Most film-goers will tell you that James Bond drives an Aston Martin, and he usually does. Over the years, the various owners of the quintessentially British GT marque have been prepared to invest enough in product placement to ensure that the situation has been maintained. However, the harsh truth is that 007’s first car was a 1931 Blower Bentley (vividly described during a high-speed chase in the 1951 novel Casino Royale), and if you take the trouble to search all the books and films, you will find that Bond has driven no fewer than two dozen different vehicles, from Lotuses, Fords and BMWs to a yellow Citroën 2CV and, back in the day, a 1960s Sunbeam Alpine. All of which makes it legitimate to search widely for inspiration about what the secret agent will be driving in a decade’s time – when electrification, autonomy and even an ability to fly will be important in the new age of car manufacture, along with an ongoing desire to utilise new materials and technology and to control pollution. Just one familiar theme must always remain: Bond’s car must continue to be extremely quick, hugely versatile and very, very cool. Understandably, there’s no emerging answer as yet to the burning 2030 question from Eon Productions, which makes the Bond films, so we thought we would tackle the question on their behalf. Such exercises need minds unfettered by the conventions of the past, so we invited a group of postgraduate students from Coventry University’s renowned automotive and transport design course to take part in an Autocar competition, the best results of which we’ve published here. As course director Aysar Ghassan explains, over the years, Coventry has been vital to the careers of dozens of the automotive world’s best car designers – which makes it likely that some of the proposals you see here will be the work of people who design our production cars of tomorrow. We hope so. Getting started on the next Bond car wasn’t easy. Many of Coventry’s 40 postgrad transport design students are from outside the UK, and while the creative process was running, many were locked down at home. We elected to run a competition for all 40, beginning with several remote meetings and leading to a final judging at which we chose a winner, two runners-up and three whose work won commendations. Here’s how it went.

A gay rights group in the Catalonia region of north-eastern Spain has warned of increasing incidents of homophobia following attacks in Barcelona over the weekend. The Observatory Against Homophobia (OCH) said five gay men had been injured in three separate attacks. In the most serious incident, a man needed facial surgery after he and his friends were attacked on a beach. Police are investigating but have not made any arrests, local media reported. Local politicians took to social media to condemn the attacks. "We will never normalise this situation," tweeted the city council's head of citizenship rights, Marc Serra Solé. Spanish Church in row over 'gay conversion' courses The lesbian pioneers who fooled Spain's Catholic Church OCH president Eugeni Rodríguez said the incident on Barcelona's Somorrostro Beach involved two gay couples who were set upon by three men. The men approached them and insulted them and then attacked them after checking no police officers were in the area, Mr Rodríguez said, according to the Spanish EFE news agency. The most seriously injured victim underwent surgery on Sunday. Mr Rodríguez called the incident "barbaric" and said the number of homophobic attacks was rising. "It is a spiral to which we are not accustomed - it is of extreme violence," Mr Rodríguez said. "It is terrible that, after the pandemic, we are in this situation." The OCH has registered 76 such attacks in Catalonia so far this year. The other homophobic attacks in Barcelona over the weekend took place in the district of Gràcia on Saturday morning and another later in the day near the city's auditorium, OCH said. Catalonia's equality minister, Tània Verge, also condemned the violence and tweeted that fighting homophobia was a high priority for her department.

#pro for good activity.. good luck.

The 1950s represented an age of great optimism after the austerity of the war years. And nowhere was this more apparent than in the US where one far-fetched concept after another was wheeled out. We got cars inspired by jet fighters and space rockets featuring technology such as automonous driving, climate control, pedestrian avoidance and gas turbines. If you ever needed proof that there really is nothing new under the sun when it comes to ideas, check out these 60-year old concept cars.

