British unemployment steady at 7.8% but outlook brightens

LONDON: Britain's unemployment rate held steady at 7.8 per cent in June but a sharp fall in jobless benefit claims in July pointed to a strengthening labour market.

UK inflation slows to two-and-a-half year low

British inflation fell to its lowest in more than two-and-a-half years in June helped by early summer sales of clothes and shoes, easing pressure on cash-strapped households.