UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 26

(Adds futures, news items)
March 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 37
points higher at 6,712 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures .FFIc1 up 0.80% ahead of the cash market open.

* AVIVA: Aviva AV.L has sold its Polish operations to Germany's Allianz
ALVG.DE for 2.5 billion euros in cash, completing a programme to sell European
and Asian assets begun last year, the British insurer said. * KAZ MINERALS: Kaz Minerals KAZ.L has received a final bid worth 4.02
billion pounds from Chairman-led Nova Resources after minority shareholders
rejected two proposals for being too low. * SMITHS GROUP: Smiths Group SMIN.L forecast improving trends for the
second half of the fiscal year after the British engineering firm reported a
better-than-expected profit. * BURBERRY: BRBY.L has lost a Chinese brand ambassador and its hallmark
tartan design was scrubbed from a popular video game, becoming the first luxury
brand assailed by the Chinese backlash to Western accusations of abuses in
Xinjiang. * ASTRAZENECA: Oxford University said on Thursday it was launching a study
to investigate immune responses of a nasal administration of its COVID-19
vaccine developed with AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L . * ECONOMY: British retail sales rose by 2.1% in February from January,
helped in part by consumers buying outdoor furniture ahead of the relaxing of
coronavirus restrictions which will allow people to meet in gardens.
* AUTOS: British car production fell to its lowest February level since 2010
after an annual 14% drop as lockdown measures, global supply chain problems and
new customs processes hit the industry, a trade body said. * GOLD: Gold prices slipped with bullion pressured by a rallying dollar
following positive U.S. economic data and as vaccine roll-outs gathered
steam. * OIL: Oil prices reversed a sharp sell-off a day earlier to rise
1%. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.6% lower on Thursday on a slide in
energy and mining stocks, while concerns over renewed coronavirus lockdowns in
Europe dented optimism for a swift economic recovery. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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