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* FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 up 0.1%
* Pharma giant AstraZeneca biggest boost
* Insurer Admiral jumps after profit beat
Aug 14 (Reuters) - UK shares gained for a second straight
session on Wednesday over hopes of an improvement in global
trade relations after Washington delayed imposing tariffs on
some Chinese goods, while insurer Admiral rose after reporting a
market-beating profit.
The FTSE 100 index .FTSE added 0.2% and the FTSE 250
midcap index .FTMC rose 0.1% by 0707 GMT.
Admiral ADML.L jumped 6% to the top of the main bourse
after the company posted a bigger-than-expected rise in
earnings, driven by more customers in its UK business.
Drugmaker AstraZeneca AZN.L rose nearly 2%, providing the
biggest support to the index, after its drug Lynparza met the
primary endpoint in a phase III trial for ovarian cancer
treatment. Infrastructure company Balfour Beatty BALF.L and
Cybersecurity firm Avast AVST.L were at the top of the midcap
index with gains of 6.7% and 4.2%, respectively, after strong
results.