Diplomats: Majority of IAEA board censures Iran's nuclear defiance in a vote
VIENNA (AP) _ The majority of the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency has voted to censure Iran for its nuclear defiance.
Diplomats inside the meeting said Friday that 25 of the 34 IAEA board nations present voted for a resolution backed by the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The resolution criticizes Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment _ the source of both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.
It also censures it for secretly building a uranium enrichment facility, and demands that it immediately suspend construction.
It notes that the IAEA cannot confirm that Tehran's nuclear program is exclusively geared toward peaceful uses, and expresses "serious concern" that Iran may be hiding a military nuclear program.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful. But there are fears it could turn them to making nuclear arms.
The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
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Ready, set, shop: Stores open doors to throngs for traditional start of holiday buying season
By The Associated Press
The nation's retailers are ushering in the traditional start of the holiday shopping season with expanded hours and deep discounts on everything from toys to TVs to lure crowds of shoppers.
A number of stores, including Walmart and many Old Navy locations, opened on Thanksgiving, hoping to make the most of the extra hours. Toys R Us opened most of its stores at midnight Friday.
Online sellers also pushed to grab a piece of the action, pushing deals on Thursday and even earlier in the week.
After suffering the worst sales decline in several decades last holiday season, the good news is that the retail industry is heading into the Christmas selling period armed with lean inventories and more practical goods on their shelves that reflect shoppers' new psyche.
Still, with unemployment at 10.2 percent and consumers still struggling with tight credit, many analysts expect total holiday sales to be about even from a year ago.
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Dubai debt trouble weighs on world markets again; Asia bears brunt of selling
LONDON (AP) _ World stocks tumbled Friday amid fears that the fallout from Dubai's problems repaying $60 billion in debt would derail the global financial and economic recovery.