Definitely a helpful addition to a search results page, Google is making it easier to find trailers for movies currently in theaters.
Detailed on Google?s official Google+ account this week, the search company has added links to movie trailers when a user searches for?information?regarding showtimes at local theaters. In order to bring up these listings, the user uses a search term like ?showtimes zip code? or ?showtimes city name? and Google displays all the current movies playing at nearby theaters. As of this week, a new gray button that says ?Trailer? appears to the right of each movie listing. When the button is clicked, a pop-up window is launched overlaying the search results page. The trailers are being streamed from a ?Googlemovietrailers? YouTube account, but Google doesn?t allow users to browse videos on the account. Users need a direct link to play the trailer on the YouTube page.
Depending on the screen size, the overlay window will size itself accordingly and automatically choose the highest quality version of the video. Google also overlays a dark gray color on the remaining white portion of the screen to improve viewing quality.
At the top of the overlay window, the user will see the name of the movie trailer on the left and a Google+?Recommend button on the right. However, there?s no rating system included on the overlay for negative feedback. Underneath the?embedded?YouTube video, Google has included the name of the director, several names of the top actors and actresses in the film and a detailed description of the plot.
It?s likely that the inclusion of movie trailers on search result pages will reduce the amount of people that visit sites like Apple, Yahoo, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes to view a movie trailer. As of right now, the addition of the movie trailers button has been rolled out in the United States as well as other?English-speaking countries including the United Kingdom,?Australia?and Canada. However, Google plans to roll out the new movie trailers button globally as well.
FILE - Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is seen during an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, in this April 6, 2012 file photo. Thaci said in an interview with the Associated Press Friday Sept. 28, 2012 that Kosovo and Serbia must normalize relations soon to begin integrating with Europe, but he insists that partition of his country?s Serb-dominated northern enclave ?will never happen.? (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is seen during an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, in this April 6, 2012 file photo. Thaci said in an interview with the Associated Press Friday Sept. 28, 2012 that Kosovo and Serbia must normalize relations soon to begin integrating with Europe, but he insists that partition of his country?s Serb-dominated northern enclave ?will never happen.? (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is seen during an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, in this April 6, 2012 file photo. Thaci said in an interview with the Associated Press Friday Sept. 28, 2012 that Kosovo and Serbia must normalize relations soon to begin integrating with Europe, but he insists that partition of his country?s Serb-dominated northern enclave ?will never happen.? (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said Kosovo and Serbia must normalize relations soon to begin integrating with Europe, but he insisted that partition of his country's Serb-dominated northern enclave "will never happen."
Kosovo's flag does not fly at the United Nations, where Thaci met with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and U.S. officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly ministerial meeting.
The European Union is trying to broker talks next month between Kosovo and Serbia, which also wants to join the bloc. The EU is expected to push for a resolution on Kosovo's tense north, where the young country has little control over ethnic Serbs who suffered reprisal attacks after the province broke away from Serbia and reject the authority of the ethnic Albanian-dominated government in Pristina.
"Kosovo is determined for dialogue with Serbia, for normalization of relations," Thaci said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press. "Kosovo will benefit, Serbia will benefit. It will mean an end to the era of conflicts in the region and a faster process of integration of all countries."
The nation of about 2 million people, predominantly ethnic Albanians of Muslim faith, belongs to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, but cannot have its own telephone prefix because it does not belong to the United Nations. The International Olympic Committee rejected its bid to participate in this summer's London Olympics, but FIFA has ruled that its members can play soccer matches against Kosovo.
Over 90 countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, including much of Europe, and the number will soon top 100, Thaci said.
Serbia insists it will never recognize Kosovo, which it views as a national heartland, but the EU wants Belgrade to normalize ties with Pristina as a precondition for EU membership.
Thaci and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic did not meet at the United Nations, though they both attended a reception for European leaders, where the newly-elected Serbian nationalist left without speaking to his counterpart.
Despite the snub, Thaci said he was eager for negotiations with Serbia.
"We need to start," he said. "The more delays we face, the more difficult this process will become. Therefore both Kosovo and Serbia should fight to catch up, in order to have a faster integration process."
Kosovo will soon find out if it is on the right track toward integration. The EU is slated to release a report Oct. 10 on Kosovo's progress on preparing for a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step in the long path to membership.
Earlier this month, in a sign of confidence that Kosovo has matured since its unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, a 25-nation group made up of the U.S., Turkey and EU countries formally ended supervision of the fragile state, which it had guided since the end of its bloody war with Serbia.
A massive international presence remains, however. About, 5,600 NATO-led peacekeepers are still in charge of security and a 3,000-strong EU mission has the final say in legal matters. Corruption, organized crime, smuggling and high unemployment remain huge problems.
"We have worked very hard, but I am aware that we need to do more," Thaci said. "We are now seen by the world as a normal functioning country."
The world, however, has not allowed Kosovo into the United Nations. The Kosovars were on the outside looking in as Vuk Jeremic, the former Serbian foreign minister and new president of the General Assembly, presided over the U.N.'s annual gathering of world leaders.
Kosovo's membership at the U.N. has been blocked by an ally of Serbia: Russia, a veto power-wielding member of the Security Council, which must approve any new members.
"After normalization of relations with Serbia the path to the U.N. will be opened," Thaci said.
There has been some progress. Kosovo citizens can now travel to Serbia with their own ID card, but not with Kosovo car plates. Serbia has agreed to accept Kosovo university diplomas, and will participate at regional meetings alongside Kosovo as long as there is an asterisk on Kosovo's name that refers to its international status.
The fate of Kosovo's Orthodox Christian Serbs and the firm grip that Serbia has on northern Kosovo are the main sticking points. Some Serbian officials have said that partition is the best solution, but Thaci said that redrawing any borders would set a dangerous precedent for the Balkans.
He said Serbs in northern Kosovo must integrate into Kosovar society, but that task has been made more difficult because they "have been deceived now for 12 years by Belgrade that there will be partition. That will never happen. Partition implies changing the borders for a minimum six countries."
