Innholdsfortegnelse for 283 i The Week Junior

A series of elections were held across the UK on 6 May, with several historic results. What happened in Scotland? The SNP won the Scottish parliamentary elections for the fourth time in a row. The parliament in Edinburgh is known as Holyrood. Since 1999, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had devolved assemblies or parliaments. This means that they have powers to make their own decisions about certain things, such as education and healthcare. The UK Parliament in Westminster makes decisions for the whole country. The SNP won 64 seats (each seat represents a politician), which is one short of half the seats in the parliament. It is one seat more than they won in the last elections in 2016. Why are the results so important? The 64 seats won…

Sir David Attenborough has been announced as the People’s Advocate for the COP26 Climate Change Conference, which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, this November. COP26 is being held by the United Nations (UN) from 1–12 November. The UN is a group of 193 countries that work together on the challenges facing humanity. Climate change is when there are long-term changes in world weather patterns, including rising temperatures. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil), farming and cutting down forests are major causes of climate change. At the COP26 conference, countries will be expected to work together to come up with new ways to fight climate change. As People’s Advocate, Attenborough will promote the talks and try to inspire action from both the public and politicians. He…

• On 2 May, a Premier League game between Manchester United and Liverpool was postponed after Manchester United fans broke into the stadium to protest against the owners of their club. • More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for the UK to adopt the 50+1 rule that is used in the Bundesliga, the German football league. • The 50+1 rule gives football fans in Germany a majority of their club’s voting rights. This means they have a vote on key issues. No one person can own more than 49% of a club.…

The public are being given the chance to vote on a name for one of the Tower of London’s new baby ravens. The names people can choose from are Branwen, Brontë, Florence, Matilda and Winifred. Legend has it that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if its resident ravens ever leave, so at least six are kept there at all times. Until recently there were seven. In March, a breeding pair called Huginn and Muninn produced four chicks, two of which will stay at the Tower. The male chick has been named Edgar, after the author Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote a famous poem about a raven in 1845. The Tower’s ravenmaster, Chris Skaife, is giving the public a chance to name the female chick. His shortlist…

Elephants and mammoths shared a common ancestor. Scientists believe the two groups split roughly six million years ago but Asian elephants are thought to be more closely related to the mammoth than African elephants. Mammoths and elephants share features such as a long trunk, big ears and great size but mammoths were much hairier and their tusks were much longer. Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership…

Have you heard about, or do you know someone, who has died recently? Death is a frightening word but it’s a natural part of life – and one that has affected many people during the coronavirus pandemic. Dying Matters Awareness Week (10–16 May) is a good opportunity to talk about the loss of a loved one and how to cope with grief. What is grief? Grief is a natural, emotional response to the death of a person – or pet – that we love and feel close to. It’s something that most of us will experience in our lifetimes. In some cultures (a group of people sharing the same beliefs and traditions), grief is quiet and private, whereas other people who are grieving wail and cry out loud. There is…

Techniquest Techniquest, in Cardiff, is a science centre that lets visitors interact with exhibits. The building is being expanded in a new project called The Science Capital. It plans to reopen to the public on 21 May. Glasgow Science Centre Closed for now because of Covid regulations, the Glasgow Science Centre in Scotland will reopen on 25 June. There will be exhibitions on all sorts of things, including how the body works and outer space. Museum of Science and Industry This museum in Manchester, England, allows visitors to explore 250 years of science and industry that started in the city and have since changed the world. The museum reopens on 19 May.…

Gotta catch ’em all” is the famous slogan for the Pokémon series of games. In the latest release, however, you’re not catching the colourful monsters, you’re taking photographs of them. Pokémon Snap is not a totally new idea. The first version was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 console. It was a chilled-out game that involved exploring an island and taking the best photos of its Pokémon population. Now it has been remade for the Nintendo Switch console in 2021. Snap uses the same idea as the original game, sending you off in search of more than 200 Pokémon from the game’s Lental region. Like the main Pokémon games, it’s all about collecting. It’s just that rather than catching the critters to fill a Pokédex, you’re snapping them to…

