* NATIONAL EXPRESS: Thousands of British drivers at National Express halted "all out strikes" that were due to start this week to vote on an improved pay offer from the employer, their union said.
* ROYAL MAIL: Royal Mail and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) have agreed to extend talks in order to try and reach an agreement over pay and employment terms, the postal company and the CWU said in a joint statement.
* OIL: Oil prices fell more than $1, extending the previous day's slide, as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank rattled equities markets and sparked fear about a fresh financial crisis.
* GOLD: Gold prices slipped from a more than five-week high, but held above the key $1,900 level as expectations grew that the U.S. Federal Reserve would dial back its rate hikes after the collapse of two big regional banks.
* METALS: London copper prices dropped nearly 1% as a firmer dollar made greenback-priced metals expensive to holders of other currencies, while markets continued to process the sudden collapse of U.S. regional banks.
* FTSE: London stocks fell on Monday as banks extended their losses on continued fears of contagion risks from the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) fallout, while strength in the pound added to losses in the exporter-heavy FTSE 100.
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Close Brothers Group HY Results
TP ICAP Group FY Results
Pennon Group Trading statement
Genuit Group FY Results
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru)
