UPDATE 1-FTSE 100 clings on to gains as weaker pound supports, Inmarsat surges
* FTSE 100 up 0.1 pct
* FTSE 250 roughly flat
* Miners fall on oversupply concerns
* Dollar earners capitalize on softness in sterling
* Kingfisher down after results, CEO change plan
* Inmarsat jumps on go-private talks
* Kier skids after results, dividend cut (Adds news items, analyst comment, updates share prices)
March 20 (Reuters) - A weaker pound amid growing Brexit concerns offset a selloff in blue-chip miners and lifted the exporter-heavy FTSE 100 on Wednesday, while satellite operator Inmarsat surged on a $3.3 billion takeover approach.
The FTSE 100 shrugged off initial losses to edge 0.1 percent higher, up for an eighth straight session, and the FTSE 250 was roughly flat by 0948 GMT.
The pound weakened on uncertainty over Brexit, amid reports that Prime Minister Theresa May will request a short delay to Britain's divorce from the bloc in a letter to the European Union. This helped internationally-focused stocks gain on the main bourse.
CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said that while there was no suggestion as to whether the EU would or would not grant a Brexit extension, the current mood appears to suggest that any offer may well come with conditions which British lawmakers "might find hard to swallow."
Mining stocks slipped nearly 2.5 percent as iron ore prices plunged in anticipation of increased supply after Vale SA was set to restart work at its largest iron ore mine.
Reports of possible friction in the Sino-U.S. trade talks also weighed. Rio Tinto lost 3.8 percent and Antofagasta shed 2.4 percent as an HSBC rating downgrade also pressured the stock.
Home improvement retailer Kingfisher slipped 3.5 percent after it reported lower full-year results and said it had started the process to find a replacement for chief executive Véronique Laury.
But Just Eat gained 2.2 percent after Jefferies hikedits price target and said the online food ordering platform's valuation was cheaper relative to its peers.
Investors were cautious ahead of the Fed's policy decision, in which it is expected to hold interest rates steady, shave the number of hikes projected for the rest of the year, and detail a plan to end the monthly reduction of its balance sheet.
Data at home showed Britain's main inflation rate ticked up last month but stayed close to January's two-year low, helping consumers maintain their spending power.
Mid-cap satellite operator Inmarsat jumped 16.6 percent, on course for its best day in more than a decade, after it confirmed takeover talks with a consortium of investors that could take the company private for about $3.3 billion.
Automotive fluid storage company TI Fluid Systems scaled up 8 percent as strong orders boosted annual revenue.
Keir Group tumbled 6.6 percent after its half-year underlying earnings fell and the builder slashed its interim dividend. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by David Holmes/Keith Weir)
