ther fa2w 3r by coolkdei2

This week’s big news How to avoid germs

Medical staff check passengers from China as they arrive in Singapore.

OU DID YW KNaOvirus?gets its s

n e The corocause the viruson e s name b own-like spike is have cr urface. Corona their s n for crown. Lati

One of the easiest and most effective ways of avoiding germs is by washing your hands. You should wash them after going to the toilet and before eating. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, to avoid spreading germs, and wash your hands afterwards. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth too often. Getting enough sleep is also important, so that your body can ﬁght illness.

Countries act quickly to try and stop the spread of new virus

harmful new virus has been discovered in China. It is known as the coronavirus, although its official name is Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV. At the time The Week Junior went to press, more than 100 people had died from it, and more than 4,500 people were infected. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the outbreak is an emergency for China, but it is not yet classed as a global health emergency.

and death. Many of those who have died are known to have already been in poor health.

Where was it discovered and how did it start?

The new type of coronavirus was discovered in the city of Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province, at the end of last year. It is thought that it was transferred from wild animals to humans at a popular food market in The coronavirus Wuhan, where live creatures are bought under the microscope. and sold. However, scientists are still What is coronavirus? trying to identify the source of the outbreak. Coronavirus is actually a group of viruses. A virus is a tiny particle that causes disease in animals, plants Why is it spreading? and people. It is so small that it can only be seen The reason the virus is spreading is that not much is under a microscope. Most coronaviruses are not known about it. Since it is a new virus, humans have dangerous, such as the type that causes the common not yet developed ways to resist it and there is no cold. Coronavirus infections have a wide range of speciﬁc cure or vaccine (a medicine that can prevent symptoms, including a temperature, coughing, people from catching a disease). People can have the shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe virus without showing any symptoms for up to 14 cases can cause pneumonia (an infection that affects days, and can therefore pass it on to others before the lungs), severe breathing difficulties, kidney failure they realise they have it. There have been cases in

at least 16 other countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and the US. A lot of people, however, have recovered from the illness.

What is being done to stop the disease?

Countries, including the UK, are warning people not to travel to China, in order to restrict the spread of the virus. British Airways has stopped all direct flights to and from mainland China for now. There are also travel restrictions across China itself. In Wuhan, the airport has been closed, public transport has been shut down, and travel by private vehicles has been banned. The government is building a new hospital in Wuhan specifically for those affected by the coronavirus, which it hopes to have ready by 2 February. International research teams are working to find a vaccine to stop people from falling ill.

Are there any cases in the UK?

At the time The Week Junior went to press, there had been no cases of the virus in the UK. As of 27 January, 73 people had been tested for it in the UK, and all the tests came back negative. The Government says it is carefully monitoring the situation, and officials have put plans in place in case the virus is found to have affected someone in the UK.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

This week’s big news

Holocaust survivors mark 75th anniversary O

n 27 January, Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathered at Auschwitz, in southern Poland. They were there to mark 75 years since people were freed from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945. The Holocaust refers to the persecution and murder of Jewish people in Europe leading up to and during the Second World War (1939–45). Around six million Jewish people died. The Nazis, who were in power in Germany, set up Auschwitz-Birkenau as a camp where they could send Jewish and other people to kill them. Around 1.1 million people, most of whom were Jews, were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Nazis set up around 20 similar camps across Europe. More than 200 Auschwitz survivors attended the memorial to honour the victims. The oldest survivor was 101 years old, and the youngest – who was born in the camp – was 75. Benjamin Lesser, who is 92 years old, and who was sent to Auschwitz with his family, said, “I have returned so that I don’t forget any of the details of what happened to me, so I can keep the memories alive, and stop the world from acquiring amnesia (forgetting).”

People pay their respects at Auschwitz.

Billie Eilish with her awards.

album the y Eilish is to have a No.1 years solo actUK. She was 17. in the ld at the time o

Billie Eilish wins big at the Grammys

merican singer Billie Eilish was the big winner at this year’s Grammys, becoming the youngest person to win the Album of the Year award. The Grammys are given out every year by the Recording Academy (a group of professionals in the music industry) for achievements in music. They are awarded to singers, songwriters and producers, and there are awards for different genres (types) of music. Eilish, who is 18 years old, won the “big four” Grammy awards: Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Record of the Rear and Song of the Year. She is the ﬁrst person to do this since 1981. She also won the award for Best Vocal Pop Album. Eilish won Album of the Year for her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, making her the youngest ever winner of the award. That record previously belonged to Taylor Swift, who won it when she was 20 years old. Eilish’s song Bad Guy won both the Record of the

IT’S AN AMAZING WEEK FOR…

ON THE COVER: REX SHUTTERSTOCK · GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY. ON THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES · PA · HUSKY HOUSE/PA WIRE · WALES NEWS SERVICE · REX SHUTTERSTOCK

JUBILEE THE HUSKY

A dog who was given to an animal shelter because of her “weird” eyes has found a new home. The husky, called Jubilee, was advertised online, and more than 150 people applied to be her owner. She now lives with a family who have other adopted animals.

RD RECOK ER female BREA oungest

Mr Elive and his class.

Year and Song of the Year awards. Record of the Year is for everyone involved in a song’s recording, and Song of the Year is for the singer and songwriters. In her acceptance speech for Song of the Year, Eilish said she watched the Grammys when she was growing up, and never thought she would win one. Eilish recorded her album at home with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, whom she desribed as her best friend. O’Connell won the Producer of the Year award and said that, as they made the album at home, it was “a huge honour to be given a Grammy for making home-made cookies”. Eilish performed during the ceremony, as did other pop stars such as Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Demi Lovato. Eilish has said that she will start making her next album this year. She is also singing the theme song for the next James Bond ﬁlm, No Time to Die, which will be released on 2 April.

A STUNNING DRAW

Shrewsbury Town fans were treated to a shock draw against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup after striker Jason Cummings scored two goals. Shrewsbury are 16th in League One – 60 places below Liverpool, who are top of the Premier League. The two will now play again to decide who meets Chelsea in the next round of the cup.

A TALENTED TEACHER

Francis Elive, a 55-year-old teacher in Cardiff, has helped his entire class of Year 11 students achieve A* marks in their GCSE maths exam. Elive, who has been nicknamed “the Maths Whisperer”, was praised for his hard work – particularly as the class sat the exam six months early.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Jason Cummings

Home news A LONNGSHIP RELATsIinOthe EU for 4he7n

Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the withdrawal agreement into law.

Background to Brexit

w wa The UK joined in 1973,s the years. ItU was known a ic the E pean Econom Euro nity. u m m o C

UK leaves the EU and prepares for trade talks

n 31 January, the UK left the European Union (EU). The EU is an organisation of 27 countries that trade together and follow the same rules.

What happened?

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed the EU withdrawal agreement into law on 24 January, which conﬁrmed that the UK would leave on 31 January. This was the deadline the UK had agreed with the EU. The UK was due to leave at 11pm on 31 January, and a countdown clock was planned to be projected onto the walls of 10 Downing Street.

What will happen now?

Not much will change this year, as the UK will continue to follow EU rules until 31 December. This is

OF WORD THE WEEK

NOD-CRAFTY Do you know someone who nods while you’re talking, as though they understand every word, even if they’re not listening? In the 1600s there was a word to describe such a person: “nod-crafty”. It is deﬁned in a historical dictionary as “given to nodding the head with an air of great wisdom”.

known as the transition period, when the UK and the EU will try to come to an agreement about how they can work together in the future. During this time, travelling to and from the EU, the right to live and work in the EU, and UK-EU trade will remain the same. Negotiations between the UK and the EU on their future relationship will start after 25 February.

What will the UK and EU negotiate?

Talks between the UK and the EU will partly focus on trade. The UK doesn’t want there to be any tariffs or quotas on goods that are traded between the two. Tariffs are payments that have to be made in order to bring something into a country, and quotas are a limit on how much of something can be brought into a country at any given time. The EU says that it will only

On n 23 June 2016, a referendum (public vote) was held on whether or not the UK should stay in the European Union (EU) – an economic and political partnership between 27 countries. Around 52% of people who voted wanted to leave. This decision is known as Brexit. On 31 January 2020, the UK officially left the EU. To commemorate this important occasion, the Government released a new 50p coin featuring the words “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”. Around 10 million of these coins will be in circulation by the end of the year.

agree to this if the UK continues to follow EU rules on how goods are made. There will also be talks about other issues, such as defence and security.

What if they can’t reach an agreement?

The UK Government can ask for the transition period to be extended by up to two years. However, the EU says that any such extension must be requested by 1 July. Johnson has said he won’t ask for an extension. If the UK and the EU can’t agree a trade deal by 31 December, then from 1 January 2021 the UK will trade according to rules set by the World Trade Organization (WTO) – an international organisation that helps countries trade. This means that there would be tariffs and quotas on most products, and would continue until both sides could agree a deal.

