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A U.N. nuclear team arrived in Tehran early Sunday for a mission expected to focus on Iran’s alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

The U.N. nuclear agency delegation includes two senior weapons experts _ Jacques Baute of France and Neville Whiting of South Africa _ suggesting that Iran may be prepared to address some issues related to the allegations.

The delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency is led by Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, who is in charge of the Iran nuclear file. Also on the team is Rafael Grossi, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano’s right-hand man.

In unusually blunt comments ahead of his arrival in Tehran, Nackaerts urged Iran to work with his mission on probing the allegations about Iran’s alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons, reflecting the importance the IAEA is attaching to the issue.

Tehran has refused to discuss the alleged weapons experiments for three years, saying they are based on “fabricated documents” provided by a “few arrogant countries” _ a phrase authorities in Iran often use to refer to the United States and its allies.

Ahead of his departure, Nackaerts told reporters at Vienna airport he hopes Iran “will engage with us on all concerns.”

“So we’re looking forward to the start of a dialogue,” he said: “A dialogue that is overdue since very long.”

In a sign of the difficulties the team faces and the tensions that surround Iran’s disputed nuclear program, a dozen Iranian hard-liners carrying photos of slain nuclear expert Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan were waiting at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport early Sunday to challenge the team upon arrival.

That prompted security officials to whisk the IAEA team away from the tarmac to avoid any confrontation with the hard-liners.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency confirmed the team’s arrival and said the IAEA experts are likely to visit the underground Fordo uranium enrichment site near the holy city of Qom, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the capital, Tehran.

During their three-day visit, the IAEA team will be looking for permission to talk to key Iranian scientists suspected of working on a weapons program, inspect documents related to such suspected work and secure commitments from Iranian authorities to allow future visits to sites linked to such allegations. But even a decision to enter a discussion over the allegations would be a major departure from Iran’s frequent simple refusal to talk about them.

The United States and its allies want Iran to halt its enrichment of uranium, which they worry could eventually lead to weapons-grade material and the production of nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, such as generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

Iran has accused the IAEA in the past of security leaks that expose its scientists and their families to the threat of assassination by the U.S. and Israel.

Iranian state media say Roshan, a chemistry expert and director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, was interviewed by IAEA inspectors before being killed in a brazen bomb attack in Tehran earlier this month.

Iranian media have urged the government to be vigil, saying some IAEA inspectors are “spies,” reflecting the deep suspicion many in Iran have for the U.N. experts sent to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites.

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The editor of a British tabloid has outlined a culture where reporters exaggerate headlines, dramatize stories, and occasionally go too far.

Daily Star Editor Dawn Neesom was speaking at the judge-led inquiry into British media ethics set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal centered on the now-defunct News of the World tabloid

She shied away from claims that her paper played fast and loose with the truth, but acknowledged that the paper’s mission was “to put a smile on people’s faces payday loans.”

Neesom said Thursday: “Occasionally, I admit, we do cross lines. But we do have standards.”

The Star is owned by media magnate Richard Desmond, who is also to give evidence at the inquiry.

Desmond also publishes the Daily Express and celebrity magazines OK! and New!

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The best week for the stock market in more than two years is ending with major indexes nearly unchanged.

A surprise drop in the U.S. unemployment rate sent stocks higher early Friday, but the gains fizzled throughout the afternoon. European stock indexes and the euro rose after German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a speech pushing for tighter rules on government spending.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell less than a point to close at 12,019 payday loans. The S&P 500 index also fell less than a point to 1,244. The Nasdaq rose under a point to 2,627.

More than three stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was below average at 4 billion.

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Virgin America CEO David Cush believes flying doesn’t have to be painful. He remembers when boarding a plane was exciting and wants to bring back that joy.

That is why every job applicant, including pilots, flight attendants and baggage handlers, takes a personality test. He wants employees who are hard-wired with positive outlooks on life.

