India enhances contribution for Palestinian refugees

September 24th, 2009 UN marks 60th year of helping Palestinian refugeesUNITED NATIONS — In marking its 60th anniversary Thursday, the cash-strapped U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees asked the world for more generous funding and a renewed push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

September 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - A group of Palestinian refugees staged a sit-in protest on Tuesday in front of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) office in New Delhi. The refugees, driven away from Iraq, accused the UNHRC of ignoring them and appealed that they should be soon issued visas to the European countries.

August 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet today accorded approval for increasing the authorized share capital of the National Minorities Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC) from Rs.850 crores to Rs.1000 crores. The share of the Government of India, the State Governments and individuals/institutions will be Rs.650 crores Rs.260 crores and Rs.90 crores respectively.

August 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - There has been no infiltration into India of Tamil Tiger guerrillas since the Sri Lankan military crushed them in May, parliament was told Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said in the Lok Sabha that a small number of Sri Lankan Tamils continued to arrive in the Tamil Nadu coastal district of Rameswaram as refugees.

July 28th, 2009 ABU DHABI - The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) and its UN partner in humanitaran projects in the Palestinian territories have decided to accelerate their joint projects in the conflict-ridden region, WAM news agency reported Tuesday. Peter Ford, the representative of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), held a meeting with RCA secretary general Mohammed Al Qamzi Monday to explore ways to utilise better the 96.7 million UAE dirham (about $26.5 million) earmarked for humanitarian projects in the Palestinian territories, the report said.

June 22nd, 2009 Palestinian premier: State institutions in 2 yearsRAMALLAH, West Bank — Institutions for an independent Palestinian state should be up and running within two years, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Monday, for the first time setting such a target date. Little state-building was accomplished in the first decade after the Palestinian Authority was established in the mid-1990s, at a time when the late Yasser Arafat, known for his chaotic style of governing, was at the helm.

June 16th, 2009 Obama welcomes Israeli prime minister's speechWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's endorsement of Palestinian independence, saying the development shows the "possibility we can restart serious talks." Bending to U.S. pressure in a speech a day earlier, Netanyahu backed down on decades of opposition to Palestinian statehood by endorsing an independent state beside Israel.

June 14th, 2009 Netanyahu appeals to Arabs for peaceJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on Palestinian leaders to restart peace negotiations without preconditions. Netanyahu made the call during a major policy speech about his Mideast peacemaking intentions.

June 14th, 2009 Netanyahu to endorse Palestinian independenceJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time will endorse the notion of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, top aides said Sunday, giving in to heavy U.S. pressure to drop his long-standing opposition to Palestinian independence.

May 13th, 2009 Mubarak to Israel: Progress before recognitionCAIRO — Progress in peace negotiations must come before Arab recognition of Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview with Israel TV broadcast late Tuesday. Mubarak also addressed American suggestions that the 2002 Arab initiative, offering Israel normal relations with the Arab world if Israel withdraws from all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights, could be amended.

April 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Eight of India's leading scientists were Friday honoured with Thomson Reuters Research Excellence - India Research Front Awards for their groundbreaking work and influential contribution to global research and development. The eight awardees were presented with the accolade after their research was analysed using Thomson Reuters Research Front Methodology to assess their level of influence on specific scientific fields, Thomson Reuters said in a release here.

February 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Deeply disturbed by the killings and bloodshed back home, Palestinian students in the Indian capital have grouped together to build up sympathy and garner support for their country, as well as promote the unknown facets of their nation's culture, cuisine and tourism. Fifteen Palestinian students in Delhi - studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia - have reactivated a more than three- decades-old grouping called the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS).

January 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As Sri Lankan troops sweep through Tamil Tiger strongholds, Tamils seeking to flee the war-hit island to India are finding the boat journey more and more risky, leading to a sharp drop in their arrivals. From 566 men, women and children who sailed to Tamil Nadu in May 2008, the number fell to 155 in December.

January 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Palestinian refugees in the Indian capital say they are facing tough conditions and lack of resources is even preventing them to send their children to schools. 'We are jobless.

January 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Condemning Israel's assault in Gaza, the Indian Marxists Thursday said the Manmohan Singh government must cease all military cooperation with Israel and urged the people to rise in support of the Palestinian cause. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) also criticised the US and Israel for refusing to accept the democratically elected Hamas administration in Gaza and said it was the 'root cause' of the present crisis in Palestine.