US citizen Aimee Betro had virtually no "criminal footprint" before the shooting in Birmingham, UK, police say
US woman Aimee Betro has been found guilty of attempting to shoot a man dead in the UK. But the investigation into the Wisconsin native revealed her to be "fairly unexceptional" with virtually no "criminal footprint". And it remains unclear why she became a would-be contract killer.
On an autumn night six years ago, Betro pointed a 9mm gun at Sikander Ali in a suburban cul-de-sac and pulled the trigger, as she had been hired to do.
But instead of firing, the weapon jammed - saving the man's life.
It marked the mid-point of a plot more suited to a television drama, and one that eventually ended several years later and thousands of miles away with Betro's capture in Armenia.
It started, however, the year before the botched shooting in 2019, at a clothes shop in Birmingham's Alum Rock.
Police handout
Betro, pictured in a shop in Birmingham, was extradited to the UK from Armenia earlier this year
In 2018, Mohammed Aslam and his son Mohammed Nabil Nazir were injured during a fight at a shop owned by Mr Ali's father, Aslat Mahumad.
The clash sparked a violent feud between the families, Birmingham Crown Court heard, which "clearly led Nazir and Aslam to conspire to have someone kill Aslat Mahumad or a member of his family".
The pair, from Derby, turned to Betro - a woman not known by police "to have a huge footprint criminally" in the US or anywhere, according to Det Ch Insp Alastair Orencas from West Midlands Police's major crime unit.
"[She was] a fairly unexceptional individual," he said. "On the face of it, a normal-looking individual [but] prepared to do an outrageous, audacious and persistent murder."
Police handout
Betro was captured firing directly at the family home in Measham Grove
Betro,a childhood development and graphic design graduate from the US city of West Allis, arrived in the UK in August 2019 to carry out Aslam and Nazir's vendetta.
The court heard she had previously met Nazir via a dating app and slept with him at an Airbnb in London's Kings Cross during a visit to the UK between December 2018 and January 2019, although it remains unclear how she came to be hired to carry out the shooting.
Prior to the attack on 7 September, she stayed at hotels in London, Manchester, Derby and Birmingham and met her co-conspirators at various points, jurors heard.
This included an incident three days before the attempted murder when footage found on Nazir's phone showed a gun being fired and jamming.
Scoping out house
On the day of the shooting, Betro - wearing a summer dress, hoodie and flip-flops - bought a second-hand Mercedes from a garage in Alum Rock under the name Becky Booth.
Later that day, she was seen "driving in convoy" with Nazir and Aslam "scoping out" Measham Grove, where Mr Mahumad lived.
She then waited in the cul-de-sac for her victim and disguised herself with a niqab, jurors heard.
When Mr Ali pulled up, she got out and fired the gun directly at him but it did not discharge, prompting him to jump back in his car and flee.
The distance between the firearm and Mr Ali meant there would have been little-to-no chance of survival had it gone off, according to Det Ch Insp Orencas.
"It was absolute pure chance this didn't culminate in a murder investigation," he said.
West Midlands Police
Bullets went through the windows of the house
Betro initially fled the scene but returned by taxi just after midnight and fired three shots at the family home.
By 13:30 BST, she was at Manchester Airport and flew to the US, prosecutors said.
Days later, Nazir followed and according to Betro, the pair rented a car and drove to Seattle "just for a road trip" with stops at an amusement park, Area 51 in Nevada, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
She told jurors she did not know there had been a shooting in Measham Grove and Nazir had not mentioned it during his time in the States.
The investigation to find Betro andbring her co-conspirators to justice not only spanned several years but was hampered by the pandemic and involved the FBI, National Crime Agency and two UK police forces.
Eventually, she was traced to a housing complex on the outskirts of Yerevan in Armenia and apprehended by police before she was extradited to the UK.
West Midlands Police
Mohammed Aslam (left) and his son Mohammed Nazir were jailed in November
From the start, Betro denied her involvement and told the trial it was "all just a terrible coincidence" that she was around the corner from the scene of the attempted assassination six minutes later.
She claimed it was in fact the work of "another American woman" who sounded similar to her, used the same phone and wore the same sort of trainers.
Jurors found her guilty of conspiracy to murder by majority verdict after almost 21 hours of deliberation.
Det Ch Insp Orencas described Betro as someone who was "extremely dangerous and extremely motivated to cause the worst harm to people".
Nor was her involvement "off-the-cuff... madness" but pre-planned with others across continents, he added.
