Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening flat on Tuesday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.02%.

* MOTOR FINANCE: The UK Supreme Court rejected a move by finance minister Rachel Reeves to intervene in a landmark case on car loan mis-selling.

* HSBC: HSBC HSBA.L, 0005.HK has laid off around 40 investment bankers in Hong Kong as part of the bank's global restructuring, according to one source with direct knowledge of the matter.

* VENTURE GLOBAL LNG: Long-term customers including Shell SHEL.L and BP BP.L have been notified that after a two-year dispute Venture Global LNG VG.N will begin commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass plant in Louisiana on April 15.

* OIL: Oil prices strengthened as an attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in the Caspian Sea slowed flows from Kazakhstan, while investors monitored developments of a possible Moscow-Kiev ceasefire agreement that could ease sanctions and increase global supplies.

* GOLD: Gold extended gains as uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans continued to dominate sentiment, driving safe-haven demand amid fears of a potential global trade war.

* METAL: Copper traded in a narrow price range as traders rolled forward positions ahead of a contract expiry this week and market attention shifted towards U.S. efforts to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

* The UK blue-chip index .FTSE up 0.4% on Monday, supported by aerospace and defence stocks.

* UK CORPORATE DIARY:

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

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(Compiled by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru)

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