Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 80 i The Week Junior

On 1 June, the US president, Donald Trump, made an announcement that sparked anger and disappointment around the world. He said he would withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, which is an international deal to protect the world from the devastating effects of climate change. What is climate change? When we burn fuels such as coal, oil and gas to power our cars, homes and factories, gases are released into the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases, known as greenhouse gases, trap the Sun’s energy, forcing the planet’s temperature to rise. This can result in extreme weather such as heatwaves and rising sea levels, and can lead to the loss of coral reefs. What is the Paris Agreement? In 2015, almost 200 countries, including the US, agreed to limit greenhouse-gas emissions.…

CASPER THE TRAVELLING DOG When Sam Grant started blogging about her travels in Scotland with her dog, Casper, she didn’t expect to get such a huge response. Her Instagram channel, The Wee White Dug, now has more than 4,000 followers. People from as far away as China follow her online to catch a glimpse of Casper on his travels. DAREDEVILS IN PARIS Thrillseekers are ziplining from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Travelling at a speed of around 55mph, volunteers are experiencing what it is like to move as fast as a tennis ball, to celebrate the French Open tennis tournament. FOSSIL HUNTERS Railway workers in Los Angeles have stumbled across a 10,000-year-old fossil that scientists believe belonged to a giant sloth. The hip bone was…

“How will you find enough money to keep the NHS going?” “What will you do to protect the environment?” “Will you make the world a better place ?” This issue will reach our subscribers on Thursday 8 June – election day. Since the general election was announced on 18 April, the political parties have made many promises in their bids to persuade the public to vote for them. By the early hours of 9 June, the British people will know which political party has won and who will be Prime Minister for the next five years. The promises made by the winning party during their campaign, and the decisions they make once they form a government, will shape the future for every one of us. In a survey launched last…

Life in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains is hard. The country’s president, Omar al-Bashir, is a dictator who rules his country with an iron fist. Conflict rages across the area, as rebel groups fight President Bashir’s army. To prevent rebels getting any foreign help, the charities and humanitarian aid organisations say they are prevented from entering conflict zones – zones such as the Nuba Mountains. One 51-year-old US surgeon defies the ban, however, and lives in the mountains helping the people affected by the near-constant bombing and fighting. Tom Catena, originally from New York, in the US, has lived there since 2008. In 2011, when the conflict got worse, all the other foreign doctors left. Now, Catena is the only qualified surgeon left in an area larger than Scotland – with a…

Fire in the sky The Sun sets over the Giant’s Causeway, an incredible natural rock formation in Northern Ireland. WIndow washer An artist performs inside an aquarium in Times Square, New York, US, to draw attention to climate change. Create a buzz A bee, symbol of Manchester, has been painted on a local landmark to remember last month’s attack. Bird brain People dress as seagulls to warn against feeding the scavenging creatures. Holy pattern A worshipper at the Great Mosque in Gaza prays during the holy month of Ramadan. Barrel vision This amazing shot was taken from under the crest of a wave – the part surfers call the barrel. In memory 37,252 flags were planted in a park in Boston, US to honour fallen soldiers. Hitching a lift A…

What is the scariest thing you have ever done? I’ve been trying to think of an answer to this for 10 minutes and I got nothing. I must be just incredibly brave. If you could be any book character in the world who would it be and why? Most of the books I read are horror and crime. I wouldn’t want to be ANY of those characters. Except maybe the bad guys, because the bad guys at least are in control. I don’t know – maybe Dracula? If you could live off one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Strawberries. Favourite piece of technology? I hate being reliant on anything, but my phone is my lifeline. Marmite. Hate it or love it? Never tried it,…

Night Sky Android / iOS (Free) Whether it’s stars, planets or satellites you’re interested in, Night Sky is one of the best apps for learning about what you can see when you look up at night. Like other stargazing apps, you use it by pointing a smartphone or tablet at the sky, and getting information on screen about what you’re looking at. The first surprise is how many satellites are buzzing about above the Earth’s atmosphere. Night Sky works the same for planets, stars, and even constellations – not just single objects. The basic app is free, but a £1.99 monthly subscription unlocks more features, from a tour of landing sites on the Moon to the latest astronomical news. A World Traveller feature also lets you squint at the sky…

Right now, children all over the country are previewing some brilliant new books that have been shortlisted for this year’s big awards. The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards are for outstanding writing and illustration in books for children and young people. The standard is high: previous winners have included famous novelists such as C.S. Lewis and Terry Pratchett. By signing up to “shadow” the judging process, you get to read the entries and argue which is the best. You post reviews online and vote for your favourite (although you’re not part of the official judging of the awards), before the winners are announced on 19 June. If you miss the shadowing scheme this year, ask a teacher to sign you up for next year. If you’d like to see…

