(Updates futures, Adds news items)

June 6 - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening higher on Thursday, with futures up 0.12%.

* FEVERTREE DRINKS: British tonic maker Fevertree Drinks reiterated its forecast for the year ahead of the key summer trading period as more customers spend on cocktails like mojitos and margaritas.

* JOHN WOOD GROUP: UK's John Wood Group said its board has decided to engage with Sidara on a sweetened takeover proposal and grant the Dubai-based engineering and consulting firm access to due diligence materials.

* IAG GROUP: Pilots at Aer Lingus, part of the IAG group , are balloting for industrial action in a dispute over pay, the Irish Air Lines Pilots’ Association said, while the Irish airline dismissed the action as "entirely unnecessary."

* ANTOFAGASTA: London-listed Antofagasta signed a $1.5 billion investment deal to improve water supply at its Chile mining operations.

* OIL: Oil extended gains from the previous session amid growing expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September, though prices were capped on the back of higher U.S. inventories and an OPEC+ plan to increase supply.

* GOLD: Gold prices

firmed

as the dollar and Treasury yields retreated on rising bets that U.S interest rate cuts may start as early as September, while investors awaited the U.S. non-farm payrolls data.

* METALS: Copper prices

rebounded

to trade above a key threshold of $10,000 per metric ton with better demand prospect as investors renewed their bets on U.S. interest rate cuts.

* EX-DIVS: Vodafone and National Grid will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend payout on Thursday.

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines (Reporting by Echha Jain in Bengaluru)