Virgin America, which is partly owned by Richard Branson, the founder of the edgy British airline Virgin Atlantic, doesn’t aim to be the biggest carrier. It only flies between big cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston, serving about 5 million passengers annually _ a tiny fraction of the size of major airlines like Delta and United.

But Cush wants Virgin America to be recognized for superior quality _ and he appears to be succeeding. The airline, based near San Francisco, has routinely ranked at the top of customer surveys.

The past month has been a little rocky, though. Since the airline switched to a new reservation system on Oct. 28, customers have not been able to change or cancel flights online or select seats on Virgin America’s website. Instead, they’ve had to call the airline or wait until they got to the airport. Cush emailed a letter to the 56,000 passengers affected apologizing for the problem and the airline says it hopes to have it fully resolved by the first week in December.

Virgin America’s fleet is made up of brand-new Airbus A319s and A320s, fuel-efficient aircraft that seat 119 and 146. Each is equipped with TVs for every passenger, colorful mood lighting and Wi-Fi. Instead of flight attendants dictating meal times, passengers buy food when they want it by pressing a few buttons on their TV.

“If you talk to people about what is most frustrating about air travel, what comes out is the loss of control,” Cush says. “We’ve been pushing to give people control again.”

Virgin isn’t the first U.S. airline to use TVs and friendly service to attract customers. Cush acknowledges some copying as he works to create the California version of New York-based JetBlue.

“JetBlue came around and had a different type of service. That opened my eyes,” he says.

But his quest to create a fun airline has been stymied by more serious concerns like high fuel prices and a recession whose impact is still being felt.

Since it started flying in August 2007, Virgin America has lost $661.4 million. Cush expects to become profitable in 2012, a year later than originally planned.

The privately held company is owned by a New York hedge fund, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and private investors, including Donald J. Carty, the former head of American Airlines’ parent company, AMR Corp.

Cush, 51, spent most of his career at American and left to head up Virgin America just four months after the airline started flying.

The Shreveport, La.-native is a graduate of Southern Methodist University _ yet a giant Louisiana State University football fan.

In his spare time, Cush likes to swim and fish. In college, he was a DJ, spinning Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd tunes.

Cush visited The Associated Press in New York. Below are excerpts, edited for clarity, of the interview where he spoke about the health of American, his favorite seat and why risk-taking is necessary to survive.

Q: How is Virgin America different?

A: The biggest difference is our in-flight entertainment system. It’s a nine-inch screen _ larger than JetBlue. We’ve got live TV, on-demand movies, about 3,000 MP3s. We have food and drink on-demand. We’re the only airline in the world that has it. You order from the seatback, swipe your credit card. They see seat 12C wants a turkey sandwich and a Heineken and bring it to you on a tray. Carts aren’t blocking the aisles.

Q: Who came up with that?

A: This was designed before my time but as I tell people, as time goes on and memories fade it will become my idea.

Q: How much more are people willing to pay for these services?

A: The model is getting them to pay the same amount with a much lower production cost.

Q: How can you attract business travelers when your miles can’t be redeemed for Hawaii, Europe or other places you don’t serve?

A: The mile problem will be solved early next year. We have basic agreements with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia that will be fully reciprocal. We also have agreements with Cathay Pacific, Singapore and Emirates that will develop into frequent flier relationships.

Q: In Dallas, you’re telling fliers to “dump your older airline for a younger, hotter one.” American responded by slashing fares to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Can you survive this fare war?

A: We’ll survive. At current fares, it will not be a profitable route but it wouldn’t be such a loss-making one where we would consider any type of reduction. You have to be in Dallas-Fort Worth if you’re going to be a business airline.

Q: In one ad you refer to American as running a cattle car. If you feel that way, how could you have worked there for 22 years?

A: It wasn’t always that way. The industry, out of survival, did a lot of things. One of the reasons I left was because I didn’t think the industry had to operate that way.

Q: Why did you get into the business?

