UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Feb 15

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening 35 points higher at 7,248.8 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers.

* ANTOFAGASTA: Chilean mining company Antofagasta (ANTO.L) received environmental approval for a major, $1.1 billion revamp of its Los Pelambres copper mine, the regional government of Coquimbo said on Wednesday.

* GVC/LADBROKES: Online gambling company GVC (GVC.L) has given away its Turkey business, hoping the move will help smooth its takeover of Ladbrokes (LCL.L)after GVC's lenders baulked at its exposure to a country where internet betting is illegal.

* SKY: Hedge fund Polygon Global Partners, which is an investor in Sky (SKYB.L) , said the outcome of the English Premier League soccer rights auction supported its view that the takeover by Twenty-First Century Fox(FOXA.O) undervalues the British company. The decision by regulators that Twenty-First Century Fox would be a "fit and proper" owner of Sky will be challenged in court, campaign group Avaaz said on Wednesday.

* Shire: Shire (SHP.L) , the pharma firm splitting its rare disease and hyperactivity drugs into two units, said sales would grow in the mid-single digits and profits by a lower percentage than the top line this year after earnings per share rose 16 percent in 2017.

* SHELL-NIGERIA: The Court of Appeal in London ruled on Wednesday that two Nigerian communities cannot pursue Royal Dutch Shell(RDSa.L)in English courts over oil spills in Nigeria's Delta region.

* OIL: Oil prices on Thursday extended gains from the previous session, pushed up by a weak dollar and by comments from Saudi Arabia that it would rather see an undersupplied market than end a deal with OPEC and Russia to withhold production.

* GOLD: Gold prices rose further on Thursday, supported by a weaker dollar and as investors bought the yellow metal as a hedge against inflation after a faster-than-expected rise in U.S. consumer prices last month.

* COPPER: London copper rose for a fourth day to the highest in 10 days on Thursday, supported by a decline in the dollar and robust prospects for global growth.

* BRITAIN-EU: The European Union's remaining member states want a "close and deep" relationship with Britain after its departure from the bloc, but it is for Britain to make proposals as to how it imagines that relationship, a German government spokesman said.

* EX-DIVS: AstraZeneca (AZN.L) , BP (BP.L) , Hargreaves Lansdown (HRGV.L) , Royal Dutch Shell A(RDSa.L) , Royal Dutch Shell B(RDSa.L) , Unilever(ULVR.L) will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 24.4 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations

* The UK blue chip index ended the day up 0.6 percent on Wednesday, as investors shrugged off a hotly anticipated data release showing higher than expected U.S. inflation.

    *       Full Year 2017 Earnings Release 
 Lancashire Holdings Ltd       (LRE.L)      Q4 2017 Earnings Release 
 Indivior PLC                  (INDV.L)     Full Year 2017 Earnings Release 
 ConvaTec Group PLC            (CTEC.L)     Full Year 2017 Earnings Release 
         

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