Dec 15 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 13
points on Friday, according to financial bookmakers. 
    
    * OLD MUTUAL: The chief of Old Mutual Global Investors (OMGI) Richard Buxton
is nearing a 550 million pound buyout of the company, according to a person
familiar with the matter.
    * BP: BP plans to invest $200 million in Europe's largest solar power
developer Lightsource, with a 43 percent stake buy, the Financial Times reported
on Friday. http://on.ft.com/2BqfckN
    * MILLENNIUM & COPTHORNE HOTELS: A group of minority investors in Millennium
& Copthorne Hotels has rejected a takeover offer from the company's
majority shareholder and called on other investors to follow suit to defeat the
bid, which values the business at 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion).
    * GOLD: Gold prices edged higher in Asian trade on Friday, heading for their
first weekly gain in four, as the dollar sagged on concerns about the progress
of U.S. tax reform.
    * The UK blue chip index closed 0.46 percent lower at 7,462 points on
Thursday, weighed down by losses among financial stocks, while miner Lonmin
 soared after a rescue takeover bid. 
    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
    
    * UK CORPORATE DIARY:
 Thruvision Group             Half Year 2018 Earnings 
 Sthree                       Full Year 2017 Trading Update
        
    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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 (Reporting by Justin George Varghese)