UK left behind as France and Germany exit recession

Both countries reported growth in gross domestic product of 0.3% between April and June this year. That means the widely accepted definition of a recession - two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth - has not been met in either economy, two of Europe's largest. However, economic activity in the eurozone fell by 0.1%, suggesting the region as a whole is still in retreat. Many other European countries remain mired in recession. Italy's GDP fell by 0.5% in the second quarter, while Spain's and Holland's economies both declined by about 0.9%. The UK economy now looks in ...