LONDON // Former South Korea captain Park Ji-sung has been appointed as an ambassador by his former club Manchester United, the Premier League giants announced on Thursday.
Park, now 33, played for United for seven years, winning four Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Champions League title and one Club World Cup, making him the most decorated Asian footballer in history.
He joins United greats such as Bobby Charlton and Alex Ferguson on the list of the club’s ambassadors and will make an appearance at Old Trafford before their league game against Everton on Sunday.
“I have fond memories of my time at Manchester United and I am delighted and honoured to have become an ambassador for the club,” Park said in a statement released by the club.
“Some of the best moments of my life and career were spent here and I will never forget the great support I had from the club and the fans.
“I am looking forward to once again representing United and sharing some of these memories with our global fanbase.”
Park’s role will involve attending events and functions on behalf of United and promoting the club’s work within the community and with commercial partners.
A hard-working midfielder, Park made 100 appearances for South Korea, scoring 13 goals and playing in three World Cups.
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Teaching in coronavirus times
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
