clinical thine: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

New Jordanian Ambassador to Israel

Jordan is set to appoint a new ambassador to Israel for the first time in years.

According to a report published Saturday in the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, the Hashemite Kingdom will finally fill the post that has remained vacant for more than two years.

The new ambassador, Walid Obeidat, has long served as a consultant to Jordan's foreign ministry and is a professional diplomat.

The new appointment comes amid new threats to the monarchy faced by King Abdullah II by the country's sole legitimate opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, which according to intelligence sources quoted by DEBKAfile?has called on the king to transform his government to a constitutional monarchy, rendering him essentially powerless.

With more than 120,000 Syrian refugees encamped in the northern part of the country and more pouring across the border by the thousands every day, plus a majority population of more than 70 percent Palestinian Authority Arabs, the king can ill afford to alienate the strong Western-backed ally - Israel - that he has on his western border.

This situation mirrors somewhat the threat faced by Abdullah's father in September 1970. At that time, tens of thousands of Arab refugees who had settled in Jordan after fleeing Israel following the 1948 and 1967 wars, came under the banner of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which then tried to overthrow the Amman government. In response, King Hussein slaughtered those who had threatened his regime ? a time hence dubbed ?Black September -- and expelled the PLO and thousands of other Arabs from the country, deporting them to Lebanon.? It was Israel's troops who quietly provided military protection from outside foreign intervention to the king's soldiers as they carried out their grisly task, according to historical documents.

During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly this week, King Abdullah II blamed Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, and Jewish construction in those areas, for the setbacks in Jordan's attempts to mediate between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.?But the truth is far more complex. PA leaders had little interest in reaching a final status agreement at a time when they were preparing instead for a unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations ? one which ultimately failed.

Jordan's former Ambassador Ali Al-Ayed, meanwhile, was recalled back to Amman in 2009 as a protest against Israel's mini-war against Gaza's terrorist rulers, the Hamas terror organization.

Since that time, ties between the two countries have been delicate.

While making Saturday's announcement, King Abdullah II also took the opportunity to criticize the Jewish State for the second time in less than a month. Al-Hayat reported that the Jordanian King sees Netanyahu's conduct as a "right-wing refusal of the peace-process." He blamed Israel's prime minister for the deadlock with the Palestinian Authority over a final status agreement, and?noted that Obeidat had been appointed to his role as an envoy to Israel a year ago. However, he was held in Amman to protest Israel's policies toward the PA.

Just a few weeks ago, Abdullah claimed that Israel has been sabotaging his country's efforts at developing a nuclear energy program ? an accusation Jerusalem firmly denied.

It is still not yet clear when Jordan's envoy will arrive to begin his duties at his embassy in Israel.

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/160411

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Keeping stakes in check, Ryan rejects needs for breakthrough in first presidential debate (Star Tribune)

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Overnight Music: Naughty Boy Feat. Emeli Sande - Wonder (Little green footballs)

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Electrons confined inside nano-pyramids

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2012) ? Quantum dots are nanostructures of semiconducting materials that behave a lot like single atoms and are very easy to produce. Given their special properties, researchers see huge potential for quantum dots in technological applications. Before this can happen, however, we need a better understanding of how the electrons "trapped" inside them behave. Dresden physicists have recently observed how electrons in individual quantum dots absorb energy and emit it again as light.

Their results were recently published in the journal Nano Letters.

Quantum dots look like miniscule pyramids. Inside each of these nano-pyramids are always only one or two electrons that essentially "feel" the constricting walls around them and are therefore tightly constrained in their mobility. Scientists from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Dresden. TU Dresden and the Leibniz Institute for solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) have now studied the special energy states of the electrons trapped inside individual quantum dots.

Sharp energy levels

The behaviour of electrons in a material essentially determines its properties. Being spatially constrained in all three spatial dimensions, electrons inside a nano-pyramid can only occupy very specific energy levels -- which is why quantum dots are also called "artificial atoms." Where these energy levels lie depends on the chemical composition of the semiconductor material as well as the size of the nano-pyramid. "These sharply defined energy levels are exploited, for example, in highly energy-efficient lasers based on quantum dots. The light is produced when an electron drops from a higher energy level into a lower one. The energy difference between the two levels determines the colour of the light," Dr. Stephan Winnerl of HZDR explains.

Seeing electrons inside individual quantum dots

The researchers in Dresden working with Dr. Winnerl were recently the first to succeed in scanning transitions between energy levels in single quantum dots using infrared light. Although, they could only do this after overcoming a certain hurdle: While the pyramids of indium arsenide or indium gallium arsenide form spontaneously during a specific mode of crystal growth, their size varies within a certain range. Studying them with infrared light, for example, one obtains blurred signals because electrons in different sized pyramids respond to different infrared energies. This is why it is so important to obtain a detailed view of the electrons trapped inside a single quantum dot.

The scientists approached this task with the special method of scanning near-field microscopy. Laser light is shone onto a metallic tip less than 100 nanometers thick, which strongly collimates the light to a hundred times smaller than the wavelength of light, which is the spatial resolution limit for "conventional" optics using lenses and mirrors. By focusing this collimated light precisely onto one pyramid, energy is donated to the electrons, thereby exciting them to a higher energy level. This energy transfer can be measured by watching the infrared light scattered from the tip in this process. While near-field microscopy involves major signal losses, the light beam is still strong enough to excite the electrons inside a nano-pyramid. The method is also so sensitive that it can create a nanoscale image in which the one or two electrons inside a quantum dot stand out in clear contrast. In this fashion, Stephan Winnerl and his colleagues from HZDR, plus physicists from TU and IFW Dresden, studied the behaviour of electrons inside a quantum dot in great detail, thereby contributing towards our understanding of them.

Infrared light from the free electron laser

The infrared light used in the experiments came from the free electron laser at HZDR. This special laser is an ideal infrared radiation source for such experiments because the energy of its light can be adjusted to precisely match the energy level inside the quantum dots. The laser also delivers such intense radiation that it more than makes up for the unavoidable losses inherent to the method.

"Next, we intend to reveal the behaviour of electrons inside quantum dots at lower temperatures," Dr. Winnerl says. "From these experiments, we hope to gain even more precise insights into the confined behavior of these electrons. In particular, we want to gain a much better understanding of how the electrons interact with one another as well as with the vibrations of the crystal lattice." Thanks to its intense laser flashes in a broad, freely selectable spectral range, the free electron laser offers ideal conditions for the method of near-field microscopy in Dresden, which benefits particularly from the close collaboration with Prof. Lukas Eng of TU Dresden in the scope of DRESDEN-concept.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Rainer Jacob, Stephan Winnerl, Markus Fehrenbacher, Jayeeta Bhattacharyya, Harald Schneider, Marc Tobias Wenzel, Hans-Georg von Ribbeck, Lukas M. Eng, Paola Atkinson, Oliver G. Schmidt, Manfred Helm. Intersublevel Spectroscopy on Single InAs-Quantum Dots by Terahertz Near-Field Microscopy. Nano Letters, 2012; 12 (8): 4336 DOI: 10.1021/nl302078w

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/gNnVNyOn7fo/120928103756.htm

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Jim Webb on 'Givers' and 'Takers' (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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Egypt's president heads to Turkey to build ties

CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will travel to Turkey on Sunday to try to strengthen an emerging alliance of the two moderate Islamist governments in a region beset by conflict and instability.

Even though Morsi has only been in power for a few months, there are already strong signs a partnership with Turkey is forming ? evident by the two governments teaming up to try to end Syria's civil war by firmly backing President Bashar Assad's exit from power.

Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited the Egyptian capital Cairo and pledged $2 billion in aid to boost confidence in an economy badly battered by a tourism slump, strikes and ongoing protests since the fall of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in last year's uprising.

