Max Verstappen completed a practice double for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton finished only 11th on a disheartening day for the seven-time world champion and his Mercedes team. As Verstappen predictably set the pace for Red Bull at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton, 12th in the day’s first running, ended second practice six tenths off the pace. Home favourite Fernando Alonso raised hope that he could challenge Verstappen and his all-conquering Red Bull team after he finished second for Aston Martin, just 0.170 seconds back. Nico Hulkenberg was an impressive third for Haas, with Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez fourth. Hamilton admitted on Thursday that Mercedes’ much-anticipated upgrade, which made its debut in Monaco a week ago, had not provided the magic fix he was hoping for. And on his new machine’s second outing, at a track where the Silver Arrows said they would obtain a greater understanding of their upgrades, the evidence suggests they are no closer to taking on the mighty Red Bull, or indeed, leapfrogging rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari. Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell finished eighth, half-a-second off the pace. Russell also came within inches of a nasty accident with Oscar Piastri after he was blocked by the rookie McLaren driver. Russell was forced to take evasive action, running off the road and into the gravel. “Who the f*** was that in the McLaren,” said the usually mild-mannered Briton as he limped through the sandtrap. Verstappen has been in a class of one for the past 18 months and his dominance continued on Friday. A day after he made the ominous prediction that Red Bull could win all 16 remaining races this year, Verstappen finished seven tenths faster than anyone else in the opening running before returning to the top of the timesheets for the day’s final action. Alonso’s home race this weekend marks the 10th anniversary of his 32nd and last win in the sport. However, the Spaniard is enjoying a career resurgence following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin, finishing on the podium at five of the first six races, and emerging as a possible threat to Verstappen. Five days after he finished on the podium in Monaco, Esteban Ocon was fifth for Alpine, three tenths back, with the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sixth and seventh respectively. British driver Lando Norris finished 14th for McLaren, two places behind his rookie team-mate Piastri. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph

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Cats in Cyprus are being treated with anti-Covid pills meant for humans after a feline virus killed thousands of animals on the island. An estimated 8,000 cats have died from Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), prompting the government to approve the use of stockpiled human coronavirus medication. The disease is almost always lethal if left untreated, but medication is effective in around 85 per cent of cases. However, the high price of the medication made it inaccessible to vets and pet owners in Cyprus, activists said. The government’s veterinary services director, Christodoulos Pipis said the first batch of 2,000 medication packages will be used to mitigate what has been called the “FCov-2023” outbreak, with a total of 80,000 pills becoming available later. Mr Pipis told the Guardian the health ministry rolled out the treatment on 8 August, celebrated as International Cat Day. Each pill will cost €2.5 (£2.16) and can be bought at local vets’ offices, after a formal examination and diagnosis. It is hoped the move will end the outbreak, first noticed in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia in January. FIP, which spreads through contact with cat faeces, has spread across the island four months later, the Pancyprian Veterinary Association said. Local animal activists claimed FIP has killed 300,000 cats, but PVA president Nektaria Ioannou Arsenoglou called that figure an exaggeration. The disease is unrelated to Covid-19 and cannot be contracted by human beings. However, the active ingredient in anti-Covid medication Lagevrio, molnupiravir, has proven effective in treating cats who’ve contracted FIP. The feline virus has been around since 1963, Ms Arsenoglou added, but previous epidemics in the UK, US, Taiwan, and Greece remained confined to catteries and eventually fizzled out without the use of any medication. However, the outbreak in Cyprus has also affected indoor cats. Read More Maui wildfires – live: Devastating wildfire burns historic town ‘to the ground’ in Hawaii and kills 36 Wildfire devastates Hawaii's historic Lahaina Town, a former capital of the kingdom A feline virus mutation in Cyprus caused far fewer cat deaths than claimed, veterinary leader says UK man bitten by cat contracts previously unknown and ‘extensive’ bacterial infection Ukraine war live: Putin ‘considers coming face to face with world leaders’ at G20 Poland to double troops number at border with Belarus

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To say the online coach industry is having a moment is an understatement given its continued popularity since the spike in searches during the pandemic. The sudden move to online completely transformed the way we live, from shopping to communicating with friends and family, to the hospitality sector and education. It didn't take long for qualified professionals to re-package their services to meet society's requirements, and while online coaching was by no means a new concept, the unpredictability of daily restrictions forced many to take the leap. This was mostly because they had no other option due to the inaccessibility of in-person meets. Many people believed online coaches would be a temporary novelty – similar to banana bread's 15 minutes of fame – but, they are seemingly here to stay and flourishing in their own right. From spiritual and career guidance to mental health and relationships, every corner of the online coach sphere is seemingly covered. But, arguably one of the most popular remains to be online personal trainers. Kim Weston, 26, remains one of the highly-regarded online coaches on social media, having helped over 500 women achieve their desired results. One client called Kim's coaching "one of the best decisions they ever made" when they fell ill with Covid. "Being able to message you for everything – whether it is to help with a workout, general advice, or even to tell you how I've felt – you've picked me up," they wrote, adding that they "couldn't be happier with the plan." Another gushed about how Kim had helped them gain confidence and "love the skin they're in, which I never thought was possible." Kim's coaching, soon to be rebranded to The New You Movement, catapulted to success when she kickstarted her online journey in April 2020. Currently known as Kim Weston Fit, the rebrand epitomises everything Kim stands for to "create a healthier, happier & better version of yourself." "I want to help women understand that it is possible to have a social life and sustainably achieve their fitness goals," she told indy100. Kim believes the online shift is here to stay, as she suggests "online clients get much better results," which people have learned for themselves. Kim finds it offers more flexibility to all, with a catalogue of workouts, nutrition advice, meal plans and much more all under one app. She also delivers advice and conducts weekly check-ins with all her clients taking part in her one-to-one programme. Kim, who spent years as a personal trainer in the UK before relocating to Dubai, finds that people tend to ask more questions and are more accountable during their online coaching programme. While Kim believes that in-person training is "essential" for gym newbies to learn the ropes and become familiar with gym equipment, she also feels it can sometimes result in the client becoming "reliant on a personal trainer to push them through the session." Not to mention, physical PTs are often much more expensive – especially several times a week. Instead, "online coaching teaches self-motivation, use of equipment and understanding towards fitness by doing it all themselves," she continued. "They are given the necessary tools but have to find the drive in them to do it themselves." Online coaches are seemingly having a social media boom, with the masses taking over social media with savvy content. Kim advises those looking for a coach to seek someone "who has a lifestyle they want to live." "If they want to be a bodybuilder or someone who competes a lot they will get a restrictive and firm trainer," she explains. "If they want to enjoy life and don’t want to give up their social life, they should find someone who is enjoying that whilst training alongside." Online coaching brings a lot of personal responsibility too, as for Kim, it's important that clients feel comfortable talking about anything. She also encourages women to go with female trainers, as they understand "how women’s bodies work," and helps tailor workouts and check-ins around PMS symptoms and cycles. "There will be a lot of things in life that come and can affect your training and you need to be able to open up to your coach about this to ensure they understand why in particular you may not have been able to follow something that week," she says. "It can be difficult to stay motivated 24/7 and if you can tell your trainer when you’re feeling low they can be there to pick you up." Kim continues: "Communication is key and I always tell my clients to treat it like a relationship." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Sports commentator Steve Rider has shared a message encouraging men to be conscious of their health after his prostate cancer diagnosis. Rider, 73, was told he had the disease last month after a biopsy. The former Grandstand and Sportsnight presenter will undergo surgery to treat it this weekend. Ahead of the operation, Rider shared some insight into his journey to diagnosis, which began when a friend was diagnosed during a routine health check. “He had a scan which showed some alarming things going on with the prostate and within a month he had the full operation and that woke everybody up because he had no symptoms and very fit guy, and roughly our age,” Rider told the PA news agency. After initially testing, Rider’s readings for cancer were “not that high”, so he’d planned not to take further action. His wife, Jane, urged him to have further tests, and a biopsy was taken. He continued: “I thought the worst that can happen is that I’m going to be monitored for the next six months or so and we got the results of the biopsy the next day and they said, ‘No, you come in as soon as you can, we’re going to operate.’” Rider said his diagnosis was aided by his friends having open conversations and his wife encouraging him to get further tested. “We do tend to treat these things a little bit like getting your eyes tested or ears done, you can put it off and maybe think ‘Well, I’ll wait till the symptoms come’. “Symptoms don’t come and when they do, it is probably too late.” He added: “The message is to recognise your vulnerability, especially with age and family history and so on. And if you do feel that you fall into those categories, then get yourself checked.” According to the charity Prostate Cancer UK, 144 men are diagnosed across the country each day – more than 52,000 per year. Rider’s former BBC colleague Bill Turnbull died in August 2022, nearly five years after being diagnosed. After sharing his diagnosis publicly in March 2018, Turnbull detailed his treatment in a Channel 4 documentary called Staying Alive. Speaking about the late broadcaster, Rider said: “The great thing about Bill was that he wanted to turn his misfortune into an information campaign which would save hundreds of others and I’m sure that probably hundreds and thousands of men have stepped back from a really serious cancer because of the attention that Bill Turnbull brought to early diagnosis and testing. “And apart from that, he was a lovely, lovely guy.” Rider found out that he had cancer the day after taking part in sports presenter Jeff Stelling’s charity Football March in Turnbull’s honour. Prostate Cancer UK has said the disease affects one in eight men in the UK and that more than 12,000 men die every year from the condition. They advise that if a man is over the age of 50, Black, or has a family history of prostate cancer that he may want to speak to a GP as these are higher risk factors. To find out more about your prostate cancer risk, or that of your partner, father or friend, you can visit Prostate Cancer UK’s website – prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker – and try the 30-second online risk checker. Additional reporting by PA Read More Cancer cases in young people ‘are rising’ – the warning signs to look out for Jeff Stelling leads hundreds to complete Wembley to Wycombe walk in honour of Bill Turnbull Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor claims he was ‘visited by angel’ after starting new cancer treatment The psychology of Big Brother: How to survive in the house Sports culture is ‘intimidating’ and putting people off working out Israel-Hamas conflict: How to talk to teenagers about distressing news stories