Business
Trump threatens ‘severe consequences’ if Putin blocks Ukraine peace
- Trump says he could meet Putin and Zelensky after Alaska meeting.
- Says he had very good phone conversation with Ukraine leader.
- Macron says Trump agreed Ukraine must be involved in talks.
WASHINGTON/BERLIN: US President Donald Trump has warned that Vladimir Putin will face “severe consequences” if he stands in the way of a peace deal for Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of their meeting in Alaska on Friday, Trump said he hopes the talks will move things forward – but made it clear he is ready to act if they fail.
Trump also said on Wednesday that a meeting between the pair could swiftly be followed by a second that included the leader of Ukraine.
Trump did not specify what the consequences could be, but he has warned of economic sanctions if a meeting between himself and President Putin in Alaska on Friday proved fruitless.
The comments by Trump and the mood music after a virtual meeting of Trump, European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky could provide some hope for Kyiv after fears the Alaska meet could sell out Ukraine and carve up its territory.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe’s demands strongly and previously said its stance had not changed since it was set out by Putin in June 2024.
When asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin does not agree to stop the war after Friday’s meeting, Trump responded: “Yes, they will.”
Asked if those consequences would be sanctions or tariffs, Trump told reporters: “I don’t have to say, there will be very severe consequences.”
But the president also described the aim of the meeting between the pair in Alaska as “setting the table” for a quick follow-up that would include Zelensky.
“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” he said.
“I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they’d like to have me there.”
Trump did not provide a time frame for a second meeting.
Red lines
European leaders and Zelensky had earlier spoken with Trump in a last-ditch call hosted by Germany to lay out red lines ahead of the Alaska meeting.
“We had a very good call. He was on the call. President Zelensky was on the call. I would rate it a 10, very friendly,” Trump said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump agreed that Ukraine must be involved in any discussions about ceding land, while Zelensky said Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war settlement.
“President Trump was very clear that the United States wanted to achieve a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska,” Macron said.
“The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the virtual meeting, said the principle that borders could not be changed by force must continue to apply.
“If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and we Europeans should … increase the pressure,” he said.
“President Trump knows this position, he shares it very extensively, and therefore I can say: We have had a really exceptionally constructive and good conversation with each other.”
Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has previously said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Russia makes sharp advance into Ukraine
On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelensky flew into Berlin for virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump.
He and the Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land, the last three in all-out war, and emboldening Putin to expand further west in the future.
Russian forces have made a sharp thrust into eastern Ukraine in recent days in what may be an attempt to increase the pressure on Kyiv to give up land.
“I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing (about his stated wish to end the war),” Zelensky said. “He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine …”
A source familiar with the matter said the call with Trump discussed possible cities that could host a three-way meeting, depending on the outcome of the talks in Alaska.
Wary of angering Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts, while stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation.
Trump’s agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made “great progress” at talks in Moscow.
A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev earlier said Moscow’s stance had not changed since last year.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, the Kremlin leader had demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce its plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
Business
EPFO allows up to 100% part PF withdrawal: Digital services simplified; what it means for your savings – The Times of India
In a major reform aimed at improving ease of access and flexibility for over seven crore subscribers, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) board on Monday approved liberalised partial withdrawal rules, allowing members to withdraw up to 100 per cent of their EPF balance.The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), headed by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, announced a series of key decisions during its meeting, including simplification of withdrawal provisions, introduction of the Vishwas Scheme to reduce litigation, and a digital transformation plan under EPFO 3.0, PTI reported.According to a Labour Ministry statement, 13 complex provisions for partial withdrawals have been merged into a single, streamlined framework categorised under three heads — Essential Needs (illness, education, marriage), Housing Needs, and Special Circumstances.Members will now be able to withdraw up to 100 per cent of their eligible provident fund balance, including both employee and employer contributions. Withdrawal limits for education and marriage have been liberalised, allowing up to 10 times for education and 5 times for marriage, compared to the earlier combined cap of three partial withdrawals.To enhance accessibility, the minimum service requirement for all types of withdrawals has been uniformly reduced to 12 months. Under the Special Circumstances category, members will no longer be required to specify reasons for withdrawal, removing a major cause of claim rejections and grievances.In a key safeguard, 25 per cent of the member’s account contributions will now be earmarked as a minimum balance to ensure continued accumulation of retirement savings. This will allow members to benefit from EPFO’s high interest rate of 8.25% per annum and compound returns for long-term corpus building.The rationalised withdrawal rules are expected to pave the way for 100 per cent auto-settlement of claims without any documentation, ensuring ease of living for subscribers. Additionally, the period for premature final settlement of EPF has been increased from two months to 12 months, while final pension withdrawal will now be allowed after 36 months instead of two.The CBT also approved the Vishwas Scheme to address long-pending litigations arising from penal damages on delayed PF remittances. As of May 2025, penal damages worth Rs 2,406 crore were outstanding, with over 6,000 cases pending across various forums, including the Supreme Court and High Courts.Under the new scheme, penal damages will be reduced to a flat rate of 1 per cent per month, with graded rates of 0.25 per cent for defaults up to two months and 0.50 per cent for defaults up to four months. The scheme will remain operational for six months, extendable by another six months, and covers ongoing, finalised, and pre-adjudication cases under Section 14B. All pending cases will stand abated upon compliance under the scheme.To improve pensioner convenience, the Board approved an MoU with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services to EPS’95 pensioners at no cost. The Rs 50 per certificate charge will be fully borne by EPFO. This initiative will especially benefit pensioners in remote and rural areas, enabling home-based certificate submission and ensuring uninterrupted pension disbursal.As part of EPFO 3.0, the board approved a comprehensive member-centric digital transformation framework. The new hybrid design will integrate core banking solutions with cloud-native, API-first, microservices-based systems covering account management, ERP, compliance, and customer experience.This transformation aims to enable faster, automated claim settlements, instant withdrawals, multilingual self-service, and seamless payroll-linked contributions — reinforcing EPFO’s commitment to transparency, efficiency, and technology-driven governance.Additionally, the Central Board approved the appointment of four fund managers to handle EPFO’s debt portfolio for five years. The selected firms are SBI Funds Management Limited, HDFC AMC Limited, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, and UTI AMC Limited. The move, recommended by the Selection and Investment Committees, is expected to strengthen risk diversification and ensure prudent management of provident fund investments in line with long-term objectives.Labour Minister Mandaviya also inaugurated a series of digital initiatives aimed at enhancing transparency, efficiency, and user experience in service delivery, reinforcing EPFO’s goal of ensuring ease of living for members and pensioners alike
Click Energy has announced it will implement a 3.5% increase in household electricity rates, “due to a rise in wholesale and market costs”.
