- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders admitted Thursday that the world's number two economy was facing new "problems" and vowed to resolve a long-running crisis in the housing sector.
Beijing has this week unveiled a raft of measures to boost its ailing economy, which it has targeted to grow five percent this year -- an objective analysts say is optimistic given the many headwinds it faces.
On Thursday, the ruling Communist Party convened a meeting of its top body, the Politburo, to "analyse and study the current economic situation".
"Some new situations and problems have emerged in the current running of the economy," the Xinhua news agency reported after the meeting, which was attended by Xi.
"We must view the current economic situation comprehensively, objectively and calmly, face difficulties squarely, (and) strengthen confidence," it added.
Politburo members agreed on the need to "further improve the focus and effectiveness of policy measures" aimed at lifting the economy.
They also vowed to "respond to the people's concerns" about the economic malaise.
Beijing would "adjust housing purchase restriction policies, lower interest rates on existing mortgage loans... and promote the construction of a new model for real estate development", Xinhua said.
- 'Positive step' -
Thursday's readout suggested that more substantial support for the economy may be on the way, said Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China economics at Capital Economics, in a note.
"But concrete details are lacking and so it's difficult to judge the scale of any additional fiscal support at this stage," he said.
The state media readout also suggested rate cuts could be larger than previously anticipated, said Evans-Pritchard: "falling inflation and private-sector deleveraging mean that rate cuts alone won't dramatically boost domestic demand".
Also on Thursday, the government vowed to improve care for the elderly and young, and push to boost jobs, particularly among the youth.
Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, said the meeting "touched on the key issues that need to be addressed, such as the stabilisation of the property sector, and the promotion of the private sector".
"The Politburo meeting stated that fiscal and monetary policies should become more forceful, but didn't provide quantitative guidance on the size of fiscal stimulus," he said in a note.
Overall, however, Zhang said he regarded the messages from Thursday's meeting as a "positive step to address the economic challenges that China face".
- Splash the cash -
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported officials were considering pumping more than $140 billion into the country's large state-run banks, in the first major capital injection of its kind since the 2008 global financial crisis.
The measure -- aimed at giving the banks more room to lend to businesses -- would be implemented mainly through the issuance of "new special sovereign bonds", the report said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The details have not yet been finalised, it added.
This week's announcements, which include key rate cuts and policies intended to encourage home purchases, have been welcomed by investors, with stocks in Shanghai and Hong Kong up more than nine percent so far this week.
But more work is needed if leaders are to achieve their five percent goal this year, analysts warned.
Recent economic data has been disappointing, with second-quarter growth coming in lower than expectations at 4.7 percent.
Youth unemployment climbed in August to 18.8 percent -- its highest level this year -- according to official figures released last week.
This week's stimulus measures represent a "shift towards a more aggressive easing stance, given the sustained weakness in domestic growth", said Chaoping Zhu, global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management.
"The sense of urgency may convince investors that more policy support is on its way," added Zhu.
Y.Aukaiv--AMWN