LONDON - Britain's top share index ended up 0.55 percent, in line with a global stocks rally, as Vodafone jumped on results, but GlaxoSmithKline fell on further fears for its diabetes drug Avandia. The FTSE 100 closed up 36 points, or 0.55 percent, at 6,606.5, as stock markets in the UK, the United States and Germany kicked off a fresh trading week on firm footing after the extended holiday weekend.ROUNDUP:EUROFIRSTEUROPE - European shares ended higher, fired by gains in the telecoms sector as Vodafone delivered strong results, but falling pharmaceutical stocks capped the rally in the broader market. Shares in British Airways staged their largest one-day rise in almost a year, ending up 4.7 percent, after Goldman Sachs raised its stake in the airline to over 5 percent, while GlaxoSmithKline hit a two-year low on continued worries over its Avandia diabetes drug. "Everybody has been saying for some time the focus of attention will shift toward ... the larger caps, because smaller to mid caps have outperformed for such a long period of time. They'll have their day, and this is one of them," said Mike Lenhoff, chief strategist and head of research at Brewin Dolphin Securities. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index ended up 0.1 percent at 1,601.00 points.ROUNDUP:EUROmarketsFRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 7,781.04 points, up 41.84 or 0.54 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 6,056.39 points, down 15.08 or 0.25 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 9,396.01 points, up 14.67 or 0.16 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 33,599 points, down 94 or 0.28 percent.ROUNDUP:nikkeiTOKYO - The Nikkei rose 0.48 percent as Sanyo Electric surged after posting strong earnings while Softbank and small-cap shares gained following strong consumer spending data. The Nikkei added 84.97 points to close at 17,672.56.ROUNDUP:hang sengHONG KONG - Stocks fell 0.29 percent as investors switched out of blue chips into small caps, and mainland lenders resumed their decline amid concerns of more credit tightening by Beijing. The Hang Seng Index lost 60.17 points to end at 20,469.59, having earlier touched its lowest level since May 2. ROUNDUP:asxSYDNEY - Shares rose 1.06 percent, ending a three session losing steak as investors snapped up shares in recent decliners such as Westfield, while firmer metal prices boosted the top miners. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 66.2 points to 6,317.6, after closing in the red in the past three sessions.ROUNDUP:south africaJOHANNESBURG - Stocks edged higher as stronger metal prices buoyed gold and diversified miners but furniture retailer JD Group slid after Steinhoff ended talks to buy it. The All-share index closed at 28,665.96 points, up 28.74 or 0.10 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,703.87 points, up 24.01 or 0.90 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,910.25 points, up 44.76 or 0.23 percent.