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On Tuesday, those criticizing the team made their voices heard: This was the Islamic Republic's loss, not Iran's. Meanwhile, there were thousands of tweets in Persian, or in English from prominent Iranians, saying how happy they were their own team had fallen at the first hurdle of the competition. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images"For 43 years the regime brainwashed Iranians to hate America," Masih Alinejad, a New York-based Iranian journalist and activist, tweeted . "But see how people across Iran are celebrating the victory of the U.S. soccer team against the Islamic Republic." Reuters TVWhere the Iranian soccer team fits into all this has been a subject of debate among Iranians and those watching from abroad.

☆ Three companies vie to build new Czech nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Czech Republic has been a strong backer of nuclear energy as a carbon-free power source for the future, unlike European Union neighbours Germany and Austria. CEZ plans to build three more nuclear units - on top of the one now planned - at its Dukovany and Temelin nuclear sites, as the country diversifies away from coal. It is also planning to build smaller modular nuclear power plants. Poland picked Westinghouse last month to build its first nuclear power plant, and also agreed to cooperate with South Korea on potential further units. In 2020, the cost of the project - not including financing and inflation - was estimated at 6 billion euros ($6.2 billion).

☆ Iran is calling for the U.S. to be thrown out of the World Cup after flag change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ahmad Nourollahi of Iran in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Iranian state media is calling for the U.S. World Cup soccer team to be thrown out of the 2022 tournament in Qatar after it briefly changed the icon of the Iranian flag on its social media accounts in support of protests taking place in the country. In the posts, the Iranian flag icon was missing its Islamic Republic emblem, and only showed its red, white and green stripes. Iranian media reacted swiftly, with state media agency Tasnim calling for the U.S. team to be booted from the tournament. Thank you thank you thank you."

☆ Iran's Khamenei praises Basij forces for confronting 'rioters' -TV
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting with a group of Basij militia forces in Tehran, Iran November 26, 2022. Challenging the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy, protesters from all walks of life have burned pictures of Khamenei and called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic. The Basij forces, affiliated with the country's elite Revolutionary Guards, have been at the forefront of the state crackdown on the unrest in the past weeks. "They have sacrificed their lives to protect people from rioters ... the presence of Basij shows that the Islamic Revolution is alive," Khamenei said in a televised speech. Iran's hardline judiciary has sentenced at least six protesters to death and thousands have been indicted for their role in the unrest, according to officials.

☆ Security escort man wearing pro-Iran protest shirt ahead of match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - Wales v Iran - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 25, 2022. Reuters could not immediately confirm why the man, wearing a shirt declaring "Women, Life, Freedom", was being accompanied by three security officers in blue. A man standing next to her held a shirt printed with the words "WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM", one of the main chants of the protests. Another supporter held an Iranian flag with the words "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest), scored through with black lines as a security man stood nearby apparently pointing at him. Iran's World Cup team refrained from singing the national anthem ahead of their opening match with England on Monday, a sign of support for the demonstrations.

☆ Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ to buy two Asia units of Home Credit for $620 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) said on Thursday it would buy the Philippines and Indonesian units of Dutch consumer finance company Home Credit BV (HC) for about 596 million euros ($621 million). The acquisitions will be made through main Mitsubishi UFJ banking arm MUFG Bank, Thai unit Bank of Ayudhya PCL (BAY) (BAY.BK), and Indonesian unit Adira Dinamika Multi Finance (ADMF), with the deal to be completed within 2023, the company said. PPF, which had been looking at selling or taking on partners in some markets for the HC business, said in a statement it was the right time to pass the baton. A Mitsubishi UFJ executive said in a briefing that the lender would explore further acquisition opportunities in Southeast Asia. MUFG Bank will hold 25% of HC Philippines, and ADMF will hold 10% of HC Indonesia shares.

☆ Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ to buy two Asia units of Home Credit for $596 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) said on Thursday it would buy the Philippines and Indonesian units of Dutch consumer finance company Home Credit Group BV for about 596 million euros ($621 million). The acquisitions will be made through Japanese unit MUFG Bank, Thai unit Bank of Ayudhya PCL (BAY) (BAY.BK), and Indonesian unit Adira Dinamika Multi Finance (ADMF), with the deal to be completed within 2023, the company said. Home Credit (HC) is controlled by the Czech Republic's biggest investment group, PPF, which was founded by late billionaire Petr Kellner. read moreAfter the completion of the deal, Bank of Ayudhya will hold 75% of the shares of HC Philippines and 75% of the shares of HC Indonesia. MUFG Bank will hold 25% of HC Philippines, and ADMF will hold 10% of HC Indonesia shares.

☆ U.N. rights council votes to probe Iran's ongoing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSGENEVA/DUBAI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint an independent investigation into Iran's deadly repression of protests, passing the motion to cheers of activists amid an intensifying crackdown in Kurdish areas over recent days. Tehran's representative at the Geneva meeting Khadijeh Karimi earlier accused Western states of using the council to target Iran, a move she called "appalling and disgraceful". CRACKDOWNThe crackdown has been particularly intense in Kurdish areas, located in western Iran, with the U.N. rights monitor this week noting reports of 40 deaths there over the past week. Iranian authorities have arrested a number of soccer players for expressing their support for protests. Asked on Thursday about the unrest at home Iran national team striker Mehdi Taremi said they were in Qatar to play soccer.

☆ Iran says 40 foreigners arrested for taking part in antigovernment protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A protester holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration in support of Amini, a young Iranian woman who died after being arrested in Tehran by the Islamic Republic's morality police, on Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on September 20, 2022. Iran's judiciary spokesperson reportedly said Tuesday that 40 foreign nationals have been detained for participating in recent anti-regime protests. The individuals whose nationalities have not been revealed were arrested in accordance with Iranian laws, Iran's judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said in a regular news briefing, state media Mehr News reported. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had in earlier stages of the protest blamed foreign "enemies" for orchestrating what he termed as "riots." In late September, nine Europeans from France, Sweden, Italy, Germany among other countries were arrested by the Iranian government for their involvement in the protests.

Now, with mass protests, many would prefer it withdrew from the World Cup being held just across the Gulf from their homeland. Some Iranian fans who went to Qatar for the World Cup made no secret of their solidarity with the unrest. In the Iranian capital Tehran, some banners of the national team have been burned by angry protesters. Pejman Zarji, a 38-year-old sports coach who was in Qatar for the World Cup, said the Iranian team belonged to the people not the government. There’s something really important to understand (now) - 'Team Melli' is what we call the Iran team, it's the team of the people before being the team of the government," he said.

☆ Dominican Republic steps up Haitian deportations, raising tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic is stepping up deportations of Haitians and is creating a police unit focused on foreigners, fueling tensions between the two Caribbean nations whose relations have for decades been marred by migration disputes. "Prime Minister Ariel Henry is very concerned about the mass deportations that are taking place in the Dominican Republic," said Jean-Junior Joseph, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office, in a statement on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Nov. 10 called on the Dominican Republic to halt deportations of Haitians, citing violence and systematic human rights violations in their home country. Abinader in comments broadcast by Dominican media described Turk's comments as "unacceptable and irresponsible," saying that the Dominican Republic did not have resources to help more Haitians and adding that authorities would boost deportations. Jean Bonheur Delva, head of the National Migration Office, told local media on Tuesday the figure was around 50,000 in the last three months.

☆ Here's how much more you're paying to fly to see your family for the holidays this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Consumers have spent $11 billion more on flights this year than they did by this time in 2019, Adobe found. People have been "revenge travelling" all year despite high inflation. That data comes as high inflation hasn't stopped people from traveling, and as they've opted for experiences abroad rather than goods in stores. The number of flights booked are only up about 5% this year from 2019, Adobe said, but the prices are considerably higher. "Despite elevated prices, demand remained strong," the Adobe researchers said, of other product categories.