Countries should unite against China's growing economic and geopolitical coercion or risk being singled out and punished by Beijing, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has told the BBC. Mr Rudd said governments in the West should not be afraid to challenge China on issues such as human rights. Around the world, countries are navigating a new geopolitical order framed by the rising dominance of China. "If you are going to have a disagreement with Beijing, as many governments around the world are now doing, it's far better to arrive at that position conjointly with other countries rather than unilaterally, because it makes it easier for China to exert bilateral leverage against you," Mr Rudd told the BBC's Talking Business Asia programme. His comments come as relations between Australia and China have deteriorated to their worst point in decades. The relationship has soured following a series of economic and diplomatic blows dealt by each side. Australia has scrapped agreements tied to China's massive infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative. It also banned Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei from building the country's 5G network. Australia provokes China anger over scrapped deals The year when Australia and China hit 'lowest ebb' But it was really Australia's call for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic that set off a new storm between the two sides. China retaliated by placing sanctions on Australian imports - including wine, beef, lobster and barley - and has hinted more may come. Beijing has also suspended key economic dialogues with Canberra, which effectively means there is no high-level contact to smooth things out. A new battleground Mr Rudd, who led Australia twice between 2007 and 2013, has criticised the current government's approach to China, saying that it has been counterproductive at times. "The conservative government's response to the Chinese has from time to time been measured - but other times, frankly, has been rhetorical and shrill," said Mr Rudd, who is now president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. The former Labor party prime minister believes it could risk the fortunes of a key Australian export to China: iron ore. "They [the Chinese leadership] will see Australia as an unreliable supplier of iron ore long term, because of the geopolitical conclusions that Beijing will make in relation to… the conservative government in Canberra. Digging iron ore IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES image captionAustralia is seeing record prices for its iron ore "That long-term supply may be put at risk because of geopolitical factors." A fifth of Australia's exports go to China, an economic relationship that has only grown in importance in the last few decades. Taking on China Increasingly countries - especially those ideologically allied with the US - are speaking out against China. In many ways, they followed the lead of the US. Under former President Donald Trump, America launched a bitter trade war with China, imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. That sparked a tit-for-tat battle over trade with China, and changed the tone of relations between the two countries. China had hoped that under President Joe Biden things might be different, but that hasn't been the case.

European Union proposals for new Euro 7 emissions legislation could kill off internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2026 – four years before sales of new ones will be banned in the UK – according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). The first concrete proposals for the Euro 7 laws, which are due to come into force in 2025, were made in October last year by the European Commission’s Consortium for Ultra Low Vehicle Emissions (Clove) of engineering consultants. “The ACEA believes that the emission limit scenarios presented by Clove, coupled with the suggested new testing conditions, would in practice result in a situation very similar to a ban of vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine, including hybrid electric vehicles,” the trade body said in December. Even with modifications, Clove’s stringent proposals for Euro 7 have the potential to make many smaller, affordable ICE cars economically unviable for continued production. They could also put high-performance cars under serious threat, because of the need for engines to emit as little pollution as possible, even under hard acceleration. As a result, all strenuous driving scenarios, including towing a caravan, could be difficult with a Euro 7 car. According to Clove’s published proposals, future ICE vehicles could be fitted with a multi-stage ‘supercatalyst’. For petrol engines, this would comprise a heated electric catalyst, a pair of 1.0-litre conventional three-way catalysts, a 2.0-litre particulate filter and an ammonia slip catalyst. Clove claimed this huge technical leap represents “moving towards zero-impact after-treatment”. However, the ACEA argues that the installation of such a large and expensive device would be close to impossible in a small car and very difficult to integrate into many existing vehicle architectures, while driving up showroom prices. Another significant and costly proposal is for Euro 7 cars to be fitted with a sophisticated on-board diagnostics system that would monitor the engine to ensure that it remains emissions-compliant for 150,000 miles. Some car industry insiders believe the proposals also have an underlying aim in pushing more EU motorists into electric cars by making ICE cars either much more expensive or unable to meet the pollution requirements, as well as driving the heavy goods vehicle market towards electric propulsion. Clove’s paper suggests two possible new emission scenarios, the more extreme of which is below even the real-world emissions of the latest Euro 6d and RDE (Real Driving Emissions) compliant engines. And according to Clove’s own calculations, today’s Euro 6d vehicles are well under the current RDE pollution limits in normal driving conditions.

The EU's medicines agency (EMA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12-15 year olds - the first jab allowed for this age group in the bloc. Friday's announcement came after the World Health Organization's Europe director warned that the pandemic would not be over until at least 70% of the po[CENSORED]tion had been vaccinated. The EU has already approved the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 16 and older. Individual states must now decide if they will offer the jab to children. Marco Cavaleri, the EMA's head of vaccine strategy, announced the move for the 12 to 15s at a news conference on Friday, saying the age group would require two doses with an interval of at least three weeks. German leaders announced on Thursday that vaccinations of children over 12 would start on 7 June. Where is the Indian variant and how is it spreading? What are the holiday rules for Spain and Portugal? France and Austria open bars as lockdowns ease Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the vaccine will not be compulsory for children and one survey suggested that only 51% of parents wanted their children to be vaccinated. Florian Hoffmann, the head of Germany's Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine, has said that adults should be prioritised "because they have a much higher risk of getting a serious course of the virus which could see them end up in intensive care". Earlier on Friday, WHO Europe director Hans Kluge warned that the vaccine rollout across the region was still "too slow". "The pandemic will be over once we reach 70% minimum coverage in vaccination," he told AFP news agency. media captionResidents of tower blocks in Germany were quarantined following a case of the Indian Covid variant Mr Kluge said he remained concerned about the increased contagiousness of new variants, adding that speed was of the essence. "We know for example that the B.1617 (Indian variant) is more transmissible than the B.117 (UK or Kent variant), which already was more transmissible than the previous strain," he said. "Our best friend is speed, the time is working against us. We need to accelerate, we need to enlarge the number of vaccines." France is to open up vaccinations to everyone aged over 18 from 31 May, the government has said. Until now only adults aged 50 and over have been eligible.

