Benchmark indices may open marginally higher tracking the gains in their select Asian peers which have gained on expectations of positive US nonfarm payrolls report due later today.

At 8:20AM, the early indicator SGX Nifty was flat at 8,605.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mexican state owned company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), for assessment of potential upstream oil and gas business opportunities in Mexico and jointly evaluate value added opportunities in international markets.

RIL and PEMEX will also share expertise and skills in the relevant areas of oil and gas industry including for deep-water oil and gas exploration and production.

Vishal Sikka, chief executive officer and managing director of Infosys, on Thursday provided a snapshot of initiatives the Bengaluru-based information technology (IT) company had taken to become a next generation services company and regain its bellwether status.

In his first address at the annual Infosys analysts meet, Sikka said while strategy was moving in the right direction, it would be supplemented by an ‘active inorganic strategy’ for technologies expected to disrupt the future of the industry. In October, Infosys unveiled plans to renew core activities and innovative in new areas.

Senior cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir were on Thursday omitted from India's 30-member list of probables for the next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and paceman Zaheer Khan, who were a part of the 2011 World Cup winning team, were also left out of the list.

Infosys, India's second largest information technology (IT) services company, on Thursday announced the appointment of John W Etchemendy as an independent member of its board.

Etchemendy is the twelfth and current provost at of Stanford University, which is the alma mater of Infosys' Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), India's biggest explorer, will next week sign a deal to acquire stake in two Siberian oilfields, including the strategic Vankor, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.

ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state explorer, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for acquiring the stake in Vankor and Yurubcheno-Tokhomskoye fields, government officials said.

Bharat Heavy Electricals today said it has commissioned the sixth unit of 412 MW Rampur hydel power project in Himachal Pradesh.

The state-owned equipment maker has now completed commissioning all the six units -- each having 68.67 MW generation capacity -- of the plant, operated by SJVN Ltd. The project is located on the Satluj river.

Shares of cigarette companies such as ITC, Godfrey Phillips India and VST Industries are trading higher by up to 5% on reports that a Health Ministry proposal to ban sale of loose cigarettes is likely to be put on hold.

ITC has surged 4.4% to Rs 379 on BSE. The stock hit a high of Rs 384 and has seen huge trading volumes. A combined 8.02 million shares changed hands till 1028 hours, as against an average of less than eight million shares that were traded daily in past two weeks.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to ensure that Income Tax proceedings against all Indians stashing away black money in foreign banks to be completed by March next year.

"We are confident that the Centre will complete proceedings against the accounts holders of black money on of before March 31, 2015," said a bench headed by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu while accepting Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi's submission that it will be over by March next year in response to noted jurist and petitioner Ram Jethmalani's argument that court should fix a time frame for completion of proceedings.

A police complaint was filed against Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Wednesday for allegedly making communal remarks and using an expletive in an election rally here two days ago.

The complaint was filed at Tilak Nagar Police Station in west Delhi this evening by advocate Rajeev Kumar Bhola, a resident of west Delhi.

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