Eurozone slowdown

BRUSSELS: Official EU data to be published on Tuesday will show economic growth in the 13 nations sharing the euro slowed in the first quarter as a German sales tax hike hit consumers in Europe’s biggest economy. Private forecasters are looking on average for the data to show that quarterly growth slowed to 0.5 per cent in the first three months of the year and three per cent over one year. — AFP

Zimbabweans poorer

HARARE: Zimbabwean cashier Cosmas Gwizo does not look forward to pay day. For the 43-year-old earning 500,000 Zimbabwean dollars a month (about $2,000) the receipt of his salary cheque is a painful rather than joyous occasion. In its most recent report, the government’s Central Statistical Office said the poverty threshold for a family of five had risen from 973,800 Zimbabwean dollars a month in February to 1.7 million in March as inflation reached 2,200 per cent. —AFP