Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is expected to open 5 points lower at 7,121 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers.
* RYANAIR: Belgium's CNE and ACV PULS trade unions have told members not to comply with a Ryanair request to staff flights affected by a planned strike by Portuguese crew from Wednesday, a letter sent to the airline seen by Reuters showed.
* OIL: Brent crude oil futures rose above $60 a barrel for the first time in over a week on Wednesday after a data report showed a larger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude inventories, but ongoing worries about a possible global recession capped gains.
* GOLD: Gold prices held steady on Wednesday after recovering to above the key $1,500 an ounce level in the previous session, with investors waiting for the minutes of the Federal Reserve's July meeting for possible clues on further U.S. interest rate cuts.
* MINERS: Iron ore futures in China sank to their lowest in 10 weeks on Wednesday, extending losses along with coke, after mining giant BHP Group gave a downbeat outlook for steelmaking raw material prices.
* London's main index ended firmly in the red on Tuesday after new U.S.-China trade jitters and political instability in Italy took down heavyweight firms across sectors, while exporter stocks dipped as the pound gained after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments on the Brexit process.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Anglo-Eastern Plantations Half Year Earnings Release Empresaria Group Half Year Earnings Release Costain Group Half Year Earnings Release Hansteen Holdings Half Year Earnings Release Hansteen Holdings Half Year Earnings Call OneSavings Bank Q2 Earnings Release Charter Court Financial Services Half Year Earnings Release
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
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> Other business headlines (Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru)