UN calls for probe into mass graves at Libya detention centres
It was established to uphold the rule of law and falls under the Presidential Council that came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity of Abdulhamid Dbeibah through a UN-backed process.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Pakistan Urges U.S. To Mediate With India As Simla Agreement Declared ‘Dead'
/ Jun 06, 2025, 12:46PM IST Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged U.S. mediation with India, calling for comprehensive dialogue on long-standing issues. He praised Donald Trump for defusing tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif added fuel to the fire, declaring the Simla Agreement void and reverting to a UN position on Kashmir. Watch
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
NDTV Exclusive: How Rs 5 Indian Biscuit Is Being Sold For Rs 2,400 In Gaza
New Delhi: Parle-G biscuits, a staple in Indian households, associated with childhood, tea breaks, and low-cost nutrition, were never intended to be a luxury. But in wartorn Gaza, where food scarcity has turned into acute famine, they are being sold at nearly 500 times their original price. In a recent viral post from Gaza, a man claimed that Parle G biscuits, manufactured by Mumbai-headquartered Parle Products, are being sold for over 24 euros (Rs 2,342). Many on social media were baffled by the cost of the biscuits that have consistently been among the cheapest foods in the Indian market. "After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favorite biscuits today. Even though the price jumped from 1.5 euros to over 24 euros, I just couldn't deny Rafif her favorite treat," the viral post read. After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favorite biscuits today. Even though the price jumped from €1.5 to over €24, I just couldn't deny Rafif her favorite treat. — Mohammed jawad 🇵🇸 (@Mo7ammed_jawad6) June 1, 2025 A Manufactured Famine Following the October 2023 escalation and Israel's military campaign that began shortly thereafter, Gaza's access to food has been systematically reduced. Between March 2 and May 19 this year, the besieged Palestinian enclave faced a near-total blockade. Only a limited number of humanitarian trucks were allowed through, most of them after intense international pressure. Israel, which accuses Hamas, the political and militant group within Gaza, of seizing and weaponising aid, had suspended traditional UN food deliveries. Instead, a controversial and heavily criticised alternative was introduced on May 27 - the Secure Distribution Site 1 (SDS1) model, developed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which, according to the French daily Le Monde, is a joint initiative backed by the US, Switzerland, and Israel. The SDS1, located in Rafah, features caged corridors forcing Palestinians into narrow queues, guarded perimeters manned by Safe Reach Solutions, a US-based private security firm, which has been accused of carrying out intelligence operations in Gaza using Israeli data. But how much aid reaches the truly hungry? How many aid boxes are being sold on the black market for inflated prices? The Black Market Reality The steep pricing is not limited to Parle-G, which is an export from a country located roughly 4,300 km away. "The problem isn't with the original suppliers or taxation," Dr. Khaled Alshawwa, a 31-year-old surgeon based in Gaza City, told NDTV. "These goods usually enter Gaza as humanitarian aid, free of charge. But only a minority receives them. Scarcity turns them into high-priced black market goods." Mr Alshawwa, managed to get his hands on a packet of Parle-G biscuits, which he said cost him roughly Rs 240. Different locations, different prices depending on who the seller is. "The closure of borders for more than three months now has allowed only a scarce amount of very basic needs that don't meet the needs of 2 million people. So when some people are able to get some, or when looting happens, these foods are being sold at very high, unaffordable prices." Dr Alshawwa told NDTV. Parle-G, it appears, likely arrived through aid shipments, eventually landing in the hands of a few vendors who sold it at prices unreachable to most Gazans. NDTV has reached out to the company for a statement. A rough breakdown of current market prices (in INR) of some important products from northern Gaza as of June 6, 2025: 1 kg sugar: Rs 4,914 1 litre cooking oil: Rs 4,177 1 kg potatoes: Rs 1,965 1 kg onions: Rs 4,423 1 coffee cup: Rs 1,800 A list sourced by NDTV from Gaza shows basic commodities and groceries being sold at exorbitant prices. The prices are mentioned in the new Israeli shekel. the local currency. One Israeli shekel translates to 24.57 Indian rupees Why Parle-G Matters Parle-G is more than food. It is nostalgia wrapped in paper. Launched in 1938, the biscuit emerged during India's Swadeshi movement as a local alternative to elite British snacks. It became a national equaliser, a biscuit anyone could afford. Over the decades, Parle-G has managed to retain its low price tag thanks to 'shrinkflation' economics - reducing weight while maintaining price. A Rs 5 packet that once held 100 grams now contains about 55 grams. Still, it remains among the cheapest packaged food products in India. In 2013, Parle-G became the first Indian FMCG brand to cross Rs 5,000 crore in sales. By 2011, it was the world's largest selling biscuit by volume, according to Nielsen.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Designation without much practical consequence: Tharoor on Pak helming UNSC anti-terror committees – ThePrint –
