Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen...

Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 21 points at 7,220 points on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

• RYANAIR: Members of Ryanair's RYA.I British pilot union voted on Wednesday in favour of strike action later this month in a dispute over working conditions, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said.
• DEBENHAMS: British department store group Debenhams will appoint Stefaan Vansteenkiste as its new chief executive officer, while Terry Duddy will step down as chairman in September, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
• OIL: Oil futures jumped more than $1 a barrel on Thursday, recovering half of the nearly 5% losses in the previous session, on expectations that lower prices may lead to production cuts.
• GOLD: Gold prices rose again on Thursday after topping the $1,500 mark in the previous session, as central banks around the world slashed interest rates amidst fears of a global recession.
• EX-DIVS: Astrazeneca AZN.L , Barclays BARC.L , BP BP.L , BT Group BT.L , Diageo DGE.L , Direct Line DLGD.L , Fresnillo FRES.L , Glaxosmithkline GSK.L , Hiscox HSX.L , Informa INF.L , Lloyds Bank Group LLOY.L , Rio Tinto RIO.L , Rentokil Initial RTO.L , Standard Chartered Bank STAN.L , Unilever ULVR.L will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 37.7 points off the FTSE 100, according to Reuters calculations.
• The UK blue-chip index closed up 0.4% higher at 7,198.70 as investors composed themselves after sell-offs triggered by worries over the U.S.-China trade dispute and a weaker sterling supported exporter stocks.
• For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
• UK CORPORATE DIARY: Coca-Cola HBC CCH.L Half Year Earnings Release Bellway BWY.L Half Year Earnings Release Hastings HTGS.L Half Year Earnings Release Cineworld CINE.L Half Year Earnings Release Savills SVS.L Half Year Earnings Release Derwent London DRW.L Half Year Earnings Release Aviva AV.L Half Year Earnings Release Hargreaves Lansdown HRG.L Full Year Earnings Release

  TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines