May 21 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip stock index ended

flat on Thursday, as risk sentiment remained shaky following

downbeat domestic data and persisting worries that the Middle

East conflict could remain deadlocked.

The FTSE 100 closed 0.1% higher at 10,443.47 points,

while the midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.5%.

* Iran's supreme leader has issued a directive that the

country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad,

Reuters reported, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main

U.S. demands ​at peace talks.

* The prolonged conflict has already pushed up oil prices

and intensified concerns about inflation.

* Separately, a survey on Thursday showed that British

companies were suffering the most widespread drop in activity in

more than a year, due to the economic fallout from the war and

political uncertainty at home.

* "These figures... lend some tentative support to other

evidence that suggests the conditions for a long period of high

inflation are not in place," said Paul Dales, chief UK economist

at Capital Economics.

* Earlier this week, data showed that inflation in April was

softer than expected, while the unemployment rate ticked up.

* Meanwhile, factory orders in May contracted at the fastest

rate since September 2020, according to the Confederation of

British Industry.

* Utilities were among the best-performing

sectors on the day, followed by industrial metal miners

and retailers

* Shares of automotive marketplace Autotrader

slipped 8.8% after the company reported slower sales, and were

the biggest laggard on the FTSE 100.

* Medical equipment and services shares fell

1.6%, dragged down by a near 5% drop in medical equipment maker

Convatec ( CNVVF ), which flagged margin pressure.