Innholdsfortegnelse for 172 i The Week Junior

Atop hat and cigar once owned by former Prime Minister Winston Churchill have been found at a rubbish dump. Churchill led the UK during most of the Second World War and is considered one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century. The items were found by David Rose at the tip where he works. He also discovered a cigar case and letters written by Churchill’s cook. The objects were valued at £10,000 on BBC1’s Antiques Roadshow.…

Professor Karen Uhlenbeck, from the University of Texas, US, has become the first woman to win one of the most important awards in maths. She was awarded the Abel Prize on 17 March for her work on the maths behind the structures and shapes of objects such as soap bubbles. When Uhlenbeck started her career in the 1960s, there were not many female role models for her to look up to, and there were universities that would not consider hiring her because she was a woman. This didn’t put her off. “I guess I have a rebellious streak, so I persevered,” she said. “Now I see these lively, enthusiastic, brilliant, wacky young women coming up and doing mathematics – it’s wonderful to see.”…

It’s hard to know which is the more impressive part of this attraction: the majestic castle or the breathtaking gardens around it. Inside is one of the best collections of art and historical items in the world, gathered from across Europe and Asia by the castle’s previous owners. Outside, visitors can explore the terraces and see grand sculpted hedges made of yew trees. At this time of year, the gardens are very colourful with flowers and blossom. To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-Powis…

A racing pigeon called Armando has been sold for £1.07 million, making it the most expensive bird ever sold. Racing pigeons are a specialist bird bred from a rock dove. They are used in long-distance races. ● LIFESPAN: 20 years. ● HABITAT: Lives with humans in both towns and countryside around the world. Can fly over most terrains. ● DIET: Corn and other grains. ● FUN FACT: Their ancestors were the first birds to be tamed by humans, more than 5,000 years ago. ON YOUR MARKS In 1931, a racing pigeon flew a record distance of 7,200 miles from France to Vietnam in just 24 days.…

At about noon local time on 18 December 2018, a huge lump of space rock, several metres in size, exploded over the Bering Sea, just off the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia. The meteor blast released the same amount of energy as about 724,000 lightning strikes. It also created the second largest fireball in Earth’s atmosphere (the layer of gases surrounding our planet) this century. Dr Kelly Fast of the US space agency, NASA, revealed these details at the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference near Houston in the US. She said that the Bering Sea meteor exploded 16 miles above the ground, and that the force of the explosion was mostly due to its incredible speed of 72,000mph. News of the meteor has only just appeared because the…

1990: Super Mario World Yoshi may look young, but is actually nearly 29 years old. The character first appeared in Super Mario World. Yoshi was a green dinosaur whom Mario could ride in the game, which came out for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. 1995: Yoshi’s Island Yoshi has appeared in more than 100 games, but his first big starring role was 1995’s Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Before Yoshi’s Crafted World, he starred in Yoshi’s Woolly World for the Wii U console in 2015, and then the 3DS in 2017. 2018: Super Smash Bros Ultimate Since first appearing in 1990, Yoshi has made guest appearances in many of Nintendo’s games, often as a playable character alongside Mario, Luigi and their friends. These include the Super Smash Bros fighting…

There is no evidence to suggest that US president Donald Trump worked with the Russian government during his 2016 election campaign, according to an almost two-year-long investigation. A summary of investigator Robert Mueller’s report was released on 24 March and concluded that although Russia had tried to influence the election, there was no evidence to show Trump and his team were involved. The findings are expected to help Trump’s hopes of being re-elected as president next year. The investigation was launched after suggestions were made that Trump’s campaign had teamed up with Russia to help beat his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Mueller and his investigators also looked into whether or not Trump had broken the law by trying to stop the investigation from being properly completed, but they decided this couldn’t…

On 23 March, hundreds of thousands of people took part in a protest in London calling for a second public vote on the UK’s relationship with the European Union (EU). Protesters came from all over the UK to ask Prime Minister Theresa May to let voters have their say on her Brexit deal. What is Brexit? Brexit is the term for the UK leaving the EU – an organisation of 28 countries that work together on issues such as trade. A special vote, known as a referendum, was held in 2016, and 52% of those who voted chose to leave. Since then, May has been working on a deal with EU leaders to allow Brexit to happen as smoothly as possible. A withdrawal deal was agreed with the EU, but…

Tanitoluwa Adewumi is an eight-year-old chess champion who only learnt how to play the game about a year ago. Despite being new to chess, he recently won the New York State championship for his age group. To make his story even more impressive, he and his family were living in a homeless shelter for two years. When The New York Times featured a story about Adewumi, who is originally from Nigeria, many people donated money so that his family could find somewhere to live. One person paid for an apartment where the family could live for a whole year, so Adewumi’s father said he will donate the rest of the money to charity. Adweumi is now concentrating on playing chess and said, “I want to be the youngest grandmaster”, which…