THE WEEK IN HISTORY 1 February 1944 Artist Piet Mondrian dies On 1 February 1944, Dutch painter Piet Mondrian died aged 71, in New York, US. Mondrian was famous for his abstract paintings. These are paintings that do not aim to show real things, but use shapes and colours instead. Mondrian is best known for his later paintings, which used straight lines and primary colours (red, yellow and blue). It is said he was inspired by a trip to Belgium, where he saw beauty in the neat farm ﬁelds. His paintings have inﬂuenced many artists since.

One of Mondrian’s famous works.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

Home news

Girls better at language GCSEs

irls are more than twice as likely as boys to pass a language GCSE, according to a new study. The research, carried out by the Education Policy Institute, found that a student’s gender was the best way to predict whether they would pass a language GCSE. The study also showed that more girls were likely to take the exam in the ﬁrst place; 38% of boys took a language GCSE in 2018, compared with 50% of girls.

Taking time to relax is good for you.

Lost artwork sells for millions

previously unknown painting by the British artist Laurence Stephen Lowry has sold for the sum of £2.65 million at auction. LS Lowry (1887–1976) spent most of his life in Salford, near Manchester, and became famous for his paintings of the city. This one, called The Mill, Pendlebury, shows people enjoying a day off work. It belonged to Leonard D. Hamilton, who lived in the US. He was given the painting by his parents, who were given it by Lowry himself when they lived in Manchester. Nobody in the UK knew that the painting existed until Hamilton died last year.

NO10/CROWN COPYRIGHT/ANDREW PARSONS · PA · GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY · REX SHUTTERSTOCK · VISA – PARTNER OF THE GREAT BRITISH HIGH STREET AWARDS

Treorchy high street.

UK’s best high street revealed

he high street in Treorchy, in south Wales, has been named the best in the UK. The town centre was praised for its mix of independent shops (those not owned by large companies) and community spirit. There are around 100 shops along the street, of which just 4% are empty. Across the whole UK in 2019, 10.3% of high street shops were empty – the highest rate since 2015. The number of people visiting high streets has fallen because many customers now choose to shop online or at out-of-town retail parks.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Mental health week kicks off in schools

upils and teachers across the UK are being had signed up to take part. Jo Novick, who came encouraged to wear an item of clothing inside out up with the idea, said it would help to make people for a whole day to raise awareness of mental health. think. She explained, “Children are always looking to Inside Out Day, on 6 February, falls during Children’s see how many ‘likes’ they get or they’re seeing photos Mental Health Week, which runs 3–9 February. of their friends having a good time. I just want to let Mental health describes how we think, children know it’s ok not to be ok and that no one is feel and behave. Anxiety (feeling ling perfect ev perfect, even though they may look it.” nervous and stressed) and This year’s Children’s Mental depression (feeling sad, Health Week, which is dejected and lacking organised by the charity , s e l a W d energy for a long time) Place2Be, has a theme of land ane in every g n E n I are examples of mental “Find Your Brave”. ut on a mental o b a y l n o health problems. One in Place2Be is asking lts with receiving u d a t h s eig four adults, and one in sschools, youth groups, oblem i nt. r p h t l a 10 children, experience orgaanisations and individuals he treatme mental illness. This number to think aabout what makes them feel becomes higher among people brave. The charity said, “Bravery comes in who have experienced bullying, or if someone they all shapes and sizes and is different for everyone. know has died. Bravery can be about sharing worries and asking Inside Out Day is designed to make people realise for help, trying something new or pushing yourself that although on the outside someone might look outside your comfort zone.” as though they are happy and healthy, they could be Take a lo ook at How To on page 25 for some experiencing mental health problems on the inside. tips on looking after your mental health. As The Week Junior went to press, around 100 schools

OU DID YW KNO ?

THE WEEK’S SILLIEST HEADLINE “Calls for horse ban in Limerick tow wn after animal trots into local gym”irishexaminner.com 5

Around the worl Piacenza, Italy Thieves confess to art crime

One of Italy’s biggest art mysteries has ﬁnally been solved. Last December, a stolen painting by artist Gustav Klimt was found hidden in the outside wall of the Ricci Oddi art gallery in Piacenza. Two men have now admitted to stealing the £50 million painting. They wrote a letter to the local newspaper saying they stole Portrait of a Lady in February 1997, but they claim to have returned it four years ago.

Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Army helps residents after snowstorm

The Canadian army has helped people in Newfoundland and Labrador after a record-breaking blizzard. Around 300 troops arrived in the two regions on 20 January to shovel snow, provide transport and check how citizens were dealing with the difficult conditions. Up to 76.2 centimetres of snow fell in some places and wind speeds of 81mph were recorded. The weather broke a record in Newfoundland that was set in 1999, when 68.5 centimetres of snow fell.

Florida, US Weather alert: it’s raining iguanas

The US National Weather Service (NWS) has warned people in the state of Florida to watch out for falling iguanas. On 21 January, the NWS said the temperature was expected to drop below 4ºC. This is the point at which iguanas freeze, sometimes losing their grip on trees and falling to the ground. However, they’re not dead; they are cold-blooded, so once they warm up they s m nd again.

Nigeria Cricket team qualiﬁes for World Cup

The Nigerian under-19 cricket team has qualified for the under-19 cricket world cup, making history in the process. They are the first team from the country to qualify for a major cricketing tournament, by finishing top of the African qualification group. Captain Sylvester Okpe said, “Sometimes I still pinch myself to know that it is not a dream.”

The richest woman in Africa has been accused of fraud by investigators in Angola. Fraud means lying or giving false information in order to make money or beneﬁt in another way. Isabel dos Santos is accused of committing fraud while she worked for Sonangol, a government-owned oil company. She is the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos, who was Angola’s president for 38 years until 2017. It is claimed that dos Santos and people she worked with took £760 million through fraud. She has denied doing anything wrong.

Isabel dos Santos

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

UNIVERSITY OF UDINE · PA · REX SHUTTERSTOCK · GETTY IMAGES

Angola Africa’s richest woman faces criminal investigation

Around the world Oresund Bridge, Denmark/Sweden Bridge to get 13-year paint job

The Oresund bridge, linking Denmark and Sweden, is to get a new coat of paint – a job that will take 13 years. It is the bridge’s ﬁrst makeover since it opened in 2000, and the paint will prevent the steel parts of the structure from rusting. It is thought that around 200,000 litres of paint will be used and, in order to reach certain parts, the painters will hang from cranes about 30 metres above the water.

Faydah, Iraq Extremely rare carvings found

A team of archaeologists (people who study buried evidence of past human activity) have found very rare stone carvings in northern Iraq. They were found near the city of Faydah along the edge of a buried canal system that had been cut into the rock. The carvings, thought to be around 3,000 years old, show a king watching a procession of gods, including a god called Ashur who is riding on a dragon. The team of Iraqis and Italians made the ﬁnd at the end of last year.

Ethiopia Swarm of locusts threatens crops

A swarm of locusts is destroying crops in Ethiopia, putting the livelihoods of farmers at risk. Large numbers of the insects have gathered in eastern Africa in recent months, affecting Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Locust swarms can quickly eat through farmers’ crops, and about 80% of people in Ethiopia depend on farming to make money. Government organisations are working to stop the insects from spreading.

Free State, South Africa New home for big cats

Lions and tigers that have been rescued from circuses in Guatemala, in Central America, have been given a new home in South Africa. On 21 January, 17 big cats were transported by Animal Defenders International (ADI), an organisation that protects animals around the world. ADI persuaded the Guatemalan government to ban animals in circuses in 2018 because they said the animals were kept in small cages and not fed properly. The big cats were taken to the wildlife sanctuary where they can be properly looked after and have space to run around.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Glowing blue algae.

Jervis Bay, Australia Dazzling algae light up the sea

A photographer has captured the mesmerising sight of the sea glowing bright blue during the night in Jervis Bay, Australia. The bright colour is a result of bioluminescence, created by algae (tiny organisms) when they are disturbed or when ﬁsh try to eat them. Watch the video taken by Jordan Robins at tinyurl.com/TWJ-bioluminescence

The big debate

Should schools use isolation booths? Some people think they are too harsh a punishment for students.

What you need to know ● Isolation booths are places where students get sent if their teacher thinks that they have been disruptive and need to be removed from the classroom. ● The booths are often desks with the chairs placed facing a wall, so that the student can’t see or speak to anyone else. Empty classrooms are also used.