In a 12-hour visit, Morsi will try to strengthen economic ties with Turkey ? a country his Muslim Brotherhood group views as a success story of Muslim governance, boasting a strong economy along with Western ties and Islamic piety.

Turkey, a NATO member with a mostly Muslim (but not Arab) population, has been touted as a democratic model for Egypt and other Arab countries swept by popular revolts over the past two years.

But after initially looking to the Turkish ruling party as their role model, the Islamic fundamentalist Brotherhood in Egypt has cooled to the idea because of Turkey's strong secular leanings. Morsi and the Brotherhood, to the contrary, have been criticized by their opponents for pushing a more conservative Islamist line, particularly in drafting the country's new constitution.

"Before the revolution, we saw (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's regime ... as a successful model that can be emulated," said Dina Zakaria, a member of the foreign relations committee of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. "But can it be with all its details and can it all suit Egyptian society? Of course not."

Turkish officials and media have voiced enthusiasm for the relationship with Cairo after the uprising. Turkish President Abdullah Gul was the first foreign leader to visit Egypt after Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011, meeting with both the largely liberal and secular youth groups that spearheaded the pro-democracy revolt as well as with generals from the ruling military council who took over from Mubarak and then eventually transferred power to the democratically elected Morsi.

Erdogan got a warm welcome in Cairo last year, with crowds of Brotherhood supporters lining the airport road upon his arrival, some of them carrying banners reading: "Erdogan is a hero."

Erdogan has encouraged Egypt to mimic the Turkish model of governance.

But Zakaria said after frequent visits to Turkey and meetings with different groups there, she is convinced that Egyptian society would not accept Turkey's secular constitution.

Many in conservative Egypt equate the term secularism with "anti-Islam." As efforts to draft the country's constitution are marred by disputes over what many liberals perceive as overtly Islamist clauses in the charter, Zakaria ruled out drawing inspiration from the Turkish constitution.

"Their constitution won't work here in Egypt," she said. "There are things Egyptian people won't accept," she added, referring mainly to the separation of religion and he state.

One of the founding principles of Turkey's constitution is that it is a secular democracy, something that contradicts Egypt's old constitution, and is not even considered in the writing of the new charter. Debate remains in Egypt over whether to keep the current charter, which mentions that the principles of Islamic law are the basis of legislation, or to harden it to include a reference to specific Islamic laws which would guide all legislation.

But when it comes to foreign affairs and economics, there is much that Egypt can gain from Turkey's experience, Zakaria said.

Certainly on the international stage, Cairo and Ankara have much in common. Both want Assad of Syria to quit and Iran, his ally, to stay out of the civil war there. Ankara and Cairo have teamed as part of a regional initiative to try to solve the Syrian crisis, an effort that could form a strong foundation of future cooperation.

"Turkey couldn't do anything alone when it comes to Syria. One hand alone won't clap," Zakaria said. "What is clear now is that the two countries need to have strong relations because we have serious regional problems and we need each other."

Mustafa Ellabbad, an Egyptian expert on Turkish relations, said Turkey wants an Arab partner in its bid for regional influence in the Middle East and its affiliation with the Brotherhood would serve as a foundation for a moderate Islamist alliance. The Brotherhood, in return, looks to Turkey for assistance as a bridge to the West. But for some of Egypt's more radical Islamists, "the Turkish model doesn't even deserve to be labeled Islamic," Ellabbad said.

But Morsi could turn to Turkey for help on other domestic issues, chief among them the economy. He has already visited Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, China, Iran, Italy and Belgium before his recent trip to New York, where he addressed the U.N. General Assembly. His frequent travels have raised criticism that he is paying more attention to foreign policy issues than domestic problems. However, the economic issues appear high on the agenda on most of his foreign trips.

"The economic portfolio is certainly one of the most important ones between Egypt and Turkey," Yasser Ali, the presidential spokesman, said Saturday.

