Great Britain confirms GDP growth

LONDON, May 23 (UPI) -- Britain's Office of National Statistics said the country's economy rose 0.3 percent in the first quarter of the year, leaving a previous estimate unchanged.

The growth over the fourth quarter of 2012 was in line with expectations and follows a quarter-to-quarter decline of 0.3 percent in the previous reporting period.

The gross domestic product, the broadest measure of an economy's value, rose 0.4 percent compared to the first quarter a year earlier, the statistics agency said.

The ONS said positive contributions came from changes in business inventories and consumer spending, which increased by 0.1 percent.