Germany sees 2009 GDP shrinking up to 4.5 pct-paper

BERLIN, March 24 (Reuters) - Germany's government expects the economy to shrink by between four percent and 4.5 percent this year, about twice as much as its previous forecast of a 2.25 percent contraction, a German newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Bild daily cited a government source as saying the government no longer expected Europe's biggest economy to return to slight growth in the fourth quarter of 2009.