IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Brits a bit better off

The average British family was 12 pounds ($20) a week better off in June compared with the same month last year, as big interest rate cuts continue to boost disposable incomes, a survey showed yesterday.

The Asda monthly income tracker showed the average household had 164 pounds a week of discretionary income last month, 7.8 percent higher than a year earlier, when spending power was being hit by rapidly rising prices.