The Week Junior went to press before this week’s general election, so we’ll have to wait until the next issue to write about the results. However, although we don’t know who will be in charge after the election, we do know which issues our readers think they should focus on, on their first day – you can see what they are on page 5 . In our survey, we also asked our readers what they would prioritise if theywere Prime Minister. Many of you said you’d give more money to schools and hospitals, and start tackling climate change. Others said the first job would be to make sure that everyone has somewhere to live. A few said that you’d like to hold another referendum, to see if people in…

Japanese café’s cute cat bread You may have made bread rolls in the shape of hedgehogs before, but have you ever heard of a cat-shaped loaf? To celebrate the reopening of a café and bakery in Japan, the owners created a loaf of bread in the shape of a cat’s face. The newly renovated Blue Jean Café, in Osaka’s Hankyu Hotel, revealed its Ironeko bread (nekois cat in Japanese) on 26 May. The bread comes in packs of five slices and costs £2. It may be more expensive than the regular sliced loaves stocked in the supermarket but the bakery says that this new loaf is a lot cuter – and it has ears! DID YOU KNOW? The Japanese word for bread is pan. A scaly surprise A family in…

On Saturday 3 June, Alex Honnold became the first person to climb a 900-metre rock face, known as El Capitan, without using ropes or safety gear. This is known as free-soloing. El Capitan, in California, US, is considered one of the most dangerous rock faces in the world. The 900-metre vertical drop is higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. Free-soloing is an extremely dangerous sport. Climbers use only their hands and feet, leaving them no room for mistakes. People attempting to free-solo not only have to have incredible strength but they must also be able to predict changes in the weather. Starting at 5.32am on Saturday morning, Honnold ascended the peak in three hours and 56 minutes, reaching the top at 9.28am. The incredible achievement…

China is known for being one of the most heavily polluted countries in the world, with many residents in its cities forced to wear masks to protect their lungs from the thick smog. There are many causes of China’s smog problem, including pollution caused by traffic and the burning of coal to produce power. In an attempt to reduce the high levels of pollution, last month the Chinese government switched on the largest floating solar farm on Earth. Solar farms are places where lots of solar panels are used to generate electricity from the Sun’s light. The panels can provide power to thousands of homes and businesses. This reduces a country’s reliance on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. Each of these fuels will one day run out…

Jamie Mitchell, keeper, ZSL London Zoo Spiders can produce webs depending on what job they want it to do. The silken web is produced from glands in the spider’s abdomen and, using their “spinnerets”, spiders weave the web they need, such as fluffy silk for an egg sac, tough, waterproof silk for the outside, or strong, elastic silk for a web to catch flies. Do you love animals? ZSL London Zoo’s Junior Zoo Academy is a great way to learn about creatures from all over the world. Find out more at zsl.org/experiences…

It might seem like science fiction, but it’s already starting to happen. Take phones, for example. Twenty years ago, most mobile phones were only able to make calls. Today, we use smartphones for all kinds of things, from watching videos and playing games, to finding the best recipe for pancakes. For almost 50 years, computer chips (the components that store a computer’s memory and its processing power) have halved in both size and cost approximately every two years. This has made it practical and affordable to insert tiny computers into more and more objects. Many of these devices are able to share and receive information through the internet. Technology experts refer to this growing network of internet-connected devices as the internet of things. As more and more devices are connected…

In the 9th century, more than 1,000 years ago, fearsome warriors from the cold lands of northern Europe attacked England. The pagan raiders descended on poorly defended Christian monasteries (places where monks live) scattered around the coast, raiding, stealing and burning everything in their path So, who were these ferocious northmen? They were the Vikings. Historians had thought that the cruel attackers arrived in small groups. However, a recent archaeological investigation at Torksey, in Lincolnshire, has revealed that in the year 872, they arrived in a gigantic army, thousands strong. The army camped at Torksey, in Lincolnshire, and waited for the winter to pass so the invasion could begin. Now, a big new exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum is offering the chance to get a glimpse of what life might…

Cece is one of the top 50 finalists of a BBC writing competition. Her intriguing story, Home, is about a girl who turns up on her parents’ doorstep three years after going missing. “I enjoy detective series and like to play out movie scenes in my head,” she says. “With story writing, you can create whatever you want! Though I’m not sure how my story will end – I left it as a mystery for myself, too.” You can listen to Cece’s entry here, tinyurl.com/TWJ-cecestory…

