News: RIO UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on July 19

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July 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures FFIc1 were down 0.11 pct on Thursday ahead of the cash market open.

• UNILEVER: Consumer goods maker Unilever ULVR.L , UNc.AS reported lower-than-expected second quarter sales on Thursday, hurt by a Brazilian transport strike and weak pricing.
• BABCOCK: British engineer Babcock BAB.L lowered its full-year revenue growth target on Thursday as a government review of spending on the delivery of submarines hit its marine division.
• SSE: SSE Plc SSE.L , Britain's second-largest energy supplier, lost 320,000 customer accounts in the first quarter, hurt by competition from newer, smaller rivals.
• SPORTS DIRECT: British retailer Sports Direct SPD.L on Thursday reported a 12 percent increase in full-year core earnings, helped by its strategy to smarten up its stores and sell more premium products.
• ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American AAL.L on Thursday reported a 6 percent increase in total output on a copper equivalent basis in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, excluding disruption following a leak at the Minas-Rio iron ore project in Brazil.
• AO WORLD: Online retailer AO World AO.L said its first-quarter revenue rose 8 percent in the UK reflecting a strong start to its year in April and May, although it said demand weakened in June.
• RIO TINTO: Guinea is in constant talks with Rio Tinto RIO.L and Chinalco to finalise a deal on selling two blocks of the vast Simandou iron ore project, its mining minister said, adding he was confident an agreement would be reached.
• SHELL: Shell RDSa.L plans to resume normal operations within hours at its oil refinery in Wesseling in western Germany after a power cut external to its site triggered security measures and flaring, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
• TULLOW: Britain's Tullow Oil TLW.L has to cover nearly $65 million of costs linked to a cancelled rig contract in Ghana after losing a dispute with partner Kosmos Energy KOS.N, the companies said on Wednesday.
• RYANAIR: Ryanair RYA.I is to cancel more than 12 percent of its flights for two days next week in its biggest-ever strike as cabin crew escalate a staff revolt that began among disaffected pilots last year.
• IAG: British Airways ICAG.L cancelled and delayed flights at London's Heathrow, Europe's biggest airport, on Wednesday due to problems with a supplier's IT systems, the airline said.
• GOLD: Gold prices eased on Thursday, nearing a one-year low hit in the previous session, as the U.S. dollar firmed on the potential for further U.S. interest rate hikes.
• OIL: Oil prices were mixed on Thursday as the market struggled to digest signs of strong gasoline demand in the United States, the world's biggest consumer of the fuel, with a statement from oil producers that they are putting more crude on the market.
• EX-DIVS: There will be no FTSE 100 .FTSE companies going ex-dividend on Thursday.
• The UK blue chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index climbed 0.7 percent and closed at 7,676.28 points on Wednesday, as weaker pound helped the index march higher as company earnings took centre stage with Smiths Group suffering.
• For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets

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