"I think [she] has had a somewhat problematic relationship with the truth in not accepting what she was accused of."
Asked if he believed Betro was paid or had acted out of loyalty to her partner Nazir, the officer said: "We've not seen evidence of payments.
"They met on a dating site, whether this is a partner doing something for another partner, again, there's no clear evidence of that. I see it as a criminal association and a murderous plot."
The RNLI and Border Force brought more than 400 people ashore in Dover on Monday, figures are expected to show
The number of migrants to cross the English Channel in small boats since Labour came to power last summer is expected to have reached 50,000.
Home Office data shows 49,797 people had arrived as of Sunday, with Monday's total due to be released later.
Government minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the BBC this was an "unacceptable number of people" but pointed to the "one in, one out" returns deal with France as a deterrent.
But the Conservative Party said the migrant crossing totals showed Labour had "surrendered our borders".
The latest figures come as ministers continue to grapple with how to effectively crack down on people-smuggling gangs - a key pledge of Sir Keir Starmer's when he became prime minister.
Baroness Smith told BBC Breakfast: "We understand how concerning this is to people."
She said the migrant crossing figures showed people-smuggling gangs had taken an "absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people" in recent years.
But the minister added the government was "making progress" on tackling people smuggling, and people had already been detained under the UK's "ground-breaking agreement" with France.
The "one in, one out" pilot will see the UK return some migrants to France in exchange for receiving the same number of asylum seekers who are believed to have legitimate claims.
The first returns are due to happen within weeks - but the initial numbers are expected to be small.
The 50,000 figure will cover 5 July 2024, when Labour came to power, to 11 August this year.
Between 5 July 2023 and 11 August 2024, during which time the Conservatives were in power for the most part, there were 36,346 migrant crossings in small boats.
A number of factors affect crossing totals, including where weather conditions are more favourable for attempts.
But the Tories accused Labour of overseeing the "worst illegal immigration crisis in our history".
"This is a taxpayer-funded ferry service for the people-smuggling trade. Every illegal immigrant should be removed immediately upon arrival," said shadow home secretary Chris Philp.
The Home Office said it wants to "end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security".
"People do not cross the Channel unless what lies behind them is more terrifying than what lies ahead," said Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity.
The charity's frontline workers say the men, women and children travelling in small boats are "often fleeing places like Sudan, where war has left them with nowhere else to turn", he added.
"To stop smugglers for good, the government must expand safe and legal routes, such as allowing family members to travel to be with their loved ones who are already settled in the UK," he said.
"Without these measures, desperate people will continue to take dangerous journeys, and the criminal gangs are likely to simply adapt their approaches."
Nicola Sturgeon's memoir Frankly is now on sale, slightly earlier than expected after newspaper serialisations and interviews teased some tantalising extracts.
True to its title, the book has Scotland's former first minister writing candidly about the highs and lows of her time in office including challenges she says had a serious impact on her mental health.
So with the full text now available, what are the key things we have learned?
Transgender controversy
After more than eight years in power, and eight election victories, Sturgeon saw final months in office marred by rows about trans issues.
It was, she writes in her memoir, a time of "rancour and division".
Sturgeon now admits to having regrets about the process of trying to legislate to make it easier to legally change gender, saying she has asked herself whether she should have "hit the pause button" to try to reach consensus.
"With hindsight, I wish I had," she writes, although she continues to argue in favour of the general principle of gender self-identification.
Spindrift
Isla Bryson was jailed in 2023 after being convicted of rape
Sturgeon also addresses the case of double rapist Adam Graham who was initially sent to a female prison after self-identifying as a woman called Isla Bryson.
It was, writes Sturgeon, a development "that gave a human face to fears that until then had been abstract for most people".
As first minister she sometimes struggled to articulate her position on the case and to decide which, if any, pronoun to use to describe Bryson.
"When confronted with the question 'Is Isla Bryson a woman?' I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights," she writes.
"Because I failed to answer 'yes', plain and simple... I seemed weak and evasive. Worst of all, I sounded like I didn't have the courage to stand behind the logical conclusion of the self-identification system we had just legislated for.
"In football parlance, I lost the dressing room."
Speaking to ITV News on Monday Sturgeon said she now believed a rapist "probably forfeits the right" to identify as a woman.
