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Learning how to cope in the heat can be a struggle, with the beaming rays of the sun, the inescapable humidity and the ever-rising temperatures tough to handle for many. With the Met Office forecasting a shift in weather patterns in the UK and a “warm plume” of air with highs of 30C heading our way, just imagine how your pet may be feeling. Domestic animals don’t have the luxury of being able to say when they’re feeling overheated or dehydrated, which is why you need to learn how to keep your pet as safe and healthy as possible during these extreme weather conditions. Whether you’re a dog person or own a reptile, this is how to look after your pet properly as the heatwave runs its course. Dogs Dogs with long fur will likely fare worse than their shorter-haired peers during the summer. However, they are able to cool themselves down by panting and releasing heat through their paws, as animal charity Blue Cross explains. Dogs do this because they’re unable to sweat through their skin in the same way as humans do. If a dog does overheat, they could be at risk of suffering from a serious heatstroke, with the charity explaining that “signs of heatstroke in dogs include collapse, excessive panting and dribbling”. “If you suspect your pet is suffering from the condition, move them to a cool place, preferably with a draught, wet their coat with cool - not freezing - water, and contact your vet immediately,” the charity advises. Furthermore, leaving a dog in a car on a hot day can have devastating consequences, as the temperature within the car can soar to extreme levels at a rapid rate, which is why it’s advised never to leave a dog in a car in hot conditions. To ensure that dogs are comfortable during walks on days with excessive heat, the RSPCA recommends only walking your dog in the morning or evening at the peak of summer, as doing so will help prevent them from burning their paws on the pavement or suffering from heatstroke. You must also make sure that your dog always has access to water. Cats Different types of cats may be more prone to sunburn than others, as pet agency Very Important Pets outlines. “Pale-coloured cats are vulnerable to sunburn; particularly on their ears, noses and sparsely haired areas,” the agency states, adding that, “like in humans, sunburn can sometimes lead to skin cancer.” While many cat owners may let their feline friends roam at will, the agency recommends keeping your cat indoors during the hottest time of the day, from around 11am until 3pm. You can even invest in a suncream designed specifically for pets to provide them with adequate protection from the sun’s rays. Having your cat’s fur trimmed could also be a good course of action in order to make them feel more comfortable in the heat. Furthermore, if you think that your cat may be feeling overheated, you can use a damp towel to cool them down. Just like with any other animal, cats shouldn’t be left in cars during a heatwave. Hamsters If you normally keep your hamster in a glass or plastic crate, you should be aware that the interior may be hotter than the average room temperature. This is important to keep in mind when considering where their crate is placed, as putting it on a window sill where it’s exposed to the sun could put your hamster at risk of overheating. Hamster blog site Hammysworld also suggests placing the crate on a stone or tiled floor during the day if possible in order to help the animals remain cool and comfortable. You could even place a ceramic tile within the cage as a means of lowering the temperature of the interior even more. Another trick that the outlet recommends is to place a frozen bottle of water on the side of the outside of the crate while also regularly refreshing your pet’s water supply. Fish You may think that your fish is safe in their tank of water as those outside battle the intense heat and humidity. However, the temperature of the tank can easily rise if the room temperature is higher than normal. If you have heaters in your fish tank, it would be wise to turn them off, Tropical Fish Site recommends, while it may also be worth reducing the normal temperature of the tank if possible. Another method that you can employ to help keep the water cool is to put bags filled with ice at the bottom of the tank. Birds While birds living in exotic locations around the world may be used to hotter climates, chances are that domesticated birds won’t have the same thresholds for higher temperatures. According to Bird Supplies, birds may be very susceptible to sudden changes in their environment, which is why knowing how to keep them cool during a heatwave is important. “Your average bird has a standard core temperature of around 105F or 40C, and are very susceptible to overheating,” the site states. Some signs to look out for that may indicate that your bird is overheating include if its panting, holding its wings far away from its body or exhibiting anxious behaviour. Many birds naturally enjoy spending time outdoors. However, if this is the case, you should make sure that the outdoor space that your bird frequents is equipped with shaded areas. On top of that, the site states that you should make sure to replace the bathing dish of water at the bottom of your bird’s cage at least once a day, while also ensuring that it has a decent supply of clean water to drink. Reptiles and amphibians Reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic or cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature relies on external sources, as detailed by Encyclopaedia Britannica. With that in mind, if the temperature of your home is higher than normal, then your pet snake or lizard could suffer in the hot conditions. Pet store Just For Pets advises first checking whether the temperature of your home falls within your animal’s ideal range. If the temperature exceeds its ideal range, then you can cool them down by providing them with clean water and keeping a small fan close by. Furthermore, you could utilise a similar technique to the one advised for hamster owners by placing a ceramic tile in its enclosure that it can use to lower its body temperature (that you could cool first in the fridge). Plus, if you place an iced bottle of water nearby, it could help reduce the temperature of the air, thus providing your pet with a more bearable environment.

