Reuters

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China left benchmark lending rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Monday, in line with market expectations.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The steady monthly LPR fixings come after China announced "historic" steps last week to stabilise its crisis-hit property sector, with the central bank facilitating 1 trillion yuan in extra funding and easing mortgage rules, in an attempt to revive housing demand.

The... (continue reading...)

By Ankur Banerjee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The dollar was broadly steady on Monday as investors awaited further clues to help chart the U.S. interest rate path in the wake of cautious comments from Federal Reserve officials, even as inflation shows signs of cooling.

The Japanese yen started the week on the back foot, weakening a bit to 155.80 per dollar as traders remain on tenterhooks for signs of government intervention. The currency has... (continue reading...)

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan's new president on Monday, in footage shown live on television from the presidential office.

Lai, who won election in January, takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, having served as her vice president for the past four years.

(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill)

By Rupam Jain and Rajendra Jadhav

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - As Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces voter fatigue and some resistance from a resurgent opposition in India's mammoth general election, foot soldiers of his party's Hindu nationalist parent have stepped in to help regain momentum, insiders said.

With less than two weeks left of a six-week voting schedule, voter turnout has been lower than previous elections, raising concern... (continue reading...)

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The suspect in an attack on a Malaysian police station that killed two officers last week acted alone and was not part of any militant group, state news agency Bernama reported, citing the country's top police official.

Authorities initially said the man, who was killed during the attack, was suspected of being a member of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant group.

"The suspect is not affiliated with any terrorist... (continue reading...)