Soft-drinks company Coca-Cola has announced it creates three million tonnes of plastic packaging each year. The company has never before said how much plastic it produces. It published the information after joining an anti-plastic-pollution campaign. Thirty-one major companies have revealed their “plastic footprints” as part of the New Plastics Economy, a scheme led by environmental campaigner Ellen MacArthur’s charity. Coca-Cola’s footprint is almost double the size of the next largest producer – in fact, the other 30 businesses involved make five million tonnes of plastic altogether. Coca-Cola’s statistics, which come from its 2017 production figures, suggest the company is creating 200,000 plastic bottles every minute. Former round-the-world sailor MacArthur hopes more companies will reveal how much plastic they produce, which could encourage big businesses and governments to do more to…

Asteroid The rocky leftovers from the formation of the solar system. Found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, or closer to the Sun, they are smaller than planets. When they stray close to our planet, they are called near-Earth asteroids. Comet Small balls of frozen ice, dust and rock that travel from very far away. When a comet nears the Sun, its surface melts to release hot gas that streams away in a bright glowing tail. Dust flying off forms a dimmer tail. Meteor Chunks of comets or asteroids that enter Earth’s atmosphere but don’t hit the surface. They burn brightly as they go, creating a shooting star that streaks across the sky. Meteorite A space rock that hits Earth’s surface.…

Travelling through space at a shocking speed of 67,000mph, Earth is an incredibly special planet. It is the only planet in the solar system where we know life exists. To celebrate Earth Day on 22 April, Science+Nature has dedicated a whole feature and a poster to planet Earth. Also in the issue, find out why animals are different sizes, and learn all about the majestic Cross River gorillas. The new issue hits the shelves on 30 March. VISIT sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk THE WEEK JUNIORSUBSCRIBERS GET AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT. CALL 0330 333 9494 TO CLAIM!…

England women cricket team They beat Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 game. England had already defeated them 3-0 in the one-day international games. Arsenal Women Thanks to a 5-1 win at Liverpool, they went top of the Women’s Super League table. Raheem Sterling He scored four goals as England beat the Czech Republic 5-0 at Wembley and then Montenegro 5-1 in Podgorica in their first Euro 2020 qualifying matches. Nathan Chen The 19-year-old won the World Championships free skate title with a world-record score.…

Insomnia Gaming Festival Retro games and the latest releases are all available to play at this event. There are also esports, which anyone can compete in, and cosplay (where fans dress up as their favourite characters) to see. It runs 19–22 April. Visit insomniagamingfestival.com PLAY Expo This Manchester event features escape rooms, tabletop gaming, cosplay, photo shoots and more. With plenty of special guests attending too, it should be a weekend to remember. Runs 4–5 May. Find out more at playexpomanchester.com Norwich Games Festival This is a free, family-friendly event with games, workshops and talks. Organisers haven’t yet revealed the final programme, but it should be a lot of fun. It’s on 27 May until 1 June; keep an eye on what’s coming up at norwichgamesfestival.com…

For most games that you play now, you need to own a copy – either on a physical disc or cartridge, or downloaded to your console, computer or mobile device. Google is trying something different, though. It’s called Stadia, and it wants to make games something you stream rather than own. So, just like with Netflix or Spotify, where you stream video or music over the internet rather than downloading it to your device, with Stadia you’ll do the same with games. Google showed off Stadia and the controller gamers will use for it for the first time at an event earlier this month. The controller also has a button for sharing clips to YouTube and the video site is a big part of Google’s plans. For example, if you…

Add a funky pattern to a bag or T-shirt What you need ● Cotton bag or T-shirt ● Parchment paper ● PVA glue with squeeze nozzle ● Acrylic paint (1 colour or more) ● Paint brush ● Hot water ● Soap ● Bucket (optional) ● Iron ● Ironing board Instructions Lay your bag or T-shirt onto a piece of parchment paper that is bigger than the fabric. This will stop the fabric from getting stuck to the surface underneath. Next, it’s time to create your design. Take the glue and use it to draw your pattern onto the fabric. This could be squiggly lines, fun shapes, stars or whatever you want to draw. Leave it to dry for around six hours. Then mix the paint with a little water and,…

Finland is the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. The report is put together by the United Nations – a group made up of most of the world’s countries that work together on issues such as peace. It was released on 20 March, the International Day of Happiness. The report found citizens in Finland were happier than the other 155 countries assessed. Denmark and Norway came next on the list, while the bottom three were South Sudan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan. The UK went up four places to 15th place, and the US dropped one spot to 19th. Those who took part in the study were asked to say how happy they felt based on factors such as their freedom and generosity towards others.…

