June 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 10 points higher on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* DIAGEO: Diageo Plc DGE.L has agreed to buy George Clooney's high-end tequila brand Casamigos in a deal valuing it at up to $1 billion, as the world's largest spirits maker seeks to boost its presence in a high-growth market. GSK: A U.S. jury has ordered Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA) Ltd TEVA.TA to pay GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L more than $235 million for infringing a patent covering its blood pressure drug Coreg, court documents showed. HORNBY: Phoenix Asset Management on Wednesday it would become the majority shareholder in Hornby Plc HRN.L and offered to buy the rest of the company, less than three months after thwarting efforts to oust the British toymaker's chairman. CAIRN ENERGY: British independent oil exploration company Cairn Energy 's CNE.L 9.8 percent stake in Cairn India CAIL.NS , may be put up for sale as part of tax recovery proceedings started late last week, India's Business Standard newspaper reported. BRITAIN TOURISM: Britain's tourism industry is proving resilient despite recent militant attacks and is set for higher bookings this year, outperforming the European average, travel data analysis company ForwardKeys said on Thursday. BREXIT: Britain's departure from the European Union could strengthen the bloc's political integration and make Germany more attractive as a business location, German Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Steffen said on Thursday. BREXIT: Prime Minister Theresa May will outline on Thursday her approach to the "hugely important issue" of reassuring EU expatriates about their futures in Britain, at a summit that is her first Brexit test since an election sapped her authority. OIL: Oil prices rose on Thursday after U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles fell, but worries over whether OPEC-led output cuts would be able to rein in a three-year glut continued to drag. GOLD: Gold prices climbed on Thursday as an easing U.S. dollar flattened U.S. Treasury yields to their lowest in nearly a decade. COPPER: London copper held on to hefty overnight gains, spurred on by data showing the metal's shift to global a supply deficit. EX-DIVS: Experian EXPN.L , Land Securities Group LAND.L , Mediclinic MDCM.L , United Utilities Group UU.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 1.88 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations The UK blue chip index was down 0.3 percent at 7,447.79 points at its close on Wednesday, as losses among energy stocks and sub-prime lender Provident Financial PFG.L weighed, while a stronger pound was also unhelpful. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets