11 October - The Knowledge

In the headlines

Prince Charles can “totally understand” the frustrations of Extinction Rebellion protestors, he tells the BBC in an interview from Balmoral, but says it hurts the cause to block motorways or anything else that “alienates people”. For his part, the prince has converted his beloved Aston Martin to run on English white wine and cheese. Sydney has emerged from a 106-day lockdown after the state of New South Wales achieved a 70% double vaccination target. Queues formed outside barbers and pubs. One happy publican told the BBC: “We’re stoked to be back.” Boris Johnson is on holiday in Marbella, staying at a villa owned by Zac Goldsmith. “Well,” says Politico, “that’s one way to keep warm without putting the heating on.”

Snapshot

Life

How I admire Adele for her honesty, says Sarah Vine in The Mail on Sunday, and envy her for her bravery – leaving her husband and the father of her child simply because it didn’t feel right for her any more. “I wasn’t miserable miserable,” she told Vogue, “but I would have been miserable had I not put myself first.” Racked by guilt, women of my generation stifle and suppress their desires, says Vine. Adele has the courage to say with no shame: “What do I want?” And to just go out and get it.

“As women, we lose ourselves as we get older. We become soft and blurred, not just as our hair fades and our jowls soften, but as our personalities, our desires, our ambitions, our hopes and dreams become subsumed by the needs of others. “We have so little time to ourselves we forget who we are, or were, defined only by the demands of others. Living not the life we’ve deliberately chosen, but the one that’s left over after everyone else has had their turn. But too scared to budge, too exhausted to break free, and often too frightened to do so. And ashamed of our own feelings.”

Inside politics

Donald Trump’s rally in Iowa on Saturday night “provided the clearest evidence yet” that his party wants him to run again in 2024, says Meridith McGraw in Politico. The former president was accompanied by “a who’s who of influential Republicans” – clearly, whatever qualms the GOP may have had about Trump are now “faded memories”.

Noted

Spain is offering 18- to 35-year-olds €250 a month to move out of their parents’ homes, says Quartz. Nearly two-thirds of Spaniards under 29 are still living with mum and dad – they typically leave home four years later than the EU average. Three-quarters of Brits have flown the nest by the time they’re 29.

Quoted

Quoted 11-10

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.”

Leonard Bernstein

Snapshot answer

They’re basketball star Michael Jordan’s old trainers, worn during his first NBA season in 1984-85. The beaten-up Nike Air Ships are expected to sell for up to $1.5m when Sotheby’s puts them under the hammer on October 24. The auctioneer entered the trainer market in 2019 to attract millennials and its sneaker sales are on track to hit $5m this year.

Tomorrow’s world

A “Robocop” has started to patrol Salt Lake Park in Los Angeles, says the BBC, leading to a 50% fall in the number of crimes being reported and a 30% increase in arrests. The K5 Robot has a 360-degree camera and uses AI to detect “anomalies” such as fights and vandalism. It isn’t armed – but it does have a button that can be used to contact a real police officer.