Another source of division is a 2010 Council of Europe report by Swiss politician Dick Marty that alleges the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army, including Thaci, killed Serbian civilian captives during the 1990s and sold their organs. Albania and Kosovo have repeatedly denied the claims.
Earlier this month, a Serbian prosecutor said that a witness came forward and testified "in detail" about the allegations, which the European Union is now investigating.
Thaci dismissed the claims as "science fiction," though he acknowledged "they have harmed my image, and the image of Kosovo."
Because the iPhone 5 just released, it seems like the iPad Mini rumor mill has gotten a little quiet. A little too quiet, if you ask me. Don't worry though, the leaks will continue to come. Like this video, which shows off the small size of the rumored iPad Mini. More »
Researchers tracked urban coyotes over six years and found that they never stray from their mate. Amy Kraft reports.
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Beyond the ferocious jaws of the carnivorous coyote is a loving creature that scientists say is 100-percent monogamous.
Researchers studied the mating patterns of two hundred thirty six coyotes in the Chicago area over a six-year period. They found that coyotes living in urban areas are faithful to their partners, and stay with them for life. The research is in the Journal of Mammalogy. [Cecilia A. Hennessy, Jean Dubach AND Stanley D. Gehrt, Long-term pair bonding and genetic evidence for monogamy among urban coyotes (Canis latrans)]
Scientists collected blood and tissue samples of coyotes and equipped some adults with radio-collars before releasing them all back into the wild. Genetic analyses showed no evidence of polygamy within the urban coyote population, and consequent studies of their movements showed that pairs stayed together through multiple breeding seasons.
The research runs contrary to other studies that prove that seemingly monogamous species sometimes cheat. It was thought that coyotes would be more likely to stray from a mate in an urban environment where food and females are plentiful. Instead, the research provides evidence that not all species of canids are dirty dogs.
?Amy Kraft
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast] ?
Or is the phrase too hostile for non-believers to engage with it properly?
The Houses of Parliament (Photo: PA)
This week Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth said that British society was being threatened by a ?strangling counter-culture of death?.
In a powerful address after he was consecrated as Bishop of Portsmouth he said:
We must offer this salvific message to a people sorely in need of new hope and direction, disenfranchised by the desert of modern British politics, wearied by the cycle of work, shopping, entertainment, and betrayed by educational, legal, medical and social policy makers who, in the relativistic world they?re creating, however well-intentioned, are sowing the seeds of a strangling counter-culture of death.
The phrase has already prompted some criticism. Michael Walsh, a papal historian, argued in the Tablet that a real ?culture of death? would look very different from modern Britain. Another academic, Dr Gemma Simmonds, a lecturer at Heythrop College, also suggested it was too negative, saying: ?The theology of Vatican II makes clear that the Holy Spirit speaks within contemporary culture and in many voices outside as well as within the Church.?
Many Catholics believe the phrase is a useful shorthand term for destructive practices such abortion, euthanasia and IVF. But is it too negative to be persuasive for non-believers? It has in the past provoked outrage. In 2010 Edmund Adamus, director of pastoral affairs for the Diocese of Westminster, described Britain as the ?geopolitical epicentre of the culture of death?, and got into trouble for it.
But the term has a good pedigree. Blessed Pope John Paul II introduced it in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae; Americans Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal Burke and Cardinal O?Malley have all used it more recently. It gives society a shake. It conveys a sense of urgency and crisis. Non-believers will have a hard time brushing it off as irrelevant.
So, is it helpful to describe British secular society as a ?culture of death?? Or do non-Catholics find the phrase too offensive to engage with it properly?
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? One Somali journalist was shot dead by gunmen on Friday while a second journalist was beheaded and his body dumped in the street, officials and residents said, two attacks that bring the number of Somali journalists killed this year to 15.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest killings, but the deaths fit into a year-long pattern of targeted attacks against Somali journalists. Reporters must watch for attacks from militants and criminals and know that such deaths have been met with judicial inaction in a capital city with crippled government institutions.
Residents in an area just north of Mogadishu discovered the headless dead body of Abdirahman Mohamed Ali, a 26-year-old sports writer with his hands tied behind his back on Thursday. His body also showed signs of torture. No previous killing of a journalist has involved a beheading, and the method of death could be an indication that al-Qaida-linked militants from al-Shabab were responsible.
"His decapitated body was dumped near a restaurant. We were shocked to see his severed head placed on his chest," Ahmed Abdinur, a resident in the restive Suqa Holaha area, said by phone. "We don't know who beheaded him, but our village has seen several such headless bodies before."
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Ahmed Abdulahi Fanah, a 32-year-old reporter who was working for the Yemeni news agency, the Somali journalists union said Friday. He was shot and killed as he walked out of his home on the way to work, it said.
The killings have made going to work a life-and-death decision for Somali journalists. One female television journalist said she won't risk her life any longer.
"I have decided to leave the country because the time we expected would bring peace and liberty has turned into the worst we have ever seen," Sahra Abdulahi Isse said. "The death threats have increased. ... I will be leaving for Uganda for my own safety."
Most of the 15 deaths appear to have been targeted killings, though last week three journalists were killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a cafe popular with journalists and politicians. The day after that attack gunmen shot and killed another journalist.
Most of the killings have taken place in areas of Mogadishu nominally under the Somali government's control. Despite government promises of prosecutions, no arrests have yet been made for any of the killings in 2012.
"The terrible killings of two more journalists within the space of 36 hours makes clear that tackling the culture of impunity surrounding such atrocities can no longer wait," said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The new president should make investigating the killings a priority, today."