JK Rowling
JK Rowling posted a selfie of herself wearing a T-shirt describing Sturgeon as a "destroyer of women's rights"
The former first minister also criticises her highest profile opponent on the gender issue, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, for posting a selfie in a T-shirt bearing the slogan "Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights".
"It resulted in more abuse, of a much more vile nature, than I had ever encountered before. It made me feel less safe and more at risk of possible physical harm," she writes.
Sturgeon adds that "it was deeply ironic that those who subjected me to this level of hatred and misogynistic abuse often claimed to be doing so in the interests of women's safety".
Rowling has been approached for comment.
Her relationship with Alex Salmond
Sturgeon's mentor and predecessor as first minster, Alex Salmond, is mentioned dozens of times in the book, often in unflattering terms which reflect their estrangement after he was accused of sexual offences.
Salmond won a judicial review of the Scottish government's handling of complaints against him and in 2020 was cleared of all 13 charges but his reputation was sullied by revelations in court about inappropriate behaviour with female staff.
Sturgeon lambasts Salmond's claim that he was the victim of a conspiracy, saying there was no obvious motive for women to have concocted false allegations which would then have required "criminal collusion" with politicians, civil servants, police and prosecutors.
"He impugned the integrity of the institutions at the heart of Scottish democracy," she writes, adding: "He was prepared to traumatise, time and again, the women at the centre of it all". The claims have been angrily rejected by Salmond's allies.
The former SNP leader died of a heart attack in North Macedonia last year, aged 69.
The independence referendum
Nicola Sturgeon recalls a "totally uncharacteristic sense of optimism" as Scotland prepared to vote on whether to become an independent nation on 18 September 2014.
It was arguably the defining event of her professional life and, in her view, a chance to "create a brighter future for generations to come".
The campaign was tough, she says, partly because of what she calls unbalanced coverage by the British media including the BBC and partly because Salmond left her to do much of the heavy lifting.
"It felt like we were trying to push a boulder up hill," she writes.
PA Media
Sturgeon claims Alex Salmond showed little interest in the "detail" of the independence white paper
A key period in the lead-up to the poll was her preparation, as deputy first minister, of a white paper setting out the case for independence.
At one point, she says, the magnitude of the task left her in "utter despair" and "overcome by a feeling of sheer impossibility".
"I ended up on the floor of my home office, crying and struggling to breathe. It was definitely some kind of panic attack," she writes.
Sturgeon says Salmond "showed little interest in the detail" of the document and she was "incandescent" when he flew to China shortly before publication without having read it.
"He promised he would read it on the plane. I knew his good intention would not survive contact with the first glass of in-flight champagne," she writes.
Operation Branchform
Sturgeon describes her "utter disbelief" and despair when police raided her home in Glasgow and arrested her husband, Peter Murrell, on 5 April 2023.
"With police tents all around it, it looked more like a murder scene than the place of safety it had always been for me. I was devastated, mortified, confused and terrified."
In the weeks that followed she says she felt like she "had fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel".
Sturgeon calls her own arrest two months later as part of the inquiry into SNP finances known as Operation Branchform "the worst day" of her life.
She was exonerated. Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, has been charged with embezzlement.
The couple announced they were separating earlier this year.
Getty Images
Sturgeon described her house as looking like a murder scene
Text here
Leading Scotland during the pandemic
ForSturgeon, the coronavirus pandemic which struck the world five years ago still provokes "a torrent of emotion".
Leading Scotland through Covid was "almost indescribably" hard and "took a heavy toll, physically and mentally", writes the former first minister.
She says she will be haunted forever by the thought that going into lockdown earlier could have saved more lives and, in January 2024, after she wept while giving evidence to the UK Covid inquiry, she "came perilously close to a breakdown".
"For the first time in my life, I sought professional help. It took several counselling sessions before I was able to pull myself back from the brink," she writes.
PA Media
Nicola Sturgeon appeared visibly upset when giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry
Text here
Misogyny and sexism
Scathing comments about the inappropriate behaviour of men are scattered throughout the book.
"Like all women, since the dawn of time, I have faced misogyny and sexism so endemic that I didn't always recognize it as such," Sturgeon writes on the very first page.
One grim story, from the first term of the Scottish Parliament which ran from 1999 to 2003, stands out.
Sturgeon says a male MSP from a rival party taunted her with the nickname "gnasher" as he spread a false rumour that she had injured a boyfriend during oral sex.
"On the day I found out about the story, I cried in one of the toilets in the Parliament office complex," she writes.
