68 h. ago This Morning star shares major health diagnosis as 'life comes crashing down'

This Morning star Scott Miller says his life was 'thrown in the air and came crashing down' after being diagnosed with autism at the age of 47

Events

3 d. ago Zadie Smith on the magic of Tracy Chapman: ‘She didn’t just look like us – she was singing our songs’

The novelist was just 12 when the ex-busker stunned a mammoth crowd at the Free Nelson Mandela concert – and sent everyone racing to Woolworths for her astonishing debut album. Its simple, honest, perfect songs of protest have mesmerised the writer ever sinceOn 11 June 1988, I was 12 and sitting with my family watching the Free Nelson Mandela Concert on TV. As a clan, we were old hands at trying to free Mandela, having done our fair share of marching and boycotting over the years, and this concert felt like the culmination of all that. There was a lot of excitement in the room: we squeezed on to the sofa and opened the windows wide. (If the wind’s blowing in the right direction, you can hear a Wembley audience roar from Willesden.)Many world-famous musicians played that day. Most of them I don’t remember, but one I will never forget: Tracy Chapman. I think a lot of people feel that way, though when you rewatch the footage you realise what she was up against at the time. Nobody cheer...

Events

3 d. ago Undiagnosed entertainment: how Hollywood awkwardly dodges autism

Eccentric, blunt-speaking characters who present as being on the spectrum are everywhere on our screens – but why are their creators so reluctant to state it openly?I received my autism diagnosis about a decade into my career as a comedian and about three decades into being alive. In the eyes of some of the frothier comment section trolls, being a comedian means that I can’t be autistic, despite the likes of Fern Brady and Stewart Lee proving otherwise. This is because people are keener on stereotypes than admitting they know nothing about autism – why is the general level of knowledge so poor?With Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr doing their best to make autism terrifying again, either by implying that it causes sieg heiling or by bringing back the MMR autism panic of the 1990s (along with actual measles), it struck me that we autistic people don’t have a lot of reliable representation to fall back on. There’s Rain Man, of course, and Ben Af...

Events

4 d. ago Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris review – with a little help from John, Paul, George and Ringo

The Guardian journalist’s tender account of how music became a bridge between him and his autistic son, James, is full of wit and wisdomHalfway through Maybe I’m Amazed, there’s a photograph of John Harris’s son, James, with one of his heroes. James is a young-looking 10 in knee-length shorts decorated with stars. Ian Hunter of 1970s rock band Mott the Hoople stands beside him, a hand gently around his shoulder. “Sixty-nine years separate them,” Harris writes. “Here is proof of how songs and their creators find fans in the most unlikely of places.”Maybe I’m Amazed is the story of a growing child’s love of music, but it’s more than that: it’s also about how songs provided a whole world for James, and his family, after his autism diagnosis. It marks a departure for Harris, whose previous journalism, aside from his political work for the Guardian, has involved editing magazines and writing columns, reviews and other books about music. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago AP PHOTOS: From the Atlantic coast to the Sahelian plain, Ramadan brings West Africans to the table

Each night, throughout Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, families gather, neighbors share food freely and communities come together around beloved culinary traditions that carry both comfort and meaning.

Culture

6 d. ago Yukimi: For You review – sweet solo debut for Little Dragon singer

(Ninja Tune)Yukimi Nagano’s first record without the Swedish synth-pop band is a light but pleasurable affairIt seems barely credible, but next year is Little Dragon’s 30th birthday. Although Yukimi Nagano has fronted the Swedish electronic dance act since she was at school, For You is her first solo album. Strength-through-suffering gem Break Me Down is an excellent lead single – a filigree of a pop song freewheeling on Yukimi’s enticing, airy vocal. Its summery drift is shared with neighbours Make Me Whole and Runaway, riffing confidently on 70s soul and 90s nu-jazz, love letters to hope in uncertain times.Winter Is Not Dead’s Björkish marriage of minimal electronics and layered harmonies is delicious, as is No Prince’s vocal crescendo and Peace Reign’s pendulous bassline, curling its fingers around the guts of the song. Walk-on parts for Nagano’s sons and father feel mildly indulgent. Still, she says that “when songwriting is personal, it also becomes very accessible, because we’...

Politics

6 d. ago Millie Bright: ‘I’m really proud of Lucy Bronze for sharing her story’

Chelsea and England defender on the power of football, the pitch named after her and praise for her teammate for talking about her ADHD and autism diagnosis“When you experience the things we have in the women’s game, it does open your eyes to the struggles of others,” says Millie Bright. “It does make you more aware of all kinds of different barriers people might face. You really appreciate the struggles that people have to go through and the constant barriers and battles that have to be fought every single day just to exist. Literally just to exist. You’re not asking to be better than anyone, you’re just asking to exist and be able to do what you love doing, whatever that is, in sport or beyond sport; things that are just part of living a full life, and everyone deserves a full life.”The Chelsea and England defender is sitting in the small stand at Cobham FC’s brilliantly named Leg O’ Mutton Field talking about the power of football. Last year Bright was back in Killamarsh, the vil...

Politics

7 d. ago Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days

Editorial: The Atlantic Alliance used to believe it had liberal democratic values in common and a shared interest in collective security and free trade. That, thanks to the US president, is no longer true. Europe must adjust to this altered reality, or die

Politics

9 d. ago Trump's clown show cabinet's recklessness puts US security and European alliances in jeopardy

Trump’s clueless cabinet complained about defending “free-loading Europe” in a secret group chat accidentally shared with a reporter - creating grave implications for America and its relationship with its allies

Politics

1 week ago Bella Ramsey opens up on autism diagnosis during The Last of Us

The 21-year old said their diagnosis had been “helpful” to better understand their identity.

Politics

1 week ago The character traits that might mean you are autistic – and how to get a diagnosis

More adults than ever seeking truths about being on the autism spectrum

Politics

1 week ago Bella Ramsey received autism diagnosis after crew member spotted signs

Actor says they were diagnosed while filming first season of The Last of Us

Politics

1 week ago Bella Ramsey shares ‘freeing’ autism diagnosis: ‘Enables me to walk through world with more grace’

Actor says they were diagnosed while filming first season of The Last of Us

Politics

2 w. ago Bella Ramsey admits being 'properly in love' amid rumored romance with female actress

Bella Ramsey revealed they were 'properly in love' while filming the second season of HBO Max's The Last Of Us amid rumored romance with Maisy Stella.

Culture

2 w. ago The Last Of Us’s Bella Ramsey describes receiving autism diagnosis as ‘freeing’

The 21-year-old said the diagnosis has been ‘helpful’ to understand their identity better.

Politics

2 w. ago England Lionesses hero Lucy Bronze bravely opens up on autism diagnosis

England and Chelsea player Lucy Bronze has spoken about how her diagnoses of autism and ADHD four years ago helped her understand herself - and propelled her career

Politics

2 w. ago The impact of Trump 2.0 on Australia is evidence of how American we suddenly aren’t | Van Badham

Our two countries once shared a history fighting together for freedom. But does the US, like, even do that any more?Australians have found the behaviour of our American cousins challenging of late. Cultural differences yawn as wide as the Pacific between us. We were not sad to see “the baby wombat grabber” go.The first mistake made by Montana-based tourist Sam Jones, Online Influencer, was to snatch a joey from its mother at night. Her second mistake was to sway the frightened creature in front of some gormless chucklehead who filmed her – giggling – and to upload the footage to the internet. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Love Island star begins egg freezing after split from boyfriend who refused to propose

Anna Vakili has shared that she has started freezing her eggs, calling it a decision she wished she had made sooner.

Politics

2 w. ago Free school meals in Wales criticised for not being healthy enough

A leading academic has shared his thoughts on the quality of the free meals provided to primary school children in Wales.

Culture

2 w. ago Still think autism is a 'boy thing'? Wrong: we're vastly under

If asked to name someone famous, fictional or real who is 'on the spectrum', most people give the same sorts of replies. Raymond Babbitt from the movie Rain Man is usually favourite.

Politics