Oct 22 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in

the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories

and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Cable and broadband giant Charter Communications ( CHTR )

is laying off 1,200 employees, or just over 1% of its

95,000-person workforce

- BlackRock ( BLK ) was among the biggest investors in the

$27 billion private-debt deal backing construction of Meta's

data center in Louisiana.

- DraftKings ( DKNG ) acquired Railbird Technologies, which

owns a licensed exchange for trading contracts.

- The Trump administration is planning to release more than

$3 billion in aid to U.S. farmers that had been frozen as a

result of the government shutdown, as the agriculture sector

grapples with the fallout from President Trump's tariffs.

- The Trump administration is pushing officials in

Argentina to limit China's influence over the distressed South

American nation at the same time the U.S. and Wall Street banks

are working on a $40 billion lifeline for Buenos Aires.

- Mercedes-Benz secured a short-term supply of

chips but warned that the entire automotive industry is affected

by events surrounding Dutch semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)