Competition to resemble Normal People star is markedly lower-stakes than chaotic Timothée Chalamet event in New York last month

Two weeks ago, a mobbed competition to find a Timothée Chalamet lookalike in New York led to one arrest, a $500 fine for an “unpermitted costume contest” and a surprise appearance by the real-life Chalamet , fuelling further chaos.

But a similar event in Dublin on Thursday, this time to find a doppelganger for Paul Mescal, the star of Normal People and the upcoming Gladiator II, unfolded rather more sedately.

• England mood now ‘much more inclusive’ says captain
• ‘Eddie was someone who never wanted to sit still’

The England captain, Jamie George, has insisted that a toxic environment is not a necessary price to pay for success after admitting Eddie Jones’s regime could be “challenging” and that he understands where Danny Care is coming from after his explosive claims about the Australian’s setup.

George, who was appointed England captain at the start of the year, was a mainstay of Jones’s squad and is adamant that the current set-up is “much more inclusive” but did concede “it hasn’t always been that way” in a nod to Care’s comments in his autobiography that the previous environment was like “a dictatorship”. George did, however, laud Jones’s coaching credentials.

Demonstrators in South Korea swore off heterosexual dating in protest against misogyny. Now the movement is sparking interest among young American women

McKenna, who is 24 and lives in a rural, conservative state, recently got back on dating apps after a year of finding herself. She had two first dates planned for this weekend, but after Donald Trump won the election, she cancelled both.

“It’s heartbreaking to know that in this country you only matter if you’re a straight white man,” she said. “It’s just devastating that we’re at this point. So I will not let another man touch me until I have my rights back.”

The former president’s closeness to Vladimir Putin and isolationism bode ill for Kyiv. Accelerating US support is essential

Even Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s extraordinary communication skills were stretched as he rushed to congratulate Donald Trump on the victory that Kyiv had been dreading . The Ukrainian president wrote that Mr Trump’s commitment to “peace through strength” was exactly the principle that could bring a just peace closer. Vladimir Putin’s riposte came almost immediately, via a massive drone attack on the capital , and the Kremlin’s call on the west to stop arming Ukraine to save its people.

For Joe Biden, supporting Ukraine was about defending the post-second-world-war order. It was a relatively cost-effective way for the US to degrade the capabilities of a key adversary with no risk to its own personnel. But Mr Trump is an isolationist who has a strikingly close relationship with the Russian president – and who, according to a former aide, made it very clear that he believed Ukraine “must be part of Russia”. Mr Trump said during his campaign that he could end the war “in a day” and blamed Mr Zelenskyy for the conflict.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here .

The prime minister has strengthened the rules on government conduct but too many holes remain

Launching his government’s new ministerial code this week, the prime minister said that restoring trust in politics is “the great test of our era”. That is a bold claim in times of climate crisis, but it contains much truth. Without trust in government, democratic bonds shrivel and demagogues prosper – a lesson for our times. But in truth, Sir Keir Starmer seems to have taken a disturbingly easygoing approach to doing enough about it.

It has in fact taken him 124 days in office to publish his version of the rules on ministerial behaviour. During that time, the government’s – and Sir Keir’s – judgment about the acceptance of gifts from donors went badly missing. Those episodes did serious – and perhaps lasting – reputational damage to the government. It was all eminently avoidable. Publication of the code now feels like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here .

• Updates from Old Trafford; kick-off 8pm GMT
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Manchester United have already had one big European victory to celebrate this week. You know the one. You know why. It’s not much of a leap.

That’s not to say they couldn’t do with an actual win of their very own, though. United are currently 22nd in the Europa League megatable, after draws of varying degrees of ropiness against Twente, Porto and Fenerbahce. The feelgood factor might be back at Old Trafford in the wake of Erik ten Hag’s dismissal and Ruben Amorim’s impending arrival, but that won’t stop the mood momentarily descending again should United fail to see off the Panthessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans, who may be the reigning Greek champions but are currently 30th in the Europa League table after two losses and a draw; have only won three of their last nine matches in all competitions, losing four; and are 190th in this season’s official Uefa rankings , a full 143 places below their esteemed hosts ^† . Having said all that, United can’t take anything for granted, given their own shocking form: just two wins in their last ten in all competitions. They’re hot favourites tonight, but then we’ve said that before. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!

Pair allegedly recruited US woman to carry out shooting who wore hijab as disguise, but gun jammed, court told

A father and son have been jailed for a bungled revenge plot to kill a Birmingham shop owner, after allegedly recruiting an American woman to carry out the shooting who wore a hijab as a disguise.

Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 30, was sentenced to 32 years in prison, while his father, Mohammed Aslam, 58, was given 10 years after both were convicted of conspiracy to murder Aslat Mahumad, the owner of a boutique clothing shop in Birmingham.

Ousted defence minister also quoted as saying Netanyahu rejected peace deal against advice of his security officials

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Israel’s ousted defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has reportedly said the army had achieved all its objectives in Gaza and that Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected a hostages-for-peace deal against the advice of his own security establishment.

Gallant was speaking to hostages’ families on Thursday, two days after being sacked by Netanyahu , and reports of his remarks quickly surfaced in Israeli media.

Samantha Sherratt says young adults are presenting with life-changing bladder problems, while another reader writes that her daughter took her own life after years of addiction

Our hearts and gratitude go to “Nick” and Jack Curran for so bravely sharing the devastating impact ketamine has had on their lives ( The agony of ketamine addiction: ‘I felt like I was peeing glass’, 5 November ). Their stories starkly illustrate the unexpected crisis unfolding in urology clinics nationwide as more young adults present with bladder issues tied to their recreational use of the drug.

Last month, Jasmine King, a urology specialist nurse practitioner with North Bristol NHS trust, discussed this growing problem at an insights webinar held by the Urostomy Association to mark World Ostomy Day. She pointed out that not only do we have to raise awareness among younger people, as Elle Hunt’s article explores, but among health professionals too, as the symptoms of recreational ketamine use are not always recognised by GPs and nurses.