UK Today News

UK Today News: American Idol Judges – Kara DioGuardi Out, Steven Tyler And Jennifer Lopez Reportedly In

American Idol seems to be seeing a lot of changes this year. After the announcement of Ellen DeGeneres’ exit from American Idol, reports say that another judge, Kara DioGuardi, will be leaving the show as well. TMZ reports that DioGuardi has been fired.

Kara DioGuardi (Pic: FOX)

Reports say that “Waiting for Tonight” singer Jennifer Lopez, as well as Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler are the judges for the new season of Idol. Randy Jackson will still be with American Idol.

Earlier this year, Simon Cowell, left American Idol to pay more attention to the US version of The X-Factor. Ellen DeGeneres later announced she was leaving the show since she felt she didn’t fit in, followed by news that Kara was fired.

Kara DioGuardi, is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, who joined the judging panel of American Idol in 2008 and was seen alongside former idol judge Paula Abdul.

The American Idol panel has reportedly gone back to the three-judge format – as it was when it started.

UK Today News: Winn-Dixie To Shut Down 30 Stores – 120 Jobs Slashed After Weak Sales

The American super market chain Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., which was ranked 22nd in 2009’s “Top 75 North American Food Retailers”, has reportedly announced that it will be slashing 120 jobs and shutting down 30 stores around America. The 120 jobs include corporate and on-field jobs linked with the super market.

Reports say that Winn-Dixie is going to shut down 30 of its outlets in the US, since these outlets are the under performing ones. Hence, Winn-Dixie has chosen to close them down permanently. The company stated that by slashing the jobs and shutting down some outlets, they will save around $12-$17 million annually.

The company will be announcing the stores which are to be closed on its website on Thursday. News reports also say that Winn-Dixie will be bringing some more changes in the company in the month of August, just in time before the annual financial reports come in.

UK Today News: Michigan Oil Spill – Canadian Firm Enbridge Responsible For Leak, Spill Contained In Local River

The cause of the massive oil spill which occurred in the Kalamazoo river in Michigan has been attributed to a leaking oil pipe which belongs to a Canadian firm called Enbridge – who reportedly claims to be a major player in pipeline safety and integrity.

Pic Courtesy: John Grap/Battle Creek Inquirer/Associated Press

Reports say that Enbridge has a history of leaks, explosions as well as regulatory violations in the Great Lakes Region, in addition to some other parts of the US.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has cited more than 30 enforcement actions against the firm since 2002. A warning letter had been sent to the company on the 21st of Jan and stated that Enbridge might have violated some safety codes by not accurately monitoring the corrosion on the pipeline, which in turn resulted in the Michigan oil spill on Monday.

According to the agency, the oil spill occurred at Talmadge Creek – a small rivulet that joins the river Kalamazoo. The Environmental Protection Agency has said, that the oil spill has been estimated to be around 1 million gallons as of now, and the oil has already travelled 25 miles downstream the river.

CTV reports state the oil spill is currently being contained in one of the local lakes called Morrow Lake.

UK Today News: WikiLeaks Afghanistan Report Angers Taliban – FBI Investigation Begins, US Troops Endagered

WikiLeaks Report: The Taliban has reportedly issued a warning that it will hunt all the informers who have helped the NATO led coalition forces in Afghanistan and whose names have appeared on the leaked US military documents on Wikileaks . Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, stated that if they find any US spies in Afghanistan who are acting as informers then they would be punished.

The US military top officials have stated that the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, might be thinking that he has done a really good thing by publishing these 91000 US military documents on his website, but he should also know that by publishing the documents, he is likely to be responsible for the life of some young soldier or some one from an Afghan village.

The government has asked the FBI to find all the people who are responsible in publishing the documents on Wikileaks. The US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, has announced that there is a massive search going on to find to person who has done this. One suspect, Bradley Manning, has been under the scanner and is under investigation in Kuwait at the moment.

UK Today News: Pakistan Plane Crash Leaves Permanent Scars In The Memories Of The Victims’ Families

Considered to be one of the worst plane crashes in Pakistan’s aviation history – which killed 152 people on board the Airblue Airlines scheduled to land in Islamabad – also comes heart wrenching stories. Among the dead were a newly-wed couple who were on their way to a honeymoon, six youths from the Parliament and a couple who were on their way to attend someones funeral were among the unfortunate who could never make it to Islamabad.

The newly wed couple Ayesha and Asif, who were reportedly married last Friday had booked their flight from Karachi to Islamabad, after their honeymoon. Their parents are in deep shock to hear the death of these two youngsters. Another couple Aisha and Mohammad were on their way to Islamabad to attend a relatives funeral, but now the couple, who their children were left with, were in tears asking what they would answer their children.

Six young men who had just entered their youth, who were a part of the Youth Parliament of Pakistan, were among the dead. These youth were on their way to attend a session of the Parliament in Islamabad. There were 146 passengers on the Airblue Airlines, and four crew members who died in the crash.

UK Today News: California Facing Strong Fiscal Deficit – ‘Fiscal Emergency’ Declared

The Governor of California, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared that his state, California is under a strong fiscal emergency and has demanded the lawmakers to release a new state budget, which is almost a month overdue. The Californian economy is the eight largest economy in the world.

California is facing a budget deficit worth $19 Billion, and Mr. Schwarzenegger has stated that if a new budget is not passed, then by October the state would literally be out of Cash.

