April 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen...

April 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen opening flat on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 up 0.01%.

• ROLLS ROYCE: A Rolls-Royce RR.L design for a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) will likely receive UK regulatory approval by mid-2024 and be able to produce grid power by 2029, Paul Stein, chairman of Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors, told Reuters.
• NATIONAL GRID: Utility giant National Grid NG.L is planning to eliminate fossil fuels from its heating systems in New York state and Massachusetts by 2050, primarily by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG), the company.
• NEXT: British clothing retailer Next PLC NXT.L and a group of investors led by hedge fund Davidson Kempner will buy baby goods retailer JoJo Maman Bebe, the BBC reported.
• SBERBANK: The European Union's forthcoming sanctions on Russia will target banks, in particular Sberbank SBER.MM , as well as oil, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told a German newspaper.
• ASDA: The finance chief of British supermarket group Asda has resigned after less than a year in the job and is being replaced by his counterpart at rival Morrisons, Asda said.

• METALS: London copper hit a two-week peak and zinc jumped to its highest in more than a month, as hopes for more stimulus by China and low inventory-led supply worries lifted prices.

• GOLD: Gold edged lower as the dollar strengthened, with expectations that prices in the near-term could retest bullion's resistance at the key $2,000 per-ounce level.
• OIL: Oil prices rose as investors fretted over tight global supply after Libya was forced to halt some exports and as factories in Shanghai prepared to reopen post a COVID-19 shutdown, easing some demand worries.
• FTSE 100: A rally in banks and consumer stocks saw London's FTSE 100 reverse session losses on Thursday, moving in line with other European peers as investors scaled back bets of interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank.
• UK CORPORATE DIARY: Rio Tinto RIO.L Q1 operational review

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