11:11 | Kurnool bus tragedy; ad legend Piyush Pandey dies; Ray Dalio bullish on gold & more

At least 12 dead after private bus catches fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district

At least 12 people were killed after a Hyderabad-bound private bus caught fire near Chinnatekur in Kurnool district on Friday (October 24) after colliding with a two-wheeler.

The rescue operation is underway. Initial reports said there were about 40 people in the bus when the motorcycle collided with it and got dragged underneath with its fuel cap open, triggering the blaze.

Piyush Pandey, the man behind some of India’s most iconic ads, dies at 70

Piyush Pandey, who gave India some of its most memorable advertisements, passed away on Thursday, October 23.

In 1982, Pandey began his career in the advertising world with Ogilvy India, where he spent over four decades and created some advertisements, “Har khushi mein rang laaye” for Asian Paints, "Kuch Khaas Hai” for Cadbury, among others.

Pandey developed the playbook to speak to the Indian audience in their own tongue with warmth and wit in the advertising world and shaped many cultural moments that continue to resonate today. “He changed not just the language of Indian advertising...He changed its grammar,” a longtime colleague of Pandey told Storyboard18.

Indian financial sector has seen deals worth $7 billion in 2025 and there are more to come

The Indian financial sector has witnessed deals worth over $7 billion in the ongoing financial year, so far, with the latest one being the investment by a Blackstone-affiliate in private sector lender Federal Bank. The deal follows a host of large deals that have taken place so far in the Indian financial sector, with marquee investors pumping in the big money.

Here's a look at all of these transactions that have taken place:

An average Indian immigrant can save the US government $1.7 million over 30 years: Research

Indian immigrants are the most economically beneficial immigrant group in the US, a new study published by the Manhattan Institute showed.

"The average Indian immigrant and his or her descendants will save the federal government $1.7 million over 30 years," the author Daniel Di Martino, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said.

NPCI clears over ₹3 lakh crore under new continuous cheque clearing system

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has said that over ₹3 lakh crore worth of cheques have been cleared through its newly introduced Continuous Clearing process under the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) since its rollout on October 4, 2025.

In a media statement, NPCI said it has facilitated the positive clearance of 2.56 crore instruments through the central system. All cheques presented by banks have received confirmation—positive or negative—and banks have been advised to credit customers’ accounts for those confirmed positively.

Federal Bank approves issue of warrants worth ₹6,200 crore to Blackstone; Stock rises

Kerala-based private sector lender Federal Bank Ltd. has approved the issue of convertible warrants on a preferential basis to Asia II Topco XIII, an affiliate of private equity firm Blackstone. The stock rose on Friday, October 23, in response to the announcement.

Federal Bank has approved the issue of 27.29 crore warrants, each carrying a right to subscribe to one fully paid-up equity shares of the bank at a price of ₹227 per share, which is nearly the same price at which the stock closed on Thursday.

India to restore Canada's diplomatic presence to pre-2024 levels, says report

India will gradually allow Canada to restore its diplomatic and official presence in the country to roughly the same level as before October 2024, when both nations expelled senior diplomats amid a sharp dispute over the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a report said.

The process of increasing Canadian diplomatic staffing will begin once New Delhi receives the proposed list of personnel from Ottawa. This understanding was reached during Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s visit to India earlier this month, the Hindustan Times reported.

Angry over an ad, Trump ends tariff talks with Canada

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was ending all trade negotiations with Canada after one of the provincial governments aired an advertisement featuring former US President Ronald Reagan, from the Republican party that Trump represents, criticising tariffs.

Air quality in Delhi-NCR hovers between poor and severe categories

The air quality in the Delhi-NCR region is hovering between 'poor' and 'severe' categories, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI at the India Gate and the surrounding areas and Dhaula Kuan and the surrounding areas, was recorded at 254 and 257 in the 'poor' category as per the CPCB. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the ITO area was recorded at 316, in the 'Very Poor' category.

Gold to snap nine-week winning run as heat comes out of rally

Gold is set to snap a nine-week winning run, following a sharp correction as the market reassessed a rally that had pushed the metal into overbought territory. Bullion steadied above $4,140 an ounce, putting it on track for a weekly decline of about 3%, the most since May.

Ray Dalio thinks gold prices will rise again, here's why

Gold hit a three-week high of around $4,220 per ounce earlier this week before coming under pressure on Friday, October 24, falling 0.2% to $4,118.68 per ounce as a stronger dollar and investor caution weighed on sentiment. US gold futures also declined 0.3% to $4,133.40 per ounce, with bullion on track for its biggest weekly drop since mid-May, according to Reuters.

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio still believes the long-term outlook for the precious metal remains positive. Here's why Read about our editorial guidelines and ethics policy