A: I don’t think anyone knows why they get in unless they are a pilot or an aviation enthusiast. I wanted to live in Dallas. American was a big employer. Young, single, the ability to fly around anywhere you wanted to, it all sounded pretty good. Once you get in, you find it so intellectually demanding that you can’t see yourself doing anything else.

Q: Do you think that American is on the right path?

A: It’s hard to tell. There’s a culture there that is perhaps a bit risk-averse. In the past, it was always an airline that was willing to accept risk. The industry’s consolidated around it and all of a sudden American finds itself in third place. I don’t know if they have the answer. I do know their top guys. They’re smart, capable but at some point you need to stick your neck out a little bit if you’re going to get out of a rut.

Q: Are you a risk-taker?

A: Absolutely. But I don’t take unnecessary risk and I always have an exit strategy.

Q: Mile for mile, airplanes burn more fuel than cars, trucks or trains. Do you think this poses a problem for the industry?

A: If we don’t find a way to clean up air travel, we’ll become a pariah. We’ll be what the coal companies used to be.

Q: You’re in 14 markets. Where would you like to fly to next?

A: We’ve been trying to get into Newark, (N.J.) since the day we started. This is a huge policy issue _ slots and gates are tied up by legacy carriers. The economics of keeping us out of Newark are huge for United so they’ll fly unprofitable (regional jets) just to occupy slots. When we go into markets, fares drop by 30 or 40 percent.

Q: When you fly your own airline you always pick the second row of coach. Why?

A: I get to watch the interaction between our in-flight teammates and the customers in first. It’s a nice seat, 4A.

Q: A window.

A: I’m a window guy. Our in-flight entertainment system has Google Maps. You zoom in when you see something on the ground you’re interested in.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a boss?

A: I’m probably a tough guy to work for. I’m pretty demanding and part of the reason is the airline business is a demanding business. We have very little margin for error in building this into a successful company. We have 2,500 people that rely on us for a paycheck.

Q: Do you ever get overshadowed by Richard Branson?

A: All the time. People want to talk to him, they want to see him. When he’s around, I’m just the hired help.

Q: How much patience do you have for unprofitable routes?

A: We stopped service to two different places. One because we needed the aircraft, that was Orange County, (Calif.). We didn’t see that as a big strategic need. The other is Toronto. We misjudged the market.

Q: Did you fire the guy who pushed that route?

A: That was me, so no.

Q: In ten years, do you see Virgin America being a full-blown national airline?

A: That’s not our goal. The biggest discipline we need to have is not outgrowing the model. That means maybe 100, 150 aircraft, probably no more. The goal would be to be consistently profitable, the highest quality airline where we can hopefully make a few hours of people’s day a little bit nicer.

Q: Will you go public?

A: As much as it’s nice being private _ because you don’t have to manage to the short term and there are a lot of burdensome regulations that come from being public _ ultimately we need to (do an initial public offering.) It’s a capital-intensive business. We need to tap public markets and our investors want to take some money off the table. It could be 2013 if the market is ready.

Q: How do you unwind after leaving the office?

A: I do a lot of yoga. It’s a nice way to separate the mind from what you’ve gone through all day.

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India’s privately owned Kingfisher Airlines was forced to cancel dozens of flights Friday amid a burgeoning crisis at the country’s second-largest carrier.

Kingfisher, which is partly owned by brewery tycoon Vijay Mallya, has canceled more than 120 flights this week as pilots and crew called in sick after their October salaries were delayed.

The airline says flights were canceled because it was reconfiguring planes, the Press Trust of India reported. The Economic Times reported that leasing companies want Kingfisher to return their planes after the company fell behind on payments.

Kingfisher shares slid more than 12 percent on the Mumbai stock market Friday.

India’s airline industry has been hit by rising fuel costs and a crushing price war. Kingfisher is currently struggling under debt of $1.4 billion and shut down its budget carrier in September after it ran up losses payday loan lenders.

The airline, which began operations in 2005, bought India’s first budget airline Deccan Airways in 2008, leading to the creation of its budget wing, Kingfisher Red.

