TOKYO: Once a pioneer in cashless transactions, Japan is now lagging behind as the world’s biggest economies increasingly embrace electronic payments — because its ageing population still prefers physical money. Four out of five purchases are still made with cash in Japan, despite its reputation as a futuristic and innovative
MILFORD HAVEN (United Kingdom): Welsh businessman Stewart Graves is certain that a no-deal Brexit will shut down his marine renewable energy plant currently testing its prototypes in the Irish Sea. The entrepreneur’s Milford Haven shipyard and its 80 workers also make sensitive communication masts that British warships will use to
WASHINGTON: US restaurant chain Popeyes launched a fried chicken sandwich that became so popular the company has run out of stock — leaving would-be consumers crying fowl. On August 12, Popeyes — best known for its Cajun-spiced fried chicken — unveiled its latest offering: a deep fried chicken breast on
NEW YORK: Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic rolled into the US Open fourth round on Friday while Serena Williams and Roger Federer cruised into the last 16 and Kei Nishikori was eliminated. Djokovic, champion in four of the past five Slams and 16 overall, was less bothered by left shoulder
NEW YORK: Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova, chasing her first Grand Slam title, advanced to the fourth round of the US Open on Friday by outlasting Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Pliskova, the 2016 US Open runner-up who could finish the fortnight as world number one, booked a spot
HONG KONG: Police fired water cannon and tear gas at Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters massed outside the city’s parliament yesterday, as demonstrators defied a ban on rallying, the arrests of leading activists and rising threats from China, to take to the streets for a 13th straight weekend. Police had banned
GUWAHATI (India): Almost two million people in north-east India were left facing statelessness yesterday after the state of Assam published a citizenship list aimed at weeding out “foreign infiltrators”, in a process the central government wants to replicate nationwide. A total of 31.1 million people were included in a final
BEIRUT: Air strikes on Syria’s north-western Idlib region stopped yesterday, a war monitor said, after the government agreed to a Russian-backed ceasefire following four months of deadly bombardment. The truce is the second such agreement since an August 1 ceasefire deal broke down only days after going into effect, prompting
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Friday that any attempt by MPs next week to stop Brexit or delay it beyond October 31 would do “lasting damage” to public trust in politics. Johnson said Britons had decided to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum and MPs
WASHINGTON: Americans who use e-cigarettes should avoid adding substances like cannabis and buying products off the street — or consider refraining altogether — while authorities investigate hundreds of cases of severe lung disease among vapers, health officials said Friday. A total of 215 possible cases of pulmonary illness associated with