He has also ordered the state government employees to have three day of unpaid leave in the month, and paid a minimum wage to 200000 state workers, for the reason there has been no budget passed from the state.

In the month July 2009, Mr. Schwarzenegger had announced the first fiscal emergency of the state. He made the statement that each day that passes in California which is undergoing a budget deficit of $19 Billion, is bringing the state closer and closer to a fiscal meltdown.

UK Today News: X Games 16 – Get Ready For The X Games Schedule As it Promises Lots of Action

ESPN Will be showing the X Games 16 live from L.A. Since year 1995, from all around the world athletes come to watch and show of the tricks and moves at the X games and complete for Medals, Prize money and Pride.

Jeremy Lusk (1984-2009) Will Be missed at the X games.

The sports involved in X Games are BMX, skateboarding, rally car racing, and motocross.

X Fest soon follows which involves a musical festival and special events.

Check out the X Games Schedule Below

Thursday, July 29

In Order

Time       Event   &   Location
10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. BMX Freestyle Park Elimination Event Deck L.A. Live
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Moto X Freestyle Elimination Event Deck L.A. Live
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Men’s Skateboard Street Elimination Event Deck L.A. Live
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. LA Shop vs. LA Shop Final Event Deck L.A. Live
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Moto X Super X Adaptive Final L.A. Coliseum
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Moto X Super X Round 1 L.A. Coliseum
5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Moto X Freestyle Round 1 L.A. Coliseum
5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Moto X Super X LCQ, M&W Final L.A. Coliseum
6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Moto X Freestyle Final L.A. Coliseum
6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Skateboard Big Air Final L.A. Coliseum

For the other days X Games Schedule

Friday, July 30
2 – 5 p.m. Skateboard Park Elimination, Adaptive Super X Final, BMX Street Elimination
7 – 11:30 p.m.  BMX Vert Final, Moto X Step Up Final, Skate Vert Final, Moto X Best Whip, Moto X Best Trick Final, Skateboard Vert Best Trick
2 – 3 a.m. (Saturday)  X Center

Saturday, July 31
2 – 6 p.m.  BMX Park Final, Rally Car Racing Seeding, Skateboard Street Final
7 – 11 p.m. , ESPN 3D Rally Car Racing Elims, Quarters, Semis and Final, BMX Big Air Final, SuperRally Final
11 p.m. – 12 a.m. ESPN 3D Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam
2:30 – 3:30 a.m. (Sunday) ESPN2 X Center

Sunday, August 1
1 – 3 p.m.  Skateboard Real Street, BMX Street Final
7 – 11 p.m.  Game of SKATE, Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam, Skateboard Park Final, Women’s Skate Street Final, Moto X Speed & Style Final
11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Monday) ESPN2 X Center

UK Today News: French Mother – Dominique Cottrez Killed Eight Of  Her New Born Babies

In a horrific incident that has been unveiled today, a French Mother has been charged for killing eight of her new born babies over the past few years.

Dominique Cottrez, 45, had killed eight of her new born babies systematically from the past 22 years. She was hiding the bodies of these children in thin black bin liners.

Dominique Cottrez

Her husband has been set free, but is still under investigation, but Dominique has been charged with multiple murder and an unbailable warrant has been lodged against her. The couple have two grown up daughters of their own.

As investigations are going on and skeletons are being dug out, the doctors have stated that Dominique was suffering from a psychological sickness called ‘Pregnancy Denial’, which means a person convinces oneself that there was no existence of a child, before killing it. Dominique would be facing life imprisonment, depending on the charges.

UK Today News: Leonardo DiCaprio Reportedly Opts Out Of Mel Gibson’s New Project

Leonardo DiCaprio, who is supposed to star in Mel Gibson’s next project, has reportedly opted out of the new movie. If sources are to be believed, the actor has taken this decision after the disgrace that Mel is facing as a result of his domestic scandal with ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

Gibson’s new project revolves around Vikings, in which Leonardo was supposed to be the lead actor. According to sources, DiCaprio did not want to ‘risk his reputation’ by getting associated with Gibson, who has just become infamous for his abusive domestic scandal.

A source that is close to Leonardo said, “Leo has earned the right to pick and choose who he works with, and Mel Gibson is not one of them.”

The movie, the title for which has not been zeroed down as yet, is going to be produced by Graham King, the producer of ‘The Departed’ along with Gibson. The Departed, too starred DiCaprio in the lead role.

UK Today News: Lorenzen Wright Found Dead On July 28 – Former NBA Star’s Body Found With Bullet Wounds

Lorenzen Wright Found Dead: The missing former NBA star, Lorenzen Wright, was reportedly found dead in a wooded area of Winchester Road in Memphis, yesterday, July 28, 2010. Lorenzen Wright’s mother had filed a missing report with the Collierville police, on the 22nd of July after he went missing on 19th July.

Lorenzen Wright

Lorenzen Wright, 34, was last seen leaving his ex-wife’s house at 2 am on July 19th after visiting his children. His wife said she is unsure who the 6’11″ former athlete left with or where he was headed.

Reports say that there was a 911 call made from Wright’s cell phone at 1:00 am on the 19th and while the caller was speaking, the dispatcher heard the sound of many gun shots.

Lorenzen Wright was an American professional basketball player who in his career spanning 13 years, played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and fans during this time of grief.