May 10 (Reuters) - Futures for Britain's FTSE 100 index FFIc1 were up 0.4% at 7,129.5 on Monday.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L may skip asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency-use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine and instead pursue the more time-intensive application for a full-fledged license to sell the shot, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. TRADE: Companies in freeports in Britain will not get to enjoy the full benefits of the new tax-efficient zones if they are exporting to certain countries including Canada, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. COVID-19: The new coronavirus will no longer be circulating in Britain by August, the government's departing vaccine taskforce chief Clive Dix told the Daily Telegraph on Friday. GOLD: Gold prices inched higher after weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data supported hopes that interest rates will remain low for some time, bolstering the metal's appeal. OIL: Crude prices climbed more than 1% after a major cyber attack that forced the shutdown of critical fuel supply pipelines in the United States, highlighting the fragility of oil infrastructure. The UK blue-chip index .FTSE closed 0.7% higher on Friday as hopes of a stronger economic recovery lifted industrial and consumer discretionary stocks, while Meggitt MGGT.L shares soared on a takeover report. UK CORPORATE DIARY:
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Dignity
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Centrica
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