Egypt's economy is faltering under the weight of shrinking foreign investment and numerous labor strikes demanding better wages and representation in state-owned companies. The political system remains far from stable, and a referendum on a new constitution and new parliamentary elections that will follow that will test the performance of the Brotherhood's Islamist politics.

This is where Morsi may turn to Turkey for inspiration.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has had an extraordinary record of electoral success and longevity, coming to power in 2002 amid economic hardship and a fractured political landscape, and then comfortably winning general elections again in 2007 and 2011.

Zakaria could not confirm local media reports that the AKP provided assistance to the Brotherhood's political party ahead of Egypt's parliamentary elections last year. Brotherhood officials told Egyptian media that the party's local branch in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, signed a partnership deal with the AKP in Istanbul, ahead of last winter's parliamentary elections.

Morsi is also expected to attend the annual congress of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, a first for an Egyptian leader, and is invited to attend an economic forum organized by the Turkish chamber of commerce on Sunday.

Hassan Malek, a prominent businessman from the Muslim Brotherhood traveling to Turkey with Morsi, said there is much that Egypt can learn from Turkey in the fields of manufacturing, industry and trade zones. He said Egypt could particularly benefit in the fields of manufacturing apparel, and electronics.

Egypt's Minister of Economic Cooperation Ashraf el-Araby told local media that a committee at the level of prime ministers will be formed to push economic cooperation, including opening the African market for both countries.

"It is not hidden that there is a meeting of minds. Geographically we are close, we have similar visions," Malek said. "This is a new opportunity. There are many things in the Turkish experience we can transfer and benefit from. But we can't copy everything."

___

Associated Press writers Chris Torchia and Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Istanbul and Ankara.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-president-heads-turkey-build-ties-154256827.html

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Gearing Your Small Business for Innovation | Innovation Management

As an entrepreneur, constant innovation is critical for the long-term sustainability and success of your business. But innovating doesn?t require you to be the next Steve Jobs or to create something the world has never seen before. In the context of a small business, it rather involves responding to your market?s needs quickly and accurately ? and ensuring that you put appropriate systems and processes in place. This will ensure that innovation becomes an extension of your business? thinking and operations.

While innovation is often thought of as something involving cutting-edge technology, in the context of SMEs it should rather be defined as a small business? ability to adapt to changes in its environment ? with the process catalyzing new ideas, products and service offerings, and potentially different ways of doing business.

As such, innovation can enable your SME to exploit changes and opportunities in order to stay relevant and gain market share. This is especially possible given the speed with which you as an entrepreneur can effect change in your business.

Read full article ? www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/advice?/

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Source: http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2012/09/27/gearing-your-small-business-for-innovation/

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New efficiency record for photovoltaic cells - thanks to heterojunction

Public release date: 27-Sep-2012
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Contact: Emmanuel Barraud
emmanuel.barraud@epfl.ch
41-216-932-190
Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne

Using amorphous and monocristalline silicon together, EPFL team achieved an astounding 22.4 percent efficiency

In the medium term, an investment of only $2500 in photovoltaic cells would suffice to provide more than enough electricity for the consumption of a four people household. This promising scenario has been made possible by the innovations accomplished by EPFL's Institute of Microengineering in Neuchatel. The team of prof. Christophe Ballif, director of the Photovoltaics Laboratory (PVlab), presented their work at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition that just took place in Frankfurt.

The PVlab specializes in thin film solar cells and has been interested for several years in "hybrid" technologies, better known as heterojunction technologies, designed to enhance solar captors' performance. "We apply an infinitesimal layer one hundredth of a micron of amorphous silicon on both sides of a crystalline silicon wafer," explains Christophe Ballif. This "sandwich" conception contributes to increase the sensors' effectiveness.