☆ Iranians protest nationwide, mark 'Bloody Friday'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Prominent Sunni cleric criticises security forcesUnrest in minority areasGeneral tells clerics to restore calmDUBAI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Iranians protested in the restive southeast on Friday to mark a Sept. 30 crackdown by security forces known as "Bloody Friday", as the country's clerical rulers battled nationwide unrest. The region is one of the country’s poorest and has been a hotbed of tension where Iranian security forces have been attacked by Baluch militants. Thirty-nine members of the security forces had also been killed, while nearly 15,100 people have been arrested, it said. They were accused of acts of sabotage, assaulting or killing members of the security forces or setting fire to public property. Several social media videos showed a gathering at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery to honour Amir Mehdi Farrokhipour, a 17-year-old allegedly killed by security forces 40 days ago.

☆ Analysis: Iran's unrest sounds death knell for once vibrant reformists
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It highlighted the main problem facing reformists in a system where Khamenei, 83 and in power since 1989, wields ultimate power. "People feel reformists helped hardliners by promising reforms that were impossible with hardliners in power," a former official who served in the Khatami administration told Reuters. The reform movement is dead." That view has been echoed in the streets where protesters have grouped reformists with hardliners as part of the problem. The fact is that the reform movement is dead, its has been dead for some time," he said.

☆ Iran warns Saudi Arabia 'our strategic patience' may run out - Fars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Iran's intelligence minister told its regional rival Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that there is no guarantee of Tehran continuing its "strategic patience," according to semi-official Fars news agency. "Until now, Iran has adopted strategic patience with firm rationality, but it cannot guarantee that it will not run out if hostilities continue," Fars quoted Esmail Khatib as saying. Last month, Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami warned Saudi Arabia Riyadh to control its media outlets. "I am warning the Saudi ruling family.... Watch your behaviour and control these media ... otherwise you will pay the price. Last week Iran denied that it posed a threat to Saudi Arabia after the Wall Street Journal reported that Riyadh had shared intelligence with the United States warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.

☆ Iran's army issues warning to 'rioters' as security forces struggle to suppress unrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

... should he decide to deal with them, rioters will no longer have a place in the country," Brigadier General Kiumars Heydari said. Heydari was speaking 40 days after bloodshed in the mostly Sunni town of Zahedan, which has become a flashpoint in the protests. Authorities in Zahedan sacked the police chief and the head of a police station near where the killings took place. On Wednesday, shopkeepers in some Kurdish cities went on strike to show their respect to the people who were killed in Zahedan, Kurdish rights group Hengaw said. The Basij militia and other security forces have taken tough measures hoping to suppress the unrest but the fury has not eased.

☆ Iran's judiciary says it will deal firmly with protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More than 1,000 people have been indicted in Tehran Province alone in connection with what the government calls "riots". "Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent and legal manner," judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said. The activist HRANA news agency said 321 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Monday, including 50 minors. Hardline Iranian lawmakers have urged the judiciary to "deal decisively" with the perpetrators. Iran’s national beach soccer team players did not cheer or celebrate after defeating Brazil to win the championship cup, said 1500TASVIR, a widely followed activist Twitter account.

☆ Skoda focused on profitability over volumes, CEO tells E15
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen group (VOWG_p.DE), is still aiming for sales of at least 1 million cars a year but is targeting profitability over higher volumes, its CEO was quoted as saying on Monday. "Before it was speculated about whether Skoda should aim for 1.5 or 2 million cars sold a year. Our goal is and will be passing the 1 million mark, but in the current situation profitability is much more important than the volume itself," Skoda Chief Executive Klaus Zellmer told daily E15 in an interview, part of which was published on Monday. Like other carmakers, Skoda is working through a large backlog of orders that is keeping production at capacity. Reporting by Jason Hovet Editing by David Goodman and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meet Yevgeny Prigozhin, 'Putin's chef' and founder of the brutal Wagner group who admitted that Russia was meddling in the US midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin was reported to have shared with Vladimir Putin his misgivings about the war in Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin is shown prior to a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the confidant was Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, a Russian businessman, restaurateur, and longtime ally of Putin. Prigozhin denied the report to The Post and said that he "did not criticize the management of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the conflict in Ukraine." When the Chechen Republic's head, Ramazan Kadyrov, called out a Russian commander and senior officers after Russia was forced out of Lyman in Ukraine, Prigozhin echoed those critiques, according to BBC.

