(Adds futures, news items)
April 7 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 103 points higher at 6,840 on Wednesday, according to
financial bookmakers, with futures .FFIc1 up 0.4% ahead of the
cash market open.
* SAGA PLC: Saga SAGA.L said its tour and cruise
businesses will not resume operations until later this year
after cutting 36% of its workforce as it deals with pandemic-led
travel disruptions. * ROYAL DUTCH SHELL: Shell RDSa.L said it expected its
first-quarter adjusted earnings to see a hit of up to $200
million due to an extreme cold snap in Texas in the quarter.
* BARCLAYS: Climate change activists broke windows at the
London headquarters of Barclays BARC.L on Wednesday, the
latest protest aimed at highlighting the role of the financial
sector in fuelling what they call the climate catastrophe.
* GLENCORE: Glencore 's GLEN.L Congo mining unit Kamoto
Copper Company (KCC) had a "limited release" of sulphuric acid
from a tank during maintenance work on March 16, the commodities
trading giant said on Tuesday. * ASTRAZENECA: The University of Oxford said on Tuesday it
had paused a small UK trial testing the COVID-19 vaccine it
developed with AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Plc AZN.L in children and
teenagers, as it waits for more data on rare blood clotting
issues in adults who received the shot. * REGULATION: Britain's new regulator for tech giants
Facebook FB.O and Google GOOGL.O launches on Wednesday with
an initial remit to see if a code of conduct could improve the
balance of power between the platforms and news publishers.
* DIGNITY: Dignity 's DTY.L largest shareholder, Phoenix
Asset Management, said on Tuesday it was not looking to control
the funeral services company or its board as it seeks to oust
the firm's chairman at a vote later this month. * WHO: The World Health Organization expects there will be
no reason to change its assessment that the benefits of the
AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 outweigh any risks, its
regulatory director said on Tuesday. * OIL: Oil prices edged higher on the prospects for stronger
global economic growth amid increased COVID-19 vaccinations and
a report that crude inventories in the United States, the
world's biggest fuel consumer, fell. * GOLD: Gold prices fell, from a two-week high hit in the
previous session, as an array of strong data from the United
States and increased COVID-19 vaccinations lifted hopes of a
quick economic recovery, weighing on the metal's safe-haven
appeal. * The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE ended up 1.3% on
Tuesday led by heavyweight commodity-focussed
stocks. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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