London - Lotus is planning to unveil an eco-friendly version of the Elise sports car with a holistic approach showing that a car can be built with sustainable materials at the London Motor Show in July.

While other manufacturers are mainly looking at zero-emission drive concepts, the Eco Elise comes with a body and trims built from sustainable materials such as hemp, wool and sisal.

Most of the 100 per cent biologically degradable materials can be found in the seats and carpets, according to the car maker. The paintwork is water based and non-toxic.

In addition, the use of special lightweight alloys and the especially light alpine sound system reduces weight by 32 kilogrammes compared with the production Elise S.

London - Honda has released a teaser image of a low-emission two seater sports car, the Open Study Model (OSM), that will be unveiled at the British Motor Show this month.

The sporty design merges "exciting driving dynamics and more efficient engine technology," according to a Honda press release.

The front is dominated by low-lying grille with narrow headlights stretching from the grille to the wheel arches.

Crew, England - Bentley will debut the Continental Flying Spur and Continental Flying Spur Speed at the London Motor Show later this month, the car maker has announced.

The 2009 Flying Spur has undergone a subtle evolution with changes to the front and rear design. The grille is upright with a bolder lower air intake accentuating the distinctive Bentley profile, while a new rear bumper gives a sleeker and more aggressive appearance.

The 552 hp car also offers more comfort with a comprehensive range of noise-absorbent measures including acoustic glazing, the car maker said.

London, July 22 : A pet parrot has been credited with saving the lives of a family after it raised the alarm as fire spread through their home.

The blaze broke out in the kitchen of the Hall family house in Fair Oak, Hampshire, at 6.25am yesterday.

As the fire reached the lounge, Bob the African grey''s squawking became more frantic, waking the family.

Hall and his sons, Sam and Trevor, managed to escape from the burning property, grabbing Bob’s cage as they fled.

All three suffered smoke inhalation although three-year-old Bob survived unhurt.

London - The British government has hailed the arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic as "good news" that will open up a brighter future for Serbia in Europe.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement early Tuesday: "This arrest will help close the region's decades of conflict, and pave the way for a brighter, European future for Serbia and the region."

London, July 22 : A team of researchers from Rutgers and Columbia universities have proposed a new type of electron pairing that they believe may help realise superconductivity at room temperature someday.

The researchers insist that electrons must bind together into pairs called ‘Cooper pairs’ for materials to become superconducting.

“We’ve found that the electrons form much stronger pairs if they team up with one of the tiny atomic magnets – a combination that might be called a quantum-mechanical ‘menage a trios,’” Nature magazine quoted Piers Coleman, physics professor at Rutgers, as saying.