UK Factors-FTSE futures flat, AstraZeneca raises guidance

(Adds futures price, company news items)

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 futures

* The UK blue chip index ended 0.5 percent higher at 6,412.88 points on Wednesday, close to its highest level since late October.

* RUSSIA PLANE CRASH: Evidence now suggests that a bomb planted by the Islamic State militant group is the likely cause of last weekend's crash of a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai peninsula, U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . and European security sources said on Wednesday.

* BANK OF ENGLAND/INTEREST RATES: The prospect of an interest rate hike by the Bank of England early next year could be revived on Thursday when Governor Mark Carney presents the British central bank's latest economic forecasts.

* ASTRAZENECA (Swiss: AZN.SW - news) : Drugmaker AstraZeneca lifted its full-year forecast for revenue and earnings on Thursday, after reporting third-quarter results broadly in line with analyst expectations.

* WM MORRISON : Morrisons, Britain's No. 4 supermarket group, reported another fall in quarterly underlying sales, hurt by the deflating effect of its own price cuts.

* SCHRODERS : British fund manager Schroders (LSE: SDR.L - news) said on Thursday that assets under management had fallen 4.9 percent in the three months to the end of September, hit by weak investment returns.

* RSA : British insurer RSA's underlying premium income rose by 1 percent in the first nine months of 2015, it said on Thursday, calling Zurich Insurance (LSE: 0QP2.L - news) 's abandoned bid for the company a "distraction" in the third quarter.

* RIO TINTO (LSE: RIO.L - news) : Rio Tinto said on Thursday it expects to see strong growth in iron ore demand in countries outside of China as the global seaborne market expands.

* TATE & LYLE (LSE: TATE.L - news) : British food ingredients maker Tate & Lyle Plc reported higher profit for the first half of its fiscal year, in a sign that performance may be stabilizing following troubles last year.

* COBHAM (Amsterdam: CH6.AS - news) : British engineering company Cobham (Other OTC: CBHMY - news) said 2015 earnings would be at the lower end of market expectations due to lower demand for some of its communications products and delays in orders for surveillance products.

* CHINA/DRUGS MARKET: China has launched a three-year pilot scheme to loosen approvals for new drugs, the country's food and drug regulator said on Thursday, as Beijing looks to help stimulate innovation in the country's pharmaceutical sector.

* NATIONAL GRID (LSE: NG.L - news) : Britain's energy system operator National Grid moved to increase the country's electricity supply backup on Wednesday after unnamed power plants broke down.

* CMC MARKETS/SWISS FRANC: Online trading firm CMC Markets has offered to refund clients for all of the losses resulting from the company's repricing of losing trades in the Swiss franc's surge in January, members of a client group fighting the company said on Wednesday.

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on Top News visit http://topnews.reuters.com (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta)