US sanctions Russian oil firms; PM Modi may skip ASEAN Summit; India-US trade deal in focus, and more

The US has sanctioned Russia’s two biggest oil producers in a bid to push Moscow toward Ukraine talks. PM Modi is unlikely to attend the ASEAN Summit, ruling out a meeting with Trump on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, experts say a trade deal remains on track, though oil politics could further cloud India-US ties. Here are the top stories of the day so far.

US announces sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil producers in bid for Ukraine talks

The Trump administration has announced sanctions on two of Russia's biggest oil producers on Wednesday, after resistance for months, as part of a push to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, which has now entered its fourth year. Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC have been blacklisted by the US Treasury Department.

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PM Modi unlikely to attend ASEAN Summit, ruling out meeting with Trump on sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to travel to Malaysia to participate in the ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit, reports said. This rules out potential meeting with US President Donald Trump; no bilateral meetings are scheduled between the two leaders till end of 2025.

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Trade deal on track, but oil politics cloud India-US ties: Experts

After a warm Diwali exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, the India-US trade discussions appear to be moving towards a conclusion, with both sides aiming for an ambitious bilateral agreement.

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US considers broad software curbs on China, White House says

The Trump administration is weighing export restrictions against China that would bar the purchase of a wide swath of critical software, a White House official said Wednesday, October 22. The acknowledgement came after Reuters reported that the US was weighing efforts similar to the curbs implemented against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine if China did not backtrack from its threat to restrict rare-earth exports.

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Explained | Why gold prices are falling today after hitting all-time highs

After touching an all-time high earlier this week, gold prices slipped on Thursday (October 23) as investors turned cautious ahead of key US economic data and a stronger dollar weighed on sentiment. What's driving the fall?

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Tesla shares plunge in extended trading as costs dent profits despite record sales

Tesla Inc. shares fell over 5% in extended trading on Wednesday, October 22, after a sharp jump in costs dented the electric vehicle manufacturer's profits, despite record sales during the recently concluded quarter. Tesla reported Earnings Per Share of $0.5, while analysts had projected a figure of $0.54.

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Infosys shares gain up to 5% after promoters opt out of ₹18,000 crore share buyback

Shares of IT services provider Infosys Ltd. gained as much as 5% on Thursday, October 23, after it shared an update on its largest ever share buyback. Infosys said that the promoters of the company, which include Nandan Nilekani, Sudha Murty and others, will not be participating in the ₹18,000 crore share buyback that it had announced in October.

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Retail shareholders trim Paytm holdings for sixth quarter in a row but MFs continue to buy

Shares of One97 Communications Ltd., parent company of payments aggregator Paytm were sold be retail investors for the sixth quarter running, as the stock continues to rebound from record lows, according to the latest shareholding pattern updated by the company on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

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Samvardhana Motherson shares rise despite biggest client flagging production concerns

Shares of Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd. gained nearly 2% on Thursday, October 23, despite Volkswagen AG flagging possible production stoppages due to the emerging supply chain issues, as the dispute over Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia threatens Europe's auto industry.

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Bihar elections: Nearly one-third of outgoing MLAs come from political families

A recent report has shed light on the deep-rooted culture of nepotism in Bihar politics, revealing that nearly one in three members of the outgoing state Assembly come from political families. According to an analysis by The Indian Express, 70 of the 243 outgoing MLAs — or 28.81% — have dynastic roots.

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Delhi-NCR air quality remains 'very poor', AQI at Anand Vihar recorded at 428

The air quality of Delhi-NCR remained under the "very poor" category as the overall air quality index was at 362. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had last week invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR.

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