Innholdsfortegnelse for 189 i The Week Junior

What you need to know ● On 9 July, author Cressida Cowell was named as the new Children’s Laureate. This is a role awarded to an outstanding author or illustrator for two years, during which time they promote the benefits of reading and writing. ● Cowell, who is most famous for writing the How to Train Your Dragon series, came up with a 10-point plan for young people to get them reading. As part of the plan, she says readers should put down a book if it isn’t enjoyable. ● Some people think it’s important to finish a book once it has been started, because the reward for doing so often comes at the end. Have you ever started a book, got a few chapters in and realised that it…

Lina Nielsen has a year left to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She found her passion for athletics when she volunteered at the 2012 Olympics in London, where she carried the kitbag of the famous British athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill. Nielsen told The Guardian newspaper it was a moment where she and her twin sister, Laviai, thought, “If she’s done this, why can’t we?” They started taking PE seriously and in 2015 they won gold medals running as part of the GB 4 x 400-metre relay team at the European Junior Championships. Nielsen is now focusing all her efforts on hurdles (running fast and jumping small fences). She said, “To stand on top of a podium is a special thing, because it’s so rare. I so want to do…

A huge storm in 1850 revealed the astonishing remains of ancient buildings on the largest Orkney island, Mainland. Dating back 5,000 years, this prehistoric village is older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, with some of the best-preserved structures of the period in Europe. Today, visitors can explore nine houses with original stone furniture built into their walls. There is also a complete replica home to show what life was once like at the site. Find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-skarabrae…

On 27 July 1694, the Bank of England opened for business. For 325 years it has played a vital role in how money is managed in the UK and it is one of the most important financial organisations in the world. A new exhibition with 325 objects from the bank’s history recently opened in London, giving visitors a look into its past. What does the Bank of England do? The bank is the UK’s central bank, which means it makes sure other banks don’t break the rules. It provides services to the Government, such as looking after its gold and providing it with foreign currency. It issues the banknotes that people use every day to buy things – and oversees production of the notes that are made in Scotland and…

On 21 July, New Zealand won the Netball World Cup with a dramatic 52-51 win against their big rivals Australia. After beating England in the semi-finals the day before, New Zealand went on to pick up the trophy for the fifth time. England won bronze for the third time in a row. The Roses, which is the England team’s nickname, beat South Africa 58-42 in the third-place play-off. New Zealand and Australia have played each other in the Netball World Cup final in the past six tournaments, and Australia boasts a record 11 World Cup final wins. This year New Zealand got their revenge. The competition, which is held every four years, was played in Liverpool over 10 days. There were 16 countries involved, including Barbados, Jamaica, Uganda and Zimbabwe.…

Madagascar the Musical Join Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria as they bound out of the zoo and on to the stage in this musical. The show is in Canterbury, Kent, until 28 July, then in Glasgow, Cardiff and other places around the UK. For more see tinyurl.com/TWJ-madagascar Gangsta Granny Experience the comedy and adventure of David Walliams’s most popular book, Gangsta Granny, as an open-air theatre production across the country this summer. To find out where you can watch it, head over to tinyurl.com/TWJ-walliamsgangsta Outdoor Wind in the Willows Enjoy an outdoor retelling of Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale, set on the river Thames. Join Ratty, Mole, Mr Toad and friends for a fun adventure surrounded by nature. The show goes around the country over the next few months. You’ll find…

Many parents or carers think young people are spending too much time playing games. Now that it’s the summer holidays, you may have been set screen-time limits to ensure you don’t spend the entire break indoors. However, a British organisation called Internet Matters, which campaigns to help people stay safe online, has a suggestion: that more adults play games with the young people they’re looking after. It surveyed 2,000 parents in the UK, and found that although 44% of them think that gaming together is a way to spend time as a family, 42% say that they never play games with their children on any device. “We know that parents who regularly get involved with their children’s activities online are better placed to lead them through some of the issues…

Police in Wellington, New Zealand, have released a pair of penguins who were seen acting suspiciously inside a sushi shop. The birds were detained after the police received a call from someone working there, who heard the penguins making a cooing, humming sound. It appears they were hiding under some cooking grills to keep warm, rather than stealing any sushi. The two little blue penguins were eventually released back into Wellington Harbour.…

On 21 July, protesters and passers-by in Hong Kong were attacked at a train station by masked men dressed in white shirts. The attackers are thought to be members of the triad gang, which is a secret Chinese criminal organisation. Forty-five people were injured in the attack at Yuen Long station. The attack followed the latest in a series of protests against a proposed law that is very unpopular with people in Hong Kong. The law would mean that anyone living in Hong Kong accused of a crime could be extradited (handed over to face legal charges) to mainland China. Hong Kong is part of China but has a separate political and legal system, known as the one country, two systems arrangement. Protesters say the proposed law could be used…

Boris Johnson has won the Conservative Party leadership election, making him the next UK Prime Minister. He beat fellow Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Jeremy Hunt, taking 66% of the votes cast by members of the Conservative Party. As the Conservative Party is currently in power, whoever leads it is the Prime Minister. Why is there a new Prime Minister? On 24 May, the then Prime Minister Theresa May resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party, sparking a contest to replace her. She stood down because she couldn’t get enough support for her Brexit deal. Brexit is the term for the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) – an organisation of 28 countries that trade together and follow the same rules. May had reached a deal with…

On 19 July, the Big Butterfly Count 2019 began. The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide survey of the UK’s butterfly population, run by Butterfly Conservation – a charity dedicated to protecting the pretty flying insects. The survey is the biggest butterfly count in the world. Last year, more than 100,000 people took part, counting 964,480 butterflies. It’s a useful way of checking the health of the environment. This is because butterflies react very quickly to changes in the climate, and decreases in butterfly populations can sometimes act as warnings that other wildlife may be under threat. The survey also helps identify different species of butterfly in order to protect them from extinction. Summer is the best time of year to do it, because this is when the insects are…

When teenage kayaker Will Darling found 65 different pieces of rubbish floating in a one-mile stretch of the Norfolk Broads, in the east of England, he was inspired to start cleaning it up. Darling, from Wroxham, Norfolk, has since travelled more than 100 miles by kayak to collect rubbish that he has found floating in rivers. This has included a portable toilet and sweet wrappers dating back to 2005. He said, “The most common things we find are cans, plastic bottles, sweet wrappers and chocolate bar wrappers.” He has already earned an award for his efforts, and is now raising money for a trip to Africa, where he will work on community projects.…

A wreckfish has been filmed eating small sharks that had been preying on a dead swordfish. The wreckfish, which lives deep in the ocean, is thought to have been attracted to the dead fish, lying about 450 metres below the sea surface, because it knew there would be other animals there to hunt. Wreckfish can grow up to two metres long. ● LIFESPAN IN THE WILD: Believed to be up to 90 years. ● HABITAT: Lives around structures such as caves and rocky ground in oceans around the world. ● DIET: Crabs, fish, lobsters, squid and other marine animals. ● FUN FACT: The wreckfish gets its name because it can often be found swimming near shipwrecks.…

An artificially intelligent (AI) computer called DeepCubeA has taught itself how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. AI is the name given to a computer system that can “think” for itself and perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. Invented in 1974, the Rubik’s Cube is a 3D logic puzzle made up of different coloured squares. To solve it, a human player has to swivel the squares around so that each side of the puzzle only displays one colour – as shown above. Skilled human players usually complete the puzzle in around 50 moves, but DeepCubeA has managed to solve 1,000 different cubes in an average of 28 moves. The computer system, built by a team at the University of California, in the US, worked out the shortest set of moves…

Adam Peaty At the World Aquatics Championships in South Korea, the British swimmer broke his own world record in the 100 metres breaststroke semi-final. Peaty, 24, became the first person to swim the race in less than 57 seconds. His new world record of 56.88 seconds beat his previous record of 57.10 seconds. Peaty went on to win the final on 22 July, and Britain’s James Wilby came second. ● Peaty is an Olympic champion. He won the 100 metres breaststroke race at the 2016 Olympics, which was Team GB’s first gold of the games. ● He holds the record for the 50 metres breaststroke. Breaststroke is when your arms push forwards and sweep back, with the legs kicking out and tucking in. ● Peaty began swimming aged four, even…