Who is your hero? Every young person who has a passion and drive to try and make the world a better place, no matter how small that difference might be, is my hero. It takes a hero to be different or be weird, to not always be part of the crowd but brave enough to stand up for what you believe in. If you could bring one extinct animal to life, which would it be? If I had to choose just one, right now, it would be the thylacine. Also called the Tasmanian tiger, they are more related to kangaroos than tigers. The last one died in a zoo when it was left out in the cold one night. Favourite fact? Can I have two? One is that if you…

Rings found in piles of rubbish Workers at a landfill site in North Carolina, US, have searched a truckload of rubbish to find a woman’s missing jewellery. Pam Smith was cleaning her house when she realised that some of her rings were missing. Suspecting that she’d accidentally thrown them away, Smith asked the local waste-collection crew for help. Kedar Brunson, who was in charge of the local landfill site, gathered a group of workers to look through the rubbish. They eventually found the rings in one of the last bags, five minutes before closing time, much to Smith’s relief. “I just want people to remember there are a lot of good people on this Earth who are willing to help,” she said. Man completes car-park mission On 26 April, Gareth…

Hidden Galleries, based in Bristol and Brighton, has a collection of works by artists ranging from Picasso to Banksy. The gallery is calling all young artists in the UK, aged 17 and under, to take part in a competition inspired by a piece in its collection. To take part, choose one artwork from the Hidden Galleries website and respond to it however you like. You can adapt the original or create your own painting, sculpture or drawing from scratch. The winner in each of three age groups will receive a £150 Amazon voucher and a set of L’émouchet Dual Tips art marker pens. Get involved before the 31 May deadline at tinyurl.com/TWJ-HiddenGalleries…

On 11 May, the Queen’s Speech marked the reopening of Parliament. The speech, given by Queen Elizabeth II, set out the Government’s plans for the year ahead. It was the Queen’s first public event since the death of her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. This year there were restrictions on the number of people at the ceremony, because of coronavirus. The speech outlined what the Government wants to do, including plans to protect the environment and animals.…

A RECORD-BREAKING RUN Anna Rutherford, from Eddleston, Scotland, ran the 212-mile Southern Upland Way in 62 hours and 34 minutes. She beat the women’s record by more than 17 hours. The 38-year-old said she wanted to show her children that dreams can come true. PENGUIN CHICKS Nine gentoo penguin eggs have hatched to parents Muffin and Mittens at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. Newborn gentoo chicks weigh around 98 grams. The zoo expects more penguins to hatch in the next few weeks. You can see the chicks on the live penguin cam at tinyurl.com/TWJ-penguinchicks A 10-YEAR-OLD CHESS MASTER A young refugee from Nigeria who now lives in New York, in the US, has become a national chess master. A refugee is someone who has had to leave their country because of…

Arouca, Portugal Record breaking bridge opens The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge recently opened in northern Portugal. The bridge stretches 516 metres across a gorge and hangs 175 metres above the Paiva River. Hugo Xavier, the first person to walk across it, said, “I was a little afraid but it was so worth it.” The bridge took two years to build. The US Cicadas begin a new life after 17 years After 17 years of life underground, trillions of cicadas are emerging across the US. The insects surface to sing a love song, a sound they make by vibrating. They live for four to six weeks, during which time they lay new eggs in the bark of trees. When the eggs hatch, the babies tunnel back underground for another 17…

Alice Dearing never imagined that she would become one of the UK’s best swimmers. “My main ambition as a child was to be a lawyer because of my interest in crime dramas on TV,” Dearing told The Week Junior. Now, she is hoping to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, to compete in open water swimming (which takes place outdoors, in a lake or the sea). The 24-year-old said she never considered being an athlete because she didn’t think she was cut out for it. “I’m glad I proved myself wrong and achieved success much greater than I ever imagined when I first started.” Dearing started competitive swimming when she was eight years old and it became her main extracurricular activity. She is also the co-founder and…

New research has revealed that wells dug by wild horses and donkeys in deserts provide valuable drinking water. This helps other animals too, as elf owls, black bears and American badgers have been spotted drinking at the wells. A team of researchers from Australia, Denmark and the US set up remote cameras at four desert locations in the US states of Arizona and California. Wild horses and donkeys (known as burros) had used their hooves to dig wells as much as two metres deep at these sites, so they could reach underground water beneath dry river beds and streams. The automatic cameras were used to watch over the sites and were set to record whenever an animal moved in front of them. The scientists saw plenty of comings and goings…

Sea turtles New research shows that sea turtles in the Cayman Islands are no longer at immediate risk of extinction. Just over 20 years ago, scientists counted only 39 nests on the islands. In 2019, there were 675. Researchers from the University of Exeter have called it “a remarkable recovery”. Amazon rainforest Brazil’s Amazon rainforest released more carbon dioxide (CO2 ) gas than it absorbed over the past 10 years. Too much CO2 traps heat and warms the climate. Plants and soil in the Amazon are good at absorbing the gas but trees are being cleared to make way for cattle farming and other uses.…

The remains of the Mary Rose and many of the objects that were recovered from the wreck are now displayed at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. Although it has recently been closed because of coronavirus restrictions, the museum is reopening on 17 May. However, if you can’t get there in person, it’s still possible to take a virtual tour of the ship online. Explore the main deck and listen to an interview with one of the divers who helped raise the ship from the sea bed at tinyurl.com/TWJ-maryrose…

Anew system uses tiny ice “microneedles” to deliver medicine painlessly into the skin. Microneedles are patches with hundreds of tiny needles that are too small to reach nerve endings and cause pain. They are attached to a plaster that sticks to the skin and are usually made of complex, expensive materials that gradually dissolve to release medicine. Researchers at the University of Hong King found a way of making the needles out of ice, which is cheap, and simply melts with the heat of the body. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science + Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal The tennis stars won the World Sportswoman and World Sportsman award at the Laureus World Sports Awards. Filippo Ganna The Italian won the first stage of the three-week long Giro d’Italia, which is one of three famous bike races known as the Grand Tours. Chelsea Women They won the Women’s Super League after a 5-0 victory against Reading. Chelsea’s Sam Kerr finished as the season’s top scorer, with 21 goals. Jake Hill Hill leads the British Touring Car Championship after the first three races of the season on 9 May. Hill finished third in each race.…

• Caribbean cultures celebrate a loved one’s life for nine nights after they die. Family and friends gather to dance, eat, drink, sing songs and share stories about the person until their spirit joins its ancestors. • During the Day of the Dead festival, held in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, spirits of relatives who have died are welcomed. Their graves are decorated with flowers and favourite foods. • The Hindu faith believes that when someone dies, their soul is reborn. Families spend 13 days after a funeral giving thanks and celebrating their loved one, to help their soul move on.…

Jamie McFlair Vs. the Boyband Generator by Luke Franks and Sean Thorne. Illustrated by Davide Ortu (Hodder Children’s Books) Jamie McFlair’s favourite band got a slot performing on TV – but then it all went wrong, thanks to Jamie’s evil uncle, Barry Bigtime. When Barry launches his own new band, Jamie and his friends must uncover his dastardly secret plan. Noah’s Gold by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Illustrated by Steven Lenton (Macmillan Children’s Books) Noah sneaks along on his sister’s field trip, little imagining the disaster in store. Six pupils end up marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished; their phones don’t work; and there’s no way of getting home. Then Noah finds a treasure map – and soon they are hunting for gold. Agent Zaiba Investigates: The Haunted House…

The sport of padel is a fun mix of tennis and squash. Usually played with two teams of two players, it’s easy to play and involves skill, tactics and quick thinking. Unlike many other racquet sports, you don’t need to hit the ball with lots of power. A doubles team often has a female and male player working together. Padel uses a court that’s smaller than a normal tennis court. It can be indoors or outdoors and the court has walls around it, off which the ball bounces, like in a squash court. When the ball is hit to your side of the net it can bounce once on the ground, then hit a wall before you hit it back. This means you must work out where the ball will…

On 17 May, some lockdown restrictions are due to be relaxed in England, Scotland and Wales. You can read about what’s happening on page 4. Whether it’s hugging a family member again or going to a museum, we’d love to know what you’re looking forward to doing. As a film fan, I can’t wait to go to back to the cinema. During lockdown I’ve tried to recreate the cinema experience at home. Last year, I rewatched all 24 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m now rewatching all the Pixar films. Starting my “Pixarathon” reminded me of one of my more eventful cinema trips to see Monsters, Inc. back in 2001. Throughout the film, tears were streaming from my left eye. Although Monsters, Inc. has its emotional moments, this…

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Teacher’s name: Miss Kaur School: The Tynings School, Bristol “Miss Kaur is kind and helpful and will always listen to your problems. She is great at explaining maths problems and is there for you when you need her. Miss Kaur is getting married in July and I hope that she has an amazing day!” Ellena If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send yourschoolthreefreeissuesof The Week Junior.Sendyour nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

1 What does Eid al-Fitr mean? □ a) Feast of celebration □ b) Festival of breaking the fast □ c) Great day of the feast 2 True or false? Greta Thunberg is the People’s Advocate for COP26. □ True □ False 3 In which country is the world’s longest footbridge? 4 Which of these football clubs is owned by its fans? □ a) AFC Wimbledon □ b) Manchester United □ c) Liverpool 5 True or false? Alice Dearing is an ice skater. □ True □ False 6 What type of animal is a burro? 7 How old was the youngest soldier to fight in the First World War? □ a) 16 □ b) 14 □ c) 12 8 True or false? The Mary Rose sank in 1545. □ True □…

Almost two billion Muslims around the world began celebrating the festival of Eid al-Fitr on 12 and 13 May. The date for Eid depends on the sighting of the new crescent Moon from the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Eid falls about a month after the start of Ramadan, when Muslims pray, read the Qu’ran (holy book), and follow religious customs. One of these customs is fasting, which means many Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours. Eid al-Fitr means “the festival of breaking the fast.” The Week Junior reader Salik Ahmad, aged 11, said that usually Eid is a time to “put special clothes on and go to the mosque”. He meets friends there and they exchange gifts and sweets and aft f wards, go…

From 17 May, new rules are due to be introduced in England and Scotland that will allow friends and family to hug each other. In some parts of the UK, cinemas and museums will reopen and eating indoors in a café or restaurant will be allowed. Numbers of Covid-19 infections are continuing to fall, which means some lockdown restrictions are being relaxed. What is happening in England? On 10 May, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people from different households in England could hug each other from 17 May. (See panel for more information.) Other new rules mean that six people or two households are now able to meet indoors, and up to 30 people can meet outdoors. Secondary school and college students will no longer have to wear…

When six of England’s biggest football clubs announced that they were joining a European Super League (ESL) on 18 April, it led to fans protesting across the country. The owners of these clubs had decided that in the new league, their clubs could never be relegated (moved to a lower league), which people said went against the spirit of the sport. Most of the clubs later withdrew from the ESL plan but protests have continued, with fans of these clubs calling for their owners to leave. This has led some people to suggest that football clubs should be run by their fans instead. In Germany, fans have a huge say in how their clubs are run, and in the UK some lower league clubs are owned by their supporters. So…

Each year in June, the Wildlife Trusts challenge the public to perform a “random act of wildness” each day as part of its 30 Days Wild campaign. The Wildlife Trusts is a group of 46 wildlife charities from across the UK that aims to restore nature and help everyone get into the great outdoors. The 30 Days Wild campaign is a way to do just that. An act of wildness can be anything that gets you involved with nature, whether that’s sketching something outdoors or simply watching the sun rise or set. The event kicks off on 1 June with a nationwide outdoor breakfast. People who have taken part in the past have reported that the month has made them feel more connected to nature, as well as healthier and…

