Aug 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 7 points lower on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.08%.

* WPP: WPP WPP.L said underlying net sales jumped 19.3% in the second quarter, beating expectations and taking first-half growth to 11%.

* ROLLS-ROYCE: Rolls-Royce RR.L said it was on track to meet its forecasts for 2021, reassuring investors that despite a muted recovery in long-haul travel across the world, its cost-cutting and disposal plans were making progress.

* GLENCORE: Glencore GLEN.L will return $2.8 billion to shareholders after soaring commodity prices helped the company to a record performance for the first six months of the year.

* FRASERS: Frasers' FRAS.L biggest shareholder will likely step down as chief executive next year and be succeeded by Michael Murray, the group's "head of elevation".

* HAMMERSON: Hammerson HMSO.L reported a 14% rise in half-year adjusted profit, thanks to a recovery in retail and lower costs.

* SERCO: Serco Group SRP.L reported a 58% jump in its first-half profit, benefiting from COVID-19 test-and-trace contracts and its U.S. and Australian acquisitions.

* CENTAMIN: Centamin CEY.L posted a 39% fall in first-half pretax profit, as a drop in its production outweighed an improvement in pricing.

* CMA: Pfizer PFE.N and Flynn broke competition law by charging Britain's National Health Service "unfairly high" prices for vital epilepsy medicines, the country's competition regulator said after reassessing a 2016 case.

* JOHN LEWIS: Britain's government named almost 200 businesses which breached minimum wage laws between 2011 and 2018, with the department store and supermarket chain the John Lewis Partnership heading the list.

* CAR SALES: British new car sales fell by around an annual 30% to their lowest July level since 1998 as the 'pingdemic' of people self-isolating alongside supply shortages hit demand.

* INVESTMENT: Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged British pension fund managers to put more of their clients' money into illiquid long-term investments in infrastructure and unlisted companies.

* VACCINATION: Britain will offer all 16- and 17-year-olds their first dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, its vaccine advisers said on Wednesday.

* ENTAIN: Shares of Entain ENT.L , which rejected a takeover offer from MGM Resorts MGM.N this year, jumped to a record high on Wednesday after a $4.4 billion asset sale by the U.S. casino group prompted bets of a renewed bid for the British bookmaker.

* OIL: Oil prices rose, supported by tensions in the Middle East.

* GOLD: Gold prices eased as the dollar held firm after remarks from a top U.S. Federal Reserve official signalled the possibility of bringing forward policy tightening.

* London's FTSE 100 rose on Wednesday, helped by heavyweight financial stocks and strong corporate earnings updates.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:

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Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru