Nov 10 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 34 to 35 points higher, or up 0.5 percent on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed 1 percent higher after setting a one-week high, boosted by mining companies and drugmakers, after a volatile Wednesday that saw the index slumping 2 percent in early trading following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election. RIO TINTO: Top Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L executives in 2011 approved a $10.5 million payment to a consultant to smooth relations with the president of Guinea as it struggled to secure land for a giant iron ore mine, emails made public on Thursday showed. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L shut down an Escravos crude oil flow station in Nigeria's Niger Delta after villagers demanding aid staged a protest, the firm and residents said on Wednesday. TATA STEEL UK: Tata Steel UK TISC.NS is looking at closing its defined benefit pension scheme to future accruals and move members onto a defined contribution pension instead, a union source said on Wednesday. ROLLS-ROYCE/L&G: Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc RR.L has signed an over 1 billion pound ($1.24 billion) with Legal & General Group Plc LGEN.L to offload a chunk of its pension liabilities, Sky News reported. UK HOUSE PRICES: British house prices rose last month at the fastest pace since April as a shortage of new homes intensified, adding to tentative signs a recent slowdown in the market is now easing, a survey showed on Thursday. UK MINING: Mining companies led gains on London's FTSE bluechip index on Wednesday as Republican Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election spurred hopes for higher metal demand and drove investors to buy gold as a shelter against economic uncertainty. BREXIT: New office space planned for Dublin over the next five years can comfortably accommodate more than 100,000 extra workers and any companies relocating as a result of Brexit, a survey from real estate group Savills SVS.L published on Thursday, said. UK/CHINA: Britain will seek to rekindle its "Golden Era" of relations with China on Thursday in talks with Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai focused on trade, infrastructure investment and closer financial cooperation. OIL: Oil prices dipped on Thursday, pulled down by rising U.S. crude inventories and as markets tried to interpret U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's surprise victory. EX-DIVS: BP Plc BP.L and Whitbread Plc WTB.L as well as Royal Dutch Shell A and Royal Dutch Shell B RDSa.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 18.37 points off the FTSE 100, according to Reuters calculations. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
National Grid PLC
Half Year 3i Group PLC
Half Year Dairy Crest Group PLC
Half Year SuperGroup PLC
Q1 Auto Trader Group PLC
Half Year IMI PLC
IMS Derwent London PLC
Q3 Halfords Group PLC
Half Year Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC
IMS UBM PLC
Trading Update AstraZeneca PLC
Q3 ITV PLC
Q3 Vedanta Resources PLC
IMS Beazley Plc
Q3 Wincanton Plc
Half Year Bovis Homes Group Plc
Trading Update Aldermore Group Plc
Q3
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