Aug 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 18 points lower at 7,557 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
* SKY-COMCAST-FOX: Comcast Corp CMCSA.O said it had received valid acceptances for shares representing just 0.21 percent of Sky Plc SKYB.L after its 14.75 pound per share offer to buy 61 percent of the European broadcaster. SHELL: A fire which broke out at a Shell-owned RDSa.L chemical plant on the same site as Essar Oil UK's Stanlow refinery in northwestern England on Wednesday has been extinguished. PLAYTECH: Casino and gaming software maker Playtech PTEC.L gave its chairman Alan Jackson a pay hike of 66,000 pounds-a-year, Sky News reported on Wednesday. GSK: A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday tossed a $3 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L over the suicide of an attorney who took a generic version of the company's antidepressant Paxil, finding the company could not be held liable for injuries allegedly caused by a generic copy. SPORTS DIRECT: Proxy adviser Glass Lewis & Co has recommended that shareholders in British sportswear retailer Sports Direct (LON:SPD) International Plc SPD.L vote against some directors, including Chief Executive Mike Ashley and Chairman Keith Hellawell, at the company's annual meeting on Sept. 12. SHAZAM: Apple AAPL.O is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its planned acquisition of British music discovery app Shazam, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. BREXIT: Britain will step up its planning for a no-deal Brexit on Thursday as it publishes a series of notes advising people and businesses how to protect themselves from the potential disruption of a clean break with the European Union. EX-DIVS: Berkeley Group BKGH.L , Carnival Plc CCL.L , Croda International CRDA.L , Imperial Brands IMB.L , London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L , Mondi Plc MNDI.L , Paddy Power Betfair PPB.L , Prudential Plc PRU.L , Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 4.24 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations The UK blue chip index closed 0.1 percent higher at 7,574.24 points on Wednesday in cautious trade as investors kept an eye on U.S.-China trade talks and politics in Washington, while heavyweight energy stocks supported the broader market. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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