Lake Elsinore, California, US Selfie chaos at blooming canyon People have been banned from walking through poppy fields in Walker Canyon, in the city of Lake Elsinore. The decision was made on 17 March, a day after at least 50,000 tourists turned up to see the “super bloom” – thousands of bright orange poppies caused by an unusually wet winter. Visitors took selfies and trampled through the flowers, as well as causing traffic delays. The city has blocked vehicles from travelling there and will run buses to control numbers. Baghuz, Syria Islamic State loses final territory On 23 March, Syrian forces claimed to have taken control of the last remaining village occupied by Islamic State (IS). IS is a terrorist movement that tried to create its own state across Iraq,…

Dogs are thought to have descended from wolves, but how did these dangerous wild animals become one of our favourite pets? The first dogs probably evolved around 33,000 years ago from wolves that hung around human camps, scavenging for leftover scraps of food. However, despite the fearsome reputation of wolves, research from scientists in Austria suggests that the willingness of our pet pooches to work with us actually comes from the wolf instincts that have been passed down to them. Friederike Range and Sarah Marshall-Pescini, of Vienna’s University of Veterinary Medicine, set a puzzle for 12 pet dogs and 15 grey wolves that had been raised alongside people. In each case, the animal had to work with a human to drag a tray of food towards them. Making this happen…

Alcathoe bats One of the UK’s rarest mammals, the Alcathoe bat, has been found outside a cave in Wiltshire. The tiny species was previously only found in North Yorkshire and a small area of Sussex and Surrey. It was spotted in a swarm of other species of bats that had gathered together after feeding. Water in England Demand for water in England could be greater than our available supplies in just 25 years, warns the head of the Environment Agency. Sir James Bevan, who leads the organisation responsible for protecting wildlife and the environment in England, said people need to waste less water.…

On 31 March 1889, construction was completed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the capital of France. At the time, it was the world’s tallest structure – standing at 300 metres. It would keep the title until the Chrysler Building in New York, US, beat it by 18.8 metres in  1930. The Eiffel Tower was an exceptional feat of engineering and became an instantly recognisable landmark. Today, seven million people pay to go up it each year, making it one of the most popular monuments in the world. But why was it built? An idea is born In the 1880s, Paris was preparing to host a world’s fair (an exhibition of a nation’s success) to showcase its scientific and technological achievements. The fair was to take place in 1889, 100…

A super-speedy engine that could allow planes to fly more than five times faster than the speed of sound (the speed that sound waves travel through the air), and even reach space, has been given the all-clear for crucial tests. The SABRE engine, designed by Reaction Engines Ltd (REL), which is working with the European and UK space agencies, could one day fly passengers from London to Sydney, Australia in just four hours – a journey that takes 22 hours today. SABRE is both a jet engine and a rocket engine. When a SABRE-powered plane takes off, the jet engine will draw in air and push it out behind, allowing it to reach 4,000mph. More than 17 miles above the ground, where the air is much thinner, the SABRE engine…

A stage version of Frozen is to open at a London theatre next year after a successful run on Broadway,, in New York, in the US. The musical follows the same characters and tells the same story as the film, which is the most successful animated film ever released. Along with all the songs from the film, the musical has some new tunes. They were written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who came up with the music for the original film. Lopez said they had to shake off the stress of creating new songs to fit with the story. He added, “We felt the pressure, but that was something we had to, well, let go of.” Frozen will open in autumn 2020 afterr its new home, the Drury Lane…

Yoshi’s Crafted World is the first Switch game in which Nintendo’s cute dinosaur character takes centre stage. It’s a scrolling platform adventure, with puzzles to solve, enemies to bop on the head, and lots of secrets to uncover. If you’ve played any Super Mario Bros (or more recently, Donkey Kong Country) games, you’ll feel instantly at home. Yoshi can run, jump, gulp enemies then spit them out again, and collect eggs to throw at scenery and characters who can’t otherwise be reached. The game has been designed to look like it has been made from home-made crafts and it works well – you can imagine building the levels yourself from items lying around your house. You can play through quickly, but the real fun comes from hunting down all the…

Technology company Microsoft has improved its Seeing AI (artificial intelligence) app, which is designed for blind and partially sighted people. One of its new features lets people tap on a photo on their smartphone or tablet to hear a description of the objects within it. Microsoft says it can be used for photos of the world around you, as well as for family snaps. The Seeing AI app can already be used to read books, street signs and menus in restaurant. Microsoft’s app can also be used to identify banknotes and try to describe people’s moods, using facial-recognition technology. Microsoft isn’t the only big company working on technology for people who are visually impaired, though. Google has just released an app called Lookout, which can also read text in the…