Iran drops dollar from oil deals: report

Major crude producer Iran has completely stopped carrying out its oil transactions in dollars, Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said on Saturday, labelling the greenback an “unreliable” currency.

“At the moment selling oil in dollars has been completely halted, in line with the policy of selling crude in non-dollar currencies,” Nozari was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

“The dollar is an unreliable currency, considering its devaluation and the oil exporters’ losses,” he added.

The world’s fourth largest oil exporter, Iran has massively reduced its dependence on the dollar over the past year in the face of US pressures on its financial system.

The United States has successfully encouraged major European and Asian banks to cut their dealings with Iran in a bid to make the Islamic republic give way on its controversial nuclear programme.

Washington has also blacklisted major Iranian banks for alleged support of terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons, charges denied by Tehran.

Iran has reduced its assets in dollars held in foreign banks and urged OPEC to take collective action to price oil in other currencies such as the euro, instead of the US currency which is used across the world at present.

The fall of the dollar, which has weakened considerably against the euro and other currencies in the past 12 months, has affected the revenues of OPEC members because most of them price and sell their oil exports in the US currency.

The Changing Face of Michael Jackson

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has stayed out of the spotlight since his high profile trial ended in 2005. However, for the 25th anniversary of “Thriller,” Jackson reemerged from his reclusion to don the cover of Ebony magazine. The singer looked remarkably lighter since his beginnings as a member of the Jackson Five.

Click here for different faces of MICHAEL JACKSON 

World Turns Attention to iPhone, Boobs and Videos, Forgets Osama (Verdict: Life as Usual)

The final Google trends for 2007 were officially announced yesterday, with the iPhone and the late plastic buxom wonderkid Anna Nicole Smith bracketing the Top 10 fastest-rising search terms. If you compare this to the first Google ranking ever, you will either conclude that the world is a better, calmer place now or that the human race is getting dumber by the year:

Good bye Nostradamus, harbinger of doom and gloom! Hello iPhone, prophet of the second coming of the Digital Age in My Pocket.™ And oh yes, I’m happy to see you too. So long CNN, harbinger of news tickers and dumbified news! Welcome Webkinz, you stuffed rascal that connects to a social networking site you! World Trade Center? Unless it appears in TMZ next to Nicholas Cage and his wig, I say no! And screw that flying broomstick and get me drag queen transforming truckers on YouTube.

I mean, is this really what tickles the human race? Who can possibly remember stupid TV reality shows like Loft Story, Osama and the Talibans when we can entertain ourselves with MySpace, Facebook and Club Penguin? For shame! I would rather play topless Wii.

SAW 5 in 2008

A couple months ago it was revealed that SAW series production designer David Hackl had been hired to direct not one but two SAW sequels, possibly even back-to-back. Rumor had it that Lionsgate wanted to, for the first time in four years, take a year off from the SAW series. But I’m happy to report that is not true. Lionsgate is eyeing October 24th 2008 for the release of SAW V. SAW VI has also been marked on the calendar for October 30th, 2009. Let the games begin (again)!