'These committees all work on consensus and it's not really possible for a chairman to single-handedly get something through that the others resist or push a particular line that other countries are not in favour of,' Tharoor said during an interaction at the Indian Embassy here on Thursday. Tharoor is leading a multi-party Parliamentary delegation to the US to brief key interlocutors about the threat of Pakistan-backed terrorism faced by India and India's strong resolve against terrorism. Washington, Jun 6 (PTI) India is not friendless in the UN Security Council and Pakistan chairing its Taliban Sanctions Committee and being named vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee is a designation without much practical consequence, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said. Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2025-26 term, will chair the Council's Taliban Sanctions Committee for 2025 and will be vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 15-nation UN organ. Guyana and Russia will be vice-chair of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee. Algeria will chair the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee while France and Russia will be the other vice-chairs. Pakistan will also be co-chair of the Informal Working Groups on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions and on the General UNSC Sanctions Issues. India has consistently reminded the international community that Pakistan is host to the world's largest number of UN-proscribed terrorists and entities. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan's Abbottabad for years and was killed in an operation by the US Navy Seals in May 2011. During the Parliamentary delegation's interaction at the Embassy with think tankers and young professionals, Tharoor was asked about Pakistan chairing the two UNSC sanctions committees. Noting that there are half a dozen counterterrorism committees of the UNSC, he said that Council members take turns presiding over such bodies. 'So as long as Pakistan is on the Security Council, this kind of 'privilege' might come their way… We are not exactly friendless on the Security Council, so we're fairly confident that that is going to be a designation without much practical consequence,' he said. He underlined that India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York will monitor this carefully. On Wednesday, during a press conference at the Embassy, responding to a question by PTI on Pakistan given charge of the two committees, Tharoor said 'it's a Taliban Committee these guys have got. I don't know what the feelings of the Afghans are about this, but there you are.' Tharoor said UNSC members get the monthly rotating presidency of the Council. 'It's as simple as that. There's nothing more than that. And many of these positions are rotational…. There are a number of UN institutions and committees, and so one shouldn't exaggerate, all the members of the Council automatically belong to all these committees and chairmanship rotates.' He highlighted that there are various committees of the Security Council, such as one pursuant to resolution 1540 that deals with preventing non-state actors from acquiring, developing or using nuclear weapons. 'It would have been really funny if Pakistan had been given that particular chairmanship, but that at least mercifully, has not happened.' Pointing out that the UNSC committees work on consensus, he said there is no way that the chairman, whoever it may be, can get a particular point of view through or get something accepted or rejected merely by virtue of being chairman. 'The others will weigh in very heavily. And we are not exactly friendless in the Security Council, and therefore in its committees,' he said. The delegation, which had arrived from India in New York on May 24, had travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington Tuesday afternoon for the last leg of the tour. Tharoor pointed out that the delegation did not go to the United Nations headquarters in New York. 'For us, it's more a series of bilateral exercises with countries that we believe need to be sensitised to our point of view, and as I said, that mission has been successful.' The delegation led by Tharoor includes Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and India's former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu. It met US Vice President J D Vance, with Tharoor describing the meeting as 'excellent'. A parliamentary delegation from Pakistan led by Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also landed in the US at the same time as the Tharoor-led delegation from India. Bhutto met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with his delegation as well as Security Council Ambassadors in Pakistan's bid to internationalise the conflict with India as well as the Kashmir issue. Tripathi added that during the delegation's travels, countries voiced support for a permanent seat for India at the UN Security Council. 'So this whole idea of Security Council that we've been saying, what was very interesting for us is that other countries are thinking the same about India, which is a very helpful thing.' Sandhu added this highlights how seriously Pakistan will take terrorism, especially in the 'responsible position' they are given and it also talks of how much authority and power the Pakistani 'General or Field Marshal' has given the delegation led by Bhutto. PTI YAS NSA NSA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
