* GSK: Drugmaker GSK Plc said it welcomed the British Columbia Supreme Court's dismissal of a proposed class action in Canada against heartburn drug Zantac over increased cancer risk.
* THG: Online retail platform THG Plc said it has
ended takeover talks with Apollo Global Management , saying there was "no merit" in discussions after it rejected the private equity firm's latest buyout proposal.
* ECONOMY: British gross domestic product
grew by 0.1% in the first three months of 2023, despite an unexpectedly sharp 0.3% drop in output in March.
* HOME REIT: Home REIT said that it will not
"proactively" pursue a sale at this time after potential suitor
Bluestar Group decided not to bid for the British housing
provider.
* SHELL: Shell has suspended production at its
Prelude floating LNG facility off Western Australia due to a
trip, a Shell spokeswoman said on Friday.
* GSK: British drugmaker GSK announced its intention
to sell up to 240 million shares in Haleon .
* OIL: Oil prices fell, set for their fourth weekly decline,
as renewed economic concerns in the United States and China
revived anxieties about fuel demand growth in the world's two
largest oil consumers.
* GOLD: Gold prices ticked down as the dollar held firm,
although persistent economic fears and the U.S. debt ceiling
standoff cushioned bullion's further decline.
* The UK's FTSE 100 share index ended virtually flat on
Thursday, although mining stocks fell as base metal prices
slumped on China growth concerns.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines (Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil)