Kingfisher’s problems have worsened after three oil companies stopped giving it jet fuel on credit and asked the airline to make daily payments.

The airline has grounded eight of its leased turboprop ATR aircraft, and returned 14 leased A320 jets, leaving it with fewer aircraft in its fleet.

The cash-strapped airline has also piled up unpaid fees to airport operators and other agencies who are now adding to its financial pressures.

Kingfisher has said it is restructuring its operations.

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Greece’s incoming prime minister is due to name his cabinet Friday, a day after being appointed to head an interim coalition government that will push through a new European debt deal and secure continued bailout funding to prevent a catastrophic default.

Former European Central Bank vice president Lucas Papademos held talks with the country’s main political parties late into Thursday night to determine who would staff his cabinet, ahead of the formal swearing in early Friday afternoon.

Papademos’ appointment capped two weeks of a political crisis that threatened to derail an EU plan to get a grip on the Greek debt crisis and raised questions about the country’s continued presence in the eurozone.

He was named to take over from outgoing prime Minister George Papandreou, who agreed to step aside half way through his four-year term.

Although the composition of the new cabinet had not been announced by midmorning, many key ministerial positions were expected to remain unchanged, with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos widely expected to retain his post.

Venizelos was deeply involved in negotiating the latest debt deal _ a package agreed as recently as Oct. 27. The euro130 billion ($177 billion) debt deal took months to work out, and includes provisions for private bondholders to forgive 50 percent _ or some euro100 billion _ of their Greek debt holdings.

The latest political turmoil was sparked by Papandreou’s Oct. 31 surprise announcement that he would put the deal to a referendum. His plan infuriated European leaders, rocked global markets and led many of his own Socialist party lawmakers to rebel and call for his resignation.

Papandreou withdrew the public vote plan after the main conservative opposition said they backed the deal, and agreed to step aside.

After days of intense power-sharing talks, Papandreou’s Socialists and the conservatives, led by Antonis Samaras, along with a smaller right-wing party, appointed Papademos as interim premier.

Papademos’ government will be called on to pass the debt deal and secure the next euro8 billion installment of the country’s initial euro110 billion bailout. Without the funds, Greece will default in a matter of weeks.

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The world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev NV said Wednesday its third-quarter profits rose by over 16 percent, largely on the back of the continued popularity of global brands like Stella Artois and Beck’s.

Despite a slight overall decrease in overall volume, the Leuven, Belgium-based company reported that its normalized profit attributable to equity holders grew 16.3 percent to $1.73 billion in the quarter compared with last year’s equivalent of $1.49 billion.

It says its revenue grew by 3.6 percent in the third quarter even though volumes decreased by 0.2 percent.

In the United States, it said that the share of Budweiser continued to decline although at a slower pace than previously. However its focus brands Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella continued to grow. Overall in the U.S., the company said volumes continued to be “impacted by weak consumer confidence” and were slightly down.

A-B InBev held out hope that Bud Light would continue to grow, especially in the light of a new contract with the National Football League and the marketing opportunities American football entails.

“There are indications that the brand is starting to benefit from the new NFL sponsorship,” the company said.

Globally, Budweiser last month also extended its sponsorship of the World Cup through the 2018 edition in Russia and the 2022 event in Qatar.

That soccer contract should also pay off in Brazil over the coming years as the nation hosts the 2014 World Cup. And it will be further boosted by the activity and excitement that the 2016 Olympics in Rio will create.

The company also did well in China where Budweiser, Harbin and the regional brand Sedrin have had a combined growth of 13.6 percent in the third quarter. Overall, A-B InBev beer volumes grew by 4.7 percent in China over the third quarter.

 

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A top bank lobbyist insisted Saturday that banks and the eurozone are far from reaching a deal to cut Greece’s debt, despite claims by eurozone finance ministers that they will ask banks to take steeper losses on their Greek bonds.

Although the ministers did not say how much of a cut they are aiming for, a report from Greece’s international debt inspectors suggested that the value of Greece’s bonds may have to be slashed as much as 60 percent to get the country solvent enough to repay its debt.

