In Britain, the number of unemployed people has fallen for the first time in 18 months. Official figures show that the total number of unemployed persons stood at 2.46 million at the end of November, down by 7,000 over the figure three months ago. The Office of National Statistics said the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen to 1.61 million. The rate of unemployment now stands at 7.8 per cent down from the 7.9 per cent reported last month.