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Zimbabwe inflation rate hits 11.2 million per cent

Business Materials 19 August 2008 13:56 (UTC +04:00)

Zimbabwe's inflation rate reached a new high of 11.2 million per cent in June, state media reported, quoting figures from the central statistics office.

The new rate compares with an official figure of 2.2 million per cent for May, a figure that had been deemed unrealistically low, dpa reported.

Faced with critical cash shortages, Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank at the end of July slashed ten zeroes from the Zimbabwe dollar. One US dollar was fetching up to 800 billion Zimbabwean dollars at the time.

The dire straits of the economy, widely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's populist policies, have prompted the elderly leader to enter talks with donor-backed opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on sharing power.

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