United Nations

Scientists have discovered a vast reef of "pristine" rose-shaped corals apparently unharmed by climate change in deep water off the coast of Tahiti, UNESCO announced on Jan. 21.

Mapping approximately three kilometers (two miles) long and up to 65 meters (213 feet) wide, UNESCO said it was "one of the most extensive healthy coral reefs on record."

Tonga's volcanic eruption felt like an "atomic bomb" that shook "the whole island", an aid worker told AFP on Jan.21, as the Pacific nation raced to address a drinking water shortage.

Almost a week after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano exploded, unleashing a tsunami and cutting Tonga off from the rest of the world, witnesses are recounting the disaster.

"At the [defence] ministry there were many people working on these cases, from lawyers to administrative support. In total there have been seven or eight reports of more than 100 pages each. These have to be evaluated by employees of the ministry, but that is paid from the general budget and therefore we don't know exactly how much was spent on the Srebrenica cases," said van der Sluijs.

With no legal framework in place to regulate crypto mining in Kosovo, many of those involved in mining the currency say they are confused as to their options. Given crypto mining is not strictly illegal, their equipment cannot be confiscated providing it has been properly imported.

The U.N. General Assembly approved an Israeli-sponsored resolution on Jan. 20 condemning any denial of the Holocaust and urging all nations and social media companies "to take active measures to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial or distortion."

The World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, as France, Germany and Brazil posted new records of infections in the past 24 hours.

Tongans raced on Jan. 19 to clear a thick coat of ash from the main international runway to let in emergency aid, as the island nation faced a month of crippled international communications following a violent volcanic eruption and tsunami.The

Bulgarian and North Macedonian Prime Ministers Kiril Petkov and Dimitar Kovacevski told a press conference after their meeting in Skopje on Tuesday that as a sign of initial goodwill, Bulgaria will no longer make an issue of the use of the name North Macedonia in international organisations, dropping its previous claims that the name implicates territorial claims against Bulgaria.

Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia have agreed to use the country's short name - North Macedonia. This became possible after Skopje sent a note to the UN stating that the name refers to political unification, but not to the geographical region, part of which is part of Bulgaria's territory.

From the post-war period in 2000 until Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, Kosovo was run by the UN's interim administration, UNMIK, which together with domestic political leaders attempted to create institutions that would be able to implement a newly-established legal framework for the country.