Aston Villa pushing for Pau Torres deal.

Senior officials suggest the Russian leader cannot survive a catastrophic loss of authority.

Millie Bright has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for England’s World Cup opener as she continues her recovery from knee surgery. The defender, captain of the squad heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand in the absence of ACL injury victim Leah Williamson, underwent an operation after limping out of a Chelsea match in March. While Bright expects Saturday’s World Cup warm-up game against Portugal in Milton Keynes will come too soon for a return to action, she is feeling positive about the Lionesses’ opening Group D fixture against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. The 29-year-old, who has been doing individual work during the squad’s camp at St George’s Park, said: “The knee’s really good. “I think we are a little bit ahead (of schedule) actually. Coming into it, there’s a big chunk of time before the first game, so we’re really confident and everything is going exactly the way we wanted it to go. “I think Saturday will be a little bit too soon. I’m not back with the girls yet and I don’t think we want to rush that. Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game.” Asked if she thought there was any danger of her being undercooked, Bright said: “No, not at all. “I think the amount of minutes I’ve played leading up to this has been ridiculous, through the roof, so if anything I feel mentally and physically fresher than I’ve ever felt. “I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now. A blessing in disguise I call it, that I’ve mentally and physically been able to completely just have a clean slate and let my body recover. I’ve played through many injuries but this one, I just couldn’t quite get there.” There had been concern for Alex Greenwood after she went down with an injury during Tuesday’s training session, but the Manchester City defender has said she “will be OK”, adding: “(It is) on the shin. It’s sore, but it’s football. It was a tackle, part of the game.” Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of forward Jess Park, who is returning to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury. Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby and both will remain with Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad until the Haiti match, with the European champions set to fly to Australia next Wednesday. Staniforth said: “I looked at my phone and saw it was Sarina and I was thinking ‘what’s going on?’ “I kind of thought once the first week (of England’s pre-World Cup camp, which started on June 19) was out of the way, if there was any chance of getting brought in, it would be then. I was surprised obviously. “I got her to repeat the whole tournament schedule again for me about three or four times because I just kept saying ‘sorry, when are we travelling?’ I just hadn’t followed it because I wasn’t involved. I was so out of the loop. I was buzzing. I wanted to get in the car quick and get straight down there. “I was supposed to go to Ibiza with my mum on Monday which is obviously very unfortunate. My mum was buzzing for me and of course wanted me to go. She wasn’t bothered about Ibiza. She will still go on her own. If anyone sees someone on their own in Ibiza, she’s looking for a bit of company!” Read More Lucy Staniforth added to England’s World Cup standby list amid injury concerns Happiness key to ‘best season’ of my career, says England’s Rachel Daly Kane must take Bayern transfer chance - and so should Spurs Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid

LVMH Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault kicked off his tour of China with a visit to a high-end

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £45m fee with Leicester City for the transfer of James Maddison. Newcastle United had also shown an interest but the England midfielder preferred a move to Spurs.

An age-old argument, without any definitive answer: when do you let your best player go if the rest of the team needs serious improvement? Is it at the point of emotional guilt-tripping, or when the finances make most sense? Is it when the individual starts creating negativity around the dressing room? Or is it in fact not at all – you keep the top performers and that’s the end of it? Daniel Levy, chairperson at Spurs, has been placed in this position before, but perhaps not when Tottenham have been in such a period of weakness and at such a moment of crossroads. When Luka Modric departed in 2012, Spurs had finished fourth and reached the FA Cup semi-final. A year later when Gareth Bale made his exit, Spurs finished one place further back in the Premier League but actually earned three points more than the campaign previous. The rebuild money across those two summers was perhaps spent in mixed fashion, but it was at a time Tottenham were trying to crack into the top clubs on a regular basis. This time, it’s Harry Kane who looks set for a departure, with Bayern Munich offering up an initial bid – big money, but perhaps not quite big enough just yet – for the striker who has only one year remaining on his contract. Kane has been better, more important, more consistent and longer-serving for Tottenham than either of the two aforementioned stars, or indeed any others they’ve had of late. Yet the club also finished eighth last season, their worst league placing in 14 years, and it’s time for both Kane to move on and Spurs to move on without him. It is not for any reason so crass or emotive or frankly ludicrous as “they owe him”. Spurs do not owe Kane anything. He has been excellent for them, and they have given him the platform to be so. But he clearly has kept his level when the club has lost its own, starting at the most uppermost points of the hierarchy downwards. Kane should be seeking a move for his own prospects, for his own ability to win trophies and his own capacity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the greatest centre-forwards of this generation. At Bayern in particular, he’ll very much have the opportunity to do that. Of course, the flip side of the player-based argument is twofold: winning silverware at Spurs might mean more, and so too might claiming the Premier League goalscoring record. Only Kane himself can answer those two factors truthfully, but even if he were to head to the Bundesliga to rack up three or four titles now, there’s very little to suggest his playmaking and goalscoring prowess would have deserted him by the time he turns 33 or 34. A comeback to Spurs once they’ve rebuilt and he’s filled his boots elsewhere? Don’t rule it out. A move abroad is also a risk of its own kind, between adaptation to culture and club, especially in a Euros season. But Gareth Southgate isn’t likely to be leaving out his captain any time soon even if form does desert him – let alone the question of whether there’s even an alternative candidate. And so the decision heads once more to Levy, in charge yet again of overseeing transfers after Fabio Paratici’s enforced exit, and tasked with coming up with a price he finds acceptable for a player the fans value above all others, yet will otherwise surely lose for free in a year. To be blunt, Spurs cannot afford the kind of bluster and brinkmanship Levy has shown before with a far stronger hand. The team needs investment. The team might need outright reshaping, given Ange Postecoglou is almost as far removed from Antonio Conte tactically as he is by way of club interim appointments. Without any kind of European football this coming campaign, Spurs have the chance to make the most of the Australian’s excellent coaching capacity on the training pitch with the additional time between matches the schedule will afford him, so to maximise a season on the fringes they should also be seeking to build the group of players which will benefit him most. While Kane the player is irreplaceable, Spurs can provide Postecoglou with a group to more than make up for what they lose through his sale, if the proceeds are reinvested well and existing players nurtured. Richarlison is the most obvious example, especially as the potential replacement No 9, but Dejan Kulusevski has so much more to give too. Spurs don’t need to gut the building entirely, but they certainly need a better structure than they had last season. Selling Kane is a hard choice, but the right one for the club to move into a new phase of more normalised expectations with long-term prospects for improvement – and the right one for the striker to prove himself on a whole new level, too. Read More Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Tottenham standing firm on Harry Kane amid interest from Bayern Munich Football rumours: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weighs up Saudi Arabia move Osimhen and five Man United transfer alternatives to signing Kane Football rumours: Manchester United make last-gasp attempt to sign Harry Kane Range of armband options for Women’s World Cup as FIFA aims to avoid repeat row

Margot Robbie has revealed her feet were featured in a scene in the new Barbie movie in which the iconic doll character is seen taking off her shoes to reveal her perfect arches - as the actress refused to use a foot double

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik has dropped a huge hint he's about to release his first new music in nearly two years by sharing a short teaser clip on social media

By Mohi Narayan (Reuters) -Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday after industry data showed a larger-than-expected drawdown of U.S. inventories,

The fight for equality in Hong Kong faces a major test today as the city’s highest court considers

What the papers say Arsenal have entered their third bid, worth £105million for West Ham star Declan Rice after Manchester City had a bid rejected at £90million, the Guardian said. West Ham will reportedly wait for Manchester City to submit another offer on Wednesday. Bayern Munich’s first bid of around £60million plus add-ons for Harry Kane has been deemed too low by Tottenham, the Guardian reported. The club are demanding £100million for the England and Tottenham captain, who is said to be keen to move to the club. Inter Milan are looking to acquire Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku on loan again next season with an £25million option to buy him at the end of the year, the Telegraph said. Social media round-up Players to watch Kylian Mbappe: Liverpool are set to rival Real Madrid and reach Paris St. Germain’s mammoth transfer fee of £258million for the French superstar, according to Marca. Frenkie de Jong: Manchester United and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing the 26-year-old Barcelona midfielder, 90min reported.