In quite a few various parts of your globe that consist of Egypt, Asia, the African Rift Valley region and North America, historians think that competitive operating created as a part of religious festivals. Dating back to 1829 BCE, one from the earliest recorded competitions took spot in Ireland at a festival referred to as the Tailteann Games. One of the most widespread competition then was foot races throughout ancient Greek festivals. It was as part of such festivals that marked the beginning from the Olympic Games. Surely, an ancient athlete would have benefited a lot from the use of the best GPS watch for men, had it been out there back then. The first Olympic Games had been held in 776 BCE. It was open only to Greek guys whilst the Greek girls had their own competitors in what was then referred to as the Heraea Games. As in present day, both contests had been held every 4 years. Only foot races of varying distances constituted these early Olympic Games. Field events for example discus, javelin and extended jump had been included within the competition by the 5th century BCE. The Romans continued the Olympic tradition, following the fall of Greece, till 394 CE. For any even though, the sport of operating disappeared right after. For a look at the device that could have benefited these early Greek and Roman athletes, click the link for more info. First in the 12th century, then once more inside the 15th century, competitive operating was revived in England, at numerous occasions. The Puritan rule with the country within the 17th century ended the final try for competitive running revival. In English secondary colleges and colleges, the re-emergence from the sport took location by the 19th century. Different forms of foot races and field events were included in meets between colleges inside the early 1800s. Whilst some races were held for certain distances on marked tracks, runners followed a trail by way of fields and open country in other races. Click here for information on the device that will be employed by distance runners of your present era.
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Most people first think of how great they are going to look on the outside if they following an aerobics workout routine, and this is true it will give you an attractive, toned, and fit looking body, that people will admire and even envy.
The main motivation is not the external benefits but rather the internal health derived from a consistent cardio workout, which is coupled with good nutrition.
It has now been scientifically proven that a smoker who does regular and consistent cardio workouts exercises, is healthier than a none-smoker who don?t. This is not an endorsement of smoking of course, but to show how important exercise is for overall optimal health.
So what does aerobics do for my body?
Have a Heart
Well for starts it increases the blood flow hence the oxygen levels in the body, more oxygen means the body will become efficient in caring out its daily function. Increasing the heart rate during aerobics activity will build the muscles of the heart and over time the rest rate of your heart beat will be slower; this is because your heart has become much more efficient in pumping nutrient rich blood around the body, this decrease in heart rate during rest means less wear and tear on the heart.
Once the heart becomes more efficient due to consistent aerobics cardio, oxygen is transported around the body in more volume, more efficiently and this aerobics or oxygenated blood burns fat faster and more efficiently.
Regular aerobics workout will help prevent arteriosclerosis or heart disease and even prevent stroke by strengthening the heart muscle and keeping the arteries elastic and open, this will lower blood pressure and raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol).
Aerobics workout does not burn cholesterol the way we know it burns fat, but what it does is stimulate the blood?s cholesterol levels and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.
Your Brain Will Thank You
Regular cardio vascular workouts such as aerobics increases the ?brain-derived neurotrophic factor? (BDNF). BDNF is believed to play a key role in the regulation of mood. BDNF also help brain cells and neurotransmitters live longer, so exercise can prevent dementia.
Another major chemical produces from the amino acid L-tryptophan in the brain is serotonin or (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). This hormone is a neurotransmitter in the brain and influences a lot of different brain functions. Regular aerobics activity is shown to increase the serotonin levels in the brain.
Serotonin is a critical chemical produces by the brain and influences control over appetite, memory and learning, mood, behavior, depression, sleep, endocrine regulation, temperature regulation, sex drive or the lack there of, cardiovascular function, and muscle contraction. Regular aerobics exercise is key in maintaining proper levels of this very important chemical.
Workout for Your Bone
like muscles bones are alive and ever changing, either for the better or the worst. Aerobics exercise strengthen bones just like it does muscles, stronger bones will reduce your risk of small fracture and weakening of your skeletal structure as you get older, which could lead to osteoporosis. Regular exercise also serves to lubricate the joints and reduce inflammation and prevent arthritis. So increase your bone?s strength and mass with some cardio.
Aerobics for Immunity
It has been shown that regular cardio workouts strengthens the immune system and enable it to fight off sickness and infection. The increased aerobic activity serves to expel airborne viruses and bacteria from the lungs before they have a chance to invade. Rapid blood flow throughout the body and the action of sweating during a workout also rid the body of toxins and certain carcinogens. Built up waste mater is excreted through the sweat glands and urination. That?s why proper hydration is important during a workout.
Antibodies and white blood cells are used by the immune system to fight invaders, regular exercise activities helps to circulate and distribute these fighters throughout the body, reducing the risk of infection and sickness.
So Strengthen, tune and tone your body with aerobics workout exercises, both on the outside but most importantly on the inside.
Staying fit and healthy is not a Fad but rather a lifestyle,
Steve Robertson
Steve Robertson is the owner of the website http://www.stepaerobicsdvds.com and is a health and fitness consultant and blogger. Visit his site to review his top pick of aerobics dvds online and to find the best prices for workout videos.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA?Coinciding with the upcoming Family Day on Saturday, today the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition launched itsFamily Biking Guide, a comprehensive how-to manual that covers all stages of family biking?from biking while pregnant to biking your child to school, and everything in between.
In response to the growing number of families biking or wanting to bike together, the SF Bicycle Coalition is offering the guide in English, Spanish and Chinese, providing biking tips and best practices for families in San Francisco and across the globe. (English version attached).
?We?re excited to offer this ground-breaking guide. For too long there has been little to no concrete information about family biking, and we hope that this guide can help the huge and growing numbers of interested parents and kids enjoy more quality time together on bike,? says Kit Hodge, Deputy Director of the 12,000-member San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and bike-riding mother of two.
The 10-chapter?Family Biking Guide?covers best practices and tips like: How to choose the right bike for your family, when it?s okay to start biking with your baby, and how to teach your child to bike on his or her own?without training wheels.
The?Family Biking Guide?is just one of the many resources the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition offers for families. Earlier this year, the 12,000-member nonprofit launched its in-class and on-road Family Biking Classes. The four-part series includes: Biking While Pregnant, Biking With Your Baby or Toddler, Biking Your Child to School, and Freedom From Training Wheels. All classes are free and held throughout the year in San Francisco. More information about these resources at?sfbike.org/family
The SF Bicycle Coalition?s annual Family Day bike celebration is happening Saturday, September 29, at the 14th?Avenue East Picnic Area in Golden Gate Park. The free event (10-2pm) includes classes on learning to bike, a bike parade, pedal-powered games and free bike maintenance. More information at?sfbike.org/family_day.