No @Genius.?

The Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is the firm's latest ultra-exclusive coachbuilt creation, and just three examples of the machine will be produced. While the general styling of the three cars will be familiar, each model will be heavily customised to the specifications of its buyer. Alex Innes, Rolls-Royce's head of Coachbuild Design, gave Autocar an exclusive tour of the first Boat Tail machine to be revealed to highlight some of the key features - including a unique pop-up parasol, two working fridges and handbuilt matching timepieces. Q. How did the design process work over the four years? A. “We followed a normal design process: we built full-size clay models and invited the clients in to see them at differing stages. “When some brands talk about bespoke, it’s very much after the fact and they’re guiding clients towards predetermined options. For us, such was the strength of the relationship that we were comfortable bringing them into the studio when the project was in its absolute infancy; and we didn’t have a crystallised view of what it would be.” Q. How similar will the Boat Tail cars be to one another? A. “The bodystyle is the only similarity between the three. If we wanted to do a modern Boat Tail, it needed to be more than one: when you look back at coachbuilding in the late 1920s, there was usually more than one. We felt three was the natural limit to safeguard that absolute exclusivity. [The clients] were heavily involved in shaping the design of the car, but the appointment of the cars, the details and the provisions of the rear hosting area vary considerably.” Q. How hard were aspects such as the parasol to develop? A. “These lovely little quirks really tried the patience of our engineering and technical colleagues. The parasol is a very Rolls-Royce solution. We could have done this by finding certain quicker and more modest ways to do it, but this really needed to be the very, very best and deliver a ‘wow’ factor when the client was using it.”

Hong Kong has passed a controversial electoral reform law, aimed at keeping people China deems "unpatriotic" from positions of political power. The reform will allow a pro-China panel to vet and elect candidates, reducing democratic representation. Critics warn it is designed to remove all opposition from the city's parliament, allowing Beijing to tighten its control over Hong Kong. It is the latest measure designed to crack down on dissent in Hong Kong. Since the electoral reform law was initiated by the Chinese government in March, it has drawn widespread international condemnation, including from the US, the EU and UK. On Thursday the bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in Hong Kong's parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo), which has been dominated by pro-Beijing lawmakers since a mass opposition walkout last year. media captionFrom protests to 'patriots': Why China is bent on crushing Hong Kong dissent The bill will be signed into law soon by city executive Carrie Lam, who has said that the new vetting committee will not discriminate against people for their political views, but rather weed out any "non-patriots". Over the past year a growing number of pro-democracy activists and politicians have been arrested under a separate national security law that came into effect last year. What are the changes? Candidates for Hong Kong's LegCo are to be nominated by the Election Committee, a powerful body which until now elected only the city's most senior official, the chief executive. Any prospective MP, member of the Election Committee or candidate for chief executive will be vetted by a separate screening committee, making it easy to bar anyone deemed as being critical of Beijing. What is China's 'patriot' plan for Hong Kong? China's parliament remakes Hong Kong in its own image Hong Kong's rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice There are also changes to LegCo itself, diluting the influence of directly elected MPs. While overall seats will increase from 70 to 90, the number of directly elected representatives will fall from 35 to 20. Forty seats will go to MPs chosen by the Election Committee, while 30 will be given to MPs elected by special interests such as business, banking and trade, which historically are also pro-Beijing.

