(Adds company news items)
March 22 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 42 points lower on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.5 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* IGAS: Britain's IGas IGAS.L has won planning consent from Nottinghamshire County Council to develop a shale gas well site and drill an exploratory well at Tinker Lane, the company said. KINGFISHER: Home improvement retailer Kingfisher KGF.L beat forecasts with an 8.3 percent rise in annual profit, with a resilient sales performance in Britain outweighing a softer French market which it remains cautious about. SAVILLS: International estate agent Savills SVS.L reported a 12 percent rise in underlying profit last year as demand for property in Britain held up, helped by the Brexit-induced slump in the pound boosting investor interest. KENMARE: Kenmare Resources JEV.I , one of the leading global producers of titanium minerals and zircon, on Wednesday announced an 88 percent reduction in debt and a return to profit after record output in 2016, which it expects to beat in 2017. VODAFONE: New Zealand pay television provider Sky Network TV SKT.NZ on Wednesday filed an appeal against the Commerce Commission's decision to bar its purchase of Vodafone's VOD.L local unit.
* ACACIA MINING: Canadian gold miner Endeavour Mining Corp EDV.TO said on Tuesday it had ended discussions with London-based Acacia Mining Plc ACAA.L regarding a potential merger. SHOE ZONE: Shoe Zone SHOE.L is among the final bidders for rival footwear chain Brantano, Sky News reported on Tuesday. BHP BILLITON: The striking union at BHP Billiton's BLT.L Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world's largest, will meet with the company on Wednesday to resume conversations, both parties said on Tuesday night. BRITAIN AIRLINES: The United States and Britain on Tuesday imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from certain airports in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats. BRITAIN BANKS: Britain said on Tuesday that its authorities would investigate newspaper allegations that UK-based banks had been used in a global money laundering scheme. BREXIT: Banks in London that relocate operations to the euro zone after Brexit are likely to be spared a lengthy entry test by regulators, making it easier for them to shift, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter. BREXIT: Failing to reach a comprehensive free trade deal with the European Union risks significant damage to Britain's trade in non-financial services, a committee of members of the upper house of parliament said in a report published on Wednesday. OIL: Oil prices dipped on Wednesday as rising crude stocks in the United States underscored an ongoing global fuel supply overhang despite an OPEC-led effort to cut output. The UK blue chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index closed 0.7 percent lower at 7,378.34 points on Tuesday, as sterling strengthened after British inflation shot past the central bank's target for the first time in three years. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines
PRESS/GB Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for:
* 3000 Xtra
: visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com
* For Top News : http://topnews.reuters.com