UK economy continues recovery with 0.6pc growth

LONDON, Aug 15 (BBC): The UK's economy grew by 0.6 per cent between April and June as it continued its recovery from the recession at the end of last year.
The latest figure was in line with forecasts and follows a 0.7 per cent increase in the first three months of this year.
Growth was led by the services sector, in particular the IT industry, legal services and scientific research.
Services are the biggest contributor to the UK's economy, far outstripping manufacturing and construction, both of which saw output fall between April and June.
"The UK economy has now grown strongly for two quarters, following the weakness we saw in the second half of last year," said Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics, which released the figures.
Last year, the UK economy fell into a shallow and short-lived recession.
A recession is defined as economic activity shrinking for two three-month periods - or quarters - in a row.
Bar chart of UK quarterly GDP growth showing latest growth of 0.6 per cent in the April to June quarter
While gross domestic product (GDP) - a key measure of all the economic activity of companies, governments and people - expanded over the latest quarter, growth was flat in June.