She said it was only years later, after #MeToo, that she realised this had been "bullying of an overtly sexual nature, designed to humiliate and intimidate, to cut a young woman down to size and put her in her place".
Her personal life
PA Media
Parts of the memoir are deeply personal.
Nicola Sturgeon says she may have appeared to be a confident and combative leader but underneath she is a "painfully shy" introvert who has "always struggled to believe in herself."
She writes in detail about the "excruciating pain" and heartbreak of suffering a miscarriage after becoming pregnant at the age of 40.
"Later, what I would feel most guilty about were the days I had wished I wasn't pregnant," she says.
Sturgeon touches on the end of her marriage, saying "I love him" but the strain of the past couple of years" was "impossible to bear."
She also writes about her experience of the menopause, explaining that "one of my deepest anxieties was that I would suddenly forget my words midway through an answer" at First Minister's Question Time.
"My heart would race whenever I was on my feet in the Chamber which was debilitating and stressful," she says.
And she addresses "wild stories" about her having a torrid lesbian affair with a French diplomat by saying the rumours were rooted in homophobia.
"The nature of the insult was water off a duck's back," she writes.
"Long-term relationships with men have accounted for more than thirty years of my life, but I have never considered sexuality, my own included, to be binary. Moreover, sexual relationships should be private matters."
What the future holds
PA Media
Sturgeon loves books and has often appeared at literary events such as Aye Write in Glasgow
Nicola Sturgeon has a few regrets.
These include pushing hard for a second independence referendum immediately after the UK voted — against Scotland's wishes — to leave the EU, and branding the 2024 general election as a "de facto referendum" on independence.
But now, she says, she is "excited about the next phase" of her life which she jokingly refers to as her "delayed adolescence".
"I might live outside of Scotland for a period," Sturgeon writes.
"Suffocating is maybe putting it too strongly, but I feel sometimes I can't breathe freely in Scotland," she tells the BBC's Newscast podcast.
"This may shock many people to hear," she continues, "but I love London."
She is also considering writing a novel.
Nicola Sturgeon concludes her memoir by saying she believes Scotland will be independent within 20 years, insisting she will never stop fighting for that outcome and adding: "That, after all, is what my life has been about."
Footage shows a Chinese coast guard vessel chasing a Philippine boat and then ramming a Chinese warship. It was the latest confrontation in the contested waters.
The Nigerian air force has killed scores of gunmen, known locally as "bandits", who were members of criminal gangs operating in Zamfara state, the military has said.
The air force said in a statement on Monday that it carried out a raid in Makakkari forest, north-west Nigeria, which was the hideout of the gunmen who were believed to be behind some high-profile kidnappings in the area.
It said it conducted the operation after surveillance detected more than 400 gang members preparing to attack a village.
Over the past two weeks, armed gangs have targeted nearby settlements, killing scores and kidnapping many more. At least 13 security personnel have also been killed.
The aerial strikes, in coordination with attacks on the ground, led to the deaths of "several notorious bandit kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers," air force spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said.
He added that the ground forces intercepted and killed others trying to flee the forest.
In parts of Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative business for some.
The bandits, motivated by financial gain, have also increased their cooperation with jihadist groups that have been waging a 16-year armed insurgency in the north-east.
In recent years, the military has launched a number of operations against the gangs, including last month when at least 95 gang members were killed - but the violence has persisted.
European leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force – two days before a US-Russia summit on Ukraine is due to take place in Alaska.
In a statement, European leaders said "the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future."
It added the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force".
The statement was signed by 26 of 27 leaders. Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block EU support for Ukraine.
The statement underscored the nervousness felt by Europeans about Moscow's actions in Ukraine, which many countries – particularly those bordering Russia or those in which the memory of Soviet occupation still lingers – believe could pose a direct threat in the near future.
In recent years Sweden and Finland have joined Nato, Baltic countries have reinstated conscription, and Poland has set aside billions to build a barrier alongside its border with Russia.
European countries have a long history of borders being redrawn by bloody wars and are extremely concerned by the prospect of the US allowing that to happen in Ukraine. A legal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over territories it conquered by force is unacceptable to the EU.
However, the notion that some Ukrainian regions currently under Russian control may not return to Kyiv is gaining ground.
US President Donald Trump has insisted that any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories" and could see Russia taking the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and keeping Crimea. In exchange it would give up the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which it partially occupies.
Last week, while admitting that some Ukrainian territory might end up being de facto controlled by Russia, Nato chief Mark Rutte stressed that this should not be formally recognised.
