Think Twice, 11 Gambian Ambassadors Ask Jammeh to Quit

No fewer than 11 serving Ambassadors of The Gambia have called on President Yahya Jammeh to quit and handover power peacefully to President-elect Adama Barrow.

Mr Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told UN Correspondents during a press briefing on Thursday.

Haq said the Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN, Mamadou Tangara, was among the Gambian envoys who appealed to Jammeh to peacefully transit power.

“The Secretary-General met today with the outgoing Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations, Mamadou Tangara, to discuss the deteriorating political situation in the country.

UN proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.

Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the global benefits of Yoga: "Yoga is a sport that can contribute to development and peace. Yoga can even help people in emergency situations to find relief from stress.”

Ban Ki-moon praises Cuba's efforts in promoting women rights, social development

Cuba has made remarkable efforts in promoting social development and gender equality in the Caribbean nation, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here Monday.

Ban arrived in Havana earlier in the day to attend the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC for its initials in Spanish, as a special guest and to meet with Cuban authorities and representatives of civil societies.

During a meeting at the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), the secretary-general praised the Cuban government's support for "Unite", a UN-backed campaign aimed at ending violence against women. He also lauded the support given by civil societies in defense of women's rights.

Ban said he was touched and inspired by each action and initiative carried out in Cuba, noting that eradicating violence against women is not a dream but a possibility.

During the meeting, Mariela Castro Espin, director of Cenesex and a deputy in parliament, presented Ban symbolic certificates from his institution to commend the UN chief's promotion of the Unite campaign.

The last UN secretary-general who had visited Cuba was Kofi Annan in 2006 for a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

CELAC, founded in February 2010 grouping 33 member countries, seeks to deepen political, economic, social and cultural integration in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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UN chief welcomes Syrian opposition's agreement to attend Geneva II

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday welcomed the Syrian opposition's agreement to take part in next week's international conference in Switzerland to seek an end to Syria conflict.

In a statement issued here by his spokesperson, Ban said the decision was "a courageous and historic step in the interest of a negotiated political solution to a three-year conflict that has caused so much misery and destruction."

Ban said he looks forward to the opposition's expedited formation of a delegation that broadly represents the diversity of the Syrian opposition including women.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Syria's main opposition bloc, announced earlier in the day after a vote in Turkey's Istanbul that it would join the peace talks, also known as Geneva II conference.

The Secretary-General will chair the event, which will be held in two parts. Following the opening session in Montreux on Jan. 22, talks between the two Syrian parties will start at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Jan. 24, facilitated by Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi.

According to UN figures, more than 100,000 people have been killed and more than eight million others driven from their homes since the conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011.