Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

Despite impressive games by Hamed Haddad and Arsalan Kazemi, Iran loses against the US 51-88 at the preliminary round of 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Americans have won all the four games against Croatia, Slovenia, Brazil and now Iran on Wednesday and automatically advance to the elimination Round of 16 as the top seed in Group B.

Iran's basketball team will play against the United States in its fourth Group B match on Wednesday at the preliminary round of the 2010 FIBA world championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

Iran's basketball coach Veslin Matic said on Tuesday that "Iran has participated in the FIBA World Championship to make its dreams come true," adding, "The match between Iran and the US is not a political game."

Three Pakistan players named by a British newspaper as being involved in a betting scam will travel to London to meet the head of their country's cricket board.

Captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are due to meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt on Wednesday before rejoining the squad.

Iran's national basketball team earned its first win at the preliminary round of 2010 FIBA world championship against Tunisia 71-58 in the Turkish capital, Istanbul.

After losing the first two matches in Group B, Iran on Monday blew most of the 24-point lead, and was down to three in the final minutes, before taking the game.

Spanish and Swiss tennis giants Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could meet at the final match of the US Open following their draw.

The official draw was announced at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.

The president of the Asian Football Confederation says he will support Sepp Blatter to stay in his position as the FIFA president in the next election.

"I will be backing Sepp Blatter to remain in office for a new mandate," Mohamed Bin Hammam told AFP on Friday.

Iran will make "the first-ever movie" made about the Palestinian plight after the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

The movie titled 'Philadelphi' is set inside a tunnel under the Rafah border-crossing, which is Gaza's only terminal that bypasses Israel.

The world's No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren said on Monday they had divorced following the torrid sex scandal that engulfed Woods late last year.

The news of the divorce between Woods, who is reputed to be the world's wealthiest sports star, and his wife, a blond former model and nanny, had been widely anticipated for months following his public confession of infidelity in a blaze of media publicity.

A new US video game in which the player can take on the role of a Taliban fighter and kill American and British soldiers has caused outrage in the UK. The country's defence minister says it is "tasteless" and "shocking" and has called for the product to be banned. But the makers of "Medal of Honor" have defended it, saying it reflects the fact that every conflict has two sides. Al Jazeera's Guy Henderson reports.

Barcelona has won its record ninth soccer trophy in the Spanish Super Cup by defeating Seville 4-0 in the second leg for a 5-3 aggregate.

The Catalan club star Lionel Messi scored a hat trick at the Camp Nou Stadium on Saturday, blotting out his disappointing performance in South Africa's World Cup.