Britain's leading share index opened higher for a third session in a row on Thursday, lifted by shares in global bank HSBC , after a company in which it holds a stake made a strong stock market debut, and as brewer Scottish & Newcastle was boosted by an analyst upgrade. Shares in HSBC added 0.9 percent, after shares in China's Bank of Communications surged 12 percent on their Hong Kong debut, marking the world's second-largest IPO so far this year. BoCom, the first Chinese bank to list overseas, is one-fifth owned by HSBC. By 0722 GMT, the FTSE 100 share index was up 8.9 points at 5,108.2, having added 27 points in the past two sessions and reaching its best closing level in three years. Telecoms group BT was among the top gainers after it agreed to open up its network to rivals and announced several cuts in wholesale prices on Thursday, in exchange for lighter regulation and to avert a possible break-up. Scottish & Newcastle added 1.6 percent after dealers said CSFB raised its rating on the stock to "outperform" and its target to 520 pence a share. --More 1245 Local Time 0945 GMT
