(Adds company news, futures)
May 24 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index futures FFIc1 were down 0.1 percent on Wednesday ahead of the cash market open.
* VEDANTA: Mining and energy group Vedanta Resources Plc VED.L said its full-year core profit surged 36.6 percent, driven by firmer commodity prices. DIXONS: Britain's Dixons Carphone DC.L on Wednesday beat fourth-quarter trading forecasts and narrowed its full-year headline pretax profit guidance to 485-490 million pounds ($628.85 million-$635.33 million) from 475-495 million. MEDICLINIC: South Africa's biggest private hospital group, Mediclinic International MDCM.L , reported a 19 percent drop in underlying full-year earnings on Wednesday as regulations in the Middle East weighed on profits. KINGFISHER: Home improvements retailer Kingfisher KGF.L reported on Wednesday a 0.6 percent fall in first-quarter sales from stores open for more than a year, due to weak sales in France, where the firm remains cautious about prospects. ZPG: British property group ZPG plc ZPG.L , which owns property websites Zoopla and PrimeLocation, posted a 22 percent rise in half-year revenue as traffic to its sites hit a record high and the number of agents signed up to its platforms rose. MARKS & SPENCER: Britain's Marks & Spencer MKS.L reported a 10 percent decline in annual profit and said clothing and homeware sales fell in its latest quarter, dampening the euphoria of the previous three months when it recorded a first increase in nearly two years. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L is struggling to reach a deal with all the investors who allege the lender misled them during a 12 billion pound ($15.6 billion) cash call in 2008, two sources familiar with the situation said. Soldiers will be deployed to key sites in Britain to boost security as the country raised its terror threat to the highest level of "critical" following a suicide attack in Manchester that killed 22 people, including children. GLENCORE: U.S. grains trader Bunge Ltd BG.N said on Tuesday it was not in talks with Swiss mining and commodities group Glencore Plc GLEN.L , after the latter said it had made an informal approach to discuss "a possible consensual business combination." SHELL: Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L has decided to offload a roughly C$4.1 billion ($3 billion) stake in Canadian Natural Resources Ltd CNQ.TO that it acquired as part of a deal to retreat from Canada's oil sands earlier this year, people familiar with the situation told Reuters. RIO TINTO: Ex-Rio Tinto RIO.AX , RIO.L chief executive officer Sam Walsh said on Wednesday he does not 'fear the truth' of investigations into millions of dollars in payments made in 2011 to help secure iron ore mining acreage in Guinea, Australian media reported. BHP BILLITON: BHP Billiton BHP.AX , BLT.L is seeking environmental approval to dig two new mines to extend the life of its Nickel West unit in the state of Western Australia, which is facing a shortfall in ore supply. The UK blue chip index closed down 0.15 percent at 7,485.29 on Tuesday, as losses among miners more than offset stronger banks.
* 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