Innholdsfortegnelse for 251 i The Week Junior

A rat has been awarded a gold medal for lifesaving bravery. The African giant pouched rat, named Magawa, was given the honour for detecting landmines in Cambodia, in south-east Asia. Landmines are explosives hidden under the ground that go off when stepped on or driven over. Magawa is a specially trained rat who sniffs out these underground explosives but is too light to set them off. Rats are good at finding landmines because the animals have a very keen sense of smell. Humans then know where the landmines are and can make them safe. In four years, Magawa has helped to clear 39 landmines and 28 other explosive items that could have seriously harmed people. His job is important because during conflicts in Cambodia in the 1970s and 1980s, millions…

This summer’s Big Butterfly Count found the fewest number of butterflies in the UK since 2010. Around 150,000 people took part in the survey. They counted 1.4 million butterflies, a drop of 34% compared with 2019. The charity Butterfly Conservation organises the annual count. It said the fall in numbers could have been caused by the warm spring, with butterflies emerging earlier to enjoy the weather, or it could be part of the general decline of wildlife.…

Galicia, Spain “Immature” orcas damage boats A pod of orcas has been damaging boats off the northwest coast of Spain. The orcas broke one boat’s rudder and damaged the hull (body) of another. The Spanish government has now banned small yachts from the area. Experts say that each September orcas swim along this coast to the Bay of Biscay but these kinds of incidents are rare. A marine biologist said the orcas were probably “immature teenage” whales that were having fun and got carried away. Cleveland, US Presidential rivals clash in TV debate On 29 September, US president Donald Trump, from the Republican Party, and his rival Joe Biden, from the Democratic Party, took part in a TV debate for presidential candidates. It was the first of three televised meetings…

A project to save the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon parrot has uncovered a unique challenge: birds bred in captivity have developed their own language. Before the 1500s, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico was home to about a million of these parrots but numbers plummeted because of hunting and destruction of the island’s forests. By the 1970s, there were only around 13 birds left in the wild. To save them from extinction, a project began in 1973 to breed the parrots in captivity. Hispaniolan parrots were brought in from a neighbouring island to help raise the chicks, and the young Puerto Rican Amazons were then released into the wild. The project was a success and by 2006 the parrots had split into four populations – two in separate wild…

A study of baboons in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park has found that male baboons that mix with close female friends and groom each other are more likely to survive to their next birthday than those who don’t socialise. ● LIFESPAN: Around 30 to 40 years. ● HABITAT: Baboons live in Africa and Arabia. They are mostly found in grasslands but some live in forests. ● DIET: They eat bark, fruits, grasses, roots and seeds, as well as birds and rodents. ● FUN FACT: Baboons live in troops – groups that usually have around 50 members. The largest recorded troop had around 300 baboons.…

Around 35,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, woolly mammoths roamed what is now southwest England. This year they have returned. Well, nearly. A life-sized model of a woolly mammoth is now on display in The Box – a brand-new museum in Plymouth, Devon, that opened at the end of September. The Box is a £47 million project that has transformed three buildings into one giant complex. Inside are 12 exhibitions showing the region’s rich history. Plymouth is a centre for research into sea life in the UK, so these displays include preserved marine animals alongside other natural history specimens. The large mammoth model is accompanied by thousands of other animals, plants and intriguing insects. Plymouth’s seaside location means that it has been the starting point for many famous…

Smartphones may be everywhere now, but there was a time when it was rare to see a mobile phone in real life. The first properly portable mobile phone to go on sale was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, which became available in the US in 1983. In today’s money it cost nearly £10,000. It wasn’t just expensive, it weighed a whopping 794 grams (by comparison Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max is the biggest iPhone ever but weighs 226 grams and costs £1,499). It was so big that staff at Motorola nicknamed it “the brick”. Users couldn’t send texts or emails on the phone, let alone play games, stream video or share memes. All you could do was make and receive phone calls – but not for long. If you talked for…

Papier-mâché is the ancient technique of making things using paper and glue, which dates back as far as 200BC. Being very versatile, it has been used to make all sorts of things including masks and ornaments. These decorative bowls are a great way to practise the technique and can be decorated easily to look like your favourite fruit. They will look great in your home and they make brilliant presents, but remember, they aren’t suitable for serving food. What you need ● Big bowl ● Clingfilm ● Newspaper ● Small bowl ● PVA glue ● Water ● Paintbrush ● Ruler (optional) ● Scissors ● Coloured paper (or newspaper or magazine clippings) ● Marker pen Instructions 1 Turn the big bowl upside down and cover the outside in clingfilm. Place it…