OU DID YW KNO fou?nd that

● Roughly 200 schools in England, 12 schools in Wales and six schools in Scotland use isolation booths.

tudy tion A BBC s l has ﬁve isola tal oo to one sch , which cost a ar rooms 70,000 a ye of £1 o run. t

● In 2019, more than 200 pupils spent at least ﬁve straight days in isolation areas in schools in England, according to an investigation by the BBC.

Yes – They improve students’ behaviour

Isolation booths can be a useful tool to help teachers control a classroom and deal with disruptive students. Sending a pupil who has been naughty to an isolation booth forces them to think about their actions. Not being able to separate misbehaving students from the rest of the class could make it harder to keep other students focused on the lesson. This would be unfair to those students who are well-behaved and want to learn. Rather than get rid of isolation booths, their use should be better managed so that students are only sent to them for a short time – not enough to disrupt their education. If used well, isolation booths can help discipline students and allow teachers to get on with teaching.

reasons why schools should YES Three use isolation booths

1 2

Isolation booths are a useful tool to help teachers deal with misbehaving students.

There’s no need to get rid of isolation booths completely. They should be better managed so they beneﬁt both teacher and student.

If a child is sent to an isolation booth, it means that the rest of the class won’t have their lesson disrupted.

Teachers may sometimes need to remove children from class, but the use of isolation booths has gone too far. Anne Longﬁeld, the Children’s Commissioner (a person appointed by the Government to promote the rights of children), has said that some schools have used converted toilets and cardboard boxes as isolation booths. This can have a negative impact on students’ mental health, and also means that pupils start to think of schools as places for punishment. Besides, disruptive students need support, often for special educational needs, not punishment and isolation. Other pupils might think being sent to an isolation booth is funny or something to be proud of. There are better ways to discipline students at school.

reasons why schools should NO Three not use isolation booths

1 2

The use of isolation booths has gone too far and is a waste of school time and resources.

They don’t work – some students will think that being sent out of the classroom is something to be proud of, not a punishment.

Isolation booths can have a negative effect on a student’s mental health and is ruining some children’s school experience.

What do you think? Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls. Vote YES if you think that schools should use isolation booths, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week.

No – They do more harm than good

LAST WEEK’S POLL Last week, we asked if it was time for a new Scottish independence vote. The result was quite close, but a majority of you said that 42% 58% now is not the YES NO time to hold a second vote.

The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds. The views on the page do not reﬂect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

GETTY IMAGES

ast year a teenage girl, whose identity has been kept a secret, revealed that she was put in an isolation booth at her school more than 240 times over a four-year period. Other students across the UK have shared their experiences of isolation booths and spoken about the negative impact that they have had on their health and education. Pupils have said that they stopped learning and started to feel depressed as a result of being in isolation booths for a long time. Some teachers say that isolation booths are necessary to help them control the classroom, and that the booths can improve student behaviour when they are used properly. Others think they are too strict and do more harm than good. So should schools use isolation booths?

People

Remembering a sports legend

OU DID YW KNOs na?med after

yant i ese beef. His r B e b o K f Japan spired when o e p y t a ere in eef listed w s t n e r pa obe b enu. K w a s they estaurant m on a r

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

eople around the world have paid tribute to where the ball leaves the player’s hand it can retired basketball player Kobe Bryant. The score either one, two (the most common) or star died in a helicopter crash on 26 January in three points. He also won two Olympic gold California, US, at the age of 41. A total of nine medals in 2008 and 2012 playing for the US. people died in the crash, including Bryant’s His most famous game was against 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who TToronto Raptors in 2006, when he also played basketball. Bryant scored 81 points. Only one player was one of the greatest in basketball history has ever basketball players in history scored more points in a and won five single game. championships in the In 2018, Bryant won an National Basketball Oscar for his animated short Association (NBA, the film Dear Basketball. The film biggest basketball league in was based on a letter that he Bryant won an North America). had written in 2015 about his Oscar in 2018. Bryant spent his entire 20-year love of the game. career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, The player was known for his positive during which time he became the highestattitude and dedication to hard work. In a TV scoring player in team history, with 33,643 interview in 2008, Bryant gave this advice: points, and the fourth-highest scoring player “Life is too short to get bogged down and be in NBA history. Points are scored when a discouraged. You have to keep moving. You player gets the ball through the opponent’s have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the hoop at the end of the court. Depending on other, smile and just keep on rolling.”

Kobe Bryant

Codd ﬁghts her fear of ﬁsh THEY SAID IT!

eorgie Codd used to be terrified of fish – despite having a name similar to that of a famous species (cod). She first realised she didn’t like them while swimming in the sea on holiday. She recalls, “All the fish were crowding around my face. I freaked out completely.“ To try to beat her fear, Codd decided to learn to dive, and eventually she swam with a shark. “I think people get scared of things because they don’t understand them,” Codd told The Week Junior. “Facing your fears means shining a light on the shadows.” She is still afraid of sharks but has learnt to control the fear, and has written a book about it.

Joe Rabicano

Georgie Codd

The UK’s youngest farmer

REX SHUTTERSTOCK · GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY

oe Rabicano has dreamt of being a farmer for a long time. Now, the 18-year-old has become the UK’s youngest farmer, according to The Times newspaper. When he was 16, Rabicano bought a ﬂock of sheep and was allowed to keep them on other people’s land. Now, Rabicano has been picked by Norfolk County Council to farm a plot of land it owns, and has four ﬁelds totalling nearly 170,000 square metres. No one in his family has been involved in farming but Rabicano says he started planting seeds in his grandparents’ garden at the age of six.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

“Just always be yourself, and no matter what people say about you, just don’t listen to it at all.” Dolittle actor Harry Collett on the advice he was given by Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr when they were making the ﬁlm.

Animals and the environment The crafty drongo

Cows have their own mooing styles.

! ht WOreW thoug

a People sed Holsteinu to have cows for their Friesian for around milk ears. y 0 0 0 , 2

Animals use all kinds of ways to communicate. Some can even change the sounds they make to trick other animals. In Africa, a bird called a drongo has developed a clever way to fool meerkats. The drongo. First, it alerts meerkats when eagles are approaching. The drongo calls out and the meerkats ﬂee. The next time the drongo calls out, there is no eagle – it’s tricking the meerkats. They hide, and the drongo eats the insects they have left behind. The meerkats only fall for that once, so the drongo gets even cleverer. It changes its call to mimic the warning cry of a meerkat. This sends them into hiding again, so the drongo can enjoy even more food.

Cows’ moos reveal emotions C

ows can express emotions through their moos, and each cow has its own mooing style, according to new research. The recently published study was led by Alexandra Green, from the University of Sydney in Australia. The research took place on a farm with a herd of 18 HolsteinFriesian heifers (young female cows). The animals were all roughly the same weight and age. Green and her colleagues took 333 recordings of individual

Listening to the moos.

cows in different situations, such as while eating, in groups and alone. The researchers then judged whether they were in a good or bad mood, based on how curious or defensive their behaviour was. The moos were then analysed by a computer, which looked for differences in pitch (how high or low the sound is), volume and unique vocal characteristics

(what made each voice different). The findings showed that not only did each animal have a unique moo, it also showed how they were feeling when the recordings were taken, because different moos were found to match different moods. Scientists already know that goats, pigs and sheep have individual voices; it is thought that this is the first time evidence has proved it is also true for cows. “My friends and family think it’s a bit funny,” Green said, “but they are really intrigued by the results. Not many people think about this, I guess.” She said she hopes farmers can use her findings to tell cows apart and improve cattle welfare on farms.

ECO TIP VISIT YOUR LOCAL FOOD MARKET OF THEWEEK

There are lots of beneﬁts to eating local produce. gases such as carbon dioxide that cause climate For a start, buying food that was grown in your change. Local farm shops and markets also don’t local area means that it hasn’t been use as much single-use plastic as supermarkets, stored in refrigerators and because they tend to not keep food on carried in planes or lorries to t thee shelves for as long. That means get to the shops – which tthey don't rely on plastic means fewer greenhouse wrapping to keep food fresh. bal o l g f o r e gas (GHG) emissions are To ﬁnd a market or farm shop A quarte gas emissions s released into the air. near you, visit tinyurl.com/ eenhouom the farming. r g GHG emissions are TTWJ-farm-shop me fr f food

OU DID YW KNO ?

co ort o p s n a r t and

Buying fresh is better for the planet.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

WHATT O re lopA H’ O ears a he

Animal of theweek

t ls Barn owe is higher thanrk out on wo sided – is helps them oming h other. T re sounds are cseful whe , which is u from n hunting. whe

Mayﬂy

Woodlands are important homes for UK wildlife.

