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Economy

French Economy Falls Into Recession While Germany Expands By A Fraction

FRANCE 24, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS

Worldcrunch

BERLIN/PARIS – France slipped into recession while Germany’s economy expanded by a fraction, according to European economy data published on Wednesday.

Statistics showed the forecasts for Europe’s two biggest economies were weaker than expected. The German GDP increased about 0.1% from the fourth quarter while the French economy contracted by 0.2%.

According to France 24, France’s situation is the result of weak exports, investments and household spending. A harsh blow for François Hollande’s government – whose austerity policy fails to reassure both consumers and businessmen as unemployment reaches new heights.

Germany’s first-quarter growth was driven by household spending, according to statistics. The country’s recovery was delayed by an unusually long winter, which damped the business and construction confidence. However the Bundesbank is confident that the country’s economy will grow by 0.4% this year and 1.9% in 2014, reports Bloomberg.

For Italy, the euro zone’s third biggest economy, the situation is much worse says Reuters. It shrank more than expected in the first quarter – by 0.5%, extending Italy’s recession to seven straight quarters.

The weaker-than-forecast GDP results in Europe’s two biggest economies highlight the risks to the outlook and indicate that the euro zone is almost certainly still stuck in recession, said Bloomberg. The European Central Bank (ECB) cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 0.5 percent this month and President Mario Draghi said the bank is ready to act again if needed.

“The worse-than-anticipated start of the year will clearly worry policy makers at the ECB,” said chief economist at London’s Markit, Chris Williamson.

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Society

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

Horror films have a complicated and rich history with christian themes and influences, but how healthy is it for audiences watching?

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

"The Nun II" was released on Sept. 2023.

Joseph Holmes

“The Nun II” has little to show for itself except for its repetitive jump scares — but could it also be a danger to your soul?

Christians have a complicated relationship with the horror genre. On the one hand, horror movies are one of the few types of Hollywood films that unapologetically treat Christianity (particularly Catholicism) as good.

“The Exorcist” remains one of the most successful and acclaimed movies of all time. More recently, “The Conjuring” franchise — about a wholesome husband and wife duo who fight demons for the Catholic Church in the 1970s and related spinoffs about the monsters they’ve fought — has more reverent references to Jesus than almost any movie I can think of in recent memory (even more than many faith-based films).

The Catholic film critic Deacon Steven Greydanus once mentioned that one of the few places where you can find substantial positive Catholic representation was inhorror films.

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