Vauxhall's new five-door Corsa has been revealed for the first time and is set to make its debut alongside the three-door at this year's British International Motorshow in London. The five-door Corsa is slightly larger than its predecessor and has a deliberately different look to the three-door, which Vauxhall says is aimed at a younger, sportier market. GM Europe's design chief, Bryan Nesbitt said, "Dynamics and functionality are not mutually exclusive. Our new five-door Corsa, like its big brother Astra, renders a completely unique design for the three-door versus the five-door. In short, these are tailor-made cars for different types of customer." The five-door offers the design and driving dynamics of the three-door model, but with added practicality that makes it more versatile than the average five-door supermini. Full Article

There''s a suspicion in the land -- and specifically in Chicago -- that these are dark days for the arts. We live in the digital age, so surely television, movies, iPods and especially the Internet are kicking the stuffing out of live theater, classical music, opera, dance and art museums. It''s all about "Desperate Housewives," not "I Am My Own Wife," right? Britney, not Britten, right? Not exactly. Pop culture remains mass culture, of course, and people who consume entertainment with the help of electronics continue to outnumber those who prefer the real thing. But the doomsayers who expected the arts to be swept away in the "digital tsunami" of the past decade, as it''s been called, turn out to have been gratifyingly off the mark. Full Article

Following last year''s success, the 2006 European Limousine and Chauffeur Show''s venue has changed from Sandown Park to ExCel London. Thousands of visitors last year saw an impressive collection of limousines and luxury cars, including Audi, BINZ UK, Coastal Coachworks, Chrysler, Volkswagen, BMW, Moonlight Industries, LCW, H6 Limo World , Executive Coach, Tiffany, NLA , Star Limos, Oceanview Limousines, Move Amerdica and Cars for Stars all under one roof. The show is also said to be good for the industry with last year''s exhibitors enjoying increased sales and territory reach, with some recording sales in markets as far apart as Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, Dubai and Eastern European states. Full Article

The World Cup will be a testing ground for TV on mobile phones, says a report. The football tournament will give phone owners a taste of what the technology promises and let operators work out how their networks will handle demand. The report by analysts Informa predicts that more than 210 million people will be watching TV on their mobile by 2011. By that date, the technology behind mobile TV should have settled down and handsets that can handle the shows will be widely available. Mobile phone operators across the world are planning to use the World Cup as a way to get customers more interested in watching TV on their mobile phones, says the report from Informa Telecoms and Media. Full Article

World Cup Inshallah, a film following the difficult formation, training and World Cup qualifying attempts of the Palestinian national team, will receive its UK premiere in London on Thursday. Of all the teams that battled it out on the pitch to qualify for this year's World Cup, the Palestinian national team had its own particular conflict to endure. Made up of a disparate group of players from the occupied territories, Lebanon, Kuwait, Chile and the United States, it was only recognised by Fifa in 1996 and has so far failed to qualify for any major international tournaments. "Sport is the only context in which you can officially refer to 'Palestine'," says the film's co-director Maya Sanbar, who shared the role with her business partner Jeffrey Saunders. Full Article

A French publishing group is to sue Google for publishing book excerpts online without permission. La Martiniere accuses the technology company of "counterfeiting and breach of intellectual property rights" by digitising about 100 of its titles. Google is scanning millions of books, allowing users to access the full text of works in the public domain or extracts from those under copyright. The publisher is demanding 100,000 euros (£69,000) for each book involved. La Martiniere owns the French company Le Seuil, along with Delachaux and Niestle in Switzerland and Harry N Abrams in the United States. The lawsuit will be filed in a court in Paris and will target both Google France and its parent company, the American group Google Inc. Full Article

