Leading shares powered ahead in opening deals following the late upswing on Wall Street overnight.
There was some encouraging dividend news from Lloyds TSB, ensuring the financial sector rallied for a second straight day, dealers said.
But activity was fairly muted, with players content to stay on the sidelines ahead of the latest update by UN chief weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix to the Security Council.
By 8.40 a.m., the FTSE 100 index rose 42.2 points to 3,653.0, while all the broader indices were also sharply higher.
Overnight, the DJIA closed down 8.30 points at 7,749.87, the S&P 500 down 1.31 at 817.37, and the Nasdaq composite down 1.53 at 1,277.44. All these indices closed well above their earlier lows.
In Asia, the mood was also more upbeat. The Nikkei 225 index closed up 102.26 points at 8,701.92; the Hang Seng ended the morning session 60.13 points higher at 9,233.56.
AFP