July 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen

opening lower on Thursday, with futures down 0.1%.

* ASTON MARTIN: Aston Martin has secured £550 million in

new debt financing led by funds managed by BlackRock ( BLK )-owned HPS

Investment Partners, it said.

* CAPRICORN ENERGY ( CRNZF ): Capricorn Energy ( CRNZF ) said it has

received a £268.8 million all-cash bid from private investment

firm Samos Energy, weeks after agreeing to a near-identical

proposal from Genel Energy ( GEGYF ).

* GSK: GSK said the U.S. FDA approved its drug to treat

a form of lung cancer, nearly two months after the British

drugmaker acquired the treatment as part of a historic $10.6

billion deal.

* COMMODITIES: Oil prices rose more than 1.5% in Asian trade,

gold held steady, and copper ticked up.

* EX-DIVS: SSE will trade without entitlement to its

latest dividend pay-out on Thursday.

* FTSE: London's FTSE 100 rose over 1% in broad-based gains on

Wednesday with commodity-linked stocks among top gainers as oil

and metal prices climbed, though focus was on the Bank of

England's rate hike trajectory and simmering Middle East

tensions.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

easyJet Q3 Results

Anglo American Q2 Production

update

Centrica ( CPYYF ) HY results

Howden Joinery ( HWDJF ) HY results

Airtel Africa ( AAFRF ) Q1 trading update

RELX ( RELX ) HY results

CVS Group ( CVSGF ) Trading update

AJ Bell Q3 trading update

Jupiter Fund HY results

Management

Morgan Sindall HY results

City of London FY trading update

Investment Group

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please

click on:

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines

(Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)