Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's economic grew 2.7% in the first quarter on the year, official advance estimates showed on Thursday, driven by an increase in visitor arrivals and private consumption.

That compared with 4.3% growth in the fourth quarter and a revised 4.2%, 1.6% and 2.8% growth in third, second and first quarters, respectively.

The city's Financial Secretary Paul Chan had on Sunday estimated first quarter GDP to come in... (continue reading...)

By Kevin Buckland

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese officials may have spent some 3.66 trillion yen ($23.59 billion) on Wednesday to pull the yen back from near 34-year lows, Bank of Japan data suggested on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the yen was at around 157.55 per dollar when it suddenly spiked, strengthening as far as 153 over the next half hour.

On Monday the finance ministry spent an unprecedented 6 trillion yen or so intervening... (continue reading...)

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban has agreed with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to build a logistics hub in western Afghanistan aimed at making the war-torn nation a major logistics point for regional exports, including oil from Russia to South Asia, the country's commerce minister said.

Following a meeting between representatives of the three countries in the Afghan capital last week, Taliban... (continue reading...)

LONDON (Reuters) -Scottish National Party (SNP) lawmaker John Swinney said on Thursday that he would run in the contest to succeed outgoing leader Humza Yousaf as Scotland's first minister.

"I intend to stand for election as leader of the Scottish National Party," Swinney, 60, told a press conference.

"I want to build on the work of the SNP government to create a modern, diverse, dynamic Scotland that will ensure opportunity for all of our... (continue reading...)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured another reprieve in a long-running Israeli dispute over exemptions of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, with the Supreme Court on Thursday deferring the deadline for a new conscription plan to May 16.

The court, hearing appeals that described the decades-old waiver as discriminatory, had given March 31 as the original deadline. That was extended to April 30 at the request of the... (continue reading...)