THE AWARD-WINNING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR KIDS £1.20 29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010 ISSUE 231 First News supports children’s charities
Working with
WIN!
INTERVIEW
Nintendo Wiis and X Factor and Doctor Who games
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Hannah Montana’s Emily Osment
HAITI
IT’S A RECORD
Disease crisis
The world’s largest chocolate bar!
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WE’RE SAVED! BUT WILL PANDAS ONLY SURVIVE IN CAPTIVITY? A BABY boom may have saved the giant panda – but only in captivity. After years of experiments in China, scientists seem to have worked out how to breed the animals. This year alone 19 cubs have been born in the country’s two main research centres. Now there are more than 300 pandas in captivity – a goal that was set to save the panda as a species. The next challenge is getting the panda back into its natural habitat where there are only 1,600 left in the wild. To protect them, the Chinese Government has created 40 panda reserves. Panda scientist Professor Liu Yuliang said they hadn’t had any success releasing bred pandas into the wild
by editor Nicky Cox yet. When they tried before, a five year-old captive panda was found killed by wild pandas. “We don’t know how to do it,” said Professor Liu. Pandas raised in captivity don’t know how to feed themselves in the wild and they don’t know how to behave like wild animals.
Breeders playing with panda cubs at the centre
no Pandas are born with s eye sed clo h wit fur and
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ISSUE 231
FirstNews.co.uk
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
FIRST NEWS HEADLINES IN BRIEF
Cholera outbreak hits Haiti
No 10 gifts DAVID Cameron has plans to open a No10 gift shop in a bid to raise money.
MORE than 250 people have died from an outbreak of Cholera that has swept through central Haiti as the country still struggles to cope with the aftermath of January’s earthquake. The government of Haiti have asked for emergency Cholera treatment centres to be set up in the capital, Port-au-Prince. There are fears the epidemic could spread and affect the 1.3 million homeless people in the capital. As First News went to press it was confirmed that 253 people so far have died from the disease with another 3,015 confirmed cases in
by Serena Lacey the region, 80km from Port-au-Prince. The disease is spread through dirty water or food and causes diarrhoea, fever and sickness, leading to dehydration and death. It is the first cholera epidemic in the country for a century. Health authorities said they hoped to have the outbreak stabilised
within days. An estimated 300,000 people died because of the earthquake in January and thousands of people are still homeless after the devastation. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, which has made it hard to rebuild the country after the quake. Lots of other countries around the world have pledged money to help Haiti.
Teen drinkers Take drinks on rising rapidly planes again THE number of teenage patients admitted to hospital because of alcohol-related problems is rapidly increasing, according to a new report.
Around 36 teen patients are being admitted to hospitals on a daily basis as a result of drinking, and more than half of those are girls. The huge numbers are putting pressure on the NHS. Survey results show that 630,000 people aged 11-17 drink alcohol at least twice a week. The shocking figures come from Alcohol Concern’s report Right Time, Right Place: Alcohol-harm Reduction Strategies with Children and Young People. In London alone in 2009-2010, 2,200 alcohol call-outs were made to under 18s.
BRITISH scientists have developed an airport scanner that can tell the difference between water and liquid explosives. The security scanners have been approved by the EU and can be used at European airports now. It is hoped the X-ray machines will be in place by April 2011, which could mean that travellers will be able to take drinks on board planes again. The scanners will be able to tell what is in the bottles and whether the ingredients have been tampered with. The liquid ban has been in place for travellers since August 2006 when authorities uncovered terrorist plans which involved
explosives being carried onto planes in drinks bottles. Security staff scan bags for dangerous objects and liquids.
Gifts and souvenirs are already sold in Downing Street for staff members only, but Mr Cameron is in talks to make the shop a public business. All items sold in the gift shop will be marked with the Downing Street crest and could be available online. The Queen has a gift shop at Buckingham Palace and the American President has an online shop.
Christmas Pot Noodle THIS week a special Christmas dinnerflavoured Pot Noodle has been launched.
The “Pot Noëldle” is being tipped as Christmas in a pot and has been launched after trials with troops abroad. Two pence from each pot sold will go to the RAF Association’s Wings Appeal, which helps members of the Armed Forces phone home at Christmas.