More than a million people in India have been evacuated as a powerful cyclone is expected to make landfall on its eastern coast on Wednesday. Cyclone Yaas, which has intensified into a "very severe cyclonic storm", is set to hit the states of Orissa, also known as Odisha, and West Bengal. This is the second cyclone to hit the country in a week, after Cyclone Tauktae killed more than 90 people. It comes as India is already struggling to deal with its Covid-19 outbreak. Weather department officials say they expect wind speeds of 150km/h (93mph) gusting to 180km/h (112mph) when the cyclone makes landfall. A high danger warning has been issued for two key ports, and a "red alert" has been issued for several districts across Orissa. Sea levels are expected to rise in storm surges up to three metres and inundate low-lying areas District officials in Orissa and West Bengal states have millions of people living in vulnerable coastal areas. Nearly 1,200 rescue shelters have been sanitised in line with Covid-19 safety norms, and health teams have been deployed there - but there are worries that it will be difficult to maintain social distancing protocols as more than a million are evacuated to shelters, according to news agency ANI. NDRF rescue teams IMAGE COPYRIGHTEPA image captionRescue teams have been deployed across six states along the east coast The Indian Coast Guard said on Twitter that all 265 fishing boats reported to be at sea in the Bay of Bengal have safely returned to harbour. Disaster response teams, aircraft and ships are on standby as the storm bears down on the east coast. The Indian army has deployed 17 rescue and relief teams consisting of specialised personnel with equipment and inflatable boats. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu states on the east coast are also likely to be affected, with more than 50 rescue teams having been sent to these states. Cyclone Yaas IMAGE COPYRIGHTINDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT image captionCyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall in north eastern Orissa state Presentational white space Cyclone Yaas comes at a time when India has been battling a deadly second wave of Covid-19 infections, and healthcare systems are already overworked. Crematoriums, graveyards and hospitals were already functioning at full capacity with the rapid increase in cases and deaths, though there is relative fall in fresh infections now, according to official data. What makes the bay so dangerous? In March last year, Cyclone Amphan, said to be the first super cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal since 1999, devastated West Bengal state, killing hundreds. In 2019, Cyclone Fani, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, hit Orissa, causing immense damage to life and property. "[The] north coast of the Bay of Bengal is more prone to catastrophic surges than anywhere on Earth," Bob Henson, meteorologist and writer with Weather Underground had earlier told the BBC. He said that the Bay of Bengal is a "textbook example" of the worst kind of places for storm surges to develop - shallow, concave bays where water is pushed by the strong winds of a tropical cyclone. This gets concentrated as the storm moves up the bay. Meteorologists say that high sea temperatures in the "warm" Bay of Bengal are also a major reason for strong cyclones.

Renault has expanded its UK line-up with the introduction of the Arkana coupé-crossover, which has arrived on sale with a choice of electrified petrol engines, priced from £25,300. The Arkana was launched at the 2018 Moscow motor show, with Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker saying it was intended to offer “a balance between the elegance of a saloon and the powerful stance of an SUV". While Renault initially said it had no plans to offer the machine in Western Europe, the continued rise in po[CENSORED]rity of SUVs has promoted the firm to add it to its line-up alongside the Kadjar and Captur. The European versions are built on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-B compact car platform, which is also used for the new Clio and Captur, and will be tuned and specified specifically for the market. UK buyers are able to choose from a 142bhp 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid E-Tech or a turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol engine with 12V mild-hybrid technology and 138bhp.

Cars are complex machines, but some take that to a whole new level in the search to break new technological ground. Sometimes that brings success and other times it results in failure. There are cars that appear to have been more complicated than they ever needed to be just for the sheer design hell of it, like the magnificent homage to over-engineering that was the Mercedes-Benz 600, pictured. Whatever it is that makes a car more complex than others, here’s our pick of the most finicky designs in chronological order:

A once-in-a-decade po[CENSORED]tion census has shown that births in China have fallen to their lowest level since the 1960s - leading to calls for an end to birth control policies. But some in China say these policies aren't the only thing that's stopping them. Despite being hassled by her mum about it, Beijing resident Lili* is not planning to have children any time soon. The 31-year-old, who has been married for two years, wants to "live my life" without the "constant worries" of raising a child. "I have very few peers who have children, and if they do, they're obsessed about getting the best nanny or enrolling the kids in the best schools. It sounds exhausting." Lili spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, noting that her mother would be devastated if she knew how her daughter felt. But this difference of opinion between the generations reflects the changing attitudes of many young urban Chinese toward childbirth. The data speaks for itself. China's census, released earlier this month, showed that around 12 million babies were born last year - a significant decrease from the 18 million in 2016, and the lowest number of births recorded since the 1960s. Graphic While the overall po[CENSORED]tion grew, it moved at the slowest pace in decades, adding to worries that China may face a po[CENSORED]tion decline sooner than expected. Shrinking po[CENSORED]tions are problematic due to the inverted age structure, with more old people than young. When that happens, there won't be enough workers in the future to support the elderly, and there may be an increased demand for health and social care. graph showing China's po[CENSORED]tion by age group Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a government presentation that lower fertility rates are a natural result of China's social and economic development. As countries become more developed, birth rates tend to fall due to education or other priorities such as careers. 'Jaw-dropping' world fertility rate crash expected The nations with big (and small) po[CENSORED]tion issues How do you convince people to have babies? Mothers, your country needs you! Neighbouring countries like Japan and South Korea, for example, have also seen birth rates fall to record lows in recent years despite various government incentives for couples to have more children. The severe gender imbalance But experts say China's situation could be uniquely exacerbated given the number of men who are finding it difficult to find a wife in the first place, let alone think of starting a family. After all, there is a severe gender imbalance in the country - last year, there were 34.9 million more males than females.