China will strengthen policy coordination to meet growth target – state media

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will strengthen the coordination of various policies to boost growth and meet this year’s economic target, according to a cabinet meeting cited by state media on Wednesday. The meeting held on Wednesday comes amid China’s mounting economic woes with a prolonged property crisis, deflationary pressure and slower growth in retail sales…

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Iraq set in ‘battle’ against dollar smugglers, central bank governor says

By Timour Azhari BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq has made strides implementing U.S. dollar supply restrictions targeting Iran but faces an uphill battle with a banking system unaccustomed to strict oversight and persistent currency smugglers, central bank governor Ali al-Allaq said. “It is really a battle, because the people benefiting from this situation and those harmed…

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China’s economic woes mount as trust firm misses payments, home prices fall

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) -Missed payments on investment products by a leading Chinese trust firm and a fall in home prices have added to worries that China’s deepening property sector crisis is stifling what little momentum the economy has left. Zhongrong International Trust Co., which traditionally had sizable real estate exposure, missed payments on dozens of…

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Guatemala’s presidential run-off will be ‘test for democracy’

By Cassandra Garrison GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A Guatemalan anti-corruption campaigner is heavily favored to snag the presidency in Sunday’s run-off vote, suggesting the country could be heading towards a new era after years of democratic backsliding. Bernardo Arevalo of the progressive center-left Semilla party, who surprised with a second-place finish in the first-round vote,…

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