The ministers on Saturday sent their chief negotiator, Vittorio Grilli, to start discussions with banks and other private investors on a new deal for Greece.

However, Charles Dallara, the managing director of the Institute of International Finance, which has been leading the negotiations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that an agreement remained elusive.

“We’re nowhere near a deal,” he said.

Banks in July agreed to accept 21 percent losses on their Greek bonds. However, eurozone leaders have since reopened the deal and Greece’s international debt inspectors _ the so-called troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund _ have said that Greece’s economic situation has deteriorated dramatically since the summer.

They said that under the July deal, Greece would need an extra euro252 billion ($347 billion) in loans from the eurozone and the IMF _ on top of the euro110 billion ($152 billion) it has been relying on to pay bills since May 2010.

But Dallara said new plans to slash Greece debt would still leave the country as “a ward of Europe” for years.

He declined to say how much in losses banks would be willing to accept, saying only “we would be open to an approach that involves additional efforts from everyone payday loan no faxing.”

Dallara was in Brussels, where eurozone finance ministers have been meeting for two days of talks.

Earlier Saturday, an EU official said EU finance ministers neared agreement on forcing banks to raise just over euro100 billion ($140 billion) to ensure they have enough cushion to weather further losses on their Greek bonds as well as market turmoil.

Strengthening banks and slashing Greece’s debts are critical to solving Europe’s crisis, which is now threatening to engulf larger economies like Italy and Spain and is blamed for dampening growth across Europe and even the world.

“The crisis in the eurozone is doing real damage to many of the European economies, including Britain,” George Osborne, Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer, said as he headed into Saturday’s meeting. “We have had enough of short-term measures, sticking plasters that get us through the next few weeks.”

The European official said EU leaders meeting Sunday should sign off on forcing the continent’s biggest banks to raise just over euro100 billion in capital. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions between ministers were still ongoing.

The figure is likely to disappoint some analysts. A report by the International Monetary Fund has called for up to euro200 billion ($280 billion) to be poured into banks.

The new rules would force systemically important banks to raise their core capital ratios to 9 percent, compared with just 5 percent to 6 percent they needed to pass EU stress tests this summer. The ratio measures the amount of capital banks hold compared to their risky assets.

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The launch of the iPhone 4S was executed at the Toronto Eaton centre with usual military precision and near-religious fervour. Already, some products are sold out.

On Friday morning the store front was a sort of shrine, decorated with flowers and multicoloured post-it notes bearing messages for the late leader, Steve Jobs.

“Thanks for my Christmas gifts,” wrote Ashley. “Thank you Steve Jobs you are in the iClouds now,” wrote another.

“iSad,” said someone else.

More: Five reasons to avoid the new iPhone 4S

More: Apple co-founder Wozniak first in line for new iPhone

More: Glitches raise ire of iPad, iPhone users

The line began Thursday. Mo Bastaki, a 22-year-old accountant, arrived around 6 p.m. This launch is special, says Bastaki, “It’s the last product Steve was alive for.”

But Bastaki, along with some hundred other people, was thrown out of the centre into the rain at 2 a.m.

When they were let back in three hours later, it was a Lord of the Flies affair payday loans. “All these guys who weren’t in line, got in line,” he says.

For some, the exercise is a cultural one. “We come here to feel the environment,” says Xianwen Zhang, a 22-year-old Chinese student from Zhejiang studying with his friends at Humber College, “This does not happen in China.”

It’s a business opportunity for others. One American woman (who wished to stay anonymous) is buying 16 phones for her Russian friends, who pay her to fly back and deliver the goods. “I get to see my brother and friends,” she says.

At six in the morning, blue-shirted Apple employees gave out white tickets, embossed with a perfect silver Apple on top. A ticket equals one phone.

In under two hours, the 32 g white phone had sold out. “If you were thinking white,” said Apple employee Brandon R to people at the end of the line, “maybe think black.”

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