British stocks up 0.17 pct Wednesday

LONDON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- British stocks rose on Wednesday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up by 0.17 percent, or 12.57 points, to close at 7,196.00 points.

British American Tobacco, a tobacco group, soared 5.15 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. DS Smith and John Wood Group increased by 3.72 percent and 3.35 percent, respectively.

Burberry Group, a British luxury fashion company, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 4.04 percent. Legal General Group, a British multinational financial services company, dropped 3.49 percent. Paddy Power Betfair, a sports betting and gaming company, fell 2.65 percent. Enditem