Briefly

IRAN

Raisi approves bill for SCO membership

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday issued an order for implementing the law on Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO. The directive was issued in a letter signed by Raisi to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, according to the website of the Iranian president's office. The move followed the Iranian Constitutional Council spokesman's announcement that the vetting body had approved the bill on the country's membership in the SCO. In November 2022, the Iranian parliament approved the bill for Iran's SCO membership by the overwhelming majority of the lawmakers. In September 2021, the 21st summit of the SCO leaders held in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe declared the decision to start admitting Iran as a full member of the SCO.

JAPAN

Media: Marcos eyes closer ties with Tokyo

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was scheduled to arrive in Japan on Wednesday for a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo, media reported. Marcos and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were expected to deepen cooperation in disaster relief, a possible precursor to establishing a broader legal framework that would allow Japanese forces to deploy to the Philippines more easily. Marcos' first visit to Japan since taking office in July comes after he signed an agreement last week granting the United States greater access to its military bases.

UNITED KINGDOM

New stamp with image of King Charles unveiled

New 'everyday' stamps featuring the image of King Charles were revealed for the first time on Wednesday, the latest item in Britain to get a makeover following the death of Queen Elizabeth. From coins and bank notes and to the official royal cipher used by the government, Britain has been slowly introducing replacements featuring the new monarch since his mother's death in September. In keeping with a tradition dating back to the first Penny Black in 1840, the new "definitive" stamp uses an adapted version of a portrait of Charles which is also appearing on new coinage.

INDIA

Govt slows rate hikes but inflation still 'sticky'

India's central bank slowed the pace of interest rate hikes on Wednesday but warned that core inflation in the world's fifth-biggest economy remained stubbornly high. Central banks around the world yanked up borrowing costs last year to arrest soaring prices due to the Ukraine conflict, but many have now slowed the pace of rate hikes as inflation cools. The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday raised the benchmark repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 percent, the sixth and smallest increase since May when it stood at 4.0 percent. The move was in line with most analysts' expectations.

Xinhua - Agencies