Pakki Khabar
पक्की ख़बर
☀ Morning Edition · Fri 23 Oct 2026
- 1Oil at highest since May on Iran strike reports
- 2RBI: no rate cuts for now; more hikes possible
- 3Update your phone and browser before 27 Oct
- 4Jio IPO closes today
- 5₹100 crore fake-loan racket busted
- 6Students: IndiaAI fellowship pays up to ₹2 lakh
- 7Putin agrees to three-way talks; Modi backs peace
- 8India eye 2–0 lead in Christchurch
- 9DA hike to 63%? Not announced yet
- 10Sirpur joins UNESCO's tentative list
1 of 10Top story · Oil
Oil at highest since May on reports of new US–Israel strike plans on Iran
- NYT: a 'short but intensive' operation planned for after the 3 November US midterms
- Brent rose to about $113 a barrel
- Trump: 'We are not negotiating' with Iran
Why it mattersCostlier oil feeds India's fuel, freight and import bills. Expect pressure on Indian markets today.
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Trump also said something will happen 'fairly soon'. Reported targets include Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities and missile and drone stocks; the report says there is a small chance of action this month. Reuters reports talks to end the conflict are deadlocked. On Thursday the Sensex closed at 73,249, down 460 points; overnight the Nasdaq fell 2.6% and the S&P 500 1.2%, while the Dow ended flat.
Source: Times of Israel (NYT, Reuters), Yahoo Finance, 5paisa
2 of 10Second story · Your EMI
RBI: rate cuts are off the table; another hike possible
- Repo rate 5.50% after October's hike, the first since 2023
- Governor: next move is a hike or a pause
- Inflation seen at 6% this quarter
Why it mattersRepo-linked home and car loans could get dearer. Planning a loan? Compare fixed and floating rates now.
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Minutes of the October 7 meeting show Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta favoured another 25-basis-point rise. The RBI raised its inflation forecast for this year to 5.2% and its growth forecast to 7.1%. Two members opposed changing the stance to 'calibrated tightening'.
Source: Deccan Chronicle (RBI MPC minutes)
3 of 10What changes for you
Update your phone and browser before 27 October
- Flawed eMudhra security certificates could help fake websites look genuine
- Google plans to remove the affected root certificate on 27 October
- Update Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android and iOS now
Why it mattersIf a banking or payment site shows 'Your connection is not private', close it. Ignore messages offering to 'fix' the problem; they are scams.
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CERT-In says eight intermediate certificates were made with weak randomness, so their keys could be worked out. eMudhra has revoked them, and no misuse had been confirmed as of 21 October. India's digital signature (DSC) and eSign services are not affected. Businesses using the affected certificates must replace them before the deadline.
Source: ANI (CyberPeace), The420.in
4 of 10Your money
Jio IPO closes today: what to know before you bid
- Day 2 at 3 pm: 4.38× overall; retail 1.40×, institutions 10.07×
- One lot is 12 shares, about ₹13,428 at the top of the ₹1,065–1,119 band
- Allotment expected on 26 October; listing on 28 October
Why it mattersRetail demand is now above the shares on offer, so not every applicant will get shares. Keep the bid amount in your account until allotment.
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Grey-market premiums are not guaranteed listing gains, Business Today cautions. If you don't get shares, the money blocked through UPI or ASBA is released back to your account.
Source: HDFC Sky, Business Today
5 of 10Scam alert
₹100 crore fake-loan racket busted: never pay upfront for a loan
- Gang posed as middlemen promising big business loans for an upfront 'service fee'
- A Chennai businessman says he paid ₹2 crore and got no loan; cases in Tamil Nadu and Kerala
- Three arrested by Chennai's Central Crime Branch
Why it mattersReal lenders don't ask for advance commissions. Apply only through banks or registered lenders, and never hand over signed blank cheques or papers.
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Police estimate the gang's operations at over ₹100 crore, and forensic accountants are tracing the money. The complainant says he was threatened when he refused to pay more. If you have been cheated this way, go to the police; for online fraud, call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in.