?The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is thrilled to be a resource for the huge and growing number of families who are biking in San Francisco,? says Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. ?We love helping families discover the joys of biking together, and transforming our city into a place where everyone ages 8-to-80 feels safe and comfortable riding on our streets.?
The?Family Biking Guide?was written by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition staff and board members who bike with their children, and was reviewed by a medical professional for scientific integrity.?It?is available for free download at?sfbike.org/family_guide. A pdf of the English version is attached for media use.
BEDFORD HEIGHTS/BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (Reuters) - The race for president focused squarely on the battle for working-class votes on Wednesday, as Republican Mitt Romney scrambled to make up ground on Democratic President Barack Obama in the crucial battleground state of Ohio.
On a day when the rivals held dueling events across the state, Romney mixed empathy for the unemployed - at one point, he said his "heart aches" for the jobless - with attacks on Obama's trade policy toward China. Foreign trade is a sensitive subject in a state where thousands of manufacturing jobs have gone overseas.
Romney's cause was made more urgent by a new Quinnipiac University/New York Times poll that indicated Obama led the former Massachusetts governor by 10 percentage points in Ohio and was ahead by similar margins in two other important states - Florida and Pennsylvania. Other troubling signs: Obama held nearly a 20-point lead in Florida among women, while Romney's lead among men had dwindled to 3 points.
Ohio and Florida are politically divided states central to Romney's hopes to amass the 270 electoral votes needed for victory in the November 6 election. Losing either state could be disastrous for the Republican, who trailed Obama in the nationwide Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll of likely voters by 49 to 43 percent.
The Quinnipiac survey suggested that Romney, who was trailing Obama by a smaller margin at the beginning of last week, had been significantly damaged by the disclosure of a secretly taped video of his remarks at a private fundraiser in May.
In the video, Romney - a former private equity executive with a fortune estimated at up to $250 million - tells wealthy donors to his campaign that 47 percent of Americans are "victims" who depend on government, do not pay federal income taxes and are unlikely to support him.
The airing of the comments last week sent Romney's campaign into crisis mode. Democrats were quick to point out that the "47 percent" to whom Romney referred - those who receive some form of government benefits - included not just the poor but working-class families, members of the military and the elderly, some of whom Romney has depended upon for support.
So in a sense, Romney's bus tour in Ohio this week has had the feel of a damage-control operation.
At a stop in Westerville, Romney told an enthusiastic crowd: "I've been across the country. My heart aches for the people I've seen.
"There are so many people in our country that are hurting right now," he said. "I want to help them. I know what it takes to get an economy going again and creating jobs."
Romney also took aim at Obama, chiding him for not labeling China as a "currency manipulator," and blaming the president for not creating more jobs.
"You can be extraordinarily eloquent and describe all the wonderful things you can do," Romney said, clearly referring to Obama. "But when you cut through the words, you can look at the record. And when you can see policies that have not created jobs America needs, then you know it's time to choose a new leader."
Romney fought back against claims by Obama's campaign that the Republican's proposed across-the-board 20 percent tax cut would benefit mostly the wealthy.
Romney also said his plan might not significantly lower tax bills for many Americans because unspecified tax deductions would be cut.
"By the way, don't be expecting a huge cut in taxes," Romney said, "because I'm also going to be closing loopholes on deductions."
OBAMA MOCKS ROMNEY'S 'NEWFOUND OUTRAGE'
Romney has criticized Obama as not being tough enough in pushing back against Chinese trade practices that have led to cheap goods flooding the U.S. market and killing American jobs.
Obama, who spoke at two state universities in Ohio on Wednesday, lashed back at Romney on China trade and reinforced the Democrats' message that Romney, in his job at Bain Capital, sometimes cut U.S. jobs or sent them overseas.
"He's been talking tough on China," Obama said of Romney. "When you hear this newfound outrage, when you see these ads he's running promising to get tough on China, it feels a lot like that fox saying, 'You know, we need more secure chicken coops.' "
Ohio is a relatively challenging place for Romney's economic message. The state unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, below the national rate of 8.1 percent.
One in eight jobs in Ohio is linked to the automobile industry, and Obama's campaign has been reminding residents that he pushed through the government bailout that helped save the auto industry and thousands of jobs, while Romney opposed it.
NEW AD FOR ROMNEY
Romney's campaign amplified its message with a new ad featuring the candidate speaking directly into the camera.
"President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families," Romney says in the ad. "The difference is, my policies will make things better for them. We shouldn't measure compassion by how many people are on welfare."
Paul Ryan, Romney's vice presidential running mate, campaigned in Colorado, another battleground state where polls show Romney in a tight race with Obama.
He also bashed China - and attacked Obama on foreign policy, invoking the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis that contributed to Democratic President Jimmy Carter's failed re-election bid.
Romney and Ryan had campaigned together in Ohio on Tuesday.
It was their first appearance together in more than three weeks. Romney had drawn criticism from some Republicans for not campaigning more aggressively and spending much of the past two weeks behind closed doors, raising money and preparing for his October 3 debate against Obama.
Romney aides have promised he will be conduct a more active campaign.
(Additional reporting by Samuel P. Jacobs in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Writing by Patricia Zengerle and Steve Holland; Editing by David Lindsey and Peter Cooney)
The Health Insurance Tax (HIT) on fully-insured premium markets imposed by Obamacare could raise $87 billion over the next ten years and also cost between 125,000 and 249,000 jobs by 2021, according to a study.
?Although the tax is formally structured as a fee on health insurers, recent analysis has determined that virtually all of the tax burden will be passed on to the purchasers of insurance,? says the study by the National Federation for Independent Business Research Foundation.
?The cost of health insurance is still a top ranking if not number one issue that?s probably the most unidentifiable per budget year,??Amanda Austin, director of federal public policy at NFIB, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
?They just don?t know what it?s going to be at renewal, what new costs are going to be borne out in their premium,? she said. ?And that?s the aggravation year in and year out, that they never seem to go down, they only seem to go up, and this will potentially only aggravate the overall cost factor.?
Small businesses and the self-employed comprise 87 percent of the fully-insured market. The NFIB study estimates the tax will raise the cost of employer-sponsored insurance by 2-3 percent, a cumulative cost of nearly $5,000 per family.
?It just seems to me as a small business owner that tax cuts always have a sunset, like the Bush tax cuts? I?ve never heard of anyone say a tax increase is expiring at the end of the year. They seem like they?re built in forever,? small business owner John Culler shared with The DC News Foundation.
Culler owns a small marketing and communications firm in West Virginia with 11 employees. Culler explained that he spends an average of $13,000 a year for family coverage for each employee. He said providing health insurance is both a good recruitment tool and the right thing to do.
?We?ve always felt it was the right thing to do,? he said, though now, ?It just keeps getting harder and harder.?
A coalition of small business advocates and interest groups have joined forces to get the tax repealed. Recently, there has been movement on Capitol Hill with a bipartisan bill with over 220 cosponsors in Congress.
?We want action next year, if not lame duck,? Austin told TheDC News Foundation.
?Business owners understand what this tax is and understand that it?s going to impact their premium and therefore they want their voice to be heard on it.?
?It was a bit of an irritation for us that small business and individuals, which are the main purchasers of fully insured plans, which is where the industry bares the risk, they?re absorbing most of it,? Austin said, recalling when the tax was being considered for the bill that would ultimately become the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
?We were very concerned about this because as an advocate for the business community, we know very well pass-through taxes and how these things are easily borne out to the end user,? Austin added.
She said about the result, ?this is a tax on business? how exactly did we arrive at this when we were trying to lower the cost for small business??
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? In his most detailed plea to date for global action against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb.
Netanyahu flashed a diagram of a cartoon-like bomb before the U.N. General Assembly showing the progress Iran has made, saying it has already completed the first stage of uranium enrichment.
Then he pulled out a red marker and drew a line across what he said was a threshold Iran was approaching and which Israel could not tolerate ? the completion of the second stage and 90 percent of the way to the uranium enrichment needed to make an atomic bomb.
"By next spring, at most by next summer at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage," he said. "From there, it's only a few months, possibly a few weeks before they get enough enriched uranium for the first bomb."
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian denials of the Holocaust, its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state and its support for hostile Arab militant groups.
Iran's deputy U.N. ambassador took the floor at the General Assembly late Thursday to categorically reject Israel's "entirely baseless allegations," insisting that the country's nuclear program is purely peaceful.
Eshagh Al Habib accused Netanyahu of using "an unfounded and imaginary graph" to justify a military threat against Iran.
"Iran is strong enough to defend itself and reserves its full right to retaliate with full force against any attack," he said.
Al Habib urged the international community to exert pressure on Israel to end its "irresponsible behavior" and to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon party and put all its nuclear facilities under U.N. safeguards. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but has never acknowledged it.
Neither the U.S. nor any of its international partners are ready to abandon diplomacy in favor of military or other actions to resolve the decade-long standoff over Iran's nuclear program.
On Thursday, six world powers decided to lay the groundwork for another round of negotiations with Iran, a senior U.S. official said, but they want a significantly improved offer from the Islamic republic.
The new hope for negotiated end came after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with the foreign ministers of Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia ? powers that have sought, over several rounds of talks, to persuade Iran to halt its production of material that could be used in nuclear weapons.
The latest stab at a diplomatic compromise collapsed this summer after Iran proposed to stop producing higher-enriched uranium in exchange for a suspension in international sanctions, which Clinton has termed a "nonstarter." The U.S. official said Iran would have to bring a much better offer to the table this time, but stressed that nations were seeing some signs for optimism and that diplomacy remained "far and away the preferred way to deal with this issue."
No date was set for the possible resumption of the so-called P5+1 talks with Iran, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to comment publicly about the closed-doors meeting at the United Nations.
After looking for a diplomatic solution there, Clinton met later Thursday with Netanyahu at a New York hotel where she was expected to hear the alternative argument for possible military action.
Their face-to-face occurred just hours after the Israeli presented his case to the world just why a nuclear armed Iran would be a danger to many countries.
Casting the battle as one between modernity and the "medieval forces of radical Islam," Netanyahu said deterrence would not work against Iran as it had with the Soviet Union.
"Deterrence worked with the Soviets, because every time the Soviets faced a choice between their ideology and their survival, they chose survival," he said. But "militant jihadists behave very differently from secular Marxists. There were no Soviet suicide bombers. Yet Iran produces hordes of them."
Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that time is running out to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power and that the threat of force must be seriously considered. Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks suggesting that if Iran's uranium enrichment program continues it may soon stage a unilateral military strike. This week Iranian leaders suggested they may strike Israeli preemptively if they felt threatened, stoking fears of a regional war.
President Barack Obama has vowed to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power but has rejected Netanyahu's demands for setting an ultimatum past which the U.S. would attack. His administration has urgently sought to hold off Israeli military action, which would likely result in the U.S. being pulled into a conflict and cause region-wide mayhem on the eve of American elections. Netanyahu's 2013 Israeli deadline could be interpreted as a type of concession, but Israeli officials insisted action was still needed immediately and that in his speech Netanyahu was referring to the absolute point of no return.
Netanyahu appeared to be trying to soothe his differences with the White House when he thanked Obama's stance, adding that his own words were meant only to help achieve the common goal.
And he thanked the U.S. and other governments that have imposed sanctions which, he said, have hurt Iran's economy and curbed its oil exports but have not changed Tehran's intentions to develop the capacity to build nuclear weapons.
"I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down. This will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to convince Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program altogether," the Israeli prime minister said. "Red lines don't lead to war, red lines prevent war."
Netanyahu did not detail what should be done if his "red line" was crossed, but the insinuation was clear. In perhaps his final plea before Israel felt the need to take matters into its own hands, Netanyahu pounded away at the dangers posed by Iran.
"To understand what the world would be like with a nuclear-armed Iran, just imagine the world with a nuclear-armed al-Qaida," he said. "Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran."
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Israel, the U.S. and other Western allies suspect otherwise. Four rounds of U.N. sanctions have already been placed on Iran.
