FTSE 100 ticks up on Vodafone, easyJet deals; Middle East worries linger

July 10 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 inched up on Friday, supported by deal-driven gains in Vodafone and easyJet, though Middle East tensions kept a lid on further upside.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.08% to 10,480.31 points by 1053 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.1%. However, both indexes remained on track to post weekly losses.

• Vodafone jumped 12.6% to the top of the FTSE 100 after the UAE telecoms group e& said it would sell its stake in the British telecoms company to the family investment vehicle of French billionaire Xavier Niel in a deal valued at nearly $6 billion.

• easyJet rose 14.5% to top the FTSE 250 after the budget carrier agreed in principle to a 5.7 billion-pound ($7.65 billion) takeover approach from Apollo Global, helping travel and leisure stocks lead sectoral gains, up 1.6%.

• Industrial metal miners followed, gaining 0.8%, with Atalaya Mining, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto rising between 1.4% and 1.8%.

• Renewed Middle East tensions weighed on investor sentiment after Iranian forces attacked U.S. military infrastructure in Gulf states, further undermining a three-week-old ceasefire and raising uncertainty over the conflict's trajectory.

• Investment banks and brokerages fell 0.8%, with St. James's Place among the FTSE 100's worst performers, sliding 8.7% following a report that Sovereign Wealth — one of the money manager's largest partner firms — was in talks to join a Swedish wealth management group.

• Shares of Hays rose 13.8% after the recruiter said it expects annual operating profit at the top end of market expectations, helped by cost cuts and improved consultant productivity.

• On the political front, Andy Burnham moved closer to becoming Britain's next prime minister after securing overwhelming backing from Labour lawmakers, putting him in a strong position to succeed Keir Starmer.

(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)