(Adds futures, news items)
May 28 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE is seen
opening 42 points higher on Thursday, according to financial
bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 rising 1.2%.
* EASYJET: easyJet EZJ.L said it planned to cut up to 30%
of its staff, or 4,500 jobs, and shrink its fleet, to fit the
smaller market it expects to emerge from the collapse in air
travel due to COVID-19. * CINEWORLD: British cinema operator Cineworld CINE.L said
it secured an additional $110 million from lenders and a waiver
on loan covenants as the company looks to reopen all its cinemas
in July. * GLAXOSMITHKLINE: British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc
GSK.L will expand production of vaccine efficacy boosters, or
adjuvants, to produce 1 billion doses in 2021 for use in shots
for COVID-19, the company said.
* DMGT: Daily Mail owner DMGT DMGOa.L said its consumer
media, property information and events businesses were impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the final month of its first
half, as it reported flat revenue and a 20% drop in pretax
profit.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L is testing one of its
diabetes drugs as a treatment for COVID-19. * HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE: An international hydroxychloroquine
trial led by the University of Oxford has been paused, Britain's
pharmaceutical regulator said on Wednesday. * GOLD: Gold edged up after hitting a two-week low in the
previous session as the rift between Washington and Beijing over
Hong Kong escalated. * METALS: London copper prices rose, buoyed by hopes of
improving demand for the red metal amid more stimulus
measures.
* London-listed stocks notched up their strongest close
since early March on Wednesday amid sustained hopes of an
economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
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