Washed away at Washaway Beach A FAMILY who bought a log cabin on Washaway Beach in Oregon have watched it really get washed away.
Heavy rain across the US caused the cabin to tip into the Pacific Ocean, despite the family moving it to higher ground. They have said losing the cabin was like losing a loved one. Check out the video online at www.firstnews.co.uk
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FIRST NEWS HEADLINES
Space runway opens The clocks go back THE first spaceport runway has opened in New Mexico, bringing the reality of space tourism one step closer. The runway dedication ceremony was marked with a flypast by an aircraft carrying Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two. Sir Richard Branson, head of Virgin Galactic, said: “Today is very personal as our dream becomes more real. People are beginning to believe now. I think the drop flight two weeks ago, which went beautifully, made people sit up and realise this is really reality.” It is hoped that the first passenger flights into space could take place in 18 months. There are already more than 300 people who have signed up to make the three hour flights to the edge of space at a cost of £128,000 each.
Sir Richard Branson and Governor Richardson in front of Spaceport America
IT’S that time of year again when British Summertime ends and our clocks go back an hour.
This means mornings are lighter and evenings are darker. However, this year could be the last time the clocks are changed this way as an energy and climate change committee is proposing a new system. The system, known as double summertime, would mean later sunsets The clocks go back an hour in midsummer (around at 2am on 31 October 10pm) but later sunrises in winter, around 10am in some parts of Scotland. There have been calls to change our time system for many years but Scottish politicians claim these changes would mean mornings are too dark for farmers and children walking to school north of the border. The benefit of the changes is longer summer days, which could help boost tourism. What do you think? Would you be happy with darker mornings and longer summer days? Email us at newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk
EDITOR’S COMMENT SUCH happy news that it seems that pandas have been saved from becoming extinct.
But sad to think that, eventually, these beautiful animals may only live in captivity. So, while I think we have reason to celebrate successful Editor Nicky Cox MBE breeding plans, this has to go hand-in-hand with protecting animals in the wild. Pandas are not the only animals in danger. Experts say that tigers face extinction within 12 years. Marie von Zeipel from the World Wide Fund for Animals says there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild, down a whopping 97% in 100 years. Her organisation is leading a campaign to double the wild tiger population by 2022. We need to protect their habitat and to prevent poaching of tigers and their prey. In November, Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin is holding a four-day summit with experts from the 13 countries where tigers are still found in the wild, to hatch a rescue plan. About time!
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY On 29 October 1999, a massive cyclone swept through the state of Orissa in eastern India, killing an unknown number of people and leaving thousands homeless.
BAD
School skipped for holidays ALMOST four million school days were missed by pupils last spring and autumn because they were taken out of school to go on holiday with their parents. Figures released by the Department for Education show that 0.51% of half-days were missed because of family holidays during the autumn and spring terms in 2009. In total, 24% of these absences were not authorised by staff. The number of primary students missing school without permission has risen slightly, although the number of
secondary pupils skipping classes has fallen. The problem is not a new one. Many parents take advantage of cheap holidays during term time, a problem that worries education experts, Schools Minister Nick Gibb says: “It is crucial that children are not missing out on valuable lessons that could leave them
vulnerable to falling behind. “The Government is committed to tackling the underlying causes of absenteeism, raising academic standards and ensuring every child can meet their potential.” What do you think? Have you skipped school to go on holiday? Answer our poll online at www.firstnews.co.uk
WEEK FOR... The Exmoor Emperor
A big red stag, believed to be the largest wild animal in the UK, has been found shot dead in Devon. He was believed to weigh more than 135kg.
GOOD
WEEK FOR... Apple
Apple iPods, iPhones and iPads are the top three must-haves on Christmas lists this year. The results came from a survey run by Duracell.
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
THE NEWS IN PICTURES
21 OCTOBER
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND: Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg enjoy lunch with pupils at Welbeck Primary School.
23 OCTOBER
NEW YORK, USA: Sissy the Norfolk Terrier takes part in the 20th Annual Halloween Dog Parade. Her costume was inspired by the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
22 OCTOBER
SUAO, TAIWAN: This giant hole in the road was caused by flooding, following Typhoon Megi. The typhoon’s torrential rains caused landslides killing at least seven people.