Taika Waititi will direct the fourth film in the Thor series. He was praised for bringing more humour to the Norse god films with Thor: Ragnarok. Reports suggest that Waititi stopped working on another project in order to direct the next Thor film, which is called Thor: Love and Thunder and is due out in November 2021. It’s plot will be based on a comic-book story from 2014 in which Dr Jane Foster (last seen in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World) takes over Thor’s powers and hammer when he loses them. Foster will use the name Mighty Thor. Details about other MCU projects were announced at Comic-Con in San Diego, US, between 18 and 21 July. These included new films Eternals (out November 2020) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of…

The latest gadget to encourage young people in their coding projects is the Pi-Top 4, which is being described as a “go-anywhere, do-anything” computer. It’s a box including the latest Raspberry Pi 4 computer as well as a button and miniature screen, and it comes with kits including LEDs, buzzers and other connectors. The Pi-Top 4 can be programmed from another computer, smartphone or tablet. Several accessories are available, including one that will turn it into a remote-control vehicle. The Pi-Top 4 uses the Raspberry Pi 4 mini-computer, which was unveiled in June and is one of the cheapest and most powerful of the “bare-bones” devices that are being made. The first people to buy the Pi-Top 4 will receive their device in November. WOW! The cheapest Raspberry Pi computer…

Use feet, not hands on plane Passengers on planes have been asked to use their feet instead of their hands when operating in-flight entertainment devices, because it is more hygienic. Airlines made the request after it was revealed that there are fewer bacteria (microscopic life forms that can harm people or help with digesting food) on feet than there are on hands, which means the screens don’t need to be cleaned as often. The owner of one airline, Ryan Hair, said most flyers had managed to use the devices with their toes when asked. Do you think this story is real, or is it toe weird to be true?* Restaurant sells pizza crusts A restaurant chain in the US has cooked up a new type of pizza, made up of…

India has launched a mission to the Moon, with the aim of becoming the fourth country to land safely on the lunar surface. The unmanned Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft took off on 22 July, delayed by a week because of a fuel leak. If all goes to plan, the mission will be the first ever to land at the Moon’s south pole. The spacecraft launched at 2.43pm local time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in the southeast of India. It quickly arrived in orbit and will spend 23 days repeatedly travelling around the Earth before it begins the 216,000-mile journey to the Moon. The lift-off of the mission, which has cost £116 million, was broadcast live on TV and online, with those in the control room applauding as it roared into…

Minnesota, US US politician is welcomed home A US politician who was targeted by President Donald Trump in a racist tweet has been warmly welcomed home by a crowd in the state of Minnesota. Ilhan Omar is a US citizen who arrived in the US at the age of 12 from Somalia, in east Africa. Trump wrote on 14 July that she should “go home” – he meant to Somalia – and his supporters shouted “Send her back!” at a rally on 17 July. Around 150 people cheered when she arrived at the airport of her home state on 18 July. St Simons Island, US Stranded whales are rescued Dozens of pilot whales that became stranded on a beach in the US state of Georgia have been rescued by members…

Thousands of years ago, bears and wolves roamed the ancient forests and woodlands of the British Isles. Brown bears have been extinct in the UK for at least 1,000 years, however, and the last wolves died out in the 17th century. Now, thanks to an extraordinary new project, they are set to return to the wilds once again in ancient woodland near Bristol. Bear Wood, a 7.5-acre woodland, is an example of what forests used to be like in the UK. The woodland habitat (which was due to open on 25 July, after The Week Junior went to press) is part of Bristol Zoological Society’s Wild Place Project – a large conservation park on the outskirts of the city that is already home to many African animals. Four types of…

