It follows a campaign by African states to limit the use of the 16th-century Mercator map that distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles.

As a result, Greenland appears to be about the same size as Africa, even though the continent is around 14 times bigger.

The UN resolution at the General Assembly, which was passed by 164 votes to one, promotes the 2018 Equal Earth projection, which more accurately portrays the size of continents.

The United States was the only country to vote against, saying the resolution pushed an "ideological agenda" and ‌was a distraction from the "genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations".

There were six abstentions in New York.

Togo led the African Union initiative to help limit the use of the Mercator map, with foreign minister Robert Dussey saying before Friday's vote: "A fair world begins with a fair map."

He said the Equal Earth version offers "the best perception" of the world.

And he said his country will urge other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away ​from the 1569-created Mercator version.

It was created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to help sailors navigate the seas.

The UN resolution ⁠is not legally binding and it "in no way ⁠challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited," the Togolese ministry said.

"Togo will be the first country ⁠to change our own geography books. In the classroom, we need to ​change it to give an example to all the countries in the ​world," Mr Dussey said.

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The country is set to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions in the next six months to agree on how to promote wider adoption, according to the minister.

He ​linked the campaign to adopt the map to wider African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies, ​while stating it was not an attack on Europe or any other civilisation.

He said the Mercator map's widespread use was a consequence of colonisation, adding: "The world is ‌changing. Africa also is changing."

Dozens have also been injured in the blast.

Local authorities said it occurred at around 2.30pm local time in an area used to store pyrotechnics at the barracks in the municipality of Viacha.

The cause of the blast has not been established, but officials said it originated from the defence ministry's fireworks stockpile.

Fourteen of the wounded were transferred to hospitals in the city of La Paz, including a girl with third-degree burns, she told local TV.

Police said dozens of homes were damaged, largely by windows shattered in the blast.

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Ambulances, medical teams and police were deployed to the military complex to assess the damage and evacuate the wounded.

Ms Nebraska said firefighters warned a heat source remained at the site, raising the risk of another explosion.

She urged residents to stay at least 150m away.

This is a naturally occurring phenomenon characterised by warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in that ocean.

Forecasters have warned it is almost certain that this year's El Nino will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months and last until February 2027.

It usually takes place irregularly every two to seven years and lasts nine to 12 months, but this year's has been forecast to be "exceptional" having been "supersized", according to the United Nations.

Hurricane Lowell, which could target Hawaii this weekend, reached the maximum category five strength on Wednesday before later weakening to a category three.

Karina has weakened from a category three to category two east of the Hawaiian Islands and is forecast to weaken further in the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

But Marie, located nearly 400 miles off the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, is strengthening.

The storm could create strong swells for parts of Mexico's southwestern coast and Baja California through the weekend, and perhaps Southern California, according to the centre.

There are predictions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other groups of an exceptionally strong El Nino, or "super El Nino" this year, marked by water temperatures at least 2C above average in the Pacific.

This El Nino event has a 69% chance of becoming the strongest ever recorded, according to a NOAA forecast last month.

The event has taken hold at a point when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific were already significantly raised.

Scientists have been monitoring a vast marine heatwave - a prolonged period of unusually high ocean temperatures - in the Pacific that started in 2025.

Meteorologist Daniel Gilford said early studies by his research group Climate Central have found around 94% of the Pacific has experienced heatwave conditions since January, with some regions already up to 2C warmer than normal.

"Temperatures across the entire Pacific Ocean are elevated, and we're certainly seeing that in the region where these hurricanes and tropical cyclones are traversing," he said.

El Nino usually exacerbates warming from climate change, further increasing global temperatures and pushing up the chances of extreme weather.

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United Nations secretary-general António Guterres said on Thursday that El Nino is "being supersized before our eyes".

"The science leaves no room for doubt: The planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up," he said.

Mr Guterres was reacting to a new World Meteorological Organisation report that El Nino "is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, with big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat".

The 41-year-old resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at the university last month after facing accusations of plagiarism.

He was found "unresponsive" by family members at home in Battersea, south London, on 14 August, an inquest at London Inner South Coroner's Court heard last month.

On Friday, the university posted on social media: "Today, university council took the necessary steps to launch an independent review into the university's decision-making and actions, with a focus on identifying shortcomings and areas for improvement."

The first part will cover the "support, interventions and protections available to Prof Arday during the period prior to his death", vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said.

It will report back in three months, "enabling recommendations for urgent action to be considered and implemented without delay".

Nazir Afzal, former chief crown prosecutor for the North West of England and current chancellor of the University of Manchester, will lead it.

The second part will examine the university's "response to allegations of research misconduct" and the support offered to academics "who are subject to extraordinary public and media scrutiny".

It will appoint an independent external chair to lead this work and report back within six months of the panel being established.

Last month, Prof Arday's family thanked supporters for their fundraiser donations - which have reached nearly £225,000 at the time of writing.

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They spoke of their "shock" following his death and said he had faced a "campaign of misinformation".

In Prof Arday's resignation letter, he told colleagues: "While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement.

"The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love."