IN BRIEF (Page 17)

Eurozone slump expected

The euro-area economy will contract this year for the first time since the currency was introduced a decade ago, the European Commission forecast, cutting its outlook for the region.

The economy of the 16 countries sharing the euro will shrink 1.9 percent in 2009, the Brussels-based commission said, revising a November estimate for growth of 0.1 percent. The forecast is more pessimistic than the 0.5 percent contraction predicted by the European Central Bank last month.