(Adds futures, company news items)
Feb 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 34 points higher at 7,134 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.4 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* The UK blue chip index closed down 0.3 percent on Tuesday at 7,099.15. European shares ended January marginally lower after falling to a one-week low on Tuesday, as investors turned more realistic about U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, even though solid economic data bolstered prospects for the region's equities. TALKTALK: TalkTalk TALK.L said on Wednesday its chief executive Dido Harding would step down, with founder Charles Dunstone becoming executive chairman, as the broadband operator reported a 5.4 percent drop in third-quarter on-net revenue. DIXONS CARPHONE: Britain's largest electricals and mobile phone retailer Dixons Carphone DC.L said on Wednesday that Ian Livingston would succeed Charles Dunstone as chairman on April 30, allowing Dunstone to take the role of executive chairman at TalkTalk TALK.L . WIZZ AIR: Eastern European-focussed budget airline Wizz Air WIZZ.L cut its profit guidance for the full year on Wednesday due to low prices and disruptions to some of its services from severe weather in continental Europe. SKY/DISCOVERY: Discovery Communication Inc's DISCA.O UK unit on Tuesday said it had reached a new carriage deal with Sky Plc SKYB.L , ending an impasse over pricing that had risked a blackout of all Discovery channels from Sky's platform. IAG: British Airways ICAG.L said on Tuesday nearly all flights will go ahead as scheduled despite strike action by cabin crew between Feb. 5-7 and only a small number of flights would be merged. DIAGEO: Diageo DGE.L plans to open a new Guinness brewery in the U.S. state of Maryland where it will make new Guinness beers for the U.S. market, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. BHP BILLITON: Workers at BHP Billiton's BLT.L BHP.AX Escondida mine in Chile, the world's biggest copper mine, have voted to reject a company wage offer and go on strike, the union told Reuters in the early hours of Wednesday. DEUTSCHE BOERSE/LSE: The European Union could extend its deadline for ruling on the $28 billion merger between European exchanges Deutsche Boerse DB1Gn.DE and the London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L , Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the discussions. http://bloom.bg/2knAUgI
* GLENCORE: Commodity giant Glencore Plc GLEN.L is considering bidding for Impala Platinum's IMPJ.J stake in a chrome waste-retreatment operation in South Africa, Bloomberg reported citing two people familiar with the matter. http://bloom.bg/2kLY91i
* BREXIT: Some British-based financial services firms have already decided to relocate at least part of their operations to Ireland, and others are expected to follow in the first half of this year, Ireland's minister for the sector said on Tuesday. BREXIT: The head of the Irish central bank said on Tuesday that there will not be a "new London" in the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc. BREXIT: Britain and the European Union may need to flesh out some kind of intermediate arrangement to ensure central bank cooperation and maintain financial stability after Brexit, Ireland's central bank governor said on Tuesday. UK HOUSE PRICES: Annual house price inflation fell to its weakest level since November 2015 last month, and the outlook remains clouded due to uncertain economic prospects, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Wednesday. INSURERS: New European Union capital rules treat insurers like traders making risky short-term bets and require them to set aside too much capital, trade body Insurance Europe said on Wednesday. ROAMING CHARGES: The European Union clinched a preliminary deal early on Wednesday to cap wholesale charges telecom operators pay each other when their customers use their mobile phones abroad, paving the way for the abolition of roaming fees in June. ENERGY DEALS: A sharp pick up in deal-making in the oil and gas sector in recent weeks has scope to accelerate as oil prices recover, advisory company EY said in a report. UK SHOP PRICES: January discounts dragged on British shop prices last month but cost pressures linked to the decision by voters to leave the European Union gathered steam, an industry survey showed on Wednesday. OIL: Oil dipped on Wednesday, weighed down by ongoing high supplies despite an OPEC-led production cut, but prices remained within a narrow trading band that has been in place since late January. GOLD: Gold held steady on Wednesday after hitting a one-week high in the previous session, as traders waited to see if the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep its interest rates unchanged amid uncertainty over the policies of President Donald Trump. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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