (NHS) to help against the coronavirus pandemic.

The idea - named #PlayersTogether - has been set up to "help those fighting for us on the NHS frontline" during the Covid-19 outbreak.

"It is about we, as players, collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other league and club conversation," a statement from the group said. To try and help, along with so many others in the country, to make a real difference."

Individuals such as league leaders Liverpool's captain Jordan Henderson, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were among those to post on social media about the move.

Earlier this week, the Premier League proposed wage cuts of 30 percent but talks have hit a stumbling block, with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) warning the NHS could suffer from the loss of tax receipts.

The league's chief executive Richard Masters admitted the virus fall-out could cost the top-flight "at least £1 billion" (Dh4.56bn).

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said the players had "agreed to play their part" as pressure mounts to find a collective pay deal.

England's top-flight stars had come under criticism over their lack of action, which contrasts sharply with significant pay cuts taken by players at other leading European clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford defended his fellow players.

"I think there has been plenty of occasions, for me personally, where we've tried to help but we've not helped in the best way possible," Rashford told BT Sport. "You can get some backlash from that. We wanted to take our time with the decision."

On Tuesday, English Football Association chief Greg Clarke called on players and fans to "share the pain to keep the game alive".

Appearing at an FA Council meeting, Clarke warned football faces economic challenges "beyond the wildest imagination of those who run it" as a result of the health emergency.

Spurs have come under pressure from fans to follow Liverpool in reversing their decision to use public money to pay employees.

Liverpool, the European champions and the world's seventh richest club, ditched their controversial plan to furlough some of their non-playing staff during the virus on Monday after coming under intense pressure from ex-players and fans.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8​​​​​​​

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.