Hong Kong / AFP China and Japan’s economies are expected to slow sharply over the next two years but Asian growth will remain strong as domestic demand takes up the slack from weak global trade, the IMF said on Tuesday. Government stimulus measures, lower commodity prices and low unemployment will help drive regional expansion, the International Monetary Fund said, …

  Sydney / AFP A Chinese-led consortium has withdrawn its $281.5 million bid for Australia’s vast Kidman cattle empire after the government indicated the deal was not in the national interest, the seller said on Tuesday. Australia’s biggest private landholder S. Kidman and Co. had selected the bid by Chinese-owned Dakang Australia Holdings and ASX-listed Australian Rural Capital (ARC) as …

  Bloomberg The European Commission told the euro area’s largest economies to reduce debt and modernize labor markets as it again slashed its inflation forecast and warned of slower-than-predicted growth across the 19-nation bloc. France, Spain and Italy, which have persistently failed to hit European Union budget targets, are still off track, the Brussels-based commission said. Gross domestic product in …