News: RIO UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on May 4

(Adds news items, updates futures)

May 4 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Thursday, with futures .FFIc1 down 0.37%.

• SHELL: Shell SHEL.L made a net profit of $9.65 billion in the first three months of the year, dropping slightly from the previous quarter as energy prices cooled but still beating forecasts.
• HARGREAVES LANSDOWN :Investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown Plc HRGV.L a jump in its assets under administration for a three-month period.
• LIONTRUST: British asset manager Liontrust LIO.L said it had conditionally agreed to acquire GAM Holding AG, in a CHF 107 million deal.
• MOTHERCARE: Baby products retailer Mothercare MTC.L had begun discussions with its lender to change, renegotiate, or refinance its debt facility due to higher interest rates.
• VIRGIN MONEY UK: Lender Virgin Money Uk VMUK.L reported fall in half-year profit, hurt by higher provisions for its bad loans as customers struggled to pay back loans amid a cost-of-living crisis.
• BAE SYSTEMS: Defence company Bae Systems BAES.L , stuck to guidance for earnings to rise again this year, as orders continued to come in.
• NEXT: British fashion retailer Next NXT.L maintained its guidance for annual profit after reporting a slightly better-than-expected 0.7% decline in first-quarter full-price sales.
• SMMT: British new car registrations rose for the ninth consecutive month in April, when it increased by more than 10% in April from a year earlier, according to preliminary industry data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
• VODAFONE: Vodafone VOD.L and CK Hutchison 0001.HK are close to agreeing to a 15 billion pounds (about $19 billion) combination of their UK telecoms businesses that would create the country's biggest mobile operator, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
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  TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines