8 h. ago PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé takes centre stage as football’s chief late bloomer

Timekeeping used to be an issue for the Frenchman but now his rapid pressing is pushing him towards a Ballon d’OrOusmane Dembélé is right behind you and way ahead of everyone, which is just where Luis Enrique always imagined him. At the end of Paris Saint-Germain’s destruction of Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Club World Cup in New Jersey this week, the coach declared his No 10 the season’s best player “by far”; not so much for the 35 goals and 16 assists but for something more simple. So simple it has taken a decade to do. But then Didier Deschamps, his national team manager with France, did say that being late is “a little habit of his”.Well, it was. If there is a portrait that defines the PSG team potentially 90 minutes from winning it all, an image that embodies them and Dembélé’s transformation, it may be that shot of him poised, coiled, at the edge of Inter’s area in the Champions League final. Toes on the line, his eyes narrow and fixed on Yann Sommer like a leopard rea...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘We’re told to be polite and small and dainty. But that’s not me!’: Megan Stalter on starring in Lena Dunham’s new romcom, Too Much

Her kooky online skits brought her viral fame and a breakout role in HBO’s Hacks. Then Lena Dunham came calling with the job of a lifetime. Is the actor ready to take centre stage?When Lena Dunham messaged, Megan Stalter lost it. “Like d’uhh,” Stalter is explaining – delighting, really. “Who wouldn’t? I was at home: this really bad apartment in Laurel Canyon [in the Hollywood Hills]. The area is haunted, and it was actually a really scary building, and nothing ever got fixed because apparently in the lease I signed they didn’t have to repair anything! I don’t actually live there now ” Stalter, 34, has a tendency to wander off on tangents. So Dunham?“OK yes, so we were just about to start filming Hacks again.” The wildly popular, 48-times-Emmy-nominated HBO comedy in which Stalter plays nepo-baby Kayla, a chaotic and kind-hearted talent agent, her total-commitment-to-the-bit characterisation making her a breakout star. “And there Lena was in my DMs.” Stalter opene...

Politics

8 d. ago Bonehead takes centre stage with Oasis for first time in 25 years at huge Cardiff gig

Fans had wondered what role rhythm guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs would play

Politics

8 d. ago McLaren go from busking at back of F1 field to Silverstone’s headline act

Under Andrea Stella’s astute leadership, McLaren have bounced back from rock bottom, and Norris and Piastri will be the star attractions this weekendAs a celebration of a sporting revival, McLaren might consider this year’s British Grand Prix a chance to revel in finally returning as the headline act at Formula One’s Glastonbury. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will take centre stage at Silverstone as overwhelming favourites; after more than a decade in the wilderness, there is real optimism that it’s finally coming home for McLaren.Half a million fans are expected at Silverstone over the weekend and while no one is quite counting chickens – not least as rain may play a part on Sunday – 10 years on from what might be considered a nadir for the team, the transformation at McLaren to put them in this position has been remarkable. In 2015 when the current team principal, Andrea Stella, joined as trackside head of operations they entered the season 5.1 seconds off pole in Australia and f...

Politics

1 week ago Hollywood action hero looks unrecognisable while showing off his body popping skills as notorious 1980s breakdancing tutorial resurfaces

Dressed in a nylon tracksuit, the soon-to-be star takes centre stage in an episode of Breakin' in the USA: Break Dancing and Electric Boogie Taught by the Pros.

Events

1 week ago Rod Stewart at Glastonbury: The brilliant moments and the blunders as legend takes centre stage

Rod Stewart took to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday afternoon in the important Legends slot and was joined by a string of special guests

Events

2 w. ago New Albion Rovers kit thanks fans in writing as Rovers Return backers take centre stage on retro kit

The Coatbridge club have taken a different approach to this season's kit design

Politics

2 w. ago Boxing Tonight: TV channels, live streams, UK start times and fight cards

Jake Paul's cruiserweight fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr takes centre stage tonight as the YouTuber continues on his path to a world title shot

Sport

2 w. ago George Clooney lets his glamorous wife Amal take centre stage on red carpet at King's Trust Awards as they're joined by a host of showbiz stars

George Clooney proved he is ever the gentleman as he let his glamorous wife Amal take centre stage on the star-studded red carpet at the King's Trust Awards on Thursday. 

Events

2 w. ago EastEnders spoilers: Alfie exposed, Bernie's deadly lie and the Panesars take revenge

It's a big week for EastEnders and many residents take centre stage, with danger teased, lies and secrets threatening to tear people apart and worrying twists in store

Events

2 w. ago ‘One kid at a time’: How children’s books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity

From Margaret McDonald’s Glasgow Boys to Nathanael Lessore’s King of Nothing, boys take centre stage in this year’s Carnegie-winning titles. Let’s hope that the male protagonists persuade more boys to pick up a bookThis year’s Carnegie medals for children’s writing, awarded on Thursday, brought to light an unexpected trend. At a time of widespread public anxiety about the decline in boys’ reading habits and the rise of the toxic influencers of the online “manosphere”, male friendship and masculinity were front and centre on the shortlist.The winner, Margaret McDonald’s superb debut, Glasgow Boys, tells the story of the relationship between two looked-after children on the threshold of adulthood who process trauma in different ways. Banjo’s aggression and Finlay’s avoidance could be seen as two models of dysfunctional masculinity. Luke Palmer’s Play, also on the shortlist, tells a story of male friendship which touches on rape culture and county lines drug gangs, while teenage gang m...

Events

3 w. ago 15 best Royal Ascot pictures as King Charles and Camilla take centre stage with dazzling dresses on display

The only thing as spectacular as the racing at Royal Ascot is some of the outfits with punters out to dress to impress

Politics

3 w. ago Historic Dundee dresses unearthed at Oxfam shop find a new home in the Museum of Edinburgh

A trio of vintage evening dresses discovered at Oxfam’s Broughty Ferry shop are set to take centre stage in a museum collection after staff uncovered clues linking them to a mysterious entertainer from Dundee’s past.

Culture