(Adds company news item, futures)
Jan 26 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 23
points higher at 7,638.4 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers, with
futures up 0.20 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca said its inhaler for chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) showed improved lung function in a late stage trial
that could challenge GlaxoSmithKline's new three-in-one inhaler.
* HICL: HICL Infrastructure , an infrastructure investment firm,
said the collapse of Carillion had triggered loan agreement defaults at
its projects and management subcontracts with the construction outsourcing
company.
* GVC: GVC Holdings has made a provision of about 200 million euros
($250 million) in its 2017 accounts after its Greek unit was slapped with a tax
bill from a local authority.
* BT: BT still has work to do to restore shareholders' confidence
after a difficult year that saw its shares plunge in the wake of an Italian
accounting scandal, according to one of Britain's leading investor
groups.
* CARILLION: The completion of new buildings at six schools in Ireland will
be delayed by several weeks due to the collapse of Carillion, the government
said.
* The UK blue chip index closed down 0.4 percent at 7,612.61 points on
Thursday, with the pound on track for its best month against the dollar in
almost nine years and at its highest since the June 2016 Brexit
referendum.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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(Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru)