(Adds new items and updates futures)

Sept 20 - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening lower on Wednesday, with futures down 0.45%.

* PEARSON: British education group Pearson said it has

appointed Microsoft executive

Omar Abbosh as its new CEO effective early 2024, succeeding Andy Bird, who is retiring after about three years in the role.

* M&G: British insurer M&G posted a better than expected 31% rise in first-half operating profit to 390 million pounds ($481.77 million) and said it was making good progress on its 2025 financial targets.

* DUNELM: British homeware retailer Dunelm Group said it expected higher sales volumes to drive profits in 2024, after its annual profit beat analysts' expectations for profit.

* PAGEGROUP: Global recruiting firm PageGroup said it was targeting 1.5 billion pounds in shareholder returns and operating profits of 400 million pounds by 2030.

* INFLATION: British annual consumer price inflation (CPI) unexpectedly fell to 6.7% in August, official data showed, raising questions about how much higher the Bank of England will take interest rates a day before its next policy announcement.

* RYANAIR: Italy's Antitrust agency said it had

opened an investigation

into low-cost carrier Ryanair "for possible abuse of a dominant (market) position".

* RETAIL INDUSTRY: A coalition of British retail industry groups and shopworkers union USDAW has written to police leaders in England and Wales calling on them to back plan to counter "torrent of theft".

* OIL: Oil prices retreated further from 10-month highs on ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, with investors uncertain when peak rates will be hit and how much of an impact it will have on energy demand.

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines ($1 = 0.8095 pounds) (Reporting by Hani Kollathodi and Zainab Saifuddin Saifee in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)