Aug 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening lower on Friday, with futures down 0.44%.

* RETAIL SALES: British retail sales fell more sharply than expected in July as heavy rain put off shoppers who are also feeling the hit from high inflation and 14 back-to-back increases in interest rates.

* SHELL: Shell Plc and Pemex each could face more than $1 million in fines over a Deer Park, Texas, chemical plant fire in May under a lawsuit filed by the state's attorney general.

* ANGLO AMERICAN: Anglo American unit De Beers Group said on Thursday it was assisting some employees at its Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Canada's Northwest Territories whose families were residing in the Yellowknife region and were asked to evacuate due to wildfires.

* CASH MACHINE: Nearly everyone in Britain will remain within three miles (4.8 km) of a cash machine that does not charge fees despite the dwindling use of notes and coins, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

* BAE SYSTEM: Britain's BAE Systems said its $5.5 billion purchase of Ball Corp's aerospace business would help it meet the soaring demand for munitions seen since the invasion of Ukraine, underscoring the impact the war has had on the sector.

* OIL: Oil prices looked set to snap a

seven-week winning streak

on Friday as concerns about China's slowing economic growth and the possibility of more U.S. interest rate hikes outweighed signs of tightening supply.

* GOLD: Gold edged up from 5-month lows as the U.S. dollar and bond yields slightly fell from highs, but bullion was set for its fourth consecutive weekly decline on concerns over the Federal Reserve's higher-for-longer interest rate outlook.

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

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines (Reporting by Zainab Saifee in Bengaluru)