BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's economy is expected to grow 3% in 2025, supported by private consumption, exports, investment and tourism, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday and roughly maintained its forecast that inflation will hover near its 2% inflation target in coming years, signalling its readiness to continue rolling back its massive monetary stimulus.

SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea conducted what appeared to be its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday as South Korea warned Pyongyang could seek missile technology from Russia in exchange for deploying troops to help with the war in Ukraine.

(Reuters) - Big tech including Microsoft and Meta are stepping up spending to build out AI data centers in a rush to meet vast demand, but Wall Street is hungry for a quicker payday on the billions invested.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian stocks slid on Thursday as chip-sector stocks tracked overnight declines by Wall Street peers and Facebook owner Meta Platforms warned of accelerating costs for artificial intelligence.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Denso, a leading supplier to Toyota, slashed its full-year operating profit forecast by 21% on Thursday, mainly due to less favourable conditions in China and wider Asia.

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - Former Huawei Technologies unit Honor announced on Thursday it had received an undisclosed investment from partners including China Telecom and a unit of CICC Capital Corp.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's non-manufacturing activity expanded in October, an official survey showed on Thursday, providing some relief to policymakers even as other indicators have suggested recovery in the world's No. 2 economy remains distant.

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's manufacturing activity in October expanded for the first time in six months, an official factory survey showed on Thursday, supporting policymakers' optimism that recent fresh stimulus will get the world's No. 2 economy back on track.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday, extending the previous day's rally, driven by optimism over U.S. fuel demand following an unexpected drop in crude and gasoline inventories, while reports that OPEC+ may delay a planned output increase offered support.

KARACHI (Reuters) - Attiq Ur Rehman is determined to follow his dream to become Pakistan's first professional surfer despite his father's concern for his future, a lack of equipment and the messy waves near Karachi.

TOKYO (Reuters) -The yen remained under pressure on Thursday as the Bank of Japan kept ultra-low interest rates steady, while the U.S. dollar consolidated ahead of jobs data later this week and the U.S. presidential election next week.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares of Korea Zinc slumped for a second straight session on Thursday, after a decision by the world's top zinc refiner to issue new stocks. Shares fell by as much as 23.2% in Thursday's morning trade, after hitting on Wednesday their daily lower limit with a drop of 29.9%.

CALI, Colombia (Reuters) - The United Nations and coastal countries warned on Wednesday that the world's coral reefs are being devastated by the effects of warming oceans and urged nations to increase funding for urgent efforts to save them.

(Reuters) - Private equity firm Blackstone Inc is bidding C$7 billion ($5.03 billion) for a minority stake in telecom and media company Rogers Communications's cellphone infrastructure business, the Globe and Mail reported on Wednesday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, a day after Seoul reported the North was making preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's factory output in September rose 1.4% from the previous month, versus a median market forecast for a 1% rise, government data showed on Thursday. Manufacturers surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect seasonally adjusted output to jump 8.3% in October and fall 3.7% in November.

SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics said it would focus on producing high-end chips to improve profitability after reporting a 40% quarter-on-quarter plunge in chip profit, in a stark contrast with rivals TSMC and SK Hynix that posted record earnings on the AI boom.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Loose forward Rob Valetini is looking to change perceptions of Australian rugby on the tour of the northern hemisphere following a difficult period for the Wallabies.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's lower house of Congress approved a measure on Wednesday that makes changes to the constitution "unchallengeable" as ruling party Morena and allies push through a swath of constitutional reforms, including a controversial judicial overhaul.