(Adds futures, news items)
Dec 9 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 31 points higher at 6,590 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.5% ahead of cash market open.
* BAT: British American Tobacco (JO:SNHJ) BATS.L raised its forecast for 2020 revenue as the hit to cigarette demand from the COVID-19 pandemic was smaller than feared. STAGECOACH: Stagecoach SGC.L posted a 99% plunge in earnings due to the pandemic stopping people travelling plus the expiry of previous contracts in the six months to Oct. 31. TESCO: Retailer Tesco TSCO.L said all conditions had been satisfied for the $10.6 billion sale of its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to C.P. Retail Development Co. BALFOUR BEATTY: Balfour Beatty BALF.L expects a 20% jump in its year-end order book as the British government allowed construction work to begin on the new high-speed rail line. G4S (CSE:G4S): Security group G4S GFS.L on Tuesday agreed to be bought out by Allied Universal for 3.8 billion pounds ($5.1 billion), picking the U.S. company over Canadian rival GardaWorld. BARCLAYS: Barclays Plc BARC.L on Tuesday promoted 84 employees to the role of managing directors in corporate and investment banking, of which about 27% were women. BREXIT: The European Union must move in the Brexit talks or it will be very difficult for Britain to agree a trade deal, senior minister Michael Gove said. JOBS: British employers recruited fewer permanent staff during an England-wide lockdown last month, and relied instead on temporary workers to plug the gap, showed a monthly survey of recruiters. OIL: Oil prices eased as an unexpected jump in U.S. oil inventories fuelled concerns over slow demand. The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.1% higher on Tuesday as Britain and the European Union agreed on how to manage the Ireland-Northern Ireland border, while investors awaited a wider post-Brexit trade deal. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines
PRESS/GB