(Adds futures, news items)
April 8 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen
opening 23 points higher at 6,909 points on Thursday, according
to financial bookmakers, with futures .FFIc1 up 0.3% ahead of
the cash market open.
* ASOS: ASOS ASOS.L reported a 275% increase in first-half
profit, driven by the popularity of e-commerce during the
COVID-19 pandemic. * LOOKERS PLC: Lookers Plc LOOK.L expects 2021 underlying
profit before tax to be materially ahead of analyst consensus,
driven by better-than-expected first-quarter performance where
it utilised digital channels to expand sales. * NATIONAL GRID: Britain's energy regulator said the
country's National Grid Electricity System Operator had agreed
to pay 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) to the watchdog for a
breach of electricity demand forecasts in 2017. * DUNELM GROUP: Dunelm Group DNLM.L forecast annual profit
ahead of analysts' expectations, as it gears up to reopen its
stores next week following an easing in coronavirus-led
restrictions in England. * OSB GROUP: OSB Group OSBO.L reported a 9% drop in annual
earnings, hit by an impairment provision of 20 million pounds
($27.52 million) related to a potential third-party fraud,
although the specialist mortgage lender reinstated a final
dividend. * ASTRAZENECA: European Union health ministers failed on
Wednesday to agree a common guidance on the use of the
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L COVID-19 vaccine, despite calls for
coordination across member states to combat public hesitancy
over taking the shot. * ASTRAZENECA: Mexican and Brazilian health regulators said
on Wednesday they would not limit the use of AstraZeneca's
AZN.L COVID-19 shot after Britain's vaccine advisory committee
recommended not using it for people under 30, citing rare blood
clot risks. * ASTRAZENECA: Spain will only give AstraZeneca's
coronavirus vaccine to people over 60 years old after European
and British regulators found a potential link between the shot
and rare brain blood clots. *OIL: Oil prices fell after official figures showed a big
increase in U.S. gasoline stocks, causing concerns about demand
for crude weakening in the world's biggest consumer of the
resource at a time when supplies around the world are rising.
* HIRING: British companies sharply stepped up hiring and
offered higher pay to new staff last month as they grew more
confident about economic recovery and prepared for COVID-19
restrictions to ease, a recruiters body said on Thursday.
* NATIONAL GRID: Britain should have enough electricity to
meet demand over the summer months, the country's National Grid
Electricity System Operator (ESO) said on Thursday, even though
peak demand could be slightly higher than last year.
* GOLD: Gold prices slipped as investors turned to riskier
assets after the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes
indicated continued policy support and cemented hopes of a quick
economic turnaround. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE ended higher on Wednesday,
led by gains in commodity stocks and a weaker pound lifted
exporters. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB