India pledges $5 million for Palestinian refugees
United Nations, June 26 : India has pledged $5 million for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees during a campaign to make up for the shortfall in its funding after the US cut its contributions.
The offer of the contribution to the organisation known as UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) was made on Monday at a pledging conference here, the UN said.
The agency faces a shortfall of $250 million, according to the UN.
US President Donald Trump announced in January that the US would cut its contributions to UNRWA. The agency said that the actual shortfall for its budget would be $300 million as it had been expecting $365 million from Washington but has received only $65 million.
In March, India had announced at a conference in Rome that it was raising its annual contributions from $1.25 million per year to $5 million for the next three years.
Besides India, 19 countries made pledges for UNRWA on Monday. The agency serves about 5.3 million refugees scattered around the Middle East.
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I am back home: All England missed, Sindhu lands back in Bengaluru from Dubai
Bengaluru (PTI): Two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian badminton star P V Sindhu, who was stranded in Dubai due to closure of airspace in the Gulf region, has returned to the country after pulling out of the All England Championships in Birmingham.
Sindhu posted on X to announce that she is back in the city.
"Back home in Bangalore and safe. The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I'm truly grateful to be back to my house," she posted.
"A heartfelt thank you to the incredible ground teams, Dubai authorities, airport staff, immigration, and every single person who stepped up and took such good care of us during a very difficult time. The empathy and professionalism meant more than words can say.
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"For now, it's time to rest, reset, and figure out the next steps," she added.
The former world champion was on her way to Birmingham via Dubai, when she was stranded after the flight operations were suspended in the Gulf region following the US and Israeli bombing of Iran.
Iran subsequently retaliated, hitting Dubai as well.
"Moments like these remind you how fragile normal life really is," she had posted on February 28 while revealing some details of her ordeal, which included an explosion near her place of stay.
She had described the experience as "extremely tense and scary moment" for her and her team, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama.
Back home in Bangalore and safe 🙏
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 3, 2026
The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I’m truly grateful to be back to my house. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible ground teams, Dubai authorities, airport staff, immigration, and every single person who stepped up and…
