The new Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet will make its UK debut at the British International Motor Show before going on sale in October. Designed in partnership with Pininfarina S.p.A, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet uses a two-piece folding hardtop, said to give the car two distinct "personalities". Ford tells us that that the roof function is neat, efficient and reliable: opening or closing takes just 29 seconds. With the roof closed, the Coupé-Cabriolet is said to offer a best-in-class 534-litres of luggage capacity, and with the hardtop stowed, there is 248-litres of luggage space. Full Article

A DANDENONG manufacturer that has helped boost numbers in disabled sailing will build boats for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Games organisers have asked Access Dinghies Sailing Systems to supply 90 of its 5.8-metre SKUD18 boats to its sailing competitions. Access Dinghies projects manager David Staley said this was because the SKUD18 was easy to use for people suffering from a range of disabilities, including quadriplegics who would otherwise be excluded when using traditional boats. Director Chris Mitchell founded Access Dinghies in 1993 to pursue his passion for boat design and construction. Full Article

The new Elan 340 - another outstanding Performance Cruiser design by Rob Humphreys and Elan, replaces the very popular and successful Elan 333. Gael Moldán and Rod Parry from Navsail in Sydney recently visited the Internautica Boat Show on the coastal town of Portoroz, Slovenia - not far from Trieste for the premiere release of the Elan 340, where they had an opportunity to sail this boat. Gael reports. ‘The Elan 340 feels and looks bigger then its 10 metres. ‘The boat proved to be very stable, responsive, has a big boat feel, tracks beautifully, is very well balanced, easy to handle finger tip controlled wheel and quickly picks up speed after tacking. Full Article

It's touching to think that when Richard Donner's Superman was released in 1978, the ads could tempt audiences with the line "You'll believe a man can fly." Nearly three decades later, it's hard to find a man in the movies who doesn't fly. Special-effects comic-book fantasy is the atmosphere we breathe, and when you go to see Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns," it's with the expectation that you'll believe a man can fly, and also speed through blasts of underground fire, land a crashing airplane, and stop a bullet, in slow motion, with his left eyeball -- all of which Superman does, without breaking a supersweat. Full Article

Land Rover is to take part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time in the 4x4 manufacturer's 59-year history, with a display of off-road action. The Land Rover G4 Challenge off-road circuit, will be situated in the main showground, featuring the Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and a special guest vehicle (to be announced on the Sunday of the festival), all of which are available for passenger rides. The circuit is from the Copa Cabana special stage of the 2006 G4 Challenge in Rio de Janeiro, where the challenge set for competitors was to complete the course without putting a wheel on the sand of the world famous beach. Full Article

An amateur artist from Leicester has carved a series of melon sculptures of England''s World Cup heroes. Amrat Parmar, 64, an aerospace engineer, has only been carving the melons since January when a friend suggested he give it a try. Mr Parmar said World Cup fever convinced him to carve David Beckham, Stephen Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. "Everyone is talking about the World Cup - so I decided to carve these footballers," he said. He is not selling the melons - which will last for about a week if left in the freezer overnight - and has displayed them at several local pubs. Full Article

A painting of an Egyptian queen by Howard Carter, the man who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen, has sold at auction for £13,000. The watercolour was left to owner Barbara Rampton 15 years ago but she did not realise its significance until she took it to a charity valuation. The 1897 work had been hanging in a holiday cottage near Barmouth. Carter, who died in 1939, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. His painting of Queen Senseneb began with an estimate of £3,000 but was soon contested by five telephone bidders. Full Article

Most pet owners know not to leave Fluffy or Fido in a locked car during the summer because of the risk of heat stroke. But did you also know that your cat or dog can get sunburn if left in the sun too long? It’s true, said Terry Jessen, a veterinarian at Harrisonburg Animal Hospital, especially on areas like ears and noses. "Not through a coat, but they can get sunburn on any exposed areas of skin," Jessen said. "White cats have a terrible time with sunburn on the tips of their ears."During the summer, pet owners need to take extra steps to account for the heat and sun, said Anne Anderson, executive director at the Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA. Full Article