It said this would result in the typical annual domestic electricity bill rising by about £39.60. The rates are effective from 1 November.
Click Energy said it recognised that “any increase in energy prices is disappointing and not something customers ever want to hear”.
However, it added that it had “not increased its domestic prices in over three years”.
“Unfortunately, the sustained rise in wholesale and market costs means it has become necessary for us to adjust our rates accordingly,” Andy Porter of Click Energy said.
“At Click Energy, our priority has always been to provide customers with transparent pricing and strong customer support.
“We remain committed to delivering fair value and to helping those who may be struggling with their bills.”
Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council, said a typical Click Energy credit customer would “see their annual electricity bill increase from around £1,141 to £1,171 and a typical prepayment customer will see their annual costs increase to around £1,181”.
“While this is unwelcome news for around 33,000 Click Energy consumers, the main drivers for this are rising wholesale and market related charges,” he said.
Mr Gormley said he would encourage consumers “to think about the way they pay for their energy and see if they can reduce their energy costs”.
Last month, Power NI said an electricity price tariff rise of 4% was “unavoidable” following a review by the Utility Regulator.
It was the second tariff increase from Power NI in less than a year.
Meanwhile, SSE Airtricity announced that gas prices in Greater Belfast and West would be dropping by 8.47%.
Firmus Energy announced its gas price in the Ten Towns area would fall by almost 8% in October, which is the equivalent to £78 a year for a typical customer.
The Ten Towns area includes Antrim, Armagh, Banbridge, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Newry, Lo
Business
IRCTC Diwali Alert: How To Identify Fake Agents And Avoid Train Ticket Scams THIS Festive Season
IRCTC Diwali Alert: Diwali is around the corner, the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) has issued an important alert for passengers who is about to travel during the festive season. The warning says some people are using fake or personal user IDs to book train tickets, which is completely illegal.
IRCTC has advised travelers to stay alert and avoid dealing with such fake agents. IRCTC has also advised that the passengers should always book tickets through the official IRCTC website or authorized agents to ensure safe and genuine bookings.
IRCTC Ticket: How To Know Ticket Is Genuine Or Fake
Booking train tickets through IRCTC is simple, but ticket scams are quite common. To check if your ticket is real, always verify the PNR status on the official IRCTC website or app. Genuine tickets show confirmed details immediately. Look for the IRCTC logo, watermark, and booking ID. Fake tickets often have unclear printing or incorrect information. Avoid booking through unknown agents. You can also check details through 139 SMS or the RailYatri app and report suspicious tickets to the IRCTC helpline.
How To Identify Train Ticket Booked Via An Authorized Agent
IRCTC has also shared some simple ways to help passengers identify whether their ticket has been booked through an authorized agent. If the ticket is booked by an authorized agent, the first page will clearly display the agent’s name, address, and unique agency code. This information is easy to spot on the ticket. However, if the top of the ticket mentions “Normal User,” it means the booking was made using a personal user ID and not through an authorized IRCTC agent. (Also Read: Google Map’s Desi Alternative Mappls Impresses IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; Check How To Use, 3D Views, Data Privacy, And More)
IRCTC Booking Time Rules
Authorized agents have specific time limits set by IRCTC for booking train tickets. They are not permitted to book Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes after the booking window opens or Advance Reservation (ARP) tickets during the first 10 minutes. These restrictions are in place to ensure fair access for all passengers. If someone offers you a ticket booked within these restricted periods and claims to be an authorized IRCTC agent, it’s a clear warning sign. Always verify the booking source to avoid fake or illegal transactions and ensure a safe travel experience.
How To Book Train Tickets Safely
Use Official Sources: Always book tickets through the official IRCTC website or mobile app to avoid fraud.
Check Agent Authorization: If booking through an agent, make sure they are authorized by IRCTC.
Verify Ticket Details: Look for the IRCTC logo, watermark, and correct booking ID on your ticket.
Avoid Unofficial Platforms: Do not share personal or payment details on unknown websites or social media links.
Report Suspicious Activity: If you suspect a fake booking, contact the IRCTC helpline or report it via the official website.
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