Coach’s assistant in tough time at Feyenoord sees parallels with issues his former boss needs to deal with at Anfield

Just over five weeks after Arne Slot’s Feyenoord had lost a tight Conference League final by a goal to Roma in 2022, they suffered a 7-0 home defeat by Copenhagen in their first pre-season friendly. Some of the Dutch club’s internationals were on holiday, seven of their starters from the final would leave that summer and Copenhagen were well ahead in preparations, but even so, the scoreline was bruising. It felt as if Slot had to start all over again.

“I can remember it like yesterday,” says Marino Pusic, Slot’s assistant at Feyenoord and earlier at AZ. “The score could have been even higher – that says enough.” Copenhagen’s then coach, Jess Thorup, described it as more akin to “a training session than an actual friendly match”. Two weeks later a stronger Feyenoord side lost 4-0 to the Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise. Then came home defeats by Lyon and Osasuna.

Officials say the move is ‘long overdue’ and meant to close decades of safety gaps in vehicle crash testing

The transportation department has unveiled a first crash test dummy in the US modeled specifically on female anatomy, a move officials say is meant to close decades of safety gaps in vehicle testing.

Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, unveiled the THOR-05F, an advanced female design for a crash-test dummy with upgraded technical specifications. According to the transportation department, the dummy will be incorporated into federal vehicle crash testing once a final rule is published.

Mohamed says decision to leave was after ‘many false allegations and smears’ against him and others

A second MP within a week has quit Your Party in acrimonious circumstances, throwing yet more doubt on the viability of the leftwing group co-led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.

In a statement on X , Iqbal Mohamed, who was elected as the independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley last year, said his decision to leave was after “many false allegations and smears” against him and others, which he did not explain.

President of talks urges ministers and high-ranking officials to find common ground as conference nears its end

• Cop30 live – latest updates

Climate crisis talks look likely to stretch well into the weekend in Brazil, with countries still far apart on the crucial issues of phasing out fossil fuels and cutting carbon.

The Cop30 president, André Corrêa do Lago, urged ministers and high-ranking officials from more than 190 countries to find common ground : “We need to preserve this regime [of the Paris climate agreement] with the spirit of cooperation, not in the spirit of who is going to win or is willing to lose. Because we know if we don’t strengthen this, everyone will lose.”

A fire at Cop30 in Brazil, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Russian missiles hit Ukraine and a giraffe on the move in Kenya: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

US president presses Kyiv to accept plan that would mean giving up territory to Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history, as Donald Trump demanded Kyiv accepts within days a US-backed “peace plan” that would force it to give up territory to Russia and to make other painful concessions.

Trump confirmed on Friday morning that next Thursday – Thanksgiving in the US – would be an “acceptable” deadline for Zelenskyy to sign the deal, which European and Ukrainian officials have warned amounts to a “capitulation”.

The latest report on the pandemic shows that grave failings were not limited to Boris Johnson. The government needs to prepare for the next crisis

All four of the UK’s governments are criticised in the latest report from the public inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-22. The Northern Ireland Executive’s response is judged to have been marred by political divisions. In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon did not involve cabinet colleagues enough in decision-making (though she is also described as serious and diligent). In Wales, Mark Drakeford’s government mirrored some of the errors made in London, particularly when it delayed the introduction of new restrictions in the autumn of 2020.

But rightly, given its responsibilities, size and resources, as well as its record, the UK administration led by Boris Johnson comes in for the biggest share of blame. Some of Heather Hallett’s findings regarding the political governance of the crisis are already familiar. Nothing in this report will damage the former prime minister’s reputation as much as what is already known about lockdown-breaking social gatherings in 2020 – or the fact that he misled parliament about them.

The wider TV and film industries have a long way to go in including disabled actors and creators, and leaving stereotypes behind

While the entertainment industry has been at pains to address issues of diversity in race, gender and sexuality, disability remains shockingly underrepresented. It’s not just that disabled actors are discounted for many roles. As actors and activists have pointed out, “blacking up” might have become taboo, but “cripping up” is still a shoo-in for awards. In almost 100 years, only three disabled actors have won an Oscar, compared to 25 able-bodied actors who have won for playing disabled characters.

The arrival this weekend of Wicked: For Good , the second part of a prequel story to The Wizard of Oz, has put the importance of authentic casting in the spotlight once more. The story of green-skinned witch Elphaba, and the prejudice she faces, Wicked is a celebration of difference. Yet since the hit musical opened in 2003, only able-bodied actors had played the part of Nessarose, Elphaba’s disabled sister. Last year, Marissa Bode became the first wheelchair-using actor to take the role, in part one of the film adaptation. The child Nessa is also played by a wheelchair user. The movies give the character greater agency and complexity, amending a scene that suggested she needs to be “fixed”.

Party’s former leader in Wales admitted taking payments to make statements in favour of Russia

Nigel Farage is facing calls to investigate and root out links between Reform UK and Russia after one of its former senior politicians was jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes from a pro-Kremlin agent.

Keir Starmer said Farage had questions to answer about how this happened in his party. Nathan Gill, a former leader of Reform UK in Wales, admitted taking payments to make statements in favour of Russia .