Source: The420.in
6 of 10Tech & AI
Students can get up to ₹2 lakh for AI projects; apply by 30 November
- IndiaAI fellowship (MeitY): up to ₹1 lakh for undergraduates, ₹2 lakh for postgraduates
- Plus up to ₹1 lakh to present a paper at a top international AI conference
- Apply at fellowship.indiaai.gov.in by 30 November
Why it mattersFree money for students doing real AI work. Share this with any engineering or science student in your family.
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Eligibility depends on the stage of the course: from the 5th semester of a three-year degree, the 7th of a four-year degree, the 9th of a five-year dual degree, or semesters 1 to 3 of a postgraduate course. Separately on Wall Street, AI stocks slid on worries about spending: Meta fell about 7% despite strong results, and the Nasdaq dropped 2.6%.
Source: Education Bytes, School-assembly briefings, Yahoo Finance
7 of 10World · India angle
Putin agrees to resume three-way talks; Modi backs peace efforts
- Putin has agreed in principle to resume three-way talks with Ukraine and the US
- PM Modi: India will support any serious effort for peace in Ukraine and West Asia
- Trump says an India–US trade deal would look 'very different' from what has been discussed
Why it mattersPeace in Ukraine would ease fuel and fertiliser costs; the trade deal decides how much tax US buyers pay on Indian goods.
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No date or venue has been announced for the talks. US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday. The details of what a 'very different' trade deal would mean were not spelt out.
Source: Daily Jagran, Prajavani
8 of 10Sport
India look to go 2–0 up in Christchurch tomorrow
- 2nd T20I: Saturday, 12:30 pm IST; India lead the five-match series 1–0
- Europa League: Juventus 2–2 Rennes; Sunderland drew 1–1 at Lech Poznań
- Marseille lost 1–0 at Sturm Graz; Leverkusen won 2–0 at OFI Crete
Why it mattersAnother lunchtime match. India chased 226 on Thursday, the biggest successful chase at Hagley Oval.
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Union Saint-Gilloise beat Hapoel Beer-Sheva 4–0 and AZ Alkmaar won 4–0 at Ararat-Armenia. In women's cricket, Cricket Australia suspended Megan Schutt for improper use of prescription medication out of competition.
Source: CricketNews, The Sports Encounter, Daily Jagran
9 of 10Kachchi KhabarNot yet
Seen a message that DA has gone up to 63%? It hasn't been announced yet
- Central government DA is 60% of basic pay; a rise to 63% is expected, not confirmed
- The Cabinet did not announce it on 6 or 14 October
- Arrears from 1 July would follow only after an official order
Why it mattersUntil the government issues an order, treat '63% DA approved' forwards as rumour. Don't plan spending on arrears yet.
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The expected three-point rise is based on inflation data used to calculate DA. In past years the July revision came on 1 October (2025), 16 October (2024) and 18 October (2023), but there is no fixed date.
Source: Upstox
10 of 10Good news
Ancient Sirpur joins UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list
- South Kosala's capital, on the Mahanadi
- Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments side by side
- Two Andaman sites were added too
Why it mattersThe first step towards World Heritage status, which brings protection and tourism.
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Sirpur, 75 km from Raipur, was the capital of South Kosala between the 5th and 12th centuries. The other new entries are Baratang's limestone caves and volcanoes in the Andaman Islands. The Archaeological Survey of India will help prepare the full nomination.
Source: ThePrint, Punekar News
You're up to date
10 stories, about 5 minutes.
One-minute quiz
What is the RBI's repo rate after its October decision?
- 5.25%
- 5.50%
- 6.00%
- 6.50%
Show answer
b) 5.50%. 5.50%, after a 25-basis-point hike on 7 October, the first since February 2023.
The evening edition arrives at 8 pm.
Pakki Khabar · Checked news, morning and evening. Every story is summarised from published reports; sources are under "Read more".