Jamie Wells Former soldier Graham Wells wanted a better life for his six-year-old son Jamie, who was born with an illness that means he cannot walk or talk. The Legion has provided Jamie with a special tricycle and a modified bed, which means he can go on holiday. His mum Leanne said that a phone call to the Legion “changed our lives”. Anthony Cooper Cooper lost both his legs fighting in Afghanistan in 2010. After a long recovery, Cooper used funds raised by the Royal British Legion to buy a special racing bike. He has competed in the Invictus Games, an international sports event for injured former members of the armed services. His dream is to qualify for the Paralympic Games. Leon Parker When Parker left the army he couldn’t…

Pups in the sun Red fox cubs enjoy the spring sunshine in Ontario, Canada. An angel’s view An aerial shot of Los Angeles, in the US, taken from a helicopter. Winter wonderland A drone captures snowy landscape near St Petersburg, Russia. The race is on Athletes at a test event for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Japan. Swanning about Cygnets (baby swans) take shelter in Devon, England. A wild conversation A red-billed oxpecker seems to chat to an impala in South Africa.…

The Hundred is a new cricket competition starting on 21 July. Eight new men’s and women’s teams from England and Wales are taking part, including Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire. In a match, each team will try to score as many runs as possible from 100 bowls. The teams that finish in the top three league places will then battle to become the overall men’s and women’s champions. The finals will be on 21 August at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.…

Carbon is everywhere on our planet and it is essential to the survival of all living things. Carbon dioxide is the gas that is formed when carbon reacts with oxygen. It comes from natural and man-made sources, such as humans burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) to create energy. Too much carbon dioxide causes the temperature of the Earth to rise, and the result is global warming. As well as creating cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar power, scientists are working on ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A new exhibition at the Science Museum in London, called Our Future Planet, shows some of the ideas. Although plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, many scientists believe that planting more trees is not the only…

The Force Awakens From Its Nap Available now on Disney+ This short film, which combines the worlds of Star Wars and The Simpsons, was released on 4 May to celebrate Star Wars Day. There are plenty of fun jokes and surprises in its three-minute runtime. Jungle Beat Available now on Netflix When an alien cra h lands on Earth, a group of friendly talking animals try to help him get back home. This new animated film is based on characters from the online TV series Jungle Beat and Munki and Trunk.…

Extinct: Hallucigenia by Professor Ben Garrod. Illustrated by Gabriel Ugueto (Head of Zeus) Have you ever heard of Hallucigenia? This strange, spiky, armoured worm lived 450 million years ago. It’s one of many incredible creatures that have been lost in mass extinction events. In his new Extinct series, scientist Ben Garrod introduces readers to some of these ancient creatures and explores what caused them to become extinct. Using Hallucigenia as an example, this book takes an in-depth look at the idea of extinction, including how and why a creature can disappear completely. You’ll also find out how the scientists who study prehistoric life interpret remains to learn about creatures of the past. Packed with information, the book includes timelines and illustrations, as well as contributions from other experts.…

Can I use a normal tennis racquet and ball? No. Padel racquets don’t have strings and are solid with small holes in them. Padel balls do not bounce as much as regular tennis balls do. Understanding how the ball bounces and spins, and being able to hit the ball quickly when it bounces from a wall, is an important part of the game. How can I get involved? There are around 100 padel courts across the UK. New courts are being added all the time at sports clubs. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) helps organise the sport in the UK; go to lta.org.uk and click on “play and compete” for info about padel, including a list of clubs near you.…

“At our farm calving has started and lambing is just finishing (we have one sheep left to lamb). In the picture is one of our most recent heifers (girls). I really enjoy stroking calves because they feel like velvet!” Molly “My teacher found a poorly hedgehog in our playground. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it, but the vet is interested to see if our school garden would suit other rescue hedgehogs.” Anna “We couldn’t help but notice that our cat Magic looked very similar to the one on the front cover so we wanted to share the cat love.” Owen and Ollie…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week we asked you if children should be free to play as they please. You said... “Yes, as long as they aren’t playing anything that’s too dangerous.” “As long as there is an adult nearby in case of an incident.” “Yes, we all deserve the time to play and be happy, whether it’s in play parks, or on a field in our back garden! It’s fun and takes our minds off things like homework.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…