(Adds futures, updates British Airways, oil and metal items)
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 21 points higher at 6,272 on
Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 seen up 0.3%
ahead of cash market open.
* BRITISH AIRWAYS: British Airways, the world's largest operator of Boeing
747s, will retire its entire jumbo jet fleet with immediate effect after the
novel coronavirus pandemic sent air travel into freefall. * RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto RIO.AX reported a 1.5% rise in iron ore shipments
for the second quarter. * NHS INVESTMENT: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to pour 3 billion pounds
($3.77 billion) into England's National Health Service (NHS) to try to ward off
any resurgence of the coronavirus. * 5G: The U.S. and British foreign ministers agreed to promote the
development of "additional trusted 5G solutions," the U.S. State Department said
on Thursday, two days after Britain decided to purge Huawei equipment from its
5G network. * OIL: Oil prices edged lower, with trading marked by growing uncertainty
about global recovery in fuel demand as new COVID-19 cases surge in several
countries. * GOLD: Gold steadied near the $1,800 level after a sharp fall in the
previous session, as worries over surging coronavirus cases and U.S.-China
tensions underpinned its safe-haven appeal. * METALS: London copper was poised for its first weekly fall in nine weeks
on Friday, hit by worsening U.S.-China relations and rising coronavirus
infections. * The UK blue-chip index .FTSE was down 0.7% on Thursday, as apprehension
over the local job market and a drop in China's retail sales chipped away at
hopes for a swift economic recovery. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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