July 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 13
points on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.
    
    * BHP BILLITON: Chilean authorities have approved a $2.5 billion expansion
of BHP Billiton's Spence copper mine, a local newspaper reported on
Wednesday, though the company has not yet decided whether to go ahead with the
project.
    * CARILLION: Oxfordshire County Council, which last week ended much of a
10-year 500 million pound ($652 million) contract with Carillion, is
now debating the future of a facilities management deal with the crisis-hit
British construction firm.
    * EX-DIVS: No FTSE 100 companies will go ex-dividend on Thursday,
although several mid-caps will go ex-div, after which investors will no longer
qualify for the latest dividend payout.
    * BREXIT: Barely more than one in 10 British companies has started to put
Brexit contingency plans into effect as many firms remain unclear about what
leaving the European Union will mean, a leading business organisation said on
Thursday.
    * OIL: Oil prices held steady on Thursday following solid gains the previous
day when falling U.S. fuel inventories lifted the market.
    * The UK blue chip index FTSE 100 gained 0.6 percent and closed at
7,430.91 points on Wednesday, helped by a buoyant consumer goods sector after
Reckitt Benckiser sold its food business, while housebuilders added to
gains. 
    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
    
    * UK CORPORATE DIARY:    
 Moneysupermarket.Com                     Half Year 2017 Earnings Release
 Howden Joinery Group                     Half Year 2016 Earnings Release
 Nichols PLC                              Half Year 2017 Earnings Release
 Sports Direct International              Full Year 2016 Earnings Release
 Unilever PLC                             Q2 2017 Earnings Release
 Anglo American                           Trading announcement
 Premier Foods                            Trading announcement
 SSE                                      Trading announcement
        
    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
    > Financial Times                     
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 (Reporting by Siju Varghese; Editing by Sunil Nair)