European stocks gain ground after Athens bailout vote

Europe's main stock markets advanced at the start of trading on Thursday after Greek MPs voted in favour of an austerity-laden bailout package.

In opening trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.28 percent to 6,772.75 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 added 0.73 percent to 11,624.48 and the CAC 40 in Paris won 0.49 percent to open at 5,071.90 points compared with Wednesday's close.

Greek lawmakers backed a deeply contentious bailout package Thursday, clearing the first hurdle towards securing rescue funding hours before fresh talks between eurozone ministers, but leaving the radical left government in Athens weakened.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras managed to push through a series of unpopular reforms demanded by the country's international creditors, while on the streets of Athens anti-austerity protests turned angry as protesters threw firebombs at police.