Germany, France eke out third-quarter growth, worse times to come

BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Germany and France each grew by 0.2 percent in the third quarter but with the euro zone's debt-laden members suffering deeply, the currency bloc as a whole is likely to have slid into recession. The quarterly performance of Europe's dominant economy reported on Thursday was in line with forecasts and analysts said it could not defy gravity for much longer. The French economy surprised on the upside, having been expected to post no growth at all after a revised 0.1 percent fall in the second quarter. "That was the last good number from Germany for the time being. ...