For this assembly to be efficient, the interface between the two types of silicon requires to be optimized. Antoine Descoeudres managed to achieve this feat together with Stephaan DeWolf and their colleagues. They chose the commonest and therefore cheapest crystalline cell (called "p-doped silicon"), took care of its preparation and improved the process of application of amorphous silicon. They obtained a 21.4% conversion efficiency, which had never been achieved before with such type of substrates: nowadays, the best quality monocrystalline cells only attain an energy conversion efficiency of 18-19% at best. In addition, the measured open-circuit voltage was 726 mV, which constitutes a first-time accomplishment as well. Last but not least, they broke the 22% efficiency barrier on a less common substrate.

These results, validated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Germany, will soon be published by the IEEE Journal of photovoltaics.

To bring these innovations to a stage of industrialization may only take a few years. This research was partly financed as a commission for Roth & Rau Switzerland, whose parent company, Meyer Burger, has already started the commercialization of machines built for assembling this type of heterojunction sensors. "Within three to five years, we expect to reach a production cost of $100 per square meter of sensors, estimates Stefaan DeWolf. In Switzerland, with the conversion efficiency achieved, such a surface will be able to produce between 200 and 300 kWh of electricity per year. "

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New efficiency record for photovoltaic cells - thanks to heterojunction

Public release date: 27-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail |

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Contact: Emmanuel Barraud
emmanuel.barraud@epfl.ch
41-216-932-190
Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne

Using amorphous and monocristalline silicon together, EPFL team achieved an astounding 22.4 percent efficiency

These results, validated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Germany, will soon be published by the IEEE Journal of photovoltaics.

###

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/epfd-ner092712.php

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Dead or Alive 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)

The fighting game renaissance that began with Capcom's Street Fighter IV sees its latest high-profile entry: Tecmo Koei's Dead or Alive 5. The $59.99 polygonal fighter, available on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, brings the series trademark rock-paper-scissors style combat to a home console for the first time since 2005's Dead or Alive 4 (it's also the first DOA to appear on the PS3). Featuring intricate mechanics, several beautiful interactive environments, and characters from Sega's Virtua Fighter series, Dead or Alive is a fun fighter, but it lacks the extra depths found in the likes of Namco Bandai's Tekken Tag Tournament 2 . Note: I reviewed the Xbox 360 version.

Street Fighting
Dead or Alive 5 features 20-plus fighters representing a wide cross-section of martial arts styles ranging from MMA to ninjitsu. That's not quite as robust as Tekken Tag Tournament's 40-plus person roster, but there are fewer duplicates and goofy characters (such as Alex, a boxing glove-wearing dinosaur). In a surprising move, Tecmo includes Akira and Sarah Bryant, fighters licensed from Sega's Virtua Fighter series.

Dead or Alive 5's action is fast and accessible, but the game's rock-paper-scissor's gameplay in which strikes beat throws, throws beat holds (counterattacks), and holds beat strikes, favors more cerebral players. Sure, you can attempt to button mash your way through a match, but you'll be quickly squashed?especially online where completion is high (if the lag doesn't ruin the experience). Noob warning: If you play the CPU on one of the higher difficulty settings, be prepared to see nearly all of your blows countered?it's quite frustrating. Thankfully, there's a practice mode where you can work on technique mastery.

There are numerous fighting game modes, but one that needs mention is story mode. The story is a confusing cheesefest that has awful voice acting. That said, it's useful for unlocking the Virtua Fighter characters. And on the topic of voice acting, the characters' pre-fight dialogue is filled with repetitive throwaway lines that you'll want to skip as soon as you've heard them once.

Like Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Dead or Alive 5 lets you take a pair of fighters into combat. Tag action is fast, and it's remarkably easy to do team attacks, which plays more to casual players. As such, DOA is a bit of a hybrid fighter that has one foot in the hardcore and more casual realms (although nowhere near as watered-down as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3). Unlike Tekken Tag Tournament 2, this game allows you to continue fighting after one character falls. Still, you should utilize wise character management by swapping out heavily-damaged characters to heal (or master the improved sidestep move).