25 OCTOBER
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND: Fans of The Hobbit staged a rally protesting against the film being made outside of New Zealand.
23 OCTOBER
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND: A girl joins protests against government spending cuts. Protesters gathered across the country to speak out against the public sector cuts unveiled by the Chancellor George Osborne last week.
20 OCTOBER
WASHINGTON, USA: US First Lady Michelle Obama takes part in the White House Kitchen Garden Fall Harvest, collecting pumpkins with school children.
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SPECIAL REPORT
For more information visit www.nga.org.uk
by Pardeep Mattu for the National Governors’ Association
WHAT DO SCHOOL GOVERNORS DO?
BE HEARD
SCHOOLS should be places where you are learning as much as you can, to prepare you for life when you leave school. And you deserve the best, so that you can improve your knowledge and feel happy when you’re at school. School governors are there to help your head teacher make sure that this is happening!
Who are school governors? School governors can be staff who work at the school, parents of children who attend the school, people who make a big difference in the local area or people with particular business experience. But they will all have one thing in common – they care about the pupils who go to the school and want them to learn and achieve effectively. Your school will have between eight and 16 governors, called a ‘governing body’. They look at, and decide on, the rules that will protect both students and teachers, how money is spent by the school, improving the school building, the subjects you are learning and whether exam results from pupils at the school are improving as much as they should be every year. Governors should always be looking at how to improve a school. Sometimes, when money is tight for schools, which it is at the moment, a school will have tough decisions to You can tell your school’s governors what you think about everything in your school
make. Should they spend money on new books for the library or refurbish the toilets that pupils are unhappy about? This is an example of the kind of decisions that governors need to take; all the time remembering that they should be doing what is best for the pupils at the school. You will have governors at your school – ask and find out who they are. Some schools involve pupils directly in what the governing body do. Your school might have a student council or something similar. Join in – make sure that what you and your friends think about your school is understood by both the student council and the governing body, so that they can help do something about it. They want to know what you think!
National Governors’ Association The National Governors’ Association (NGA) is the only independent organisation for school governors in England. There are more than 300,000 governors; one of the largest volunteer groups in the UK. As volunteers, governors are not paid for their efforts to improve schools. The NGA supports and promotes improvement for all schools and has members, who are governing bodies and local associations of governing bodies (groups of people from governing bodies at different schools, in particular areas of the country). We ensure that what
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governors think and feel is understood by the Government and those that make the major decisions that affect schools and education. We work with other education organisations and provide information and advice for school governors. The NGA gives governors the information they need to do their jobs well. This information includes our magazine, Matters Arising, a weekly e-newsletter, and we also hold regular events for school governors.
The future The Government is now giving governors more freedom than ever before to run their schools the way they think is best for their pupils. So having good school governors is now more important than ever, to make sure that pupils are getting the best education they can.
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
ANIMAL NEWS Chuca is being raised by the mother sloth
Longest pet cat A CAT from Reno in the US has been named the longest domestic cat in the world by Guinness World Records.
Seeing double TWIN baby two-toed sloths have been born in captivity for the first time. The cute (and hairy) twins were born at Loro Parque in Tenerife earlier this autumn. Twin two-toed sloths are very rare as the mothers can only care for one baby. To make sure both babies had the best chance of survival, keepers stepped in and decided to hand-raise one of the sloths themselves. Kirsten, a staff member at Loro Parque, has become surrogate mum to one of the sloths,
which she has called Luca. The baby spends all day clinging to the front of Kirsten’s T-shirt and sleeps in a special cot next to Kirsten’s bed at night with a soft gorilla for comfort. The other twin, Chuca, is being raised by Bimba, the mother sloth. When both sloths are bigger and able to care for themselves they will be reunited.
Stewie, a Maine Coon cat, measures an impressive 1m 23cm long, while an average domestic cat is around 45.7cm long. His owner, Robin Hendrikson, decided to apply for the record after friends commented on how long Stewie is. He beat the previous record owner by 1.27cm. Maine Coons, like the one pictured, are one of the oldest natural breeds of cat in North America. They are known for being gentle giants.
