(Adds futures, company news items)
July 10 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen opening 12 points higher at 7,770 on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.03 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* KIER: British construction and support services company Kier Group Plc KIE.L said on Tuesday it had launched a cost-savings plan that would include the sale of non-core assets, and stuck to its profit forecast for the current year. SOFTCAT: Britain's Softcat Plc SCTS.L said its full-year adjusted operating profit would be well ahead of its prior expectations, helped by favourable market conditions. TP ICAP (LON:NXGN): TP ICAP TCAPI.L Chief Executive Officer John Phizackerley will step down, the company said on Tuesday as it blamed Brexit-related costs for what it said would be a dip in 2018 underlying operating profit below analyst expectations. TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICAL/SHIRE: Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 4502.T said on Tuesday it received a key U.S. regulatory approval for its $62 billion deal to buy London-listed Shire Plc SHP.L . CAMBIAN: British social care services firm Cambian Group Plc CMBNC.L has received a takeover proposal from rival CareTech Holdings Plc CTH.L that would value Cambian at 405.2 million pounds ($536.20 million). WALTERS: Recruiter Robert Walters Plc RWA.L on Tuesday posted a 16 percent rise in second-quarter gross profit, boosted by growth in its international markets. OCADO: Ocado OCDO.L , the online supermarket and technology company, reported a 13.9 percent fall in first-half core earnings on Tuesday, reflecting increased investment in the business. PREMIER FOODS: Premier Foods investor Oasis Management's fund has nearly doubled its share stake in the company ahead of a shareholder meeting next week at which it has called for the removal of Chief Executive Gavin Darby. SKY/TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX: Twenty-First Century Fox Inc FOXA.O is preparing a new bid for Sky Plc SKYB.L that values it at about 25 billion pounds ($33.14 billion) to top the offer it has received from Comcast Corp CMCSA.O , the Financial Times reported on Monday. PREMIER FOODS: Hedge fund Paulson & Co has urged Premier Foods Plc PFD.L to replace its chief executive officer, adding to a chorus of calls by investors for the maker of Oxo stock cubes and Mr Kipling cakes to overhaul its management team. GREYHOUND: Intercity bus company Greyhound Canada said it would stop services in three western provinces in the country and eliminate 415 jobs there as it loses riders to low-cost airlines and subsidized passenger services. BRITAIN-EU: Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond said on Monday that Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan had his full support after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis quit within hours of each other. CARILLION: The collapse of Carillion CLLN.L exposed the risks of using private companies to cut the cost of delivering public services and its failure could be repeated if the government does not learn lessons, lawmakers said on Monday. OIL: Oil prices rose on Tuesday on escalating concerns over potential supply shortages, with Brent crude leading the way as hundreds of oil workers in Norway were set to strike later in the day. COPPER: Copper prices in London and Shanghai extended gains for a second day on Tuesday, with investors lured to buy low after a trade war-fuelled sell-off last week. The UK blue chip index closed 0.9 percent on Monday, after two leading eurosceptic ministers' resignations dented sterling, with real estate and utilities stocks declining as uncertainty over Brexit negotiations deepened. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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