China cut benchmark lending rates for the first time since October on Tuesday, while major state banks lowered deposit rates as authorities work to ease monetary policy to help buffer the economy from the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, Reuters reported. The widely expected rate cuts are aimed at stimulating consumption and loan growth as the world's No. 2 economy softens, while still protecting commercial lenders' shrinking profit margins.

Australia's central bank on Tuesday cut interest rates to a two-year low as cooling inflation at home offered scope to counter rising global trade risks, and left the door open to further easing in the months ahead, Reuters reported. Wrapping up a two-day policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%, saying that upside risks to inflation had diminished as the international developments are set to weigh on the economy.

Japan on Tuesday clarified its stance on U.S. tariffs, saying it wants all new levies put into place by the administration of President Donald Trump completely removed, confirming a hard-line position ahead of high-level negotiations that might be held later this week in Washington, the Japan Times reported. “As we have repeatedly stated, we find the series of U.S. tariff measures — including those on automobiles, auto parts, steel, aluminum, and reciprocal tariffs — extremely regrettable,” said Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, at a news conference.

The European arm of Bajaj Auto Ltd. has obtained a EUR 566 million (USD 632 million) unsecured one-year loan from JP Morgan Chase & Co., DBS Bank Ltd., and Citigroup Inc. to fund investments related to its motorcycle business, according to a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, BusinessWorld.In reported. The financing comes just days ahead of the 23 May deadline for KTM AG, the Austrian motorcycle maker, to deposit EUR 544 million with its insolvency administrator and pay out 30 per cent to creditors as part of a restructuring agreement.

The rapid de-escalation in the U.S.-China trade war after the Geneva talks has helped Beijing avoid a nightmare scenario: mass job losses that could have endangered social stability - what the ruling Communist Party sees as its top-most priority, Reuters reported. But this year's U.S. tariff hikes of 145% left lasting economic damage and even after the Geneva talks remain high enough to continue to hurt the job market and slow Chinese growth, say economists and policy advisers.

Japan's economy shrank for the first time in a year and at a faster pace than expected, data for the March quarter showed on Friday, underscoring the fragile nature of its recovery now under threat from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies, Reuters reported. The data highlights the challenge policymakers face as steep U.S. tariffs cloud the outlook for the export-heavy economy, particularly for the mainstay automobiles sector.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Ahmedabad, on Friday issued a notice to Gensol Engineering, directing it to file a reply over the insolvency plea filed by public sector Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), IndianExpress.com reported. The IREDA plea came before a two-member bench of the NCLT which posted it for hearing on June 3. The bench refused the PSU’s request to appoint an Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) to take charge of the company as the top leadership had exited in the wake of the ban order passed by the market regulator Sebi.

Japan's economy shrank for the first time in a year and at a faster pace than expected, data for the March quarter showed on Friday, underscoring the fragile nature of its recovery now under threat from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies, Reuters reported. Real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted an annualised 0.7% in January-March, preliminary government data showed, much bigger than a median market forecast for a 0.2% drop.

Chinese worker Liu Shengzun lost two jobs in just one month as U.S. import tariffs shot up to triple digits in April, forcing a Guangdong lighting products factory, and then a footwear maker, to reduce output, Reuters reported. Tariffs came down dramatically this week, but Liu has given up on factory jobs and is now back farming in his hometown in southern China. "It's been extremely difficult this year to find steady employment," said the 42-year-old, who used to earn 5,000 - 6,000 yuan ($693-$832) a month as a factory worker and now doesn't have a steady source of income.