June 29 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index opened

flat on Monday.

* BT GROUP: BT and Verizon announced a deal to

combine their international enterprise operations into a 50:50

joint venture.

* BRIDGEPOINT: UK-based private equity firm Bridgepoint

will acquire Kayne Anderson Real Estate in a deal

valued at about $1.39 billion.

* PLUS500: Plus500 launched sports event-based

contracts in the United States.

* HALEON ( HLN ): Consumer health company Haleon ( HLN ) bid for U.S.

supplements firm Thorne, sources said, at a time when Haleon ( HLN ) has

been hoping to expand in the roughly $70 billion U.S.

supplements market.

* COMPANIES GROWTH: British companies' expectations for growth

in the coming quarter fell in June to their lowest level this

year, according to a survey on Monday that added to a run of

downbeat business sentiment readings.

* POLITICS: Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker expected to

replace Keir Starmer as British prime minister, will outline his

vision for Britain on Monday, his office said.

* DEFENCE: Britain will scrap plans to replace its ageing

destroyers and will instead procure at least six "Common Combat

Vessels" to serve as control hubs for uncrewed systems, the

Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

* COMMODITIES: Oil prices rose on Monday, while gold prices

easedand copper gained after Iran and the United States agreed

to halt tit-for-tat attacks and return to diplomacy.

* FTSE: London's FTSE indexes closed lower on Friday, weighed by

declines in energy stocks and heavyweight banks, while

uncertainty around AI-related shares dampened global market

sentiment.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please

click on:

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines

(Compiled by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Ronojoy

Mazumdar)