Masterful Environments
Battles take place in varied locations ranging from a circus arena to a war-torn landscape. The environments are interactive, too. Not only do random items in the environments break?everything from barrels to fences?but you can slam people into Danger Zones that electrify or explode, causing the victim big damage.

You can also knock foes over ledges, which trigger cinematic quick time events. The winner of the QTE gets a temporary damage boost for unleashing extra fury. Wise fighters will use Power Blows (a super attack that you can use to blow opponents into a selected direction) to really lay on the hurt by sending foes into Danger Zones. This gives Dead or Alive 5 an action movie vibe more so than games like Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (which approaches sim designation), and it works well.

Not Quite the Champ
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 remains the Editor's Choice among 3D fighters for its incredibly deep gameplay and excellent all-around package, but Dead or Alive 5 is no slouch. It's more green-friendly than Namco Bandai's offering, but that's not necessarily a knock (unless you're the type to spend every waking moment in the digital dojo). That said, if you bother to learn the rock-paper-scissors mechanics, you can have some rather strategic matches as you knock opponents around the crazy environments.

More Console and Computer Games Reviews:
??? Dead or Alive 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)
??? Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
??? Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
??? Journey Collector's Edition (PS3)
??? Darksiders II
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/38sSqhTZm3U/0,2817,2410163,00.asp

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Poke War! Facebook Pokes Now Update In Real-Time

In case Facebook Poking wasn't addictive enough, the Pokes page now updates in real time. That means you can leave your finger on the trigger and poke back the instant a friend pokes you. I've heard from a Facebook employee the feature was recently built by an intern, and bless their soul. Or curse it if you have something important to do, because you'd be surprised how quickly you can get sucked into a real-time poke war.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QmEeCdMrSpo/

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Iran to Export Gas to Europe>> LNG World News

Iran to Export Gas to Europe

Iran is currently holding negotiations for deals to transfer natural gas to Europe, Deputy Minister of Oil for Planning Mohsen Khojastehmehr said.

Addressing a press conference, he said Iran is the reliable source of natural gas in the long-run.

At present, Iran has signed final contracts with Turkey, Pakistan and Iraq for export of gas to those countries and operations have started for gas exports to Iraq, the IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

LNG World News Staff, September 26, 2012

Source: http://www.lngworldnews.com/iran-to-export-gas-to-europe/

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UN chief demands global action to end war in Syria

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded international action to stop the war in Syria, telling a somber gathering of world leaders Tuesday that the 18-month conflict had become "a regional calamity with global ramifications."

In sharp contrast to the U.N. chief, President Barack Obama pledged U.S. support for Syrians trying to oust President Bashar Assad ? "a dictator who massacres his own people."

Opening the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting, Ban said in his state of the world speech that he was sounding the alarm about widespread insecurity, inequality and intolerance in many countries.

Putting the spotlight on Syria, the U.N. chief said "the international community should not look the other way as violence spirals out of control."

"We must stop the violence and flows of arms to both sides, and set in motion a Syrian-led transition as soon as possible," he said.

While Obama didn't call for an end to the violence, he made no mention of arming the opposition and stressed the importance of ensuring "that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence."

"Together, we must stand with those Syrians who believe in a different vision ? a Syria that is united and inclusive, where children don't need to fear their own government, and all Syrians have a say in how they are governed, Sunnis and Alawites, Kurds and Christians," said Obama, who arrived at the U.N. after Ban spoke.

"That is what America stands for; that is the outcome that we will work for ? with sanctions and consequences for those who persecute; and assistance and support for those who work for this common good," the U.S. president said.

Ban, declaring that the situation in Syria is getting worse every day, called the conflict a serious and growing threat to international peace and security that requires attention from the deeply divided U.N. Security Council.

That appears highly unlikely, however, at least in the near future.

Russia and China have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions aimed at pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the violence and enter negotiations on a political transition, leaving the U.N.'s most powerful body paralyzed in what some diplomats say is the worst crisis since the U.S.-Soviet standoff during the Cold War.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, whose country by tradition is the first to speak, supported the secretary-general, saying: "There is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. Diplomacy and dialogue are not just our best option: they are the only option."

