(Adds news items, futures)
Sept 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 30
points lower at 7,327 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures
.FFIc1 down 0.6% ahead of cash market open.
* INVESTEC: Investment bank Investec Plc INVP.L on Friday warned that its
profit for the first-half of the year is expected to be lower than last year on
higher costs as it restructures its business and grapples with "challenging"
market conditions.
* THOMAS COOK: British travel firm Thomas Cook TCG.L on Friday said an
extra 200 million pounds ($251.48 million) had been requested by stakeholders in
talks to finalise the restructuring plan to save the company. * ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L has appointed
Alison Rose as its new chief executive, becoming the first major British lender
to appoint a woman to its top job. * KELLER: Keller Group Plc KLR.L Chief Executive Officer Alain Michaelis
has decided to step down by the end of this month, the engineering contractor
said on Friday, while reaffirming its outlook for the year. * ROLLS-ROYCE: British engineer Rolls-Royce RR.L said on Friday it expects
problems with its Trent 1000 engines to take longer to fix, with a reduction in
the number of grounded aircraft to single-digit levels to be delayed until the
second-quarter of 2020. * SHELL: Pakistan has approved the construction of five liquefied natural
gas (LNG) terminals by groups that include Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N and Royal
Dutch Shell RDSa.L , aiming to triple imports and ease the country's chronic
gas shortage, Pakistan's oil minister said on Friday. * BAE Systems BAES.L has been awarded a $495 million U.S. defense contract
for receiver/processors and high band receivers in support of the ALR-56C
Digital Upgrade, the Pentagon said on Thursday. * OIL: Oil prices were on track for a more-than-7% jump this week, their
biggest in months, as early trading on Friday saw gains extended on fresh
tensions in the Middle East after a key Saudi Arabian supply hub was knocked out
in an attack last weekend. * GOLD: Gold prices edged higher on Friday and were set for their first
weekly gain in one month, supported by a softer dollar and caution about
developments in Sino-U.S. trade talks. * The UK blue chip index ended 0.6% higher on Thursday after the U.S.
Federal Reserve adopted a guarded stance on future interest rate cuts lifted
London's blue-chip index on Thursday, while clothing retailer Next wilted after
a disappointing start to autumn trading. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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