A U.N. report last month only reinforced Israeli fears, finding that Iran has moved more of its uranium enrichment activities into fortified bunkers deep underground where they are impervious to air attack. Enrichment is a key activity in building a bomb, though it has other uses as well, such as producing medical isotopes.
While Israel is convinced that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, American officials believe Iran has not yet made a final decision to take the plunge and that there is still time for diplomacy.
Netanyahu argued Thursday that "Iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy time to advance its nuclear program."
Israel's timeline for military action is shorter than that of the United States, which has far more powerful bunker-busting bombs at its disposal, and there is great suspicion in Israel over whether in the moment of truth Obama will follow through on his pledge.
"Each day, that point is getting closer. That's why I speak today with such a sense of urgency. And that's why everyone should have a sense of urgency," Netanyahu said. "The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb."
Netanyahu has a history of fiery speeches about Iran before the U.N. General Assembly.
In 2009, he waved the blueprints for the Nazi death camp Auschwitz and invoked the memory of his own family members murdered by the Nazis while making his case against Iran's Holocaust denial and threats to destroy Israel. And last year, he warned about "the specter of nuclear terrorism" if Iran were not stopped.
While the bulk of Netanyahu's speech dealt with Iran, he also rebuked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke shortly before him to the U.N. General Assembly and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing for building settlements in east Jerusalem.
"We won't solve our conflict with libelous speeches at the U.N.," Netanyahu said. "We have to sit together, negotiate together and reach a mutual compromise."
Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed it in a move that hasn't been recognized internationally. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state along with the Gaza Strip and the rest of the West Bank.
In his speech, Abbas also said he had opened talks on a new bid for international recognition at the U.N.
The Palestinians will apply to the General Assembly for nonmember state status, in stark contrast to last year's failed bid to have the Security Council admit them as a full member state.
If Palestine does become a U.N. observer state, it will not have voting rights in the world body but will have international recognition as a "state." This could enhance the possibility of the Palestinians joining U.N. agencies and becoming parties to treaties including the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court.
Abbas insisted that the new quest for recognition was "not seeking to delegitimize Israel, but rather establish a state that should be established: Palestine."
According to Simple.TV, there have been articles circulating around the interwebs that may have caused confusion amongst parties interested about the shipping dates of its facile white puck. So, in order to induce some clarity, the folks behind the project have posted a Kickstarter update to let its backers know their Simple.TVs will be arriving soon -- somewhere between October 10th and 15th, to be precise. On the other hand, Simple.TV is also set to start taking pre-orders on its website tomorrow from folks who missed out on the crowd-funded party, with these particular units estimated to ship "within 20 days" after the order has been placed. The good news is we're only a couple of weeks away from its long-overdue arrival; in the meantime, however, don't forget we have our own hands-on for you to graciously pore over.
Merchant products are promoted on 3rd party (affiliate) websites. When visitors click through from the affiliate site to the merchant site and make a purchase then an agreed fee is paid to the affiliate.
If you advertise your products Online, affiliate marketing is an efficient way to generate additional business. It is a cost effective form of advertising for merchants, and a simple way for affiliates to earn revenue from their website.
B ? Banner Advertising
Banner advertising generally has a low response rate, often yielding about 2 visitors per thousand banner impressions. Despite the relatively poor value of banners for driving traffic, banner advertising can be particular useful in certain circumstances such as raising brand awareness.
C ? Categorise
Structuring your site well can be worth its weight in gold, not just to
users of your site, but also to search engines. A well structured site
in terms of infrastructure (i.e. directory structure, page naming
convention) will not only tell your visitor what the page is about
quickly, but also provide the search engines with an idea of what the
page is about before it is indexed.
D ? Differentiation
A unique Marketing Campaign that allows a company and/or its products and services to stand out from its competitors. Having a niche product or service makes the job of marketing your product or service much easier. If your service is not unique, it is often possible to identify a ?unique selling point? of your product or service.
Focus on your unique selling points, those products or services that differentiate you from your competitors, and ensure you portray these to your potential customers.
There are many aspects that can make you similar to your competitors, so ensure your unique selling point is clear to your customers. This can make a significant difference between success and failure.
E ? E-Mail Marketing
Using e-mail as a means of communicating commercial messages to an audience (Direct Marketing) can be a profitable addition to your marketing strategy.
This could take many forms:
Targeting your existing client base with additional services or products.
Targeting your existing client base with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a client with its current or old customers and to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
Targeting your existing client base with the purpose of selling 3rd party products for a fee.
Purchasing a list of client email addresses for the purpose of marketing your products to a new client audience.
Adding your advertisements to e-mails sent by other companies to their client base and marketing your products to a new audience.
Direct marketing is popular with companies online as it is:
LOW COST : Compared to direct mailing or printed newsletters the costs are negligible. The advertiser does not need to pay for production, paper, printing or postage.
IMMEDIATE : It is instant, as opposed to a mailed advertisement, an e-mail arrives in a few seconds or minutes.
TRACKABLE : It is easy to track. An advertiser can track hits, conversions and rise in sales. Real-time.
FAR REACHING: Direct marketing can reach substantial numbers of e-mail subscribers who have opted-in (consented) to receive e-mail communications on subjects of interest to them.
F ? Focus
Keep it relevant! There is no point spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on advertising on your site, and then sending a potential customer to a non-related ?landing page?. There are two scenarios as regards online marketing where this is especially true, namely
PPC advertising ? Send your customers through to a targeted page. Many companies send clients through to the homepage, or worse, a non related page to what the term is. By sending potential customers through to a relevant page, you reduce the number of clicks required to find the product, at the same time reducing the number of exit points, which have the effect of making the money spent on sending the client to the site redundant.
Affiliate Marketing ? These days may clients are using companies such as Tradedoubler and Miva to drive traffic to their site. However, the number of times I have seen companies use the extra functionality such as product feeds that these Affiliate Marketing companies provide, and then under utilise them is staggering. By again targeting the users directly to the product/service they are searching for you are reducing the chances of the customer leaving the site before he/she has even
viewed your product.
G ? Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers can be a good way of influencing users to your site to buy a product/service. Gift vouchers can be a very good way of building up customer loyalty to both your products and your brand, ensuring long term those customers keep coming back to your site and purchasing your products/services
H ? High earners vs Low returners
Differentiating what products/services offer the highest return on
investment is often one of the best ways of Increasing your bottom line, and as a result your return on investment (ROI). This may sound like common sense, however many companies overlook this, and continue offering products or services that never make any positive ROI.
The same applies to search engine marketing as a whole. For example, If you have a pay-per-click campaign, and are using very generic terms, you may find by tweaking the terms, and making these more specific, you decrease the amount you are spending on your PPC campaign, and increase your ROI as a result.
I ? Informative
Having a site that is informative, interesting and unique is one of the
best ways of keeping visitors coming back to your site, whether they be human or robots. Visitor loyalty is invaluable. This can be achieved via a number of ways whether it be a niche product, well written technical articles, your companies own PR or even just something that is just unique, funny or controversial.
J ? Just keep it simple
Over complicating the conversion process is often the biggest barrier to obtaining a successful sale. Many companies place barriers in the way, giving customers more reasons to pull out of a sale before completion, whether it is up-selling, over zealous data capture, or an inaccessible website.
A recent client?s buying process involved 10 clicks from site entry to sale completion. By reducing the number of clicks required to complete the sale from 10 to 6, sales increased by 400%. This involved streamlining the buying process, ensuring that the customer completed in as little time as possible.
In the modern era, time is money. Therefore time can be expensive so keep the time required to make a purchase to a minimum.
K ? Keywords
Research thoroughly the keywords that your website can realistically be ranked for. If you have a new website in a highly competitive market then ranking naturally for the major terms will be close to impossible, so consider less competitive and more targeted terms.
Higher levels of visitors do not necessarily mean an increase in sales. A more focused set of keywords may mean lower traffic but the quality of the traffic can lead to a better ROI.
L ? Landing Pages
This is another asset of search engine marketers that is either
over-optimised for search engines or under-utilised for visitors. Both can
have a detrimental effect on sales conversions and ultimately your ROI.
If you are using landing pages for any of your online
advertising/marketing, it is highly advisable to keep these landing
pages tailored to their requirement. You will find that by sending
potential customers directly to the area/product they are looking for,
you will significantly increase your sales as a result, and ultimately
your ROI.
M ? Mod Rewrite
A Mod Rewrite engine is a piece of web server software used to modify URLs, for the purpose of making your dynamic URLs more user friendly to customers and search engines.
A rewritten URL is easier to use if it is short but descriptive. The URL should have some text describing the content, but should not be too long.
N ? Navigation
Good navigation structure is an essential ingredient for any successful web site. If visitors find your navigation confusing or overly complicated then they will simply give up and look for another website offering the same products or service. E-Gain New Media work on the basis of a three click rule. In other words, try to keep any customer focussed page within three clicks of your homepage.
Navigation on a page should be clear, concise and relevant. Many a potential client has been put off a sale by entering a page and then exiting the site completely once they find out the page is not relevant to what they are looking for.
O ? Online Marketing
Online marketing is a term that encompasses several methods to raise awareness of your web site and increase sales. These methods can include either, or a combination of banner advertising, e-mail marketing, search engine optimisation or Pay-Per-Click. These technologies used together or alone, can, if thoroughly researched and implemented signicantly increase relevant traffic, customers and ROI.
P ? Press Releases
Press Releases as a medium for generating new traffic and customers are
often overlooked in favour of other aspects of search engine marketing
such as SEO and Affiliate Marketing. However press releases are an
excellent way of building up an online brand, whilst at the same time
generating both significant traffic, linkage and custom to your
website.
Developing your press releases should be the first step, ensuring that your content is clear, concise and unique. Branding your article is nearly as important as the content, make sure you get your sales message across in the article, and use the various sources of syndication available on the web (such as PRWeb, Newsisfree, http://www.press-release-writing.com) to target your article to the applicable sources.
Q ? Questionnaire
Questionnaires can be a good way of gauging customer perception.
Customers are often the biggest critics and the best testers. Involve
Customer?s views of your website, and harness both
suggestions and criticisms of the site. Integration of the best of
these into your website, can be a good way of evolving your website,
into a user friendly and ultimately profitable website. One of the best
examples of this is Amazon, once known as the biggest online retailer
to not make a profit, and now turning over millions of pounds profit as
well as being one of the brand leaders in e-tailing.
R ? Customer Retention
Many companies overlook the value of customer loyalty when selling on
the Internet, focusing on new customer acquisition instead, and trying
to extract every last cent from that client. This however can be
detrimental to a business long term, as the cost of acquiring a new
customer is often much higher than keeping an existing customer.
There is a saying ? ?It is seven times harder to get a new customer
than it is to retain a current customer?. This is especially true when it
comes to E-Commerce/E-Services, when many avenues of customer
acquisition such as PPC, Affiliate Marketing and the like may involve
significant effort and funding in order to generate new customers.
This is not to say that new customer acquisition should be ignored, just
that by focusing on what you already have, you can increase your profits
significantly.
S ? Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
A set of marketing methods aimed at increasing the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). The three main methods are:
Search engine optimization ? Improving rankings for relevant keywords in search results by changing the website structure, and content so that the website can be better understood by the search engines.
Search engine advertising ? Paying the search engines for a guaranteed high ranking or for an advert to be displayed prominently beside the natural results (commonly known as pay per click advertising).
Paid inclusion ? Paying the search engines for a guarantee that the website is included in their natural search index.
Search engine marketing companies are experts who explore the weaknesses and strengths in the methods and individual products to find the best way to promote a particular website on the search engines.
T ? Targeting
A set of methods such as content matching or profiling aimed at delivering a marketing campaign that targets the individual interests of a specific user base. By targeting your campaign you can increase the quality of leads and increase your return on investment.
This is particular useful when planning your affiliate marketing, pay-per-click strategies or email marketing campaigns, as knowing your demographics means you are more likely to convert a higher percentage of your targeted audience.
