IMF cuts Italy growth forecast to 0.3%

(ANSA) - New York, July 24 - The International Monetary Fund on Thursday cut its forecast for expansion in the Italian economy this year by half, to just 0.3%.
    But next year, the economy should grow by 1.1%, the agency added in its latest world economic outlook that updates previous forecasts issued in April.
    Italy is struggling to emerge from its worst recession since the Second World War.
    Meanwhile, the IMF held steady its prediction for the eurozone's expansion at 1.1% this year, rising to 1.5% in 2015.
    The agency also warned that the recovery across the 18-member currency area remained uneven across countries and generally weak, hampered by high unemployment.
    It also trimmed its forecast for worldwide growth to 3.4% in 2014.
    In April, the IMF said that the global growth rate this year should reach 3.7%, rising to 4% in 2015.