(Adds news items, updates futures)
       May 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100  .FTSE  index is
seen opening higher on Friday, with futures  FFIc1  up 0.16%.
    
        * ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca  AZN.L  said a combination of
its cancer drugs Imfinzi and Lynparza when added to chemotherapy
showed 
    positive
     results in a late-stage trial in patients with advanced or
recurrent endometrial cancer.
  
        * RETAIL: British retail sales 
    rose
     by more than expected last month and volumes over the three
months to April grew by the most since mid-2021, according to
official figures that showed resilience in consumer spending
despite the surge in inflation.
  
    * SHELL: A Shell Plc  SHEL.L  unit said on Thursday it will
begin oil deliveries on the Houston to Nederland portion of its
Zydeco pipeline on Friday, a month after a spill forced the line
shut.
    * ASDA: The owners of supermarket Asda and petrol stations
company EG Group will announce a 10 billion-pound ($12.6
billion) merger of their operations in Britain as early as
Friday, Sky News reported on Thursday.
    * HEATHROW: Britain's Heathrow Airport said on Thursday that
British Airways is working to resolve a technical issue with a
number of its systems, which has impacted several departing and
arriving flights.
    * LGIM: Britain's biggest asset manager, Legal & General
Investment Management, said it was hard to take a long-term view
on British government bonds given a lack of clear narrative on
UK inflation and interest rates.
    * UK shares extended losses on Thursday, hit by concerns
about further monetary tightening by the Bank of England, while
lower oil prices pulled down energy stocks. 

    * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please
click on:  LIVE/     
    TODAY'S UK PAPERS
    > Financial Times                       PRESS/FT 
    > Other business headlines              PRESS/GB 

 (Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh
Kuber)
 ((Muhammed.husain@thomsonreuters.com))