HS2 rail line could put natural habitats at risk

thorough investigation into the project so far. It reports that the route will damage five internationally protected wildlife sites, 693 local wildlife sites and 108 ancient woodlands, among other places of special scientific interest. It will put several species at risk of extinction, including barn owls, rare bats and the dingy skipper butterfly. The report was produced by 14 local wildlife trusts and other charities, including the National Trust and the Woodland Trust.

BAD

● DIET: As larvae, they eat algae and plants. Most adults do not feed because they only live long enough to mate and lay eggs. ● FUN FACT: There are 51 species of mayﬂy in the UK.

K AS A

GOO

● HABITAT: Wetlands close to rivers and lakes.

Good week / Bad week

● LIFESPAN IN THE WILD: Once they become adults, they only live for one day at the most.

EEP

he new HS2 rail line could cause permanent damage to England’s natural habitats and wildlife, according to a recent report. HS2 is a high-speed train link that is planned to run between London and the West Midlands, then up to Manchester and Leeds. The project, which could cost £106 billion or more, has been criticised by experts who have been gathering information for the Government about whether it should go ahead. Their study is said to be the most

A new report suggests that the population of burrowing mayﬂies in one part of the US has dropped by more than half since 2012. Mayﬂies swoop through the skies in swarms of up to 80 billion, and provide food for a wide variety of other animals. They were once common in the northern Mississippi River and around Lake Erie, on the border with Canada, but they are now in decline.

W do ring-tailed lemurs Why hhave rings on their tails?

LYNNE GARDNER/UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY · ALAMY · PHILIP FORMBY/WOODLAND TRUST/ PA WIRE · DONALD VERSER · REX SHUTTERSTOCK · NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

Cristina Sara Stender Keeper at ZSL London Zoo

The world’s rarest duck

Twelve Madagascar pochard ducklings have hatched on the African island, a major boost to the world’s rarest duck population. Madagascar pochards are so rare they were long thought to be extinct. The ducklings are babies of a breeding group released into the wild in 2018.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Giant sequoia trees

Twenty-eight giant sequoia trees, the largest plants on Earth, have died in national parks in the US state of California since 2014. The trees, which can reach up to 90 metres tall, died from beetle attacks, ﬁres and droughts (long periods without rain). Some were more than 3,000 years old.

Tails stand out from their background as clear shapes. This can help predators pick out individuals from groups when hunting. Patterns, like the contrasting black and white rings on ring-tailed lemurs’ tails, are a clever defence against predators, because they make it harder to tell individual lemurs apart, which makes hunting them more tricky. 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

All about the National Trust

The National Trust is celebrating its 125th anniversar this

he National Trust is one of the most loved charities in the country, and chances are, wherever you are in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, you won’t be too far away from one of its sites. If you’re in Scotland, you may well know of the National Trust for Scotland, a separate organisation that does similar work. The National Trust now protects more than 500 historic houses, castles, ancient monuments, gardens, parks and nature reserves. The charity was set up 125 years ago by three people who realised that important places had to be saved and preserved. For this special anniversary, take a look at its fascinating history.

ting the

St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall.

Trust sites can be visited by the public.

NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ARNHEL DE SERRA · ALAMY · GETTY IMAGES · REX SHUTTERSTOCK

Why was the National Trust created?

The idea for the National Trust came from Octavia Hill, a campaigner who worked to improve the quality of life for people living in cities during the 19th century. Throughout her life she wanted to protect the nation's open spaces so that everyone could enjoy them, not just the rich or those living in the countryside. She said, “The need of quiet, the need of air, and I believe the sight of sky and of things growing, seem human needs, common to all.” Along with two other founders, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, Hill created the National Trust in 1895. The goal of the Trust was to preserve the country’s historical and natural places and make sure everyone could visit them. The Trust’s ﬁrst piece of land, a small patch of clifftop in Wales, was donated that year.

Three unmissable National Trust sites

Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Carmarthenshire

Octavia Hill

First used as a gold mine 2,000 years ago, Dolaucothi is full of history. The mines are out of bounds in the winter, but during the rest of the year there are plenty of events, including panning for gold and venturing below the surface to see how the mines were used.

Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim

Visitors can look for gold.

With its extraordinary stone columns stretching into the Atlantic Ocean, it’s little wonder that the Giant’s Causeway is one of the Trust’s most famous landmarks. It’s free to walk on the stones, or you can pop into the visitor centre exhibition to ﬁnd out more about the history of the area.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

All about the National Trust

UK’s most special places The Trust in m

17 56 96

Species of bat foun at National Trust sites

Villages owned by the Trust Percentage of UK species found on Trust la

.5million

C ps of tea served at Trust s tes each year

llion

Hours worked by volunteers each year

Alfriston l rgy House.

aking a success

The National Trust’s early years were busy. In 1896 it saved its first historic building from being torn down – the Alfriston Clergy House in Sussex – at a cost of £10 (the equivalent of about £1,340 in modern money). Three years later the Trust bought its first nature reserve (Wicken Fen, near Cambridge), and in 1902 donations from the public helped to buy a piece of land for the first time (Brandelhow in the Lake District). Ever since, people have been able to join the Trust for a fee, which helps to cover the costs of new and existing sites. Today, there are 5.6 million members. You can find your nearest National Trust site by visiting nationaltrust.org.uk/search The Trust is planting trees.

Celebrating an anniversary

Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire

You can walk on the stones for free.

This site is home to the apple tree that helped famous scientist Isaac Newton come up with his theory of gravity in the 17th century. Today, in addition to the tree, there are regular themed events and a science centre where visitors can try their hand at various experiments. This year the site will be focusing on space.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe.

On 9 January of this year, almost exactly 125 years after its creation, the National Trust revealed an ambitious plan. Director general Hilary McGrady told reporters that the charity would plant 20 million trees within the next 10 years, covering 180 square kilometres – that’s an area equivalent to one and a half times the size of Manchester. The Trust said that the trees would help tackle dangerous emissions, which are gases that cause climate change (long-term changes to the planet’s weather patterns). This is because trees absorb carbon dioxide, one of these gases, and turn it into oxygen. By cutting its own emissions, the Trust hopes to become carbon neutral by 2030. This means it will remove as much pollution as it creates.

Science and

Drones to the rescue of Australian sea lions On the other hand, if the beasts are roughly the same size and weight, the drop must be down to something else – for example, a human inﬂuence, such as waste in the ocean. Given the sheer size of Australian sea lions, and the remote habitat in which they live, measuring the animals is no easy job. Therefore, the scientists have come up with a labour-saving new method: drones. These can ﬂy above the sea lion colony, taking as many photographs of the sea lions as possible. These images are used to produce 3D models of each of the creatures, which can then be used to estimate the length and weight of each sea lion. After a very successful test run, the team now hopes to use this technology to monitor the population of all the Australian sea lions.

Australian sea lion pup.

S N

Z MA IN

The fossil of an ancient reptile called an ichthyosaur.

3D model of one of the sea lions.

esearchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia have started using drones to monitor the health of endangered Australian sea lions. There are between 10,000 and 12,000 Australian sea lions, most living in waters off the coast of southern Australia. Over the past 40 years, experts think that their numbers have fallen by more than half. To protect these marine mammals, scientists need to ﬁnd out more about them – including their state of health. One of the best ways to measure the health of the animals is to look at their size. Comparing the sizes of the animals in areas where numbers are falling with those in areas where they are thriving should give researchers a better understanding of what’s going on. A big difference in the weights of sea lions from two different areas could suggest, for example, that a shortage of food might be the problem.

E N T IO

T electric boat that The fflies across the water Candela Seven electric boat.

LIZ BURTALLY · GETTY IMAGES · SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY · JARROD HODGSON · JON GOPSILL/ CATERS NEWS AGENCY · MIKAEL MAHLBERG

Sam and Poppy.

Dogs discover fossil on beach walk A pair of dogs is being celebrated for co-discovering an ichthyosaur fossil on a beach in Somerset with their owner. An ichthyosaur is a reptile that swam in the sea, and became extinct around 90 million years ago. Its name means ﬁsh-lizard. The two dogs, Sam and Poppy, were enjoying a walk with their owner, Jon Gopsill, on Stolford beach just before Christmas, when they spotted the 1.6-metre-long fossil in a slab of rock. Gopsill contacted a local preservation charity called the South

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

West Heritage Trust, which carefully removed the fossil on 27 December. It is thought to be about 190 million years old. People who ﬁnd fossils are allowed to name them if they turn out to be a previously unknown species. However, names must be approved by an organisation called the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Gopsill says he’d like to call the fossil Poppyisamosaur after his dogs, although he does know that the name might not be allowed.

n electric boat has been unveiled that matches fossil-fuel powered rivals for speed. Fossil fuels are sources of energy such as coal and oil. Burning them releases carbon dioxide into the Earth’s

atmosphere, which causes climate change (the long-term change in world weather patterns). Candela Seven is powered by electricity, and has hydrofoils (wing-like structures that work in water). These make it look like it’s ﬂying over the water.

Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk 15

Photos of the week

On parade

Troops march in New Delhi, India.

Horsing around

REX SHUTTERSTOCK · REUTERS · PA · SHAWN VAN EEDEN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Horse races at the Polish Highlander Parade in Male Ciche, Poland.

The view from the top An aerial image of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

Photos of the week Going wild

BMX rider Eric Garbers shows off in front of a rhino in Namibia in southern Africa.

Ice cool

A street ice rink in Beijing, China.

The sky’s the limit

A hot air balloon in Chateau d’Oex, Switzerland.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Sport

ME A N L O CO h has been

Pug “the human ed e nicknamear” because h polar b s in freezing swim ters. wa

Lewis Pugh’s super swim mming stats

● Pugh is an endurance swimmer, which means he can swim for a long time and is used to swimming in difficult open waters for hundreds of miles. ● He’s the only person to have made long-distance swims in all of the world’s oceans. ● In 2018 he swam 328 miles along the English Channel in 49 days. ● When he swam at the North Pole in 2007, Pugh had three guards watching out in case a hungry polar bear approached him.

Pugh was in the water for more than 10 minutes.

Record-breaking Antarctic swim Pugh wore swimming trunks – rather than a wetsuit, which would have kept him warmer – and swam in a river that formed underneath the melting ice sheet. He had to abseil down a 70-metre ice wall to reach the water. In the days leading up to his swim, he took lots of dips in the chilly water to get used to the extreme conditions. Every time Pugh got out of the water he had to be helped to get dressed because his hands were too cold. The ﬁerce wind made the temperature feel like -25°C.

THE WEEK’S WINNERS... Olivia Weedon and Kirsty Muir

The British teenagers won medals in the ﬁnal week of the Winter Youth Olympics in Switzerland, which took place 9–22 January. Muir, from Scotland, took silverr in the freestyle skiing big air competition. England’s Weedon n picked up a bronze in the short track speed skating mixed country relay event.

Olivia Weedon

Kirsty Muir

Much of the ice in Antarctica is melting.

● The Th R Russian i FFederation d ti topped t d the Winter Youth Olympics medal table, winning 10 gold, 11 silver and eight bronze medals. Switzerland were second and Japan third. ● Australia, which is a hot country with virtually no snowfall, won their ﬁrst ever gold when Josie Baff took the snowboard cross title. ● The next Winter Youth Olympics will be in 2024 in South Korea.

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

KEVIN TRAUTMAN · GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY

n 24 January, Lewis Pugh became the ﬁrst person to swim under a sheet of ice in the Antarctic – in just his trunks. Pugh, aged 50 and from Plymouth, was in the near-freezing water for 10 minutes and 17 seconds. The Antarctic region, around the South Pole, has the coldest temperatures on Earth. Pugh made the dangerous plunge to highlight melting ice sheets and rising sea levels caused by climate change (long-term changes to the world’s weather largely caused by human activity). It was only possible for Pugh to get under the ice sheet because so much ice in Antarctica is melting.

Book club

books about brothers

Whether you have a male sibling or not you’ll ﬁnd a lot to enjoy in these stories. I Swapped My Brother on the Internet by Jo Simmons. Illustrated by Nathan Reed (Bloomsbury Publishing)

Jonny is delighted when he realises that he can swap his annoying older brother for a new one via the useful website Sibling Swap. Finding the perfect brother to swap him with won’t be easy, though, and soon Jonny has to deal with a series of bizarre replacements – including a merboy, a child raised by meerkats, and even a ghost.

Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin Books)

Colin is on a quest. His brother Luke has cancer, and the doctors at home in Australia don’t seem to be able to help him. Sent to London to stay with relatives, Colin decides to ﬁnd the best doctor in the world to cure Luke – and where better to begin than asking the Queen for advice?

My Brother’s Secret by Dan Smith (Chicken House)

Growing up in Germany during the Second World War, 12-year-old Karl is looking forward to joining the Hitler Youth like the other boys his age. However, his father dies unexpectedly and Karl’s rebellious older brother Stefan starts encouraging Karl to question everything he thought he knew.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. Illustrated by Elisa Pagaanellill (Macmillan Children’s Books)

When Hal joins Uncle Nat, a travel writer, on the ﬁnal journeey of the Highland Falcon royal train, he isn’t too impressed. He issn’t a big fan of steam trains, and it’s not much fun being the only child on board. Things soon get much moore exciting when some jeweellery goes missing during the journey j y to Scotland. With suspicion running high among the passengers, Hal teams up with secret stowaway Lenny to investigate. Can they discover who the jewel thief is before the train reaches the end of the line? It’s full steam ahead for adventure in this entertaining mystery story, which is packed with intriguing puzzles, deceptions and clues.

READERS RECOMMEND

Name: PopJam user

(Bloomsbury)

My Brother Is a Superhero by David Solomons

JAMIE ISBELL · ELISA PAGNELLI

(Nosy Crow)

Superhero fans will love this award-winning tale, starring comics-mad Luke and his older brother Zack. Luke can’t believe it when an alien gives his undeserving brother superpowers, but when Zack is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, it’s down to Luke to ﬁnd him – and save the world.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

For a chance to win a copy, just send your name and address to competitions@theweekjunior.co.uk and put HIGHLAND in the subject line. Closing date: midnight Friday 7 February. See theweekjunior.co.uk/terms for rules.

ASK THE AUTHORS

M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman

The Highland Falcon Thief writers on train journeys and favourite foods.

The Space We’re In by Katya Balen. Illustrated by Laura Carlin This thought-provoking family story follows 10-year-old Frank, who likes cottage pie, football and cracking codes. When a terrible tragedy strikes their family, how will Frank and Max – his autistic ﬁve-year-old brother – help each other cope?

IN!

We’re giving away six ix co copi pies pi es of The Highland Falcon Thief

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling “I love this book because it is very gripping. The whole series is amazing but I chose this one because it introduces you to all the characters. I recommend this to young witches and wizards, but muggles will enjoy it too.”

What is your favourite ever train journey? Leonard: Journeying to the top of the Brocken mountain, in Germany, riding a stunning black-and-red steam train on a narrow-gauge railway track. Sedgman: I took the California Zephyr right across the US. It started in rainy Chicago, went up through the snow-covered mountains of Colorado, through the desert of Utah, and ﬁnally arrived at the coast in San Francisco.

*If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www w.dennis.co.uk/privacy-policy

If you could live off ld li ff one food for the rest of your life what would it be? Leonard: Cheese. It comes in so many ﬂavours and consistencies. I even love stinky and mouldy cheese. Sometimes, when I don’t want to cook, I have cheese and crackers for tea. Sedgman: It would have to be bread. Every country makes their bread a little differently, and I love to try them when I travel. You can learn a lot about a place from its bread.

This week’s big exhibition Two of Picasso’s works from the show.

Pablo Picasso’s paper creations The famous artist’s work is on display in London.

new exhibition called Picasso and Paper has opened in London. The show explores the revolutionary way in which Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (who lived from 1881 to 1973) used paper to create some of the world’s greatest art. Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He showed incredible talent from a young age. Many of his early paintings were inspired by famous artists who lived before he did, and showed realistic people and objects. As he got older, Picasso experimented by using less realistic ways to convey his ideas. He invented a new form of painting

known as Cubism. This style of art aims to show every possible viewpoint of a person or an object all at once, and looks a bit like a collage. Picasso’s use of paper was one of the ways he experimented and tried out new ideas. He was fascinated by it and used all different kinds, including special Japanese paper, menus from restaurants and wallpaper. He drew on it, tore it, burnt it, and made it into three-dimensional ﬁgures. Fortunately for art lovers, he rarely threw any of it away. This new show charts Picasso’s development from the cut-out paper dove he made when he was eight years old to smaller

sketches in which he worked out some of his most famous paintings, through to paper figures and a huge collage. The exhibition spans Picasso’s entire life and shows his constant drive to invent and create new ideas. Visitors can watch films of Picasso working and creating, and they can find out more about his life and ideas through the letters, illustrated poems and photographs on display. Picasso and Paper is on until 13 April at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Visitors under the age of 16 go free. For a taster of what to expect, have a look at tinyurl.com/TWJ-picasso

Three other displays to see in the UK

The power of pottery

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke on Trent has a range of displays from local history. It also has an exhibition called Kapow!, which looks at the inﬂuence superheroes have had on art and design. There’s more at www.stokemuseums.org.uk

Amazing art

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow has 22 galleries covering everything from art and animals to ancient Egypt. There are free tours at weekends and activities during holidays. Want to know more? Check out tinyurl.com/TWJ-Kelvingrove

Spectacular sculptures

See some of the UK’s great works of sculpture at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakeﬁeld. The park features works by artists Damien Hirst and Saad Qureshi. From huge sculptures to delicate models, the show has something for everyone. To ﬁnd out more, have a look at ysp.org.uk

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

THIS WEEK’S WATCH LIST

Van Gogh’s Self Portrait.

