July 12 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 21
points higher on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers. 
    
    * GLENCORE: A federal court in Argentina has ordered the suspension of
activities at Glencore Plc's Alumbrera gold and copper mine as part of
a pollution complaint, according to court documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

    * AMEC FOSTER: British oil and gas services company Amec Foster Wheeler
 and individuals associated with the business are under investigation by
the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the company said on Tuesday.    
    * HSBC HOLDINGS/UBS Group: HSBC Holdings Plc and UBS Group AG
 have each agreed to pay $14 million to settle private U.S. litigation
accusing them of rigging an interest rate benchmark used in the $483 trillion
derivatives market.
    * OIL: Oil prices on Wednesday extended gains from the previous day as the
U.S. government cut its crude production outlook for next year and as fuel
inventories plunged.     
    * GOLD: Gold prices edged further away from a four-month low on Wednesday,
as investors awaited testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and
central bank officials expressed caution about further interest rate hikes.
 
    * COPPER: Copper prices climbed in Asia to their highest in more than one
week on Wednesday amid a weaker U.S. dollar and concerns about industrial action
that could further crimp mine supply.
    * The UK blue chip index closed down 0.6 percent at 7,329.76 points on
Tuesday, as Pearson and Marks & Spencer overshadowed gains in miners.

    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
    
    * UK CORPORATE DIARY:    
 Barratt Developments Plc                 Trading Statement Release
 Micro Focus International Plc            Preliminary Q1 2017 Earnings Release
 Ophir Energy Plc                         Trading Statement Release
 SSP Group Plc                            Q3 2017 Trading Update
 J D Wetherspoon Plc                      Q4 2017 Trading Statement Release
 Burberry Group Plc                       Q1 2018 Trading Statement Release
 Hochschild Mining Plc                    Q2 2017 Production Results Release
 Bankers Investment Trust Plc             Half Year 2017 Earnings Release
        
    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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 (Reporting by Harish Bhaskar)