Sydney / Bloomberg Australian consumer prices fell in January-March for the first time since 2008 during the global financial crisis, data showed on Wednesday, putting pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates and sending the local dollar tumbling. The statistics bureau said the consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.2 percent in the quarter from the previous three …

  Seoul/ AP Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, posted a solid first-quarter net profit on Wednesday on the back of a weaker Korean won and strong demand for its SUVs and motorhomes. Net profit stood at 944.6 billion won ($822.7 million) during the January-March period, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory …

  Seoul / AFP An extended export slump and weakening domestic consumption saw South Korea’s economic growth slow in the first quarter, despite record low interest rates, the central Bank of Korea said. Asia’s fourth largest economy expanded 0.4 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, and 2.7 percent compared to a year earlier.On-quarter growth in the final …