What do spots mean?
Luca is being raised by keeper Kirsten
Spooky snacks Oil problems THE effects of the BP oil spill may affect marine animals like the manta rays of the Gulf of Mexico for many years, according to experts.
There is so little known about the mysterious Gulf mantas that the long-term damage caused by the oil spill may be fatal. Manta rays feed by sucking in seawater and filtering plankton and other tiny animals out, before rejecting the rest of the water through their gills. Before the water is rejected, filaments in their gills take oxygen from the water, which is how they breathe. These filaments are very delicate and any toxins in the water may lead to fatal damage. As so little is known about these mantas, experts are very concerned about the damage the oil may have caused.
THE patterns on a leopard or tiger are always individual, but researchers now think that they are also linked to where the animal lives.
A THEME park in Devon has given its meerkats a Hallowe’en treat! Rogan the meerkat, who lives at Woodlands Family Theme Park in Devon, has been given pumpkins stuffedfull of tasty treats. Pumpkins are being used as a festive enrichment for the animals to encourage
them to search for treats, like they would search for food in the wild. Check out www.firstnews.co.uk/animals to see lots of pictures of animals from around the world enjoying Hallowe’en treats.
A team from the UK has examined the markings on 37 species of wild cat, trying to work out what their patterns mean. Their findings show that animals that live in trees and are active during times when light is low, are more likely to have complicated patterns on their fur to help them blend into the background. The findings are being published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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ISSUE 231
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
OUR STORIES THE WEEK’S WEATHER
with Jonathan Powell
From Friday 29 October 2010 to Thursday 4 November 2010 WEEK IN GENERAL Sunshine and showers for most areas. FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER Scotland/N Ireland – Scattered showers. Day 11c/52f Night 6c/43f. Brisk southwesterly. England/Wales – Scattered showers. Day 12c/54f Night 7c/45f. Brisk southwesterly. SATURDAY 30 OCTOBER Scotland/N Ireland – Rain, overcast. Day 11c/52f Night 7c/45f. Brisk southwesterly. England/Wales – Showers, sunny spells. Day 13c/55f Night 8c/46f. Brisk southwesterly.
Home News Wales
Isle of Skye
Hull
Graveyard tour
Holiday hot spot
Cool school
Two funeral directors have started a new heritage trail, highlighting historic figures buried at Treorchy cemetery, Rhondda. Tour creators Ian and James Reynolds were told about some of the 70,000 graves at the cemetery by their father who worked there for 65 years. Sights seen on the graveyard tour, which is aimed at schools and family historians, include the graves of a footballer, war hero and MP.
Skye has been voted one of Europe’s top island holiday spots. The Misty Isle came eighth in the Top 10 European Islands category of the Conde Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice awards, beating sunnier Sicily and Croatia’s Hvar.
SUNDAY31 OCTOBER Scotland/N Ireland – Scattered showers. Day 12c/54f Night 7c/45f. Light southwesterly. England/Wales – Scattered showers. Day 14c/57f Night 9c/48f. Light southwesterly.
Endike Primary School in North Hull is set to undergo a £6 million transformation. Designs for the new school involve all kinds of quirky features including seating based on fairground rides and a giant slide between floors. It will also have a glass roof and multicoloured letters on the front. The new school will open in 2012.
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Worcestershire Child workers Seven children have been taken into police protection after they were found working in a field. The Romanian kids were discovered picking spring onions in near freezing conditions in Kempsey. The children, aged between nine and 15, were amoung adults working in the fields but were not dressed properly to be in such cold conditions. The children are now in care.
Norfolk Travelling cat The RSPCA in Norfolk are trying to trace the owners of a cat who snuck into a delivery van and went on a 50 mile trip. Van driver Sean Dick discovered the ginger cat behind his passenger seat last week after he’d dropped parcels at more than 50 places. The RSPCA have renamed the adventurous moggy Walter, after famous explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, but can’t find his owners as he’s not microchipped.
Warminster
REST OF THE WEEK Settling down somewhat.