Pokémon: Twilight Wings

tinyurl.com/TWJ-twilight-wings

Self portrait proved to be authentic

painting by famous artist Vincent van Gogh has The Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands been proved to be a genuine self portrait more conﬁrmed the painting was real after getting it than 230 years after it was created. X-rayed. The experts also studied the Some experts had doubted brushhwork and compared it to whether the artwork, which is reeferences in letters Van Gogh called Self Portrait, had really wrote to his brother. ered d i s n o c been painted by Van Gogh Self Portrait is unusual is now ists of all e h h g himself. It was made while because it uses colours not Althou f the best art ld just o o the artist was in a French seen in his other paintings. one Van Gogh s g n i , r e asylum (an old type of It is thought that this was tim nting du i a p e n o hospital for treating people beccause Van Gogh was feeling his life. who were mentallyy unwell). ill when he painted it.

The ﬁrst of seven episodes in this new animated series is now streaming online. Set in the Galar region, where the newest Pokémon games, Sword and Shield, take place, the show is packed with adventures and stories about residents of Galar and a range of local Pokémon.

OU DID YW KNO ?

FILM CLUB

T story of The FFred Rogers aand his TV message. m

Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers.

My Life: Our Big Vote Streaming on BBC iPlayer

In this documentary, Elena, Jodi and Mairi are campaigning to win a place in the Scottish Youth Parliament. They have to convince young voters that they deserve to win, and face a tough challenge from each other and two older boys.

RMN-GRAND PALAIS (MUSÉE NATIONAL PICASSO-PARIS) · ALAMY · REUTERS · ADRIEN DIDIERJEAN/SUCCESSION PICASSO/DACS 2019 · BBC/BLAST FILMS/CHARLIE FERRIDAY

A Beautiful B if l D Day iin the Neighborhood

At cinemas nationwide. For more than 900 episodes, a man called Fred Rogers presented a TV programme for young people in the US, where he talked about real-life issues, and why we all matter. Part of his story is told in the new film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. He’s played by Tom Hanks, who voiced Woody in the he Toy Story films, but the plot is also about a journalist who is writinng a story about Rogers, and how re are o m w o t to kn ocumentary the two come to help each n a w u o If y other. The result is a funny gers, a dYou Be My o R t u o ab on’t 2), and moving film about the called Wr? (certificate 1 . power of kindness. ighbo Netflix

FIND RE OUT MO

Ne ble on is availa 1 February 2020 • The Weekk Junior

Secrets of the Museum

8pm on 6 February, BBC Two Journey behind the scenes of London’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in this new documentary. Specialists working at the V&A reveal how they conserve, clean and acquire objects for the museum, including a toy elephant called Pumpie that was made 100 years ago.

een One idea is a toilet that checks your health.

It’s not too late

Nesta says it was so impressed by the initial entries for the Longitude Explorer Prize that it has decided to extend its deadline so it can name 10 more semi-finalists. There’s no time to lose, though: the deadline is 14 February. Teams need between two and five people each, and their entries will be judged on how their idea uses AI; how well it addresses a problem; whether it’s been well planned out; how the team plans to work together; and how they’ve thought about issues such as security with AI technology. To find out more about the competition go to tinyurl.com/ TWJlongitude.

! ze WOitW ude Pri

g The LonBritain in 1714. ay n began iwas to ﬁnd a w Its aim ips to navigate for sh accurately. more

Scientists and engineers of the future are exploring artiﬁcial intelligence.

tudents from across the UK have been dreaming Many 11 to 16-year-olds across the country have up brilliant inventions to tackle challenges come up with ideas for technology products, apps and including climate change and health for a contest services that can make the world a better called the Longitude Explorer Prize. place using AI. AI stands for artificial Sixty semi-finalists have been chosen intelligence, which is the name given from the competition entries so far, to a computer system that can learn including a beach-cleaning robo-turtle from its mistakes, “think” for itself and a toilet that monitors the health and perform complicated tasks that of people who sit on it. The contest is usually require human intelligence. run by Nesta, an organisation set up Other semi-finalists so far to support innovation (new ideas) in include an AI therapy dog; a bin that An AI areas such as education, old age, health reminds you when items inside it could therapy dog. and future technologies. be recycled; and a device to reduce traffic

jams by adjusting traffic lights. The UK’s science minister, Chris Skidmore, said he has been very impressed by what he has seen so far. “The 11 to 16-year-olds involved in the competition have the potential to become the future scientists and engineers that will grow our reputation as a world leader in science and innovation.” The contest will eventually see 40 ﬁnalists chosen to develop their ideas further, competing to win a £25,000 grand prize for their school or youth group, or one of three runners-up prizes of £10,000. There’s still time for you to enter the competition – see the box above to ﬁnd out how you could get involved.

What are the themes? Entries can be on one of four themes. These are…

Living Longer

This theme focuses on ideas that can help older people stay independent, safe and active, as well as not feeling lonely.

Living Better

If you want to look at how AI technology can keep people

healthy – for example, by diagnosing illnesses as early as possible and treating them effectively – then this could be the theme for you.

Living Together

This one is all about transport and how AI technology can be used to make our journeys easy, safe and as green as possible. Examples of

this would be things such as self-driving cars or bicyclesharing schemes.

Living Greener

The ﬁnal theme is all about our impact on the world, looking for ideas to make our buildings, homes and communities as environmentally friendly as possible.

How can transport be improved?

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

On screen OF WEBSITE THE WEEK

ENGLAND NETBALL

englandnetball.co.uk

This isn’t the only netball organisation in the UK with a website, but fans will notice the site has had a major overhaul. It’ll help you follow what’s happening with the top teams and players, and point you in the direction of local teams and courts so you can play yourself.

OU DID YW KNOslim c?ountries

Mu ed In somed Cross is the Rl the Re cent, a symbo Cres iated with assoc am. Isl

Enter a code to play the new mode.

Fortnite teams up with the Red Cross

ortnite’s latest mode isn’t about taking people out of the game; it’s about saving them. It’s been launched by a charity called the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a way to teach gamers about its work around the world. The new mode is called Liferun. Players have to heal civilians (people not in the armed forces); rebuild infrastructure (buildings, roads, pipelines); get rid of landmines, and hand out aid – all things that real-life Red Cross volunteers do. Liferun has been released

though Fortnite’s creative mode; players can enter the code 1992-1013-9260 to play it. The charity hopes that the new mode will spark conversations about the effects that violence and war can have on people. “The ICRC is recognising the growing importance of the gaming community,” said Jennifer Hauseman from the ICRC, who estimates there are two billion gamers around the world now. “We need to talk to them in a smart and engaging way to explain that civilians suffer greatly in conﬂict.”

SECRETS & HACKS

GET A SPOTIFY LIGHTSABER

If you’re a fan of Star Wars you’ll be pleased to see that some of the ﬁlms’ official soundtracks – for example Revenge of the Sith or The Force Awakens – have a different play bar at the bottom of the Spotify screen. On computers, but not smartphones, the bar turns into a lightsaber.

Hogwarts meets Minecraft.

VIRAL VIDEO DOCTOR WHO: THE RUNAWAY

tinyurl.com/TWJ-runaway

Harry Potter’s newest digital adventure

EPICGAMES

here are lots of official Harry Potter games available, from the Lego Harry Potter console games through to last year’s Harry Potter Wizards Unite mobile game. Now some fans are creating a new, entirely unofficial (meaning not approved by the owners of Harry Potter) game featuring Harry and friends... within Minecraft. Minecraft School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a map for Minecraft, which lovingly recreates Hogwarts and other famous Harry Potter locations, and even

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

some of the book and film series’ famous characters. It is being created by a small team of students who have been working on the project for two years. They started raising money from fans to help them finish the map, and they plan to release it very soon. In the past, the Tate museum group has released Minecraft maps based on paintings and sculptures in its collection, and fans of The Lord of the Rings spent nine years building a Minecraft version of Middle Earth, which was finished last year.

This animated Doctor Who story started life as something you could only use with a virtual-reality headset. Now it’s on YouTube for goggles-free viewing on a smartphone or computer, as you and the Doctor help a lost alien ﬁnd their way home.

ething “SQUASH CAN BRING YOU CONFIDENCE”

“I began playing sqquash when I was only three w and I am now thee under-11 Cam mbridgeshire NName: County Champion Joshua and ranked in the top 50 of the England Squash Rankings. I am on court three times a week and my older brother Aiden also plays. Squash can bring you ﬁtness, friendship, rewards and conﬁdence.”