With the Security Council unable to action, the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said Arab countries should intervene "out of their national, humanitarian, political and military duties and do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed ... in order to guarantee a peaceful transition of power in Syria."

He cited a similar precedent when Arab forces intervened in Lebanon in the mid-1970s to stop the civil war "in a step that proved to be effective and useful."

French President Francois Hollande said almost 30,000 people have died and asked: "How many more deaths will we wait for before we act? How can we let the paralysis of the United Nations to continue?"

"I know one thing is certain, the Syrian regime will never again take its place in the council of nations. It has no future among us," he said.

He called on the United Nations to protect "liberated zones" within Syria and to ensure humanitarian aid to refugees.

Ban also expressed profound concern at continuing violence in Afghanistan and Congo, increasing unrest across west Africa's Sahel region where al-Qaida has made inroads, and the "dangerous impasse" between Israelis and Palestinians that may close the door on the two-state solution.

The "shrill war talk" by Israel in recent weeks, in response to its belief that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, "has been alarming," Ban said, and Tehran's rhetoric threatening Israel's existence is unacceptable.

"Any such attacks would be devastating," he said, reminding the presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and diplomats from the 193 U.N. member states of the need for peaceful solutions and respect for international law.

"Leaders have a responsibility to use their voices to lower tensions instead of raising the temperature and volatility of the moment," he said.

Alluding to the recently circulated amateur video made in the U.S. which attacks Islam and denigrates the Prophet Muhammad, Ban said that "in recent days we have seen hate speech and violent responses that perpetuate a cycle of blind violence."

He lamented that in the world today "too often, divisions are exploited for short-term political gain" and "too many people are ready to take small flames of difference and turn them into a bonfire."

The secretary-general said it's time for responsible political and community leaders and ordinary citizens to speak out.

"The moderate majority should not be a silent majority," Ban said. "It must empower itself, and say to bigots and extremists alike: 'you do not speak for us.'"

Obama urged all leaders "to speak out forcefully against violence and extremism" and join the U.S. in confronting the root causes of the rage across the Muslim world.

He condemned the anti-Muslim video that helped spark the recent attacks, calling it "cruel and disgusting." But he strongly defended the U.S. Constitution's protection of the freedom of expression, "even views that we profoundly disagree with."

Obama was not expected to cross paths with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who addresses the assembly on Wednesday morning, but he did have a message about the country's nuclear program: There is still "time and space" to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions "but that time is not unlimited."

Ahmadinejad insists his country's nuclear program is only for electricity generation and medical research, but the U.S. and Western allies are demanding that Iran open all its facilities to inspectors from the U.N. nuclear agency to prove the intent of its enrichment of uranium.

Obama said a nuclear-armed Iran "would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy" and would also risk triggering a nuclear arms race in the region.

"And that is why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he said.

Hollande said France is ready to discuss new sanctions against Iran, "not to punish the great Iranian people, but to say to its leaders that enough is enough now, and that it must restart negotiations before it's too late."

The secretary-general hosted a lunch for the more than 120 world leaders ? but Obama skipped it, leaving Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to offer the traditional toast from the host country. She sat at the head table, beside Ban, with the emir of Qatar, the king of Jordan, the grand duke of Luxembourg, and the presidents of Egypt, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, Liberia, Serbia and Malawi.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-chief-demands-global-action-end-war-syria-133433892.html

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Good News: Apple Still Uses Google Maps Where It Matters Most [Apple Maps]

Click here to read Good News: Apple Still Uses Google Maps Where It Matters Most

Apple's new Maps may be a horror show, but at least they haven't fully permeated your iOS existence. As one redditor discovered recently, iCloud.com still uses Google Maps when you use its Find My Phone feature. It's a sweet oasis, in your time of greatest need. More »