NEW DELHI -- India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday kept the key policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5 percent.

This was the fourth time when the RBI kept the repo rate steady.

Addressing media persons in financial capital Mumbai, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said, "After a detailed assessment of the evolving macroeconomic and financial developments and the outlook, RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided unanimously to keep the Policy Repo Rate unchanged at 6.5 percent." (India-Central Bank-Rate)

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TOKYO -- Japan's average monthly wages in inflation-adjusted terms logged the 17th straight month of decline in August as price increases continued to outpace nominal earnings growth, official data showed on Friday.

Inflation-adjusted real wages, a barometer of consumer purchasing power, fell by 2.5 percent from a year earlier in August, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Nominal monthly earnings, including base pay and overtime, rose 1.1 percent from a year ago to reach 282,700 yen (about 1,900 U.S. dollars), which failed to keep up with soaring consumer prices despite an increase for the 20th straight month. (Japan-Real Wages-August)

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MANILA -- The Philippines has placed 42 commercial airports across the country on heightened alert on Friday as authorities validate bomb threats sent via email, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

"All 42 CAAP commercial airports are on heightened alert as of today, Oct. 6, following a warning received by the Air Traffic Service via email that aircraft from Manila, bound to Puerto Princesa, Mactan-Cebu, Bicol, and Davao International Airports are about to be set off by a bomb," the CAAP said in a statement.

"While the information is currently under validation, immediate enhanced security measures are being implemented across all airports," CAAP said. "All CAAP airports and area centers shall augment adequate security personnel to manage the expected high volume of passengers and vehicle traffic," it added. (Philippines-Airports-Threats)

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HANOI -- Vietnam's rice exports in the first nine months of 2023 recorded the highest revenue in 34 years, reaching 3.66 billion U.S. dollars, up 40.4 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday.

The new record was attributed to the increasing price of Vietnamese export rice, and the decreasing rice supplies in many markets during this period.

From January to September, Vietnam exported 6.6 million tons of rice, said the ministry. (Vietnam-Rice Export)

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TOKYO -- The northern Japanese city of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, has decided to give up its bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, local media reported on Friday citing sources close to the matter.

Sapporo, which in 2014 announced its bid to host the Winter Olympics, on Tuesday announced revised plans for running the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The decision was made amid growing public distrust over the bribery and bid-rigging scandals connected to the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021. (Japan-Sapporo-Winter Olympics)

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MACAO -- The 35th Macao International Music Festival formally opened here on Friday with the opera staged in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, The Barber of Seville, an adaptation of the eponymous comedy by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais.

Themed "Melodic Reconnections," this year's music festival features dozens of eclectic programs and outreach activities, gathering maestros and rising stars to present fans a musical feast. (Macao-Music Festival) Enditem

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