Artist William Scott sinks his hands into a mass of soft, wet clay. Using his thumbs he carefully shapes the clay into the nose of an Afro-American basketball player. Scott recently sold out a one-man show of his striking ceramic busts at the prestigious White Columns Gallery in New York. His work has been displayed at galleries across the United States and Europe and is sought after by art collectors worldwide. William Scott is also severely autistic. He is one of 150 artists with mental and physical disabilities based at the Creative Growth Art Centre, a former car repair workshop in the industrial district of Oakland, near San Francisco. Full Article

For the first time ever, Caterham Cars is offering customers 0% finance on all new models powered by the K-Series engine. This means it is possible to buy an entry level Caterham Classic for a deposit of £3,374 and 24 monthly payments of £399. As usual, finance is subject to status and excludes Caterham Academy and race cars. The company says that indemnities may be required. The lightweight K-Series engine has powered the Caterham range for 15 years and is linked to its world record titles including 0-60mph, 0-100-0mph and fastest production car lap of the Nurburgring. With variants available from 105 to 165bhp, the K-series provides the performance in Caterham 7 Classic, Roadsport and Superlight models. Full Article

Peugeot has extended its diesel hybrid technology programme to the 307 CC Hybride HDi, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in February. This diesel-hybrid technology demonstrator combines a 1.6-litre HDi diesel engine with a DPFS (Diesel Particle Filter System) and an electric power train. The 307 CC Hybride HDi joins the 307 hatchback, announced in January, to lead diesel hybrid development in readiness for possible introduction in 2010. Peugeot says that, in use, the hybrid electric/diesel powertrain heralds a genuine new benchmark in terms of fuel consumption, combining the efficiency of the 1.6-litre HDi engine with that of the electric motor designed mainly for use in town.Full Article

The Lotus Europa S, the Grand Tourer inspired two-seater, goes on sale from the 16 September. The car will be fully equipped, including driver and passenger airbag, air conditioning, satellite navigation and full leather interior. Metallic Paint and Lifestyle Paint colours are the only cost options. The recommended retail prices for the UK are £32,995, while metallic paint adds £595 and 'Lifestyle' paint is an extra £1,009. The Europa S is said to follow the core Lotus philosophy of performance through light weight – it weighs only 995 kg. Full Article

Guide dog walkers and their trainee puppies are being given free rail travel. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's volunteers are getting free train travel from First ScotRail to help the skills of puppies. It allows young dogs to experience getting on trains, travelling between stations and getting through ticket barriers to assist their future owners. The Scottish scheme was launched at Aberdeen Railway Station on Monday. First ScotRail has joined the puppy walker's programme in cooperation with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Full Article

A US dog has won an award for saving her owner's life by dialling a phone number that alerted emergency services to her owner's diabetic seizure. Belle the beagle triggered a call to an ambulance crew by biting on her owner, Kevin Weaver's, mobile phone. The dog was trained to detect potential diabetic attacks by licking and sniffing Mr Weaver's nose to check his blood sugar levels and pawing him. Belle resorted to dialling for help when Mr Weaver fell unconscious. The dog used her teeth to press the number nine key, which the phone was programmed to interpret as a "911" call to emergency services. Full Article

A portrait by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani of his lover Jeanne Hebuterne has sold for £16.3m. The oil painting, Jeanne Hebuterne (au chapeau), dates from 1919 - a year before Modigliani died of tuberculosis. Ms Hebuterne, who was eight months pregnant, committed suicide a day after the artist's death. The painting was part of a sale of modern and impressionist art, which raised almost £89m at London auction house Sotheby's on Monday. An 1895 pastel of a woman bathing by French artist Edgar Degas sold for £6.7m in the same auction. Full Article

Almost half of North Carolina dog owners let the chips fall where they may and don't clean up after their animals, according to a statewide survey of how people handle their dogs' waste. "It's a big water-quality problem," said Chrystal Bartlett, the state's stormwater awareness and outreach coordinator. "It's also an aesthetic problem." The state's 1.8 million dogs deposit an estimated 681 tons of waste per day in the state, said Bartlett, who works for the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Chris Gonzalez, owner of Poop Away, said he has hauled away as much as 27 gallons of waste from a single yard. Full Article