HOW,WHAT, WHERE? Why should I play squash?

Squash is a great way to keep ﬁt, and can help keep your whole body strong and healthy. If you’ve ever played tennis, you will already be familiar with movements needed to strike a squash ball. You never need to worry about the weather when you play squash because the courts are indoors.

How are different types of squash balls used?

Balls are graded by the different coloured dots on them. A beginner’s ball has a blue dot, and bounces higher than the more advanced ones. Balls with a red or yellow dot are best suited to more experienced players, and top players use one with a double yellow dot.

INKve at L B T ’ N DO ball can mo ng

h hi A squas le speed, reac hit incredib170mph when about a top player. by

Joshua (front) plays three times a week.

Fancy trying a fast-paced racket sport? Then why not start playing…

quash is a sport of speed, skill and ﬁtness but, jusst as importantly, it’s great fun and simple to learn. Once you’re on the court, all you need is a squash racket and a ball, plus an opponent. An indoor squash court is 9.75 metres long and 6.4 6 metres wide, which is smaller than a tennis court. Instead of hitting the ball over a net, you hit the ball against the front wall until the other person can’t hit it back, which earns you a point. Just as in tennis, the ball b can only bounce once before being hit back. The serving player must have at least one foot inside their service box – at the side of the court behind the mid-point line, called the short line. Each serve must m hit the wall between the service line and the top linee, then land behind the short line on the opponent’s sidde of the court. Players take it in turns to hit the ball against the front wall (or from the side wall to the froont), between the top line and the bottom line – the tin.

What is the easiest type of squash for beginners?

Service line The tin Short line Service box

Service box

Wh tthe When h bballll bbounces off ff th the ffrontt wall, ll it’ it’s allowedd to hit the side walls. After you hit the ball, you must get out of the way and let your oppponent strike the ball. The ﬁrst person to get to 11 points wins the game. If the sccore reaches 10-10, one player wins by gaining two more points than the other. Sam Toddd is the British Junior Under-17 Champion. “Squash can be hard physically and mentally, bbut I travel all over the world and meet amaazing people,” he told The Week Junior. “Juust enjoy your time on the court, stay relaxxed and focused, and concentrate on your pperformance.”

Squash 57, which used to be called racketball, is the same as squash but uses a bigger racket and a bigger, bouncier ball. The ball is easier to hit, and rallies are longer – a rally is started by a serve and ends when the ball isn’t returned.

Learn more… For more details and to ﬁnd a squash club near you, go to englandsquash.com, scottishsquash.org, ulster squash.com or walessquash andracketball.co.uk ●

Watch videos of the best squash players in action at psaworldtour.com/tv/highlights ●

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY · REX SHUTTERSTOCK

Squa h

Top line

How to…

Take care of your mental health Use these top tips to help make sense of your thoughts and feelings. Place2Be is a national children’s mental health charity that supports young people in schools when they need to talk about their mental health. This year, its Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place 3–9 February, and its theme is “Find Your Brave”. This is because life is full of ups and downs, and it can sometimes be hard to be brave – but people can be brave in lots of different ways. One way to be brave is to share your worries with someone, or ask for help. On this page are some of Place2Be’s top tips for ﬁnding your brave and looking after your mental health.

Take time to breathe

OU DID YW KNOe laun?ched

●

When thoughts and feelings grow too big, try to ﬁnd something you enjoy that also calms you.

●

This could be playing football, reading, meeting friends, listening to music or taking some time to close your eyes and breathe.

●

It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it works for you.

Talk to someone

Place2Bver Children's its ﬁrst el Health Week Menta 2015. in

●

Think about the people you could talk to about your thoughts and feelings.

●

This could be someone in your family, a trusted friend, a teacher or your school counsellor.

●

Talking to someone you trust can be a great way to look after your mental health – sharing your thoughts and feelings will make them seem not so big after all.

Put your emotions down on paper ●

Difficult thoughts and feelings can take up space in your head, making it harder to think clearly.

●

Writing and drawing can help to get them out of your head and free up space.

●

Reading through your thoughts can help you understand them better. Share them with others as well.

Got an idea? Made something 1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

l? Sh

it ith

t h ll

kj i

k 25

Over o you Editor’s note I haven’t counted how many Brexit front covers The Week Junior has designed since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, but it’s certainly been a lot. Last year alone, I estimate we designed four Brexit front covers, and three more were to o with who should run the country in light of the Brexit process. It just goes to show what a major, deﬁning political issue Brexit has become in recent years – one that will shape all our lives. This week was the week the UK left the European Union – some people think for better, others say for worse. There’s still a lot to be worked out between the two sides; let’s see what happens next. In the meantime, if you think you know how many Brexit covers we’ve done, let me know! Of course, Brexit isn’t the only story going on right now. Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place on 3–9 February 2020. It’s a really good opportunity to take some time to focus on you – your thoughts, feelings and how to feel more positive and relaxed, and less stressed and anxious. Check out our top tips on page 25 for some inspiration.

Editor

CHARITY OF THE WEEK

y n erra n

Name: Molly Last summer, I went interrailing with my mum, dad and little sister, Orla. Interrailing is good because it offers 33 countries in Europe to explore; kids travel free; you spend time with your family, playing games, watching the scenes from the train and enjoying the peace; and trains are better for the environment than planes. I went to 12 places in eight countries and enjoyed them greatly. Rügen, a German island on the Baltic coast, was amazing, with beaches, clifftop walks and a sand sculpture festival featuring sand ﬁgures of Johnny Depp, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and, at a massive

“

17.66 metres, the world’s tallest sandcastle! In Poland, Gdansk’s deserted shipyards told me the story of how the workers all went on strike to save the job of Anna Walentynowicz, a crane operator who was approaching retirement, and helped change history. Finally, in Slovenia, I went swimming and rowing in stunning Lake Bled – and bungee trampolining by it. Nearby, Vintgar Gorge is also a natural beauty, with mystic, clear blue water. Even though all the places were wonderful, by the time we came back on the night boat I was already thinking of my next adventure.

”

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 hello@theweekjunior.co.uk

GET INVOLVED

Wicked Young Writer Award

Animal Health Trust

The Animal Health Trust is a veterinary and scientiﬁc research charity that works to prevent disease and injury in animals through research. The staff are committed to providing excellent care for sick and injured dogs, cats and horses. Through its education and training programmes, it works to support the next generation of vets, nurses and scientists. The charity has a centre in Suffolk, but its work improves the lives of animals all around the world. You can ﬁnd out more about what it does at aht.org.uk

Junior

Roving Reporter

The team behind the West End smash hit musical Wicked are calling on young people between ﬁve and 25 across the UK to write about an thing they’d like in fewer than 750 words. Of the entrants, 120 will be chosen as ﬁnalists who will receive a printed copy of their entry as part of the annual Wicked Young Writer Awards Anthology and an invitation to a special prize-giving event at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London. The winners will receive £50 worth of book or eBook tokens, tickets to see the show, and they’ll get to meet the cast. Visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-Wicked to enter before the 2 March deadline.

GETINVOLVED

Email your news, viewsandpictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

Over to you YOU U

love to see your snaps. Send them to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk TOS We’d Don’t forget to tell us why you took them.

“Absolutely love mountain biking with my friends, enjoying the fresh air, beautiful scenery and sunset.” Jayden

Follow on PopJam @TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week was Chinese New Year. Here’s what our PopJammers had to say...

REX SHUTTERSTOCK

“It is the Year of the Rat. Happy Chinese New Year everyone.”

“I saw your article about the pop-up city skyline and I had a go at making my own with the theme of London.” Elodie

“Here is a photo of me and my sister with small rescued Joeys that we visited at a rescue centre near Melbourne. We are now fundraising to help the wildlife and people affected by bushﬁres in Australia.” Amy and Eliza

Puzzles page answers

“Chinese New Year is so colourful and bright. Happy Year of the Rat!” “I love Chinese New Year. I have given my family red envelopes.” “I’m excited because I was born in the Year of the Rat in 2008.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.

OF THE WEEK Teacher’s name: Mr Harrison

School: Durlston Court school, Hampshire

“Mr Harrison is a kind, caring, helpful and understanding teacher. He makes lessons fun and interesting and we don’t realise that we are learning as the class is so interactive. He also taught me a very important lesson, that it is ok to make mistakes in my work and you cannot get everything right all of the time.”