☆ The US will pay to refurbish Soviet-era T-72 tanks for Ukraine, which will be the 'most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US and the Netherlands are paying for the Czech Republic to refurbish 90 Soviet-era T-72 tanks for Ukraine. The deputy Pentagon press secretary said they will be "the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield." The Pentagon is paying for refurbishing 45 Soviet-era T-72 tanks, and the Netherlands is matching the commitment for the cost of a further 45. She said the refurbishment would add new optics, communications, and armor, and the tanks will become "the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield." While other NATO countries have previously sent older T-72s to Ukraine, this is the first time the US is paying for the Czech Republic to upgrade the tanks, Singh said.

☆ Biden vows Iran will be 'free' amid anti-government protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden vowed to "free Iran" on Thursday, before saying demonstrators there appeared on track to "free themselves" as anti-government unrest sweeps the country. They have also triggered support from women and others across the world, with the Biden administration facing growing pressure from Iranian American activists to do more. "Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran," Biden told supporters in an aside during a campaign speech in California late Thursday after audience members appeared to call on him to address the ongoing protests. The president was speaking at a campaign rally for Democratic Rep. Mike Levin at the MiraCosta College near San Diego. “Change in Iran should only come from within Iran.

The headscarf was once a source of deep discord in Muslim but secular Turkey, but ceased to stir controversy after reforms by the Islamist-rooted AKP during its 20 years in power. "We are ready to take other steps including a referendum," Erdogan told AKP deputies in parliament. The AKP was to hold talks with three opposition parties, including the largest Republican People's Party (CHP), broadcaster CNN Turk said. When Leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu announced the CHP's planned legislation on the headscarf in early October, Erdogan responded by saying the issue had already been resolved. Erdogan and AKP lawmakers have toughened their rhetoric against LGBT+ people in recent years, frequently labeling them "deviants" or "perverts" and raising concerns among members of the community.

☆ 'This is not our national team' - why some Iranians want their own country banned from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last week, in conjunction with a Spanish law firm, they sent a letter to world soccer's governing body FIFA demanding their own country be withdrawn from next month's World Cup. "Iran is different to any other country," former wrestling world junior champion and national team coach Sardar Pashaei told Reuters. They should be banned until we have a democratic country like any other country in the world." "One of the important reasons for banning this football team by FIFA is everybody across the world will ask, 'What happened to Iran?'" "Russia attacked Ukraine, killed people, so it was the right decision they got banned - the same should happen to Iran.

☆ Dead body found at Frankfurt airport in undercarriage of aircraft from Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A dead body was found in the undercarriage of a Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) aircraft that arrived at Frankfurt airport from Tehran on Thursday, German daily Bild reported. The discovery was made by workers after the passengers of flight LH 601 had left the aircraft and the A340 had been moved to a hangar for maintenance. Frankfurt police was not immediately available for comment. The incident comes amid widespread unrest in Iran, ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who was detained by the Islamic Republic's morality police for "improper attire" and died in police custody. Reporting by Paul Carrel; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran's Khamenei vows revenge after deadly attack on Shi'ite pilgrims
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A general view of the Shah Cheragh Shrine after an attack in Shiraz, Iran October 26, 2022. Officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried out the attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in the city of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists" - a label that predominantly Shi'ite Iran uses for hardline Sunni Muslim militants such as Islamic State. Since the peak of its power, when it ruled millions of people in the Middle East and struck fear across the world with deadly bombings and shootings, Islamic State has slipped back into the shadows. Iranian leaders may have hoped that the shrine attack would draw attention away from the unrest but there is no sign that is happening.

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