“ Last week, it was my dad’s birthday. I decided that as a present I would learn his favourite piece of music on the piano. The song’s called Born to Runby Bruce Springsteen. Lots of people helped me out. My sister helped by telling me the very high or very low notes that weren’t in the stave that I was used to reading. My mum secretly photocopied the music so that I could practise at school. My form teacher found me a place to practise and my music teacher helped me with learning the piece by memory. My best friend Varshenyee encouraged me along the way. It took me about three weeks to learn, and although I presented it to my dad, it was a team effort! What’s going on…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam @TheWeekJunior You can download the free PopJam app from the App Store or GooglePlay. Scientists have proved that music influences us, so we asked Popjammers what they play and if they agree... “I play the cornet and when I can play famous songs I jump in joy” @JaliJ “I play the trumpet and piano” @joethepinapple122 “I play the violin and this happens a lot!” @thefoodieunicorn Popjammers had this to say about the first girl-boy twins selected to play county cricket at the same time in England... “Awesome” @pancake0 “Wow! That’s so cool” @HarryPotterGeek101 “That’s amazing! Well done Rosie and Sam” @SoAwkwardFan1 Tell us what you think of this week’s issue. We’ll give you a shout out if your post is printed here.…

1From which famous landmark were thrill seekers ziplining in Paris, France? a) Arc de Triomphe b) Eiffel Tower c) Notre Dame 2What type of pies were thrown in world championships in Kent? 3True or false? A Mexican businessman has created Donald Trump toilet paper. 4How many people used technology last year to get online? a) 1.5 billion b) 2.5 billion c) 3.5 billion 5What is Oonagh Simms’s sweet job? 6What type of cheeky monkeys have learnt to steal tourists’ belongings? a) Long-tailed macaques b) White-headed capuchins c) Yellow baboons 7True or false? Twenty years ago, mobile phones could only take pictures. 8What is the name of the star that’s nearest to Earth? 9What type of insect hitched a ride on the back of a snail in Indonesia? 10In which sport…

What you need to know ● People around the world depend on technology to do their jobs and to go about their daily lives. ● Recently, a power-supply problem caused a breakdown in the computer systems at British Airways (BA). Thousands of travellers couldn’t fly. ● At first, people wondered if the BA breakdown was caused by hackers. A hacker is someone who can break into a computer system, usually without permission, to steal information or cause trouble. Technology is a vital part of our daily lives. We use it to work; it gives us directions; it organises very complicated systems like a city’s traffic lights; and helps us keep in touch with friends and family. The problem is that sometimes it can break down. A couple of weeks ago,…

Glass frog A new species of frog, which has see-through skin, has been discovered in Ecuador. Called Hyalinobatrachium yaku, it is one of just three species that has its internal organs on show. Local scientists confirmed their exciting find in a recently published paper. Mammals, birds and amphibians People are pushing the planet towards a mass extinction event, according to a new report. That means thousands of species of animals and birds are at risk of dying out because of human activities such as hunting and farming.…

5 books about circuses Roll up, roll up, and enjoy a visit to the circus with these spectacular stories. The Circus by Olivia Levez (Oneworld) Willow is the teenage girl who has everything, including a pony and a place at an expensive boarding school. Problem is, all she really wants is a father who cares. Following in the footsteps of her circus-performer mother, Willow runs away to join the circus and follow her dreams. Ned’s Circus of Marvels by Justin Fisher (HarperCollins Children’s Books) Ned makes an astonishing discovery on his 13th birthday: magic is real. Ned teams up with a robot mouse, a girl witch, and a marvellous, magical flying circus to help save the world from the monstrous beasts that threaten to engulf it. This exciting page-turner will…

Where can I get inspiration? Choose a genre (style). For example, will it be a horror story or a comedy? Some genres are listed here: tinyurl.com/TWJ-genres – and try listening to some competition entries the BBC recently shortlisted, tinyurl.com/TWJ-500words. How should I start my story? A good story should grab your reader’s attention from the very first line. Get some help with good ways to begin your story by visiting tinyurl.com/TWJ-storycraft Do you have any drawing tips? Learn how to draw characters with some step-by-step guides: tinyurl.com/TWJ-howtodraw. Also, check out the book Write and Draw Your Own Comics, by Louie Stowell. Learn more… ● Books on writing and drawing your own stories tinyurl.com/ TWJ-drawingbooks ● 100 best children’s books of all time tinyurl.com/TWJbestbooks ● Check tips and tricks for writing the…