Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's April exports grew 1.5% year-on-year, while imports increased 8.4%, customs data showed on Thursday, suggesting demand at home and abroad may be slowly returning in a boost to the economic recovery.

A Reuters poll of economists had forecast exports would increase 1.5%, after outbound shipments contracted 7.5% in March, and imports to grow 4.8%, compared with a contraction of 1.9% the month prior.

China posted a... (continue reading...)

By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) - Marine conservationists and government scientists are seeking clues to the mystery of how a 44-foot whale carcass ended up on the bow of a cruise liner, where it was discovered as the ship approached New York City's Port of Brooklyn over the weekend.

A necropsy, the animal equivalent of an autopsy, identified the deceased marine mammal as a mature female sei whale, an endangered species typically found in deep... (continue reading...)

By Krishn Kaushik and Fayaz Bukhari

ANANTNAG, India (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi is criss-crossing India in a marathon election campaign but, for the first time since 1996, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not contesting in Kashmir, where a 35-year uprising against Indian rule has killed tens of thousands of people.

Instead, the main contenders for the three seats in the Muslim-majority region are powerful local parties,... (continue reading...)

By Clyde Russell

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - It's time for a reality check about decarbonising Asia's vast and growing steel sector. Reducing the carbon footprint is possible, but only in stages, and over a far longer than ideal time period, and only if incentives to do so are available.

Steel is the biggest industrial contributor to global carbon emissions, accounting for around 8% of the world's total, making efforts to decarbonise the sector... (continue reading...)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday the central bank will scrutinise the yen's recent declines in guiding monetary policy.

"Sharp, one-sided yen falls are negative for the economy and therefore undesirable," as it makes it difficult for companies to set business plans, Ueda told parliament.

"If currency volatility affects, or risks affecting, trend inflation, the BOJ must respond with monetary policy," he... (continue reading...)