ENGLAND: Lolz, shizzle, and cakehole are among 6,500 words added to the existing quarter of a million in the latest Collins Scrabble word list.

General Motors will cut 30,000 jobs and close nine North American assembly, stamping and powertrain plants by 2008 as part of an effort to get production in line with demand and position the world’s biggest carmaker to start making money again after absorbing nearly €3.4bn in losses so far this year.

A planned auction of Ku Klux Klan items was cancelled in Michigan after leaflets encouraging KKK membership were distributed in the community.

The Oldsmobile, the line of cars that started out in 1897 and featured models such as the Rocket 88 and the muscular 442, is coming to an end this week.

Bobby Hatfield, who with partner Bill Medley pioneered “blue-eyed soul” as the Righteous Brothers with hits like Unchained Melody and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, has died of undetermined causes at a hotel, his manager said. He was 63.

THE probe into what triggered a blackout that left 50 million people in the dark zeroed in on an area just south of Cleveland in the US state of Ohio.

The mother of a Michigan policeman was today accused of robbing two banks in the state capital.