(Adds new company news items, updates items and futures)
March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 60points lower at 7,115 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.45 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE GROUP: London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L reporteda 47 percent rise in full-year operating profit on Friday as its clearing houseLCH posted record volumes across multiple clearing services and companyflotations hit a three-year high. GKN/MELROSE: British engineering company GKN GKN.L , which has set outplans to break itself up as it battles a 7 billion-pound hostile bid fromMelrose Industries MRON.L , said it was in talks with Dana Inc DAN.N regarding the sale of its auto-parts Driveline unit as part of a deal whichwould be effected mainly in equity. ASOS: British online fashion retailer ASOS ASOS.L said on Friday ChiefFinancial Officer Helen Ashton will step down from her role next month. LAND SECURITIES: Alison Carnwath, one of a handful of women at the helm ofa FTSE 100 company board, is retiring after nine years as chairwoman at LandSecurities LAND.L , Britain's largest listed commercial property developer. SPIRE HEALTHCARE: Spire Healthcare Group Plc SPI.L , Britain'ssecond-largest healthcare firm, said 2017 core earnings fell 7.4 percent, hurtby weakness in its business linked to NHS online referrals. MONDI: Paper and packaging group Mondi MNDI.L , MNDJ.J announced aspecial payout of 100 euro cents per share after full-year underlying profitrose 4 percent, benefiting from solid demand and higher average selling pricesin most of its businesses. RIO TINTO: Australia's corporate watchdog said on Friday it has launchedcourt action against global miner Rio Tinto RIO.AX RIO.L and two formerexecutives for misleading investors about the coal reserves it reported in a $4billion acquisition in Mozambique. ANTOFAGASTA: The main union of Chile's Los Pelambres copper mine, a unitof the local group Antofagasta ANTO.L , will vote next week on a new contractits members have not yet received and which could lead to a strike if theyrefuse, a union leader told Reuters on Thursday. HELIOS TOWERS: African mobile networks operator Helios Towers plans tolist on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in early April and expectsthe company to be valued at around 2 billion pounds ($2.75 billion). BREXIT: British Prime Minister Theresa May will set out her vision onFriday for a Brexit deal deeper and wider than any "free trade agreementanywhere in the world", telling the European Union it is in their "sharedinterest". The UK blue chip index closed 0.8 percent lower at 7,175.6 points onThursday, after advertising giant WPP WPP.L reported its worst results sincethe financial crisis and a gauge of British factory activity fell to its weakestin eight months. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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