Morning Digest: Trump signs Russia sanctions bill into law; Mamata moves SC against freeze on TMC symbol, and more

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US President Donald Trump looks on from inside a vehicle near the White House in Washington, D.C., US, en route to Sterling, Virginia, U.S., on September 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. ​President ⁠Donald Trump on ‌Friday (September 18, 2026) ‌ signed ‌the ⁠Russia ⁠sanctions ​bill ‌into law, the White ‌House ​said ⁠in a ‌statement. The Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act seeks to impose steep levies on Moscow and its top energy buyers, including India and China.

The Trinamool Congress faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee moved the Supreme Court on Friday (September 18, 2026) against a decision by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to freeze the party’s symbol. The Mamata-led faction got the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ with ‘football player’ as its symbol.

At the first meeting of Parliament’s Joint Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, members raised a barrage of questions on the proposed changes, with the thrust of the ruling party MPs’ queries focused on utilisation of foreign contributions and Opposition members questioning provisions dealing with assets when an organisation’s FCRA licence is cancelled.

Nepal’s reconstruction plans post-floods and the “reset” of India-Nepal ties with the newly elected government were at the top of the agenda as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle on Friday (September 18, 2026), as both sides prepare for a visit by Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah to Delhi later this year.

The Congress on Friday (September 18, 2026) accused the Madhya Pradesh authorities of pressurising coaching centres and student hostels in Indore to prevent youth from taking part in Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron Ki Goonj event , scheduled for Saturday (September 19, 2026).

The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections recorded a voter turnout of 40.46% across 52 polling stations as of 10.30 p.m. on Friday (September 18, 2026), the highest in the past three years, with around 1.51 lakh students casting their votes, a university official said. The figure was subject to change as the final turnout was still being calculated, the official added.

In a significant development, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to change the operator of the Chennai airport. Unhappy with a few aspects of the airport, the State has asked the Centre to bring in an operator other than the Airports Authority of India (AAI), sources said.

Concerns that introducing a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) would spur a surge in cash transactions are unlikely to materialise, RBI Deputy Governor Shirish Chandra Murmu said on Friday (September 18, 2026), adding that it was only an “initial apprehension”.