Notwithstanding the recent bickering between the former allies, the BJP on Thursday announced that it will start afresh talks with Shiv Sena on the issue of the latter's joining the four-week-old government in Maharashtra.

"From tomorrow, senior BJP leaders Devendra Pradhan and Chandrakant Patil will hold talks with Sena leaders," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters here.

Chennai Super Kings is all set to be forced out from the Indian Premier League. The Supreme Court, in an observation on Thursday, has said that the team should be disqualified from the IPL following the indictment of one of its officials, Gurunath Meiyappan by the Mudgal committee on charges of betting.

Meiyappan, the son-in-law of suspended BCCI President N Srinivasan was cleared by the committee on match fixing charges.

Asserting that black money was generated during the Congress-led UPA regime, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said the government, which had constituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after coming to power, has nothing to apologise or hide on this issue.

Attempting to silence all critics, Naidu alleged that the former UPA Government, which was supported by the Samajwadi Party, Left parties and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), did not initiate any firm steps on the black money issue.

Markets continued to trade flat with stock specific action seen ahead of the expiry of November derivative contracts today.

At 1:15PM, the 30-share Sensex was down 41 points at 28,345 and the 50-share Nifty was down 10 points at 8,466.

DLF Thursday deposited Rs.100 crore with the Supreme Court registry - a part of Rs.630 crore penalty imposed on it by the Competition Commission of India for alleged one-sided contracts for flat buyers in Gurgaon.

Senior counsel Harish Salve, while seeking adjournment of the hearing till Friday, told the apex court bench headed by Justice Anil R. Dave that to establish their bonafide, they are depositing Rs.100 crore with the apex court registry.

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes passed away on Thursday as he succumbed to injuries that he had suffered when struck by a bouncer at Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old South Australian batsman, who was pushing for a Test recall against India in Brisbane next week, was knocked out after the ball made impact under his helmet, behind his left ear.

The government's disinvestment plans have put Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), among others, in the spotlight. The Centre is expected to sell 10 per cent of its stake in CIL and five per cent in ONGC in the near term. This could, however, be in multiple tranches. The sales are estimated to fetch about Rs 15,750 crore and Rs 11,500 crore, respectively. While the stake sale might help the government garner the funds required to keep its fiscal deficit under control, in the interim, the news could weigh on the share prices of the two companies. Analysts believe any correction will be a good opportunity to enter these stocks, given the strong long-term prospects of the two companies.

CIL, which saw a rally on hopes of reforms, touching an all-time high of Rs 423.85 in June, is now being traded at Rs 349.5. Factors such as lower e-auction volumes, lower volume ramp-up and the stake-sale overhang have led to the decline. These concerns could keep the stock under pressure in the coming days, too. While the government has been able to end the strike called by workers opposing the disinvestment, one will have to be watchful till the stake sale is completed.

Several firms listed on the Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) and thousands of investors in these have been caught off-guard by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) move to withdraw its recognition. Many of these firms, which had initiated the process of migrating to other bourses such as the BSE, are now in no-man’s land for no fault of theirs, say company executives and merchant bankers. Corporate actions planned by DSE-listed companies such as open offers have been suspended.

Last week, Sebi withdrew its recognition, citing irregularities in DSE’s demutualisation programme seven years ago. Of 2,500 companies listed on DSE, about 1,700 are not listed on any other bourse, leaving investors in these stranded. Some prominent companies listed on DSE are Delhi Flour Mills, the makers of Shakti Bhog atta, Bajaj Electricals and Bajaj Leasing & Finance. The Birla Cotton and Weaving Mills, belonging to the KK Birla family and industrial refrigeration entity Frick India are others.

According to a United Nations report, global population on the internet has crossed a three billion mark.

The annual report has been compiled by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the branch of the UN that is tasked with looking at computer and telecommunications use, reported the Independent. The reports looks at the world's most connected countries as well as the fast spread of internet use across the globe.

Markets rebounded from their day's lows in late noon trades following a recovery in select financials and capital goods shares while FMCG major ITC continues to lead gains.

At 2:15PM, the 30-share Sensex was up 70 points at 28,407 and the 50-share Nifty was up 19 points at 8,482.

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