Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 7 points higher at 7,224 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers. * VODAFONE: Telecom Italia and Vodafone will kick off the sale of a stake in their Italian tower business in the coming days after picking advisers for the process, two sources said. * BHP: BHP Group said on Thursday it would retain for now all its memberships of industry associations after reviewing their climate and energy policy positions, even