The BSE Sensex marked its closure on a strong note on Wednesday (July 23), as the political doubt over N-deal came to an end after the UPA government won the trust vote of confidence on Tuesday (July 22).

Heavy buying action was seen in banking, capital goods, realty, and power stocks.

The Sensex closed the day on a firm note at 14,942.28, up 838.08 points. It also touched a high of 14,979.90 and a low of 14,568.22 during the day.

Washington - Salim Hamdan was so close to Osama bin Laden that the terrorist ringleader threw a feast to celebrate the former driver's wedding, an FBI witness who interviewed Hamdan testified in court on Wednesday, according to a report by USA Today.

Bin Laden "definitely trusts him with his life," Ali Soufan told the court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the first US military tribunal since World War II got underway this week.

The BSE Sensex continued its positive journey as it witnessed heavy buying activity in banking, power and realty stocks.

Moreover, it also touched its one month high during the initial trading session.

At 12:10 p.m., Sensex stood at 14,738.23, up 634.03 points, whereas the broad-based NSE Nifty gained 179.6 points, at 4,421.10.

The market breadth was extremely positive as it experienced 2,044 progressions as against 370 declinations.

All sectoral Indices were trading in positive, led by BSE Bankex, which gained 8.22%, Realty profited 7.60%, and Power surged 6.78%.

Most active counters in the 30-share index were ICICI Bank that rose 10.29%, Reliance Communication gained 10.09%, Reliance Infra surged 9.95%.

New Delhi - Indian shares opened Wednesday with gains of over 4 per cent over its previous close, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a trust vote in parliament ending weeks of uncertainty.

The 30-share Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange was trading at 14,733.86, up 629 points or 4.46 per cent at around noon, while the broader 50-share Nifty of the National Stock Exchange hovered around 4414.95 points or 4.12 per cent up on Tuesday's close.

Manila - Philippine share prices rose 2.19 per cent on Wednesday as investors snapped up bargain stocks on positive news that crude oil prices were easing.

The 30-share composite index of the Philippine Stock Exchange gained 52.96 points to close at 2,462.94, from Tuesday's finish of 4,209.98.

A total of 1.36 billion shares worth 2.50 billion pesos (56.8 million dollars) were traded.

Advancers led decliners 69 to 29, while 42 issues were unchanged.

Mumbai, July 23 : The United Progressive Alliance Government’s victory in yesterday’s confidence motion in the Lok Sabha gave a boost to today’s Sensex, which soared to 650 points in the early hours of the market opening.

Investors were enthusiastic on a buying spree across the board. Banking stocks were in demand followed by realty and power stocks.

At 10 am, the Bombay Stock Exchange''s Sensex soared to 14,739.79 level, up 4.5 per cent or 636 points from Tuesday''s close.

National Stock Exchange''s Nifty climbed 4.28 per cent or 181.35 points to 4421.45 level.