Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up by 74-77 points, or 1.3 percent, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on The UK blue chip index FTSE 100 .FTSE ended down 1.6 percent at 5,867.18 on Wednesday, as mining stocks and FTSE heavyweight Standard Chartered STAN.L came under pressure for a second straight session. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell's RDSa.L U.S. head Marvin Odum will step down after the company abandoned a troubled drilling project offshore Alaska, and the global oil company said on Wednesday it will split up its U.S. shale and Canadian oil sands unit. BHP BILLITON: BHP Billiton Ltd BHP.AX BLT.L was sued in the United States by investors who accused the Anglo-Australian mining company of fraudulently overstating its ability to manage safety risks prior to November's fatal dam burst at a Brazilian mine it co-owned and operated. BP: BP Plc BP.L swept up 1.5 million barrels of Qatari condensate loading in April, a rare move for the oil major, three traders that participate in the market said on Thursday. LSE/DEUTSCHE BOERSE: Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE Chief Executive Carsten Kengeter would run the day-to-day operations of a new company formed by a possible merger with the London Stock Exchange LSE.L , sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. STANDARD CHARTERED: Standard Chartered's STAN.L landmark attempt to claw back bonuses paid to staff deemed responsible for its current woes could be fraught with practical and legal difficulties, lawyers and investors said. LLOYDS: A note jotted down by a senior director of Lloyds Banking Group LLOY.L during a 2008 board meeting saying there was "no value left in HBOS" ahead of an ill-fated takeover was taken out of context, a lawyer for Lloyds told a London court on Wednesday. RBS: Six banks and brokerages, including Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L , agreed to pay roughly $103 million to settle claims that they conspired to rig prices for U.S. municipal securities. EU BANKS: European Union banks will be tested on their ability to raise funds in thin bond markets in a shrinking economy hit by tumbling commodities and property prices, the bloc's banking watchdog said on Wednesday. BANK OF ENGLAND: Bank of England Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe said on Wednesday that he still believed Britain's economy was in a slow recovery following the financial crisis but that the central bank was ready to provide more stimulus if needed. BRITAIN EU: Britain on Wednesday registered with the United Nations a deal on new terms for its membership in the European Union ahead of a June 23 national referendum on whether Britain should stay or quit the 28-nation bloc. BRITAIN AUTO: British car production rose 8 percent year-on-year in January, boosted by strong demand from overseas, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Thursday. COPPER: London copper climbed on Thursday, underpinned by a weaker dollar and gains in steel, but the rise was curbed by worries that stuttering global growth is stunting activity in top metals consumer China. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 had risen 0.42 percent to $4,661 a tonne by 0555 GMT UK CORPORATE DIARY:
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