(Adds company news items, futures)
Nov 23 - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index opened 0.5% higher
Monday.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca AZN.L said its vaccine for the
novel coronavirus, developed along with the University of
Oxford, could be around 90% effective under one dosing
regimen. * CINEWORLD: Britain's Cineworld Group CINE.L said its
lenders had agreed to waive its debt covenants until June 2022,
and the company secured $450 million in new loans to ride out
the coronavirus crisis. * AVIVA: Aviva AV.L said it had agreed to sell its stake
in Italian life insurer Aviva Vita to joint venture partner UBI
Banca for 400 million euros ($474.92 million). * AA PLC: British roadside recovery group AA AAAA.L said
it had received a proposal from Towerbrook Capital Partners and
Warburg Pincus International regarding a possible cash offer of
35 pence a share. * DAILY MAIL: The publisher of Britain's Daily Mail
DMGOa.L reported a 38% drop in adjusted operating profit to 90
million pounds, at the top end of guidance, as its media,
exhibitions and UK property information units were impacted by
the pandemic. * GOLD: Gold climbed higher as a softer dollar and hopes of
further U.S. monetary stimulus to cushion the pandemic-hit
economy offset optimism over the possibility of a COVID-19
vaccine rollout next month. * OIL: Oil prices extended gains as traders eyed a recovery
in crude demand thanks to successful coronavirus vaccine trials,
although prices were contained by renewed lockdowns in several
countries. * STOCKS: The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.3% higher
on Friday, logging its third straight week of gains, on the
prospect of easing coronavirus restrictions, optimism around a
vaccine and hopes of a Brexit trade deal with the European
Union. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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