UK Stocks-Factors to watch on May 23

Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 27 points lower at 7,307 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers. * MERLIN: Activist investor ValueAct confirmed an earlier Financial Times report which stated that it urged Merlin Entertainments, the owner of Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, Alton Towers, to go private. * ACACIA: Barrick Gold Corp's proposal to take full control of its Acacia Mining Plc unit to resolve a long-standing tax dispute with Tanzania