Jan 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 9 points at 7,217 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed down 0.54 percent at 7208.44 points on Thursday, dragged down by British parcel and postal firm Royal Mail RMG.L , whose results were badly received. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Japanese financial services firm Orix Corp 8591.T has agreed to buy $290 million worth of shipping loans from Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L , sources with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters on Friday. ANTOFAGASTA: Chilean copper miner Antofagasta ANTO.L said on Thursday it would sell its 40 percent stake in the Alto Maipo hydroelectric power project to partner AES Gener, exiting the project entirely. VODAFONE: The Czech telecoms regulator CTU is pushing O2 Czech Republic and Vodafone VOD.L to cut wholesale prices for mobile internet services (LTE) charged to virtual operators, warning they could lose frequencies won in a past auction. BREXIT: European Union trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Thursday it would likely take a couple of years to negotiate a trade deal with the United Kingdom after it leaves the bloc. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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