WEATHER FAST FACT
BST comes to an end at 2 am on Sunday 31 October. The idea of putting the clocks forward and back, was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784.
Bromsgrove Paperboy prize
Dog poo painters wanted
Fifteen-year-old paperboy Sam Green-Jeffries from Bromsgrove has won an award after caring for a terminally ill customer on his delivery round. Sam carried out chores and delivered shopping to bedridden David Bishop before he died last year. The teen’s good deeds were recognised when he was named a winner of the National Deliverer Merit Award.
A community group in Warminster is looking for volunteers to spraypaint dog poo. The scheme, which will paint the dog mess a bright colour, is to highlight the problem of owners not picking up after their pets and will hopefully shock them into cleaning up.
THE WEEK IN NUMBERS 240
skaters an hour will be able to enjoy the ice rink at Alexandra Gardens, Windsor, when it opens again in December.
2.4
million pounds is planned to improve Caenarfon town centre in Wales.
260,000
pounds was the surprise amount left in cat lover Dolores Valentino Oszward’s will to STARescue animal charity in Hampshire.
4.6 metres is the height of a statue of a child’s hand holding a car, which is set to take pride of place in London’s Mayfair. The sculpture called ‘Vroom Vroom’ will sit on Park Lane.
13 tonnes of carrots are used every week by ZSL London Zoo to
feed their 16,000 animals, like Dirk pictured left!
100,000
people visited Weston Super Mare’s refurbished pier the weekend it reopened after a £39m refit.
ISSUE 231
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
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WIN! Calling all 10 to 11-year-olds! YOU could win £300 for yourself and £500 for your school in this cool FREE competition. You could also win a free trip to the Houses of Parliament with your parents/guardians, all reasonable expenses paid. All you need to do to enter is to learn exactly how to avoid death or injury from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and then DESIGN A POSTER with IMPACT! Your poster can be drawn, painted or even photographed.
CO-Gas Safety is an independent registered charity and is running a schools poster competition for a fourth year, to highlight the dangers of CO and other dangers from using any fuel that burns. Company number 3084435, Charity number 104370. Website: www.co-gassafety. co.uk. Email: offi ce@co-gassafety.co.uk. The competition closes on 31 July 2011, and all details can be found at www.co-gassafety.co.uk/competition. html. There is a downloadable PowerPoint presentation, a parent giving a talk to a school and a booklet with funny and colourful pictures, kindly drawn free for us by illustrator and CO victim, John O’Leary. There are two regions, North England and South England, so there will be two winners, plus possibly an overall winner. Prizes are at least £300 for each winning pupil and at least £500 for each winning school!
Winner of South England, Scarlett Pugsley, Courthouse Junior School, Maidenhead, with Theresa May MP, now Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality
Lily Bolsover, winner of North England with her parents and teacher Sarah Groomfield, Sheffield High School
You could learn how to save your life or the life of a loved one.
Getty
SCIENCE
One-way ticket to Mars
?
Did you
A simple fence could help to reduce pollution from cows
The length of a day on Mars would be quite familiar for astronauts. A Mars day is just 39mins 35secs longer than a 24hr Earth day. Mars is the most likely destination for a new human colony
Getty
know
TWO scientists have suggested that human colonisation of other worlds should start with a one-way trip to Mars. In the current issue of the Journal of Cosmology, Paul Davies and Dirk SchulzeMakuch say that it makes sense to send astronauts to stay on Mars. This is because space travel is enormously expensive, and the largest cost for a journey to Mars would be the return trip. The researchers also say that this
by Ian Eddy would help to start a human colony on Mars, possibly using the planet’s large ice caves. A trip to Mars with today’s technology would take around six months. Astronauts would face a reduced life expectancy because
of the dangers of space travel. However, the report’s authors claim that their surveys show that many people would be willing to volunteer for the trip, for reasons of “scientific curiosity” and a “spirit of adventure”. Would you go on a one-way trip to Mars? Take part in our poll at www.firstnews.co.uk!
