German economic growth slows sharply

Growth in the German economy slowed sharply between April and June and was weaker at the start of the year than previously thought, figures show. The economy grew by just 0.1% in the quarter, according to provisional figures from the national statistics office. Germany had been driving the economic recovery in the eurozone. The figures come ahead of a key meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The two leaders will discuss ways to solve the eurozone debt crisis that has threatened to engulf Italy and Spain and has sparked turmoil on global stock markets. Figures also released on Tuesday showed that Spanish economic growth slowed to 0.2% in the second quarter, down from 0.3% in the previous three months. The weak growth figures are expected to raise further questions about the strength of the eurozone economy, particularly in light of figures released last week showing that French economic growth came to a standstill between April and June.