U ? User tracking
Do you know where customers drop out during the conversion process? You would be surprised at how many companies are not aware of exactly where they are losing customers, and therefore they do not fix a problem that is potentially the difference between success and failure. Knowledge is Power, no decision can be made without sound knowledge, and as such the more knowledge you have of your customers and their behaviour, the better armed you are to ensure that these customers convert to sales.
There are various log analysis software packages available such as Clicktracks and Google Analytics that will perform these functions. Use the tools at your disposal, and ensure that the path from entry to conversion is a quick, sleek and ultimately easy process for your customer to make.
V ? Value for Money
You don?t have to have the lowest prices or the next ?must have? item, however, providing there is a reasonable compromise between the two, then you have a potentially saleable product. Generally customers purchasing products will pay a premium for that little extra service such as better, quicker delivery arrangements or extended product guarantees.
It is therefore possible to tip the balance towards your product, by including these types of ?value-adds? as part of your product. If visitors think they are getting a better priced deal in comparison with your competitors, then they are more likely to buy.
At the end of the day, everyone likes a bargain. If a customer feels like they are getting a good quality product at a good price, then they are more likely to choose you over your competitors and thus increase your return on investment as a direct result.
W ? Word of Mouth
Propagation of a brand, through human interaction. This can include personal emails, forums, blogs and personal web pages. Referrals from a third party are often far more likely to convert than referrals from any other type of referral.
In terms of Online Marketing, conversions from ?online word of mouth sources? are invaluable, due to the limited effort and cost required in order to generate new business.
X ? XML Feeds
If you sell products online then XML Feeds are a must. By creating an XML feed of your products you can market your goods using services such as Froogle, Google Base, Yahoo shopping, Shopzilla and more. Other feed marketing services such as RSS and podcasting are becoming more and more popular, and these markets are expected to grow significantly over the next couple of years as the use of RSS as a medium for advertising increases.
Y ? Yes, Yes, Yes
Imagine going to a holiday site and seeing the description
?Surrounded by golden white beaches? or ?set in an acre of dense forest woodland?. Straight away your customer can imagine themself there.
By putting a positive focus on the products or services you sell, you
can create a positive impression.. By portraying a positive impression of your wares, you are already creating a favourable impression with your customers, and as a result, you may find a significant increase in conversions.
Z ? Zine or E-Zine
A part-promotional, part-informational newsletter or magazine distributed over the Internet via E-mail, or a web site that contains regularly updated articles, advertising and other components of a magazine.
More How Do I lose weight Quickly Yahoo Articles
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Did you know in the UK in 2010/2011 there were over 24,900 fires in non residential buildings, sadly resulting in 19 deaths.
To help raise awareness of potential dangers in the workplace and improve safety, Aquafire Extinguishers recently conducted fire safety training for Oakwood Park tenants. As well as learning about the main causes of fire in the workplace, preventative strategies and best practice in the workplace, we were also shown the different types of extinguishers and how to operate them.
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A column of smoke rises over Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday after two bomb blasts were reported.
By NBC News staff and wire reports
UNITED NATIONS -- Arab nations should intervene in Syria given the U.N. Security Council's failure to stop the civil war in the country, Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said Tuesday.
"The Security Council failed to reach an effective position. In view of this, I think that it is better for the Arab countries themselves to interfere out of their national, humanitarian, political and military duties and do what is necessary to stop the bloodshed in Syria," Sheik Hamad, speaking through an interpreter, said in a U.N. General Assembly speech.
Western powers have made clear they are opposed to direct intervention and the Security Council will not sanction action against the wishes of Russia and China. President Barack Obama on Tuesday?called again for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad?but provided no clear direction forward.
The Syrian conflict grinds on. Cities are under attack leaving them crushed by heavy shelling. NBC's Bill Neely reports.
Sheik Hamad suggested that bypassing the U.N. Security Council would enable a peaceful transition of power in Syria.
"We had a similar precedent when Arab forces intervened in Lebanon in the mid-'70s ... to stop internal fighting there in a step that proved to be effective and useful," he added.
'Senseless' torture and violence: Charity appeals for help for Syria's children
In 1976, an Arab League summit in Cairo authorized the deployment of an Arab peacekeeping force in Lebanon, according to the BBC.
NBC News
People resisting the army of President Bashar al-Assad in northern Syria cope with loss and prepare for fighting.
Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, strongly supports the mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels, while Shiite Iran backs Assad, whose Alawite minority is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
More international coverage from NBC News
Sheik Hamad further urged all countries that believe in the cause of the Syrian people to provide "all sorts of support" to Syrians until they gain legitimate rights.
Activists say that 27,000 people have been killed in Syria's uprising, which began as peaceful demonstrations for reform 18 months ago but turned into an armed insurgency fighting to topple Assad, with sectarian overtones that could drag in regional powers.
Obama denounces violence in Middle East, calls for tolerance and democracy
Meanwhile, state-run media said two massive explosions targeted the army command headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday, setting off clashes and a huge fire inside the building.
/
A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country
The rebel Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Press TV via EPA file
An undated handout television grab taken from Iran's state-run news network Press TV shows its correspondent Maya Nasser who was killed in Syria Wednesday.
"The Free Army hit the general staff building in Damascus' Umayyad Square and dozens were killed in the two powerful blasts," the information office for the FSA military council said in a statement. Syria's Information Minister Omran Zoabi had earlier said that the blasts caused only material damage.
The army said four guards were killed and 14 wounded in what it said were suicide attacks. No senior officers were hurt in the blasts, which shook the whole city just before the start of the working day, it said.
Iran's Press TV also said Wednesday that one of its correspondents was killed in Syria covering the twin blasts and gun battles in the Damascus.
Machine guns operated by motorcycle brakes? Get a glimpse at the rebels fighting against Assad's forces in Syria's mountainous Jabal al-Zawiya area.
Press TV identified the correspondent as 33-year-old Maya Nasser, a Syrian national.
More Syria coverage from NBC News
Syrian authorities accuse Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey of arming the rebels.
In July, Gulf sources told Reuters that Turkey had set up a secret base with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
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