A group of protesters called Extinction Rebellion has taken to the streets of cities across the UK to raise awareness of the threat that climate change poses to the environment. Climate change is the long-term shift in weather patterns, including rising temperatures, caused by human activities such as cutting down forests, farming and burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). Campaigners blocked traffic by sitting in roads in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Leeds as part of a week-long wave of action. The protests were non-violent and some of the activists apologised for causing disruption. The group says that the issue of climate change is too important for politicians to ignore, and says this is one of the best ways of drawing attention to the problem. Extinction Rebellion wants the…

Doctors at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) have successfully separated a pair of two-year-old twin girls, who were born with their skulls joined together. The groundbreaking surgery took more than 50 hours in the operating theatre. Conjoined twins – identical twins born with some part of their bodies connected – are extremely rare, making up only one in every 2.5 million births. They are usually connected at the chest, abdomen or pelvis; however, Safa and Marwa Ullah, born in 2017 in Pakistan, are even rarer. They are craniopagus twins, which means they were born with their skulls and blood vessels of the brain fused together. GOSH is a world leader in this type of surgery. Before the operation, a team of 20 surgeons created computer images of Safa and…

ACCESS ALL AREAS The latest issue of Science+Naturetakes you behind the scenes at Danish artist Olafur Eliasson’s studio to discover how art inspired by science helps people understand our changing world. We also take a walk on the wild side, and meet the urban animals surviving and thriving in our cities. Finally, join in the debate about whether technology is making us ruder, and discover the truth behind an alien spaceship crash in 1947. Grab a copy of the new issue on sale now! ISSUE 12 OUT NOW JUST £3.49 VISIT sciencenature.theweekjunior.cco.uk THE WEEK JUNIORSUBSCRIBERS GET AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT. CALL 0330 333 9494 TO CLAIM!…

Jill Murphy’s original Worst Witch popular series of books have been adapted into a new story for the stage. The books focus on Mildred Hubble, a clumsy but courageous student at a school for witches. The play tells the story of accident-prone Hubble and her fellow pupils, who leave a trail of mayhem behind them as they find themselves at the centre of a battle that’s being fought for their future. The team behind the show say they have created a brand-new story as well as revisiting moments from the books. The show includes original songs, music, magic and a dose of Mildred’s unique brand of chaos. Murphy said her favourite thing about Hubble is that she never gives up and she always tries to be nice to her friends.…

Make a quick gazpacho What you need ● 1 red onion ● 1 red pepper ● 4 tomatoes ● ½ cucumber ● 1 clove garlic ● 1tbsp vinegar ● 2tbsp olive oil ● A few basil leaves ● 1 sharp knife ● 1 blender Instructions First peel the onion. Then chop the onion, red pepper, tomatoes and cucumber with a sharp knife (this recipe is very simple but does require a bit of chopping. Luckily you can roughly chop the veg into bite-sized pieces because they will be blended). Put a few pieces of red pepper and half the cucumber to one side for the final step. Next, peel the clove of garlic. Put the chopped onion, red pepper, cucumber, tomatoes and garlic in the blender. Blend all the ingredients…

Name: Erin “I love taking part in competitions and I love photography, so when I saw the competition in The Week Junior I knew I was going to enter. I never really thought I’d win! I borrowed my mum’s phone and went exploring at a dog’s eye view. I decided to take a picture of our cat Iggy, she was quite interested in what I was doing, then she lost interest and went outside into my garden. She sat out there and looked at me and that’s when I took the winning photo. ” What’s going on at your school? Have you taken part in a sporting event, put on a show or done something fun to raise money? Whatever you’re up to, we want to hear about it at…

We’d love to see your snaps. Send them to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Don’t forget to tell us why you took them. “I wanted to make an ‘illusion cake’ after I saw them on a cooking TV programme. It tasted really good.” Henry “I saw your article about plastic-free Wimbledon. It’s great that players aren’t allowed to wrap their rackets in plastic, but they were also selling bottles of Evian everywhere and people were drinking Pimm’s out of single-use plastic cups. These should be banned at Wimbledon next summer. Here is a picture I took at Wimbledon last week.” Élodie…