Anagrams: toaster, microwave

Sam If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of . Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to

1 a) Billie Eilish 2 False, it left on 31 January 2020 3 Iguana 4 c) Five days 5 True 6 Madagascar Pochard 7 b) 4.5 million 8 False, he does stunts on a BMX 9 Switzerland 10 c) Lewis Pugh 11 True 12 One 13 a) Hogwarts 14 False, they can hit it up to 170mph 15 A slice of cheese

Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior to print them in the magazine and digital editions. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, accuracy and suitability. Ensure you have your parent/guardian’s permission before sending anything to us.

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

Junior

SH W

If you’ve enjoyed this issue of The Week Junior, why not take a listen to our brand new podcast, The Week Junior Show. This week, Bex from Fun Kids radio and members of The Week Junior team discuss mooing cows and mental health. Have a listen at tinyurl. com/TWJshow, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Word fill in 4 letters Cube Kite Oval Star

5 letters Arrow Cross Heart 6 letters Circle Square

All of these shape words ﬁt in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it?

8 letters Crescent Cylinder Triangle

WORDSEARCH

Can you ﬁnd all of these types of weather? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and may read forwards or backwards.

9 letters Rectangle

ANSWER CAN S FOUNDBOE PAGE 27N

7 letters Decagon Hexagon Nonagon

ANAGRAMS

Rearrange the scrambled letters to form a word.

RATTOES

(CLUE: U (CLUE Usedd at bbreakfast) kf )

WARMVOICE (CLUE: Quick heater)

FROST HAIL ICE LIGHTNING MIST

SLEET SNOW STORM SUNSHINE WIND

Numb tower

Place a number in every square to compleete the number tower. The value in eachh square is the sum m of the numbers in the two squares directly beneath it. These two pictures appear to be the same, but take a closer look. There are actually ﬁve differences. Can you spot them?

REX SHUTTERSTOCK

Spot the difference

BLIZZARD BREEZE DRIZZLE FLOOD FOG

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

That’s unbelievable!

Slice of cheese used as bookmark in library

A slice of cheese has been found inside a library book in Liverpool, as if it had been used as a bookmark. Alex Widdeson, of the University of Liverpool Library, said the slice was “warm and liquid”. She said the person who found it on 21 January was so shocked that they couldn’t remember which book it was in, but it was discovered “somewhere between American history and geography”. She joked, “I’m not sure even the mice would have been interested.”

Golf game stopped by geese chasing an alligator

Natta Kota has been known to grab guests’ food.

Elephant is hotel’s favourite guest

For the past seven years an elephant called Natta Kota has been the most loyal customer of the Jetwing Yala hotel in Sri Lanka. A video of the elephant walking around the hotel has now gone viral on social media. A spokesperson for the hotel explained how Natta Kota used to be there for a few months at a time before moving on to other hotels in the same area. However, the elephant seems to have settled at the Jetwing Yala where he “spends his days sleeping in the shade of the scrubs and taking walks along the hotel’s footpaths”. Guests are told to keep an eye on their food, particularly fruits and vegetables, as the cheeky creature has been known to grab them.

Making good use of snow.

Some dogs enjoy music too.

New playlists just for dogs

The music streaming service Spotify has launched new song playlists for dogs. The company has also created a new podcast called My Dog’s Favourite Podcast, which includes soothing music and reassuring messages for canine pets. The playlists and podcast have been created to help anxious pups relax when they are at home alone. Spotify said it decided to launch the new playlists after ﬁnding that almost 74% of dog owners in the UK like to play music for their pets. So, have we gone barking mad, or is this story real?*

1 February 2020 • The Week Junior

The geese escorted the alligator off the course.

A game of golf at a tournament in Florida, US, was interrupted after a group of wild geese chased an alligator across the course. A video of the chase, which was posted online, shows the game being brieﬂy stopped as bemused golfers watch on from their golf carts. The geese kept on following the slow-moving alligator until they were all eventually out of the way and play could start again.

Snow causes snowball ﬁght delay

A snowball ﬁght in Canada had to be rearranged because there was too much snow. The annual event at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, was delayed after organisers feared that a snowstorm would make things too dangerous. Thankfully conditions improved, so the ﬁght was able to go ahead the following day. The more than 1,000 students who took part were given 15 minutes to make their ammunition before the snowy madness began. *Real! Strange as it may seem, people can now choose official Spotify playlists and podcasts for their dogs. In a recent survey, 42% of pet owners said their animals had a favourite genre of music, and a quarter said they’d seen their dogs dancing to the beat.

@LIVUNILIBRARY/TWITTER · NEWSFLARE · GETTY IMAGES · REX SHUTTERSTOCK

Real OR Rubbish?

The cheese had turned to liquid.

Quiz of the week

How much of this week’s news can you remember? 1 Who is the youngest ever winner of the Album of the Year award at the Grammys?

a) Billie Eilish

9 In which country is Chateau d’Oex?

b) Taylor Swift c) Ariana Grande a

10 Which swimmer is nicknamed the “human polar bear”?

■ b■ c■

2 True or false? The UK left the EU on 23 June 2016. 3 What type of animal has been falling from trees in Florida, US?

a) Adam Peaty b) Katie Ledecky c) Lewis Pugh 7

12 How many paintings did Vincent van Gogh sell during his lifetime?

a) Two days b) Three days c) Five days

13 Which famous school has appeared in Minecraft?

■ b■ c■

5 True or false? Georgie Codd is scared of ﬁsh. 6 Which species of duck is the rarest in the world?

■ b■ c■

11 True or false? In the book The Highland Falcon Thief, the Highland Falcon is a train.

4 How much time did more than 200 pupils spend in isolation booths in England in 2019?

8 True or false? Eric Garbers performs stunts on a mountain bike.

a) Hogwarts

ANSW CAN BERS FOUND E PAGE 2ON 7

b) Malory Towers c) St Trinian’s a 13

7 How many cups of tea are served at National Trust sites each year?

■ b■ c■

14 True or false? Top players can hit a squash ball at 17mph. 15 What item of food was used as a bookmark at a Liverpool library?

a) 450,000 b) 4.5 million c) 45 million

■ b■ c■

Acting production editor: Philip Clough Contributors: Steve Clarke, Susie Dent, Stuart Dredge, Francesca Fazey, Richard Gibson, Kevin Editor-in-chief: Anna Bassi Pettman, Colin Williams, Katherine Woodﬁne Editor: Felicity Capon The Week Junior editorial founders: Features editor: Ben Isaacs Avril Williams, Ed Needham Contributing editor: Dan Green Publisher and chief executive: Kerin O’Connor Staff writers: Michael Dalton, Stevie Derrick, Founder, The Week: Jolyon Connell Huw Poraj-Wilczynski, Ciaran Sneddon Editor-in-chief, The Week: Jeremy O’Grady Editorial assistant: Kaye O’Doherty Chief customer officer: Abi Spooner Art director: Dave Kelsall Direct marketing director: Luise Mulholland Designer: Elton Lam Group advertising director: Caroline Fenner Picture editor: Rachel Billings Senior marketing manager: Jemma Foster, Managing editor: Vanessa Harriss Anna Lavelle (maternity cover) Production editor: Hugh Porter Schools marketing manager: Ruth Leblique

Group advertising director: Caroline Fenner (caroline_fenner@dennis.co.uk) Advertising manager: Carly Activille (carly_activille@dennis.co.uk) Account director: Hattie White (hattie_white@dennis.co.uk) Sales executive: Clement Aro (clement_aro@dennis.co.uk) Production manager: Lawrence Brookes Senior production controller: Ebony Besagni Operations director: Robin Ryan Chief executive: James Tye Dennis Publishing founder: Felix Dennis Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31–32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP. Tel: 020-3890 3890.

Copyright © Dennis Publishing Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. The Week and The Week Junior are registered trademarks. Neither the whole of this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers. Editorial: editorial@theweekjunior.co.uk Subscriptions: subscriptions@theweekjunior. co.uk Tel: 0330-333 9494. Annual subscription rate UK: £85; overseas: £95. School subscriptions: 40-week term-time subscription rate from £54.

OUR AWARDS CABINET

PRINT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2019

PRINT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2018 BEST ART TEAM 2017

PRINT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2017 AWA R D S

2018

WINNER EDITORS’ EDITOR 2018 (ANNA BASSI)

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR 2016 BEST NEW LAUNCH 2016

The Week Junior • 1 February 2020

REX SHUTTERSTOCK · ALAMY

Junior

Make sense of the world in

Every issue of The Week Junior magazine is packed full of engaging facts and features that will ﬁll young minds with wonder, nurture their curiosity and help them to understand the fast moving world we live in

Try 6 FREE ISSUES of The Week Junior ●

Subscribe now and get 6 issues free

●

Your subscription will then continue at just £21.50 every 13 issues

●

You’ll save 26% on the shop price

TRY

To order visit nismags.co.uk/theweekjunior or call 0330 333 3434 Offer code P2001NY1

6 FREE ISSUES