Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Wednesday, with futures FFIC1 down 0.38%.

* SHELL: Venture Global VG.N submitted its response late to a legal challenge from Shell SHEL.L over the oil major's defeat in an arbitration case, rejecting allegations of fraud and accusing Shell of breaching arbitration confidentiality.

* GLENCORE: Glencore has become the first miner to export cobalt under Democratic Republic of Congo's new quotas, sending a small initial shipment to test the system, one government source and two trade sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

* SHELL: Shell SHEL.L said output at two of its offshore platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has been temporarily shut due to a shutdown of the Hoover Offshore Oil Pipeline System (HOOPS) and two sources familiar with the matter said Shell is in advanced talks to buy LLOG Exploration Offshore in a deal worth more than $3 billion.

* FRASERS GROUP: Mike Ashley has pledged around 670 million pounds ($890.6 million) worth of shares in Frasers Group FRAS.L as collateral for a loan from HSBC, according to filing.

* ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American AAL.L said that its shareholders have approved its merger with Teck Resources TECKb.TO.

* DIAGEO: Unite union said some workers at Diageo's DGE.L Belfast packaging site voted to reject the company's improved pay offer and resume a strike action in December.

* TT ELECTRONICS: DBAY Advisors, the biggest shareholder of TT Electronics TTG.L, said it is considering a takeover offer for the company, and it intends to vote against Cicor's CICN.S final offer.

* COMMODITIES: Oil price steady, gold inched higher as investors prepared for Federal Reserve's guidance on interest rates, while Copper hovered below record highs.

* FTSE: The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 was little changed on Tuesday, as gains in precious-metal miners and defence stocks offset declines elsewhere.

• UK CORPORATE DIARY:

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS> Financial Times PRESS/FT> Other business headlines PRESS/GB

(Reporting by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru)

((((Simone.Lobo@thomsonreuters.com, +919920570373))