(Adds company news items, futures)
April 16 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 12 points higher at 7,276 on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.10 pct ahead of the cash market open.
* SHIRE: Shire SHP.L , the London-listed pharmaceutical company which specialises in rare diseases, said on Monday it was selling its oncology business to French drug maker Servier for $2.4 billion. WPP: Martin Sorrell, who built WPP WPP.L into the world's biggest advertising agency through 33 years of dealmaking, quit on Saturday after an allegation of personal misconduct. UNILEVER: Influential advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended shareholders vote against the remuneration policy that Unilever ULVR.L , UNc.AS will put forth at its annual meetings next month. VEDANTA: AngloGold Ashanti ANGJ.J said on Monday its Chief Executive Officer Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan was resigning to take the top job at mining conglomerate Vedanta Resources Plc VED.L . RIO: Rio Tinto RIO.L , RIO.AX said it will declare force majeure on certain customer contracts after the U.S. imposed sanctions on its partner Russian aluminum producer Rusal 0486.HK . HAMMERSON/INTU: Dutch pension fund APG Asset Management said on Friday it will vote against the Hammerson Plc's HMSO.L acquisition of shopping centre operator Intu Properties Plc INTUP.L if the company tables the deal for approval at its shareholder meeting. WHITBREAD: A unit of U.S. activist hedge fund Elliott Management said it now held the largest stake in Whitbread Plc WTB.L , making it the second activist in recent months to draw attention to Britain's biggest hotel and coffee-shop operator. ROLLS-ROYCE: Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc RR.L will bid to provide engines for a new wide-body jetliner that China is developing with Russia, the China Daily newspaper reported on Saturday, citing the British engineering company. UK CONSUMER: British consumers cut their spending by the most in more than five years in early 2018 as heavy snowfalls combined with an ongoing squeeze on household budgets to hit retailers, payments company Visa said on Monday. UK MOTOR INSURANCE: The cost of a comprehensive motor insurance policy fell 7 percent in Britain in the first quarter, the largest quarterly reduction in premiums seen in four years, a survey said on Monday. The UK blue chip index ended up 0.1 percent on Friday as a plunge in software firm Sage's SGE.L shares put pressure on Britain's top share index. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines
PRESS/GB Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for:
* 3000 Xtra
: visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com
* For Top News : http://topnews.reuters.com