In their statement, European leaders said "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has wider implications for European and international security", and stressed the need for a "just and lasting peace".
They also said Ukraine should be capable of "defending itself effectively" and pledged to continue providing military support to Kyiv, which was "exercising its inherent right of self-defence".
"The European Union underlines the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny and will continue supporting Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," the statement concluded.
Denting the apparent unity of the declaration was a line in smaller print at the bottom of the page pointing out that "Hungary does not associate itself with this statement".
In a post on social media its leader Viktor Orban said he had opted out of supporting the statement as it attempted to set conditions for a meeting to which the EU was not invited and warned leaders not to start "providing instructions from the bench".
He also urged the EU to set up its own summit with Russia – though EU leaders have been shunning direct talks with Moscow since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Monday Trump revealed he had sought Orban's advice over the chances of Ukraine winning against Russia on the battlefield. "He looked at me like, 'What a stupid question'," Trump said, suggesting that Orban felt Russia would continue to wage war until it beat its adversary.
EU leaders are due to hold talks with Trump on Wednesday. They will be hoping to put the security of the European continent and Ukrainian interests at the forefront of his mind – at a time when nervousness is growing that the peace imposed on Ukraine may end up being neither "just" nor "lasting".
Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are then expected to meet in Alaska on Friday.
Around nine in 10 pharmacies have reported an increase in shoplifting and aggression towards staff in the past year.
A survey of 500 pharmacies by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) also found 87% had experienced at least one instance of intimidating behaviour towards workers, while 22% said they had seen staff physically assaulted.
Henry Gregg, the head of the body, which represents more than 6,000 independent community pharmacies in the UK, called the findings "appalling".
It comes amid an increase in reports of shoplifting across the UK's wider retail sector.
A government spokesperson said it had a "zero-tolerance approach to violence or harassment directed at NHS staff and community pharmacists".
They added that more than 500 town centres were being given extra neighbourhood patrols aimed at preventing shop theft and related offences.
But Mr Gregg said police "should do much more to tackle crimes like shoplifting". Nearly three-quarters of pharmacies the NPA surveyed said they felt the police response to criminal incidents was inadequate.
Ashley Cohen, a pharmacist in Leeds, said he had witnessed an "endemic increase in criminality".
"I'm not just talking about petty crime, small incidents of shoplifting, I'm seeing wanton vandalism," he told BBC Breakfast, noting instances of what he believed were "sinister organised crimes, where people are trying to access our dispensaries".
He has counted two attempted break-ins overnight at each of his two pharmacies, and three instances in which a brick was thrown through the front window.
Mr Cohen said: "Every incident of crime in our pharmacy isn't just a statistic but it makes my staff feel unsafe and it also stops our patients accessing healthcare."
The NPA says pharmacies have tightened security, including bringing in private security guards, employing body cameras and panic buttons, and installing CCTV and security shutters.
Some have also considered displaying photographs of known thieves as a form of deterrence - something the UK's information watchdog has warned against as it could break data protection laws.
But these measures are paid for by the pharmacies themselves. Mr Cohen said faster response times from police would give them better protection.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has also found that shoplifters have been carrying out increasingly brazen and violent acts of theft because they do not fear any consequences.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that shoplifting had "got out of hand" in the UK.
When asked about whether it was appropriate for images of known shoplifters to be displayed in places such as shop windows, she replied: "It's on all of us to be aware of what is going on in our local communities."
Nick Kaye, the former NPA chair, noted that instances of aggression were not always linked to shoplifting, but were often people going into pharmacies after being let down by other parts of the NHS.
"We [community pharmacies] are dealing with the most vulnerable, we are always there and accessible," he added.
The NPA warns that thieves could harm themselves or others by using stolen prescription medication.
The NHS is over-treating men for prostate cancer, a charity says, with around 5,000 a year undergoing treatment for cancers unlikely ever to cause harm.
Around one in four prostate cancers are so slow growing that men can opt for regular monitoring rather than treatment, such as surgery and radiotherapy, which can cause side-effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction
Of the 56,000 diagnosed in the UK each year, around 6,500 men opt for this, but an analysis by Prostate Cancer UK said another 5,000 could benefit.
The charity said outdated guidelines were to blame. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which produces them, said it was reviewing its advice.
NICE recommends that monitoring, using blood tests and scans, should be offered to the lowest risk cases, where nine in 10 will have no signs of cancer spreading within five years.
But research has suggested this could be extended to the next lowest risk group where eight in 10 men will have no signs of cancer spreading.
Evidence gathered by Prostate Cancer UK suggests many hospitals have started offering monitoring to this wider group of patients, but a quarter have not.
According to the charity's analysis:
in some hospitals in England, 24% of patients who could be monitored, instead undergo treatment
across the UK, an average of 8% of men who could be monitored are treated instead, amounting to 5,000 a year
Some of this could be down to patient choice – men are generally given the option of treatment even if they are at low-risk.
But the charity said if the NHS was more active in offering monitoring it could help strengthen the case for prostate cancer screening, which has gained traction since the diagnosis of Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.
One argument against screening is that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, used to spot potential signs of the cancer, is unreliable and leads to unnecessary treatment.
Amy Rylance of Prostate Cancer UK, said: "To reduce the harm caused by prostate cancer and build the foundations for a screening programme, we need to both save lives and prevent unnecessary treatment."
One patient who opted for monitoring was Michael Lewis, 63, from the West Midlands.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 and, as it was judged low-risk, he opted for monitoring.
Four years later tests suggested the cancer was worsening so he had his prostate removed. He said delaying treatment was so valuable.
"I was able to continue my everyday life with no side effects."
NICE said the organisation was reviewing the prostate cancer guidelines and looking to update them.
"We are committed to ensuring our guidelines continue to reflect the best available evidence and give patients the best possible outcomes," said a spokesman.
It says there is no "safe" temperature for walks, as it depends on your dog's breed, age, health and temperament.
The charity also recommends the pavement test: if you can't comfortably hold your hand on the ground for five seconds, it's too hot for your dog's paws.
If you do walk your dog, go out in the early morning or late evening, look for shaded areas and walk on grass where possible.
The charity says these signs could mean your dog is suffering in the heat:
limping or refusing to walk
licking or chewing at their feet
their foot pads are darker in colour or damaged
they have visible blisters or redness
You should also avoid running or cycling with your dog when it is hot.
If your dog is getting less exercise than usual, the RSPCA suggests keeping them engaged at home with puzzle toys or training games.
This includes those with underlying health conditions or thick coats which can trap heat. Puppies or older dogs may also struggle to regulate their temperature.
Dogs pant to keep themselves cool, but the shorter snouts of certain flat-faced breeds like bulldogs and pugs make this difficult. This means they are at particular risk from overheating.
Provide plenty of clean water - you can add ice cubes to their water bowl. Pets may also enjoy frozen edible snacks.
Put wet or damp towels underneath their body - but don't place them directly on top.
Several pet cooling mats and jackets are available, but make sure you follow the instructions. Products that need to be kept constantly wet can actually make your pet hotter if they dry out.
Some animals may enjoy playing with frozen toys, or cooling off in a paddling pool – although you should always supervise pets around water.
Keeping dogs and other furry animals like cats well-groomed prevents the build-up of matted fur, which can make it harder for them to stay cool.
Make sure any indoor animal cages or fish tanks are not in direct sunlight.
Never leave a pet in a locked car, caravan or other vehicle for any length of time, as temperatures can rise quickly to dangerous levels - which can be fatal.
Similarly, don't leave animals shut inside conservatories, sheds or greenhouses.
You may also want to leave out extra water in your garden for birds, foxes and other wildlife creatures.
Do pets need sunscreen?
Dogs and cats can get sunburnt - especially if they are light-coloured or have thin patches of fur. Ears, noses, eyelids and bellies are also vulnerable.
Sunburn can be painful for pets, and in extreme cases can lead to skin cancer.
Some active ingredients in human sun cream are toxic to pets so vets recommend using a pet-safe waterproof sunscreen, with an SPF rating of 30 or higher. Some companies sell sunscreen with a bitter taste to stop animals licking it off.
Once you know the sunscreen is safe, you can gently apply a thin layer of sunscreen on the exposed white and light patches of skin, plus their nose and ears.
The PDSA warns pet owners to look out for the following symptoms of sunburn:
Tony Parsons was captured on CCTV on the day he set off on his charity cycle ride
It was two months into their relationship when Dr Caroline Muirhead's new boyfriend confessed he had killed a man and left him in a shallow grave.
Alexander McKellar offered to take her to the spot where the body was buried – and her quick thinking was crucial in cracking a case which had baffled police for three years.
Caroline secretly dropped a can of Red Bull at the spot, in a remote estate in Argyll, then called police to tell them about the location.
The shallow grave contained the body of Tony Parsons, who had gone missing on a charity cycle ride three years earlier.
Tony's son Mike said that without Caroline's intervention, it was unlikely that his body would ever have been found – and expressed the family's gratitude for what she had done.
The case is the subject of a new two-part documentary which reveals the twists and turns of the police investigation and the Parsons family's long wait for justice.
Police Scotland
Tony Parsons was described as a loving father, grandfather and friend
Mike Parsons told BBC Scotland News that his dad was the kind of man who was always determined to complete any challenge he set himself.
Tony had previously been treated for prostate cancer and wanted to give something back.
So he planned a 104-mile charity cycle from Fort William to his home in Tillicoultry, setting off on Friday 29 September 2017 and cycling through the night.
Mike said his family started to become concerned when Tony had not contacted them by Saturday night.
"I actually texted him myself, with what is my dad and myself's sense of humour, a simple text: 'Are you still alive?'
"Looking back now, it's not nice to know that was the very last thing I texted to him, knowing at this point he would have been passed away."
Caroline Muirhead became a key witness in a murder investigation after her boyfriend of two months confessed he killed a man.
Police knew he passed through Glencoe Village at about 18:00 on Friday before going on to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel in Argyll.
The last known sighting of him was at the hotel at 23:30 that night, before he headed south on the A82 in the direction of Tyndrum.
As the days progressed, former police officer Mike and his family grew increasingly concerned about Tony.
"I knew the timescales that would be involved," he said.
"The longer the days went on, I knew in my head that the chances of him being found alive would be pretty slim.
"But I basically had to convince my mum there was still a chance, and lying to somebody like that is not easy."
Mike Parsons said the McKellar brothers' actions were inhumane
Despite numerous public appeals including an appearance by Mike on Crimewatch, it seemed that Tony Parsons had vanished into thin air.
Then, in late 2020, police received a phone call that would change everything.
The female caller was distressed.
She said she had information about a crime that had been committed three years earlier at Bridge of Orchy.
It concerned a hit and run, the concealment of a body, and lying to police.
She said the victim's name was Tony Parsons.
The caller was Dr Caroline Muirhead, the girlfriend of Alexander McKellar. Known as Sandy, he worked on a nearby estate with his twin brother Robert.
Police had spoken to the brothers after an anonymous letter in August 2018 said they were in the Bridge of Orchy Hotel the night Tony Parsons had vanished, but no further action was taken.
In June 2020, they were again questioned about Tony and confirmed being in the hotel with a hunting party that night. However, they said they had not seen the cyclist.
In November 2020, Caroline Muirhead and Alexander McKellar had been together for two months.
She asked her boyfriend if there was anything in his past which may affect their future together.
He told her he had hit Tony as he drove home from the hotel with his brother, but did not seek medical assistance.
Crown Office
The can of Red Bull dropped at the burial site allowed police to locate Tony Parsons' body
It was later revealed that Tony's injuries were so bad that he would only have survived for 20 or 30 minutes without help - but it was unlikely that he had died instantly.
The twins left the area and came back to the site in another car before taking Tony's body to the Auch Estate, where they buried him.
Mike Parsons said: "What they did was inhumane and you wouldn't do that to animals.
"They killed him by not seeking any medical treatment."
After confessing to his girlfriend, Alexander McKellar led her to the shallow grave where Tony's body had been buried.
Caroline secretly dropped a Red Bull can as a marker for the spot, before later calling police.
Crown Office
Tony Parsons body was buried in a remote area of the Auch Estate
Mike Parsons said she had shown "remarkable foresight."
"Being brutally honest, I'm not so sure if I was in the same situation I would have done and thought the same way.
"From my perspective, I have nothing but massive amounts of gratitude for that, because had she not done that and put herself into these positions, then we would never have found my dad's body."
Tony's body was recovered from the grave in January 2021 after a two-day operation by specialist officers.
He was found to have suffered "catastrophic" rib, pelvic and spine fractures following the collision.
Tony's funeral was held at Stirling Crematorium in April 2021.
Andrew Milligan/PA
Tony Parsons' funeral was held in April 2021
The brothers were arrested and questioned twice by police, but were initially uncooperative, giving "no comment" interviews.
With the evidence against the twins mounting, police eventually charged the pair with murder.
In July 2023, shortly before their trial was due to begin at the High Court in Glasgow, Sandy McKellar admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide.
His brother had his not guilty plea to murder accepted, but the pair both admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by covering up the crime.
'I said yes to them' - when Lewandowski nearly joined Man Utd
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Lewandowski, Man Utd and the transfer that got away
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Many football fans will be aware of the story of the volcanic ash cloud that scuppered Robert Lewandowski's potential move to Blackburn Rovers - but there was another club in England the striker wishes he had joined.
"To Manchester United I decided and said yes," he told BBC Sport. "I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson."
The prospect of a move to the Red Devils came in 2012, when Lewandowski was scoring prolifically at Borussia Dortmund - and two years after a volcanic eruption in Iceland had put paid to his Blackburn switch.
However, the German club simply did not want to let their talismanic striker go.
"They could not sell me," Lewandowski said. "Because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years.
"But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United."
While that move failed to materialise, Lewandowski has enjoyed a stellar career at some of Europe's biggest clubs, winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich and La Liga twice at his current club Barcelona.
At 37 he has no plans to retire any time soon, but accepts a Premier League opportunity has probably passed him by.
Speaking in an interview with Liam MacDevitt, Lewandowski added: "Maybe it could be a regret [not to play in the Premier League].
"But when I am looking back [having] played for Bayern Munich, Dortmund and now Barcelona I have to say I am very happy with my career.
"I don't have this kind of feeling that I missed something, because every move or decision... I made because I wanted it."
'I learn a lot from the young players'
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Image caption,
Robert Lewandowski is the old head in a young Barcelona team
Lewandowski, who has scored more than 700 career goals for club and country, is preparing for his 22nd season as a professional.
He is now the old head in a young Barcelona team featuring supreme talents like Lamine Yamal, but the Poland international believes he still has plenty to offer.
"When I see that I still don't have to catch the young guys, that they still have to catch me, it means this next season can also be very good," he said.
"I am still there to show the best performance from myself."
Lamine Yamal was not even born when Lewandowski's career began, but despite being 19 years his senior, the striker believes he is still learning from younger players.
"I understood that I cannot fight with them but I can help them and they can also help me," Lewandowski said.
"I learn from them a lot. I didn't think it would happen like that."
Lamine Yamal is widely viewed as a future superstar, and Lewandowski said he could see the winger was special from the moment he trained with the first team aged just 15.
"It is the first time in my life I saw after 50 minutes that he had something special," he said.
"I didn't believe it because I didn't see this kind of player at this age - I thought this is impossible at 15."
When Lewandowski came close to winning the Ballon d'Or
The latest nominees for the Ballon d'Or have been announced, and for Lewandowski this time of year will be a reminder of just how close he came to winning the award.
He was among the favourites for the 2020 edition which was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A year later he finished runner-up to Lionel Messi for the main prize, and was named striker of the year after a record-breaking season when he scored 41 league goals.
"I was in the best moment of my career, I won everything with my club," he said.
"I think the difficult thing with that case is until now I don't know why."
On who could win it this year, Lewandowski added: "You have so many players now who can [win the Ballon d'Or].
"Lamine Yamal's season was incredible but in the end it depends what is most important. He still has a lot of time, if not this year maybe next year.
"Raphinha also had an amazing season. We have players who can be one of the favourites to win this kind of title."
The conversation that changed Lewandowski's career
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Image caption,
Robert Lewandowski played for Jurgen Klopp in his four years at Borussia Dortmund
Lewandowski has played under some leading managers during his career and is currently working under Hansi Flick, who was also in charge during his trophy-laden spell at Bayern Munich.
But it is former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp - who Lewandowski played under at Dortmund - who had the biggest influence on the striker.
"When I moved to Dortmund I was a very young guy, I lost my father when I was 16," he said.
"I for sure was a boy who was more closed, I didn't want to speak about my emotion.
"However, after a few years I met someone who I don't want to say was like a father but similar.
"Maybe after so many years the kind of conversation that I missed with my father, I had with Jurgen.
"I remember the conversation until now because it changed my life, it changed my football life. I put my emotion out, I put out the words I had kept in for a few years and after this I felt freedom.
"Maybe because of this I started to play better and better."
President Trump again delayed higher tariffs on Chinese goods. But his recent moves on computer chips have stoked fears he’s willing to give too much to reach an accord.
President Trump again delayed higher tariffs on Chinese goods. But his recent moves on computer chips have stoked fears he’s willing to give too much to reach an accord.
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