Dec 1 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is expected to open higher on Friday, with futures up 0.46%.

* ASTRAZENECA: AstraZeneca on Friday said it would discontinue two late-stage trials looking at the potential benefits of its drug Lokelma in the management of hyperkalaemia across the cardiorenal spectrum.

* HOUSING: British house prices rose unexpectedly in monthly terms for the third time running in November, adding to signs that the housing market downturn has abated, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday.

* TELEGRAPH: Britain will intervene in the acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI on public interest grounds, with regulators on Thursday asked to examine the deal's impact on accuracy and freedom of expression.

* CMA: Google has called on Britain's antitrust regulator to take action against Microsoft, claiming its business practices had left rivals at a significant disadvantage, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

* GSK: GSK CEO Emma Walmsley gave an upbeat assessment of the British drugmaker's new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine on Thursday and said the costs of Zantac litigation won't alter the company's capital plans.

* METAL: Copper prices advanced on Friday, supported by a softer dollar and data from top consumer China that showed factory activity surprisingly expanded in November.

* GOLD: Gold prices were set to mark a third straight weekly rise on Friday.

* OIL: Oil prices extended losses on Friday, and looked set for a sixth straight week of declines.

* FTSE 100: Britain's FTSE 100 hit a one-week high on Thursday, led by aerospace and defence stocks.

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines (Reporting by Hani Kollathodi)