A CLEVER IDEA Two girls from Coventry, England, have raised £2,500 to help train a nurse. Thalia Porretta and Frankie Ward wanted to help the NHS. They made a scarecrow of a nurse and held a competition to name it. People paid to enter, and the scarecrow is now called Mother. A RUNAWAY PIGEON A kererū pigeon called Pidge has returned to the place of his hatching in New Zealand after 24 years away. Hand-reared at Rainbow Springs park in Rotorua, Pidge disappeared in 1996. At 29 years old, Pidge is doing very well because kererūs usually live for between 15 and 25 years. A REMARKABLE FIND In August, an 11-year-old girl and her mum, Priya and Aswita Sadu, found a gold ring on a beach on the Isle of…

Ashed built around two living trees has been crowned Shed of the Year. The shed, in south London, is owned by Daniel Holloway. Holloway has been building the shed for eight years and it has an ash tree and an evergreen oak tree growing inside. It is decorated with styles from places he has visited, including African, Asian and Arabic influences. A special award was given to teacher Ashley Bates, who streamed lessons from his shed during lockdown.…

Between 1983 and 1996, a man called Ang Rita Sherpa, known as “The Snow Leopard”, climbed Mount Everest 10 times. Sherpas are people from the Himalayas (a mountain range in Asia) famed for their mountaineering skills. Many act as guides for tourists who want to go climbing. As well as being the first person to climb the world’s tallest peak 10 times, Ang Rita was one of very few to make each ascent without any bottled oxygen to help them. On 21 September, Ang Rita died aged 72 at his home in Kathmandu, Nepal. “He was a climbing star and his death is a major loss for the country,” Ang Tshering Sherpa, a fellow mountaineer, told the Guardian newspaper.…

HMS Beagle In 1831, the ship HMS Beagle set sail from Plymouth on a five-year expedition around the world. On board was the scientist Charles Darwin. Inspired by what he saw, he wrote his book On The Origin of Species about the idea of evolution and how animals adapt to their environments to survive. Gipsy Moth IV In 1967, at the age of 65, the adventurer Francis Chichester set off from Plymouth in a small yacht called Gipsy Moth IV. He returned 119 days later, having sailed all the way around the world. It was the fastest voyage around the world for a boat of that size. He was knighted for his achievement. Malizia II In 2019, the climate activist Greta Thunberg left Plymouth bound for New York on a…

The Dutch cyclist Anna van der Breggen became a double winner at the Road World Championships in Italy last month. It was only the second time in the 99-year history of the famous event that a rider has won two gold medals. Van der Breggen is 30 years old and comes from Zwolle in the Netherlands. On 24 September, she won the elite time trial, in which cyclists raced individually on a fast 19.7-mile circuit. Van der Breggen finished in 40 minutes and 20.14 seconds, which was 15 seconds ahead of Marlen Reusser in second place. Two days later, she won the elite road race event, which took place on an 89-mile circuit, with 140 cyclists starting at the same time. There was also a men’s elite time trial won…

Every year, Google and Apple each release a major update for their Android and iPhone smartphones, adding new features. This year’s free updates, Android 11 and iOS 14, are now available. The big story with iOS 14 is its new “widgets” – these are mini-apps that show you information on the homescreen without your having to tap to open up the main app. Examples so far include a graph of your screen time, your latest to-do list and weather forecasts. App developers will be creating lots more in the months ahead. Android users may feel a bit smug about this; widgets have been on those phones since 2008. Other new features in Apple’s iOS 14 include an “app library” screen that organises your apps, and a brand-new Translate app, which…

We know about some of the most famous and important moments in human history thanks to investigations and reports written by journalists. Whether writing for a newspaper, magazine or a website or broadcasting on TV and radio, journalists find and tell people about stories and news that could affect their lives. They ask questions, search for facts and try to reveal the truth. If you have an inquisitive mind and you enjoy talking to people and doing research, you might enjoy having a go. Developing your writing and interviewing style now will give you lots of practice for the future. Try writing a news report at home that would be suitable for publishing in a local or national newspaper. Write about something that already interests you or that you know…

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. “We have created a veggie patch during lockdown and recently grew these monster marrows. There are so many, we have been leaving them at the end of our drive for people to take for their dinner.” Isla, Dottie and Nella “My sister was diagnosed with cancer when I was three. I’m seven now and she’s several months into remission. I’m doing a burpee challenge to raise money for Solving Kids’ Cancer. Visit tinyurl.com/ TWJ-JustGiving” Anaya “We were lucky to capture this moment between our cat Winston and a toad. The toad was lucky that we saved him from Winston’s jaws!” Anna and Jessica…

Litter is going home People who drop litter in Thailand’s oldest national park might well receive their rubbish back through their letter box, along with a note that says “You forgot these things at Khao Yai National Park”. On entering the park, everyone has to register their details so that visitors can be tracked down if they break the littering law, which can be punishable by up to five years in prison in Thailand. The park is popular among hikers for its spectacular scenery and wildlife and the authorities want to keep it in good condition. Old TV is a nuisance Every morning at 7am, an entire village in Powys, Wales, had been losing internet access and no one could work out why. Engineers puzzled over the mystery for a…

