UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Jan 16

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 8 points on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers.

* RIO TINTO: Global miner Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L said on Tuesday it could ship up to an additional 10 million tonnes of iron ore in 2018 worth $780 million at today's prices after reporting a 1 percent rise in 2017 shipments. CITIGROUP: Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C ) C.N will increase compensation for women and minorities to bridge pay gaps in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, as part of its annual pay process this year, the Wall Street bank said on Monday. GKN: GKN GKN.L faces pressure to open takeover talks with suitor Melrose Industries MRON.L from U.S. activist investor Elliott, which disclosed a stake in the British engineering company just days after it rejected a 7 billion pound ($9.66 billion) bid. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L agreed on Monday to acquire a stake in a U.S. solar company, 12 years after exiting the sector, in the latest in a series of deals to grow beyond its core oil and gas business. BRITAIN BOE: The Bank of England probably has "ample time" before it needs to consider raising interest rates again after its first hike in more than a decade in November, BoE policymaker Silvana Tenreyro said on Monday. SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L gave the green light on Monday for an expansion of the Penguins oil and gas field in the UK North Sea, its first major new project in the ageing basin in six years. CARILLION: Carillion CLLN.L collapsed on Monday when its banks pulled the plug, triggering Britain's biggest corporate failure in a decade and forcing the government to step in to guarantee public services from school meals to roadworks. OIL: Brent crude prices were on Tuesday settling in around $70 per barrel, levels last seen before the start of an oil market slump in late 2014. GOLD: Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday to hold just below a four-month high touched in the previous session, supported by a weaker U.S. dollar languishing near three-year lows. The UK blue chip index closed 0.12 percent lower at 7,769.14 on Monday as investors counted the cost of construction group Carillion's collapse, including supply chain disruption and higher costs for its joint venture partners such as Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets