(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window)

* Rolls-Royce jumps after annual outlook raise

* Rentokil slumps after flagging weakness in North American

business

* Bank of England expected to hold interest rates

July 30 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 hit another intraday

record high on Thursday, lifted by miners and industrial stocks,

as investors assessed escalating tensions in the Middle East

ahead of the Bank of England's monetary policy decision.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.4% to an

all-time peak of 10,950.32 points by 0943 GMT, while the midcap

FTSE 250 climbed 0.4%.

* Precious and industrial metal miners

gained 1.5% and 1.9%, respectively, tracking

gains in copper prices, and steady prices of bullion.

* Aerospace and defence firms were the top

sectoral gainers, up 3.6%, on a 5.6% boost from Rolls-Royce

after the engineering company raised its full-year outlook far

beyond market expectations.

* Paper and packaging firm Mondi ( MNODF ) surged 15.2%, on

track for its sharpest one-day jump since March 2009 after its

first-half results which powered the FTSE 350 General

Industrials sector to its highest level since

March 2025.

* On the flip side, industrial support services

slipped 2.5%, weighed down by a 17.3% slump in

Rentokil, set for its biggest one-day loss since

September 2024 after the pest control firm flagged weakness in

its North America business.

* Energy stocks gained 0.4% as Brent crude

topped $90 a barrel after the U.S. military struck dozens of

targets in Iran.

* A divided U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates

unchanged on Wednesday even as chief Kevin Warsh pledged an

unwavering commitment to bring inflation down, a message that

left markets confused about just what he was prepared to do.

* Later on, the Bank of England will release its monetary

policy statement, with markets widely expecting the central bank

to hold interest rates steady.

* Markets are pricing in a 25-basis-point rate hike and

about a 50% chance of a second similar increase by the end of

2026, according to LSEG-compiled data.

(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika

Syamnath)