Indian services growth eased dramatically during April as new orders came in at a much slower pace, prompting firms to rein in hiring plans, a business survey showed on Monday.

Banks in Singapore are urgently scrutinizing their account holders as an imminent deadline on stricter tax evasion measures forces them to decide whether to send some of their wealthiest clients packing.

Ajeng Dewanti wakes up every weekday before sunrise, squeezes into an overcrowded car, and spends the next two hours making the 17-kilometer (11-mile) journey through the Jakarta gridlock to her work.

China became the world's largest personal computer market for the first time on an annual basis last year amid weaker global demand, a research firm said, adding that the nation is likely to retain the position in the coming years.

Taiwanese investors have gained interest for investing in housing in Japan in light of a weakening Japanese yen, a local broker said yesterday.

Shares in Taiwan closed flat Friday as profit-taking emerged to erase early gains when the index approached the nearest level of technical resistance at around 8,200 points, dealers said.

The U.S. dollar fell against the New Taiwan dollar Friday, shedding NT$0.026 to close at NT$29.610 as foreign institutional buying in the local bourse placed downward pressure on the greenback, dealers said.

India's central bank has cut a key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to try to revive stalled economic growth. The bank's governor warns, however, that persistent inflation will prevent much more aggressive rate cuts beyond the new 7.25 percent level.

The Taiwan Manufacturing PMI stood at 56.8 points in April, down 5.6 points from March's 62.4, indicating that manufacturing expansion, though slowed, continued for the second consecutive month.

Chinese home prices picked up in April in their fifth consecutive monthly rise, an independent survey showed on Thursday. The cost of a new home in 100 major cities rose 5.3 percent year-on-year to an average 10,098 yuan (US$1,638) per square meter, said the China Index Academy.