Reuters

By Jamie McGeever

(Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets.

Investor sentiment in Asia is set to open the week on a positive note on Monday, buoyed by last week's upward momentum in global stocks, calmer currency markets, and a general easing of financial conditions.

The main regional calendar events include services PMI figures from China and first-quarter GDP data from Indonesia, while Chinese President Xi... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) -Australia's Westpac Banking Corp reported a 16% drop in its first-half net profit on Monday as intense lending competition and higher costs squeezed its margins.

It also announced an increase of A$1 billion ($660.90 million) to an existing share buyback program, taking it up to A$2.5 billion.

A rise in borrowing costs and increased competition for lending have prompted banks to cut rates on loans despite having to pay depositors... (continue reading...)

By Raul Cortes and Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The parents of an American and two Australian surfers presumed to have been killed in northern Mexico have arrived in the country and will try to identify the dead bodies believed to be their children, a Mexican regional official said on Sunday.

Authorities in the Baja California state are conducting forensic tests on three corpses they found in a well this week and which they... (continue reading...)

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday he had to be hospitalized again in the northern city of Manaus due to a skin infection caused by a bacteria, adding there is no forecast for when he could be discharged.

Bolsonaro said on social media he was hospitalized again with erysipelas, a skin disease which he had in 2022 and again on Saturday, when he was also briefly hospitalized, according to a spokesperson.

PARIS (Reuters) - The board of French tech firm Atos was due to meet on Sunday evening to consider takeover offers, including one submitted by Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky, Les Echos and Le Figaro reported.

Atos, which secures communications for the French army and is set to manage cybersecurity for this summer's Paris Olympic Games, had given itself until Friday evening to receive refinancing offers.

The struggling firm also... (continue reading...)