United Nations | DD News

April 29, 2026 10:06 AM

US wants curbs on China as a condition for paying UN dues, report says

The United States has set specific conditions for the release of billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, such as more cost-cutting and moves to counter China's influence at the world body, a development news agency reported on Tuesday. The United States circulated two diplomatic notes calling for nine "quick-hit" reforms in order to release more funds, independent agency Devex, which covers global development, said in the report. It said these included: - Overhauling the U.N. pensi...

April 28, 2026 3:18 PM

US, Iran clash at UN after Tehran gets nuclear non-proliferation role

The United States and Iran clashed at the United Nations on Monday over Tehran's nuclear program and its selection to be one of dozens of vice presidents at a month-long conference to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The 11th conference to review implementation of the NPT, which came into force in 1970, began on Monday at the United Nations in New York. Different groups nominated 34 conference vice presidents, and the conference chair, Vietnam's U.N. ambassador Do Hung Viet, said Ir...

April 28, 2026 3:36 PM

EXPLAINER-The Hormuz digital chokepoint: How does the Iran war threaten subsea cables?

Iran warned last week that submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz were a vulnerable point for the region's digital economy, raising concerns about potential attacks on critical infrastructure. The narrow waterway, already a chokepoint for global oil shipments, is equally vital for the digital world. Several fibre-optic cables snake across the seabed of the strait, connecting countries from India and Southeast Asia to Europe via the Gulf states and Egypt. WHAT MAKES UNDERSEA CABLES IMPORTANT?...

April 22, 2026 10:27 PM

French soldier dies of wounds after attack on UN force in Lebanon

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that a second French soldier had died following an attack on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon last week, which he said was carried out by Iran‑backed Hezbollah. The soldier, Chief Corporal Anicet Girardin, was severely wounded on April 18 and died of his wounds after being evacuated to France on Tuesday, Macron said in a post on social media platform X. One of his colleagues was killed immediately while clearing a road in southern Lebanon in ...

April 21, 2026 1:07 PM

Explainer: Who are the candidates running for UN secretary-general?

The 10th United Nations secretary-general will be elected this year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027. Here are the candidates so far running to take over from outgoing U.N. chief Antonio Guterres. RAFAEL GROSSI Rafael Grossi, a 65-year-old career diplomat from Argentina, has been an omnipresent, hyperactive director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog for the past six years. While the International Atomic Energy Agency has long policed Iran's nuclear programme, Grossi led ne...

April 15, 2026 10:07 PM

Why is Sudan at war, and what is the impact?

The war in Sudan entered its fourth year on April 15 overshadowed by other regional and global turmoil, despite having created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. WHO IS FIGHTING? The war pits the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The two men had joined forces in 2019 to overthrow veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir, after which Burhan became head of st...

April 15, 2026 11:57 AM

India opposes two-tier UNSC reform, backs G4 proposal to defer veto for 15 years

India has firmly opposed the creation of a “two-tier” system of permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC), while expressing support for a compromise proposal by the G4 group to defer veto powers for new permanent members for 15 years. Speaking at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reforms, India’s Permanent Representative Ambassador P. Harish stressed that expanding the permanent category with veto powers is essential for any meani...

March 24, 2026 3:39 PM

Bahrain pushes for UN authorisation of force to protect Hormuz shipping

Bahrain has put forward a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorise countries to use, in the words of the text, "all necessary means" to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The diplomatic phrase is widely understood as authorisation for the use of force. The draft was seen by Reuters on Monday. Diplomats said the resolution, which is backed by other Gulf Arab states and the United States, would be placed under Chapter Seven of the UN Chart...

March 20, 2026 11:50 AM

India reiterates Indus Waters Treaty to remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends support for terrorism

India has reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end support for terrorism. Speaking at a United Nations event marking World Water Day 2026, India’s Permanent Representative Harish Parvathaneni said New Delhi was compelled to take the decision after repeated provocations and failure of bilateral engagement. “It was not my intention to comment on a bilateral issue in this forum, but I am compelled to respond as...

March 18, 2026 1:24 PM

Around 4.9 million children under five died in 2024, says UN

About 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024, according to new United Nations estimates, a sign progress to reduce child mortality rates was stalling even before global aid budget cuts last year. Most of the deaths were preventable with better access to healthcare and low-cost interventions for challenges like complications from pre-term birth or diseases like malaria, said UNICEF, the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the U.N. population division, wh...