For the first time in 100 years, Rio’s world-famous carnival has been delayed. The event usually takes place every February in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Millions of people gather in the city for the festivities, making it the world’s largest carnival. The celebration comes from a mixture of African and European traditions. It takes place in the days leading up to Lent, which is a 40-day period when Christians traditionally gave up certain foods, including meat. The carnival began as a food festival, and the word “carnival” comes from the Latin expression carne vale, which means “farewell to meat”. Today, the carnival is best known for a series of colourful costume parades by samba schools. Samba is a traditional Brazilian dance and style of music. However, the…

On 1 October, Black History Month started in the UK. Throughout the month, a series of events will be held across the country to commemorate and celebrate black British history. What is Black History Month? Black History Month is an annual celebration of black history in the UK, and of the contributions made by black people to society. The idea comes from the US, where it takes place in February. A man called Akyaaba Addai Sebo decided to bring it to the UK after visiting the US in the 1970s. He worked for the London council, and the first British Black History Month was held in London in 1987. Since then it has been marked every year across the UK. Why do we celebrate it? Black History Month began as…

An ancient artefact that was put up for sale in the UK will be returned to Iraq. In 2019, staff at the British Museum spotted the unusual plaque in an auction (an event where goods are bought and sold). They suspected it might have been stolen. The plaque is 4,400 years old and from a temple belonging to the Sumerians, an ancient civilisation in the south of modern Iraq. The museum told the police and the plaque will now be sent back to Iraq.…

New restrictions have been introduced in different parts of the UK to stop the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. The number of people with Covid-19 has been rising for a few weeks and, at the time The Week Junior went to press, there were around 4,000 new infections each day. Wales has announced local lockdowns for two thirds of its population. This means that people in areas including Cardiff, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Vale of Glamorgan are not allowed to travel outside their local areas unless they are going to work or to school or buying food or medical supplies. Households in these areas should not mix indoors with people they do not live with. This includes children and young people. In Scotland, the government has…

When Frank Arthur Bailey arrived in England from Guyana, South America, in the 1950s, he was told that fire brigades did not hire black people. At the time there was a lot of racism in the UK. Racism is when people are treated badly or unfairly because of their skin colour, culture or nationality. Bailey decided to challenge the system and apply. He was accepted by the West Ham Fire Brigade in east London and became the first full-time black firefighter in England. During training, Bailey saved a fellow firefighter’s life. His colleague had fainted while they were on the fifth floor of a building and Bailey carried him to safety. Bailey, who died in 2015, campaigned for the rights of all working people, particularly black people.…

A team of scientists who proved that knives made of frozen poo don’t work are among the winners of this year’s Ig Nobel Prizes. The annual awards are given to researchers whose work “makes people laugh, then think”. They celebrate the most unusual areas of medicine, science and technology. The poo knives won the materials science award, one of 10 prizes handed out on 17 September. Metin Eren, the scientist who led the study, was fascinated by a story he was told as a child about a man in Canada who had made a knife from his own poo. So his team decided to make blades from frozen faeces but, according to Eren, “The poop knives failed miserably”. Richard Vetter won the award for entomology (the study of insects). He…

Royal Ballet set for grand reopening On 9 October, the Royal Ballet is set to perform a grand reopening show after seven months of closure because of the coronavirus. The celebration performance will feature 100 dancers and a live orchestra and it will be livestreamed. The dancers will perform classical pieces, as well as more modern dances. Although many of the performances will feature distanced dancing, Royal Ballet said it also wanted to feature duets. These are an important part of ballet and traditionally feature a man and a woman dancing together. To allow this to happen, 10 pairs of dancers have been rehearsing in separate two-person “bubbles” away from other dancers. This has ensured that if a performer gets ill they only risk infecting one other dancer. Find out…

Cycling world champions get to wear a special racing jersey throughout the year following their win. The rainbow jersey is white with five coloured hoops on the chest, arms and neck. The blue, red, black, yellow and green are the same colours as the rings on the Olympic flag. The rainbow jersey was first awarded in 1927 and is worn by the reigning road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain bike, BMX, indoor and trials cycling world champions.…

Name: Lola “During lockdown me and my family got into painting and we decided to do a joint painting on our experience of lockdown. We painted the coronavirus in the middle and around it all the different aspects and activities that were important in lockdown. Some are obvious but some are more cryptic. For example, the shotgun that symbolises the PE with Joe workouts, since he played that song so much. We all contributed to it and we decided the deadline was the first day back at school. ” What have you been up to lately? Which books have you enjoyed reading? What have you made? Have you written a poem or drawn a picture that you’d like to see published on this page? Whatever you have to show or…