Did you have a miserable time on holiday this year because you were worried about how Fido or Spot was getting on back in the kennels? Leaving the cherished pet behind can be a real problem for devoted owners, but now your worries are over. In a move likely to become standard in no time at all, one up-to-date kennel has found a way to keep pets and their owners in touch across the miles. The kennel has some special features, including heated flooring and ambiance music. Full Article

A pet hamster called Fudge, which hitched a lift from Devon to Scotland hidden inside a golf bag, has been given a new home north of the Border. Fudge escaped from a box in a hire car on the last day of Kingsley Moyle''s golfing holiday. The elusive hamster was found hidden in the car by the next person who hired it - but Mr Moyle had returned to Devon. The woman who found Fudge has now given him a home - with the blessing of its previous owner. Full Article

England batsman Ian Bell insists he has nothing extra to prove on his first Ashes tour this winter. Bell averaged 17 in five Tests against Australia last summer, including a pair at The Oval. But he averaged 52 in Pakistan last winter and then hit three centuries in four innings against them at home. "I didn''t score as many runs as I''d have liked but hopefully that series will hold me in good stead," he said. "I think they know I''m a good player." Full Article

French carmakers are pulling out all the stops at this year's motor show in Paris. Faced with tough competition, the firms are unveiling butch new models they hope will help them survive amid the turmoil that has shaken the car industry in recent months. Peugeot is taking a bold step into muscle car territory with its aggressive looking 908 RC, powered by a 700bhp diesel engine that aims to showcase its diesel technology. Sister marque Citroen is pushing the technology one step further, in a somewhat different direction, with its C-Metisse hybrid that combines a diesel engine with electric motors. Full Article

Pets are set to get full creature comforts when owners take them on a city break or business trip. Hotel chain Travelodge is offering special pet-sized luxury beds which come complete with a mattress, pillow and duvet. The pampering pad will be trialled in hotels in Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Nottingham. The RSPCA welcomed the luxury service, saying it would cut out the upset for owners who left pets at home. The hotel chain conducted a survey which showed that nearly two thirds of people hated leaving their pets behind when they were away. Full Article

The Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) 2006 National Youth Sailing Championships took place over two days on calm seas and in light winds. Eight boats competed over courses laid out in North Sound just off the CISC clubhouse. The lightweight, high-performance Byte CIIs had a clear advantage in the conditions and took the first three places. Stuart Jennings taking first place in the Stuarts Walker Hersant-sponsored Bytes with Joe Roberts and Oliver Fogherty taking second and third in Butterfield Bank sponsored boats. Full Article

Kia Motors has revealed the first image of its latest concept car that is scheduled to debut at the Paris Motor Show next week. The concept, named pro_cee''d, is based on the forthcoming three-door sporty hatch version of the all-new Kia cee''d. This five-door family hatchback has its world premiere (in production-ready form) at Paris and will be manufactured at Kia''s European assembly plant in Slovakia from November 2006. Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Kia at European Design Centre commented, "Following on from the original cee''d concept, our design brief for pro_cee''d was to create a teaser for the all-new cee''d sports hatch which will become the third model in the cee''d line-up." Full Article

Land Rover has released prices on the all-new Freelander 2, starting from £20,935 and rising to £33,990, on the road. Set to go on-sale at the end of this year, the Freelander 2 was first seen at the British International Motor Show 2006 in London. The vehicle is all-new from the tyres upward with a fresh design, Terrain Response™ and two new engines – a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel and a 3.2-litre straight-six petrol. The Freelander 2 range starts with the entry-level TD4 S diesel at £20,935 rising to the i6 HSE petrol at £33,990 on the road. Test drives in the Freelander 2 can be organised through the Land Rover UK dealer network or via www.landrover.co.uk Full Article

Peugeot will reveal the "207 EPURE" concept car at the Paris Motor Show later this month. The company says that the "207 EPURE" concept car is a glimpse of a future "CC" version of the 207. The concept car is powered by an electric motor combined with PSA Peugeot Citroën Group's new "GENEPAC 20" 20 kW experimental fuel cell which has been designed in partnership with the French AEC (Atomic Energy Commission). The electricity produced by the fuel cell is used to provide extra power and operating range to the vehicle's electric motor or the "lithium-ion" battery.Full Article

Volkswagen has revealed its Iroc sports car concept at a special event in Berlin. The Iroc marks the return of the Scirocco, Volkswagen's iconic sports coupé, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 33 years ago. With its Viper Green metallic paint, the Iroc harks back to the Scirocco, where this exact shade was available in the 1976 model range. The Iroc has distinctive dimensions, with a very long roof and steeply sloping rear, which gives it an aggressive and sporting appearance and also liberates space in the back for two adults plus luggage. Full Article

Honda will reveal production versions of the new CR-V and the high-performance Civic Type R, at the Paris Motor Show in September. The completely new CR-V is said to combine SUV practicality with saloon car-like driving dynamics, sophisticated styling and an upmarket, well-equipped interior. It will also be available with the advanced Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS). A new 2.0-litre petrol engine, together with Honda's renowned 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel engine, ensures the CR-V continues to offer class-leading fuel consumption and performance. Full Article

The latest concept car from Citroën will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show later this month. The C-Métisse is designed to prove that a high performance car can also be green, combining a top speed of 155mph with the ability to cover around 45 miles per gallon on the combined cycle. Crammed with hi-tech innovations and neat touches, the C-Métisse combines coupé styling with 4-door practicality thanks to the show-stopping gull-wing front and rear doors. In particular, the C-Métisse has been developed to offer outstanding environmental credentials.Full Article

Roger Federer overcame his toughest test so far to reach the US Open semi-finals with a 7-6 (9-7) 6-0 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 win over James Blake. The top seed failed to serve out the match in the third set and missed a match point in the tie-break as he lost his first set of the tournament. Federer broke twice in the fourth but needed another two opportunities to close out the match on serve. The defending champion will play Nikolay Davydenko in Saturday''s semis. Full Article

Banbury Animal Rescue and Kindness Service is an animal charity operating in the UK that offers temporary homes for abandoned animals. While they help a lot of animals get off the street and into loving homes, a shortage of volunteers and foster families is putting the charity under undue strain. "We're the only charity that takes in unwanted animals around here and finds them a new home. We are getting a lot of requests to take animals in but we have not got enough people coming forward to volunteer to take care of them," stated Committee member Joyce Turner. Full Article