(Adds futures, company news items)
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen down 8 points, or 0.1 percent, on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.09 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* The UK blue chip index closed up 4.98 points, or 0.1 percent, on Thursday at 7,026.90. Banks helped to support British blue-chips, buoyed by good performance from U.S. lenders in key business areas on a volatile day as the European Central Bank held policy steady. BAT: British American Tobacco BATS.L has offered to buy U.S. tobacco company Reynolds American Inc (NYSE:RAI) RAI.N in a $47 billion deal bringing together Newport, Kent and Pall Mall cigarettes to create the U.S. market leader. ACACIA MINING: Gold miner Acacia Mining Plc ACAA.L said it expected full-year production to be around 5 percent higher than the top end of its earlier forecast, helped by strong production in the first nine months of the year. IHG: Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc IHG.L posted a slower rate of room revenue growth as performance in its hotels in oil-producing American states deteriorated, while demand across France, Turkey and Belgium was hit by security fears. BHP: BHP Billiton BLT.L , BHP.AX Chairman Jac Nasser, one of the most powerful figures in the mining industry, will retire at next year's shareholder meeting, telling investors on Thursday that after a decade on the board, it was time to step down. Brazilian prosecutors charged 21 people with qualified homicide on Thursday for their roles in the collapse of a tailings dam at the Samarco Mineração SA iron ore mine last November that killed 19 people. Samarco, its co-owners Vale SA VALE5.SA and BHP, and Brazilian engineering company VOGBR Recursos Hidricose Geotecnica Ltd which certified the dam's safety, were charged with environmental crimes. NISSAN/UK: Nissan Motor Co 7201.T will make a decision next month on whether to produce the next Qashqai SUV model at its Sunderland plant in Britain following the country's decision to leave the European Union, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Friday. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L said on Thursday it is selling $1.03 billion worth of non-core oil and gas properties in western Canada to Tourmaline Oil Corp TOU.TO, the latest example of the global oil major trimming its operations in the region. ROYAL MAIL: Britain is working on selling the private equity portfolio it inherited when it took on the Royal Mail Plc RMG.L pension's assets and liabilities, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. http://bloom.bg/2el7tJd
* BREXIT: Attending her first European Union summit since Britain's vote to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May tried to reassure EU leaders over Brexit but was told by French President Francois Hollande to prepare for tough negotiations. BREXIT: Britain should not go it alone by adopting its own book-keeping rules after it leaves the European Union, though the global regulations in place could be tailored, the UK's accounting watchdog said on Friday. CONNECTED CARS: Jaguar Land Rover, Ford F.N and Tata Motors TAMO.NS are testing connected cars which can communicate with each other using technology designed to speed up journeys and cut accidents, the first such trials in Britain. UK PROPERTY: A growing number of people are being attracted by the cut-price fees of online estate agents in Britain. The sector has caught the eye of big-name investors like fund manager Neil Woodford and traditional branch-based agencies which once dismissed online rivals are having to react. UK PROPERTY: High-end property developers in London are restricting the supply of homes to prevent further price falls by selling entire apartment blocks to funds for rental, according to agents and investment managers. OIL: Oil prices fell on Friday, pulled down by a stronger dollar, but traders said there were signs that physical fuel markets were tightening after two years of ballooning oversupply. METALS: London aluminium was on track for its biggest weekly drop in seven weeks after record China production fanned supply concerns, while copper was set for a third weekly drop on worries about cooling demand. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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