Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's exports to North Korea in April rose at a marginal pace from a year earlier, reversing an annual decline in March, customs data showed on Monday, as Pyongyang affirmed its position to develop long-standing ties with China.

China is the chief ally and economic lifeline for North Korea, which has been hard-hit by U.N. sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

Shipments to North Korea last month increased... (continue reading...)

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook

Copper and gold made record highs in Asia trade on Monday and silver surged over $30. The breakout gains were all the more noteworthy while bonds and currencies settled into ranges and with uncertainty rather than optimism on the outlook.

World stocks, meanwhile, were parked just below last week's record peak.

Gold's 18% rally over the year to date has... (continue reading...)

By Stefanno Sulaiman

DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) -Indonesia's coordinating minister of investment said that Elon Musk will consider an offer to build an electric vehicle battery plant in the country, after the CEO of Tesla met with President Joko Widodo on Monday.

Musk was not immediately available for comment after minister Luhut Pandjaitan made his remarks to reporters.

Musk and Widodo met in Indonesia's Bali after both... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran's first vice president who, based on the country's constitution, is expected to become interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

* As interim president, Mokhber is part of a three-person council, along with the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary, that will organise a new presidential election within 50 days of the president's... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Ebrahim Raisi, who died aged 63, rose through Iran's theocracy from hardline prosecutor to uncompromising president, overseeing a crackdown on protests at home and pushing hard in nuclear talks with world powers as he burnished his credentials to position himself to become the next supreme leader.

Raisi died when a helicopter carrying him back from a visit to the Azerbaijani border crashed in mountainous terrain, killing all aboard, a... (continue reading...)