Dec 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down about 0.2 percent on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers.
* The UK blue chip index closed up 0.1 percent at 7,017.16 points after a choppy session on Monday, led higher by a rise among more defensive stocks, including pharma firms such as Hikma HIK.L and Mediclinic MDCM.L , as well as Reckitt Benckiser RB.L and Unilever ULVR.L as investors took profits in banking stocks .FTNMX8350 . BHP BILLITON: The largest union at BHP Billiton-owned BLT.L BHP.AX Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine, said on Monday it had sent the company its proposal for a new collective contract, effectively beginning formal wage negotiations. SKY/TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX: Rupert Murdoch said on Monday he had never asked a British prime minister for anything, seeking to play down his influence ahead of what is likely to be a politically charged approval process for his $14.6 billion bid for pay-TV group Sky SKYB.L. GSK: Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L is bolstering scientific expertise on its board by establishing a new science committee, charged with overseeing research, as a new chief executive prepares to take over. WPP: WPP WPP.L , the world's largest advertising agency, said on Monday that three of its subsidiaries had received subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation into video production practices in the advertising industry. BREXIT: A British hedge fund group laid out its wishlist for Brexit negotiations, with continued access to European Union investors and workers among its goals to limit the damage a UK exit from the bloc could have on the industry. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY: Carnival PLC
Q4 2016 Earnings Release
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