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At 09:14 GMT, the index was 0.6 per cent - or 29.83 points - higher at 5,191.31 points, with mining firms leading the rally, Reuters reports.
Gains of between 0.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent were recorded by Fresnillo, Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Antofagasta and Vedanta Resources, while Rio Tinto was up two per cent after posting better-than-expected second-half profits yesterday.
Stocks in a number of oil firms were also higher, however banks were mixed, as gains by Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland countered by declines in Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC shares.
The increase had been prompted by news that the European Union is to provide assistance to financially-troubled Greece, but head of equities at Hargreaves Landsdown Richard Hunter told the news source that "doubts still remain over the absolute detail of the ... rescue".
However, the climb has not been mirrored across Europe, as the news agency reported that the FTSEurofirst 300 index was down 0.2 percent at 10:29 GMT.
Posted by Greg Secker
