News: RIO UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Sept. 11

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Sept 11 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 17 points lower at 5,986 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures down 0.29% ahead of cash market open.

• HEATHROW AIRPORT: Britain's Heathrow Airport said passenger numbers in August were down 81.5% compared to last year, as it repeated its call for the UK government to introduce testing as an alternative to the country's 14-day quarantine rule.
• ASHMORE: Emerging markets-focused money manager Ashmore ASHM.L reported a drop in assets under management on Friday, hit by a coronavirus-driven selloff in markets earlier this year, although full-year earnings still rose on cost controls.
• GOLD: Gold prices fell as the U.S. dollar rebounded, but the yellow metal was on track for a weekly gain underpinned by worries over a global economic recovery from the coronavirus-led slump.
• OIL: Oil prices fell for a second day, pressured by a surprise rise in U.S. stockpiles as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to erode demand for fuels.

• The UK blue-chip index .FTSE shed 0.2% on Thursday, as disagreements over Brexit terms between Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government and the European Union sowed concern about a messy British departure.
• For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:

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