Citroën have come up with a unique opportunity to help owners of older cars buy a modern new car and do their bit for the environment as well. Customers buying most C1, C2, C3 or Xsara Picasso models in June will receive a minimum of £800 or £1000 for their old car, over and above Citroën's cashback offers. With this offer, private buyers can now own a Xsara Picasso for less than £9,000. This offer will give drivers of older, less safe and more polluting cars the opportunity to own a new Citroën – a range that is said to include some of the most environmentally friendly cars available, with the C1, C2 and C3 being three of the four most economical diesel cars in the UK. Full Article

Porsche has announced the October, UK launch of the new 911 GT3 RS. According to Porsche, the GT3 RS is distinguished by its performance capability and a driving experience that is said to be similar to that of a racing car. But while suited for use on the track, the car also meets all requirements for road-legal sports cars. The reference "RS" has been seen on such models as the Carrera RS 2.7 of 1972 and the 1991, Type 964 911 RS and, in common with its predecessors, the new 911 GT3 RS provides an homologation model for use in a range of racing series. Full Article

Disney is to start selling films over the internet via CinemaNow, including new films on the day they come out. Disney's home video arm, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, will make the films available on a download-to-own basis. Customers will be able to buy current and older films to view on personal computers and portable devices. The service, which is scheduled to start on 6 June, comes after five Hollywood rivals launched similar services in April. Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures jointly started a download-to-own film service via Movielink. Full Article

Skoda's model range grows with the addition of the Skoda Roomster, which will go on sale in the UK this September. The Roomster follows the lines of a compact MPV but differs from its competitors thanks to its unconventional design. To maximise the available interior space, the design team at Skoda created two different areas within the cabin. The front zone is a "driving room" with a clear cockpit design and the rear of the Skoda Roomster is designed as a comfortable and flexible "living room". Three petrol and three diesel engines are offered for the Roomster. The petrol range starts with a 1.2-litre 70bhp petrol engine, while further up the performance range sits a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 85bhp and 132 Nm torque. Full Article

Toyota brings some good news for the UK's car manufacturing industry with the unveiling today of its new, British-built 2007 Avensis range at the Madrid Motor Show. The company tells us that the new Avensis has fresh styling inside and out, increasing its dynamic and premium quality appeal. For the UK market, it also benefits from two new engines from Toyota's latest generation of clean, efficient and refined D-4D common rail diesel units. They are the 175hp D-4D 180, which exclusively powers a new flagship Avensis T180 model, and the D-4D 130, a more powerful replacement for the previous 2.0-litre D-4D engine, with additional gains in fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions. Full Article

Following the launch of the Cayman S in autumn 2005, Porsche is introducing the Cayman, a new version of the mid-engined sports coupé that will go on sale in the UK in the summer. Based on the Boxster series, the two-seater is powered by a 2.7, six-cylinder 'boxer' engine that develops 245bhp (180 kW). It has a top speed of 160mph, and with manual transmission accelerates from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. Porsche says that the Cayman is proof that outstanding performance statistics do not necessarily mean high fuel consumption. According to European standards, it consumes on average only 30.4mpg (9.3 litres per 100 kms). Full Article

Barney the homeless mongrel has landed a walk-on stage role in a tragic opera just two weeks after he was rescued. The Yorkshire terrier cross found wandering the streets of Gorsedd in Flintshire is to appear in Puccini's La Boheme in Llandudno later this month. He was picked up by the animal rescue centre the same day an opera company appealed for a canine star. Barney will play a part close to his heart - an orphaned dog walking the streets of Paris before being rescued. In real life too, Barney enjoys a happy ending, as he has been found a new home. The dog, who is thought to be about two years old, is to appear in a street scene in an production with the Ukraine National Opera on 29 May. Full Article

Dogs will soon have more places to run
Somerville located in Boston already has one dog park however plans are underway to create more parks around the city for dogs to run in. Currently, dog owners wanting to take their dogs for some off leash fun use the one dog park located at Nunziato Field on Summer Street, however the Somerville Dog Owners Task Force is pushing for each of the cities 7 wards to have their own park to make it easier for dog owners to use them. Full Article