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London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.21 percent to 5,518.94 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 0.57 percent to 5,804.13 points and in Paris the CAC 40 added 0.34 percent to 3,081.17 points.
However, Asian markets mostly fell earlier on Thursday and the euro dived to an 11-month low under $1.29 as concerns over the eurozone debt crisis refused to abate, ahead of an auction of long-term Italian debt later in the day.