UK Stocks-Factors to watch on August 26

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.4%.

* BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: British American Tobacco BATS.L, the maker of Lucky Strike and Dunhill cigarettes, said that its finance chief Soraya Benchikh is stepping down with immediate effect, after about 15 months in the role.

* WOOD GROUP: Dubai-based Sidara lowered its takeover proposal for Wood Group WG.L to 30 pence per share from its previous bid of 35 pence per share, following a recent probe launched by Britain's financial regulator into the oilfield services provider.

* BUNZL: British business supplies distributor Bunzl BNZL.L posted a 7.6% decline in half-year adjusted operating profit in constant currency.

* BP: BP's BP.L 440,000-bpd refinery in Whiting, Indiana, is expected to be fully operational in the next 24 to 48 hours, industry monitor IIR said on Monday.

* HSBC: HSBC's HSBA.L Swiss private bank has launched a cull of more than 1,000 wealthy Middle Eastern clients, as it faces ongoing scrutiny from regulators over high-risk customers, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

* OFWAT: Britain's water regulator said on Monday that it has written to six water companies requesting details on remuneration disclosed in their annual accounts as part of a review into compliance with rules prohibiting performance-related executive pay.

* INFLATION: British shop prices rose this month by the most since March last year, potentially adding to the Bank of England's worries about how long the country's high inflation problem is likely to last.

* COMMODITIES: Oil prices edged down, gold rose to a two-week high, and copper prices rose across major exchanges on Tuesday.

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

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