Grandpa galaxy Researchers say the galaxy is so far away that the light coming from it was given off when the universe was only 600 million years old. Since the universe now is about 13.7 billion years old, you can see that this galaxy is pretty old! The galaxy, known as UDFy-38135539, was first spotted by the Hubble Space
Telescope. More accurate measurements of its age were taken by using the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Since a ‘fog’ of hydrogen covered the universe 600 million years ago, experts think that there must be more galaxies near this one that helped to clear the fog enough for light to pass through.
M. Alvarez
ASTRONOMERS have reported their discovery of the most distant galaxy ever seen.
A clip from a simulation showing the state of the early universe around 600 million years ago
The poo pollution problem solved? THE major problem of pollution in UK rivers could be massively reduced by an ancient solution, according to researchers.
Since Britain is already breaking European regulations for the cleanliness of our rivers, scientists have been looking at solutions. They found that one of the best is to simply put fences up beside rivers to stop cows from pooing too close to them. Because of these fences, the concentration of harmful E. coli bacteria on fenced streams is more than 58% lower than in those without. This also means that river bank areas become overgrown, which helps to filter out even more pollution before it can enter the river. Farm animals are the main source of poo in our rivers, which is known as faecal pollution. Apart from making the waterways a health hazard to canoeists and other river users, the pollution also empties out at the sea and causes pollution of our beaches and oceans. Human sewage can also be a major problem, but usually only when heavy rains cause overspill from sewers.
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ISSUE 231 29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
GLOBAL STORIES
World News
SNIPPETS Toxic fumes given off by a repaired supermarket floor have put 39 people in hospital in Greenland. Health offi cials have closed the store for tests.
USA Wallet wally
France
Austria
Snooze success
Not dead at all
Miracle man killed
An unemployed security guard has won Madrid’s siesta competition. 62-year-old Pedro Lopez fell asleep for 17 minutes to win the £900 first prize. Although one contestant slept for a minute longer, Lopez’s deafening snore earned him bonus points from the judges.
A 60-year-old cancer patient who was declared “certainly clinically dead” woke up 14 hours later. Lydie Paillard was taken to another hospital after her sons refused to switch off her life support system. Paillard passed out after getting an injection before a chemotherapy session in Bordeaux.
The first man to be able to drive with a thought-controlled robotic arm has died in a car crash. Christian Kandlbauer lost both his arms after receiving a massive electric shock, but was able to drive again thanks to scientists. It is unclear whether the crash had anything to do with Kandlbauer’s prosthetic arms.
Hooligan hunters Hunters taking shots at power line insulators have caused the electricity to 19 towns to be cut off. The lights went off in the homes of almost 20,000 people in the Irkutsk region, where temperatures were below zero.
Getty
A 20-year-old Gallatin man accused of stealing a pair of jeans has been caught after leaving a rather obvious clue. Dustin Matthew Marshall tried on the jeans in Walmart and walked out without paying – but he left his wallet and ID in his old trousers in the changing rooms!
Spain
Russia
Australia Snake warning
USA
Getty
Simpsons shock
The executive producer of The Simpsons has denied that Homer is a Catholic, after a Vatican newspaper claimed that he was. L’Osservatore Romano made the claim in a recent edition, but Al Jean said that the Simpsons attend their local ‘Presbylutheran’ church and that Homer probably couldn’t even go for an hour on Fridays without eating meat!
Bolivia
Benin
Kenya
Mountain danger
Rain chaos
Football investigation
A mountain riddled with 90km of mine tunnels is in danger of collapsing. Cerro Rico, or rich hill, has some of the world’s largest silver deposits, and has also been mined for zinc, lead and tin. The site has been used as a mine since 1545, and 12,000 miners work there every day.
More than 60 people have been killed and 700,000 made homeless by floods caused by heavy rains. Whole towns have been washed away and the United Nations has started airlifting supplies into the worstaffected areas. Around two thirds of the country has been affected.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has asked police and football authorities to investigate the deaths of seven people at a match in Nairobi. The people were killed in a stampede as fans rushed to get into the Nyayo National Stadium. Another 20 people are being treated in hospital for their injuries.
Getty
Getty
Vets in Queensland have warned pet owners of the increased dangers of snake bites to their animals and themselves. The wet spring weather was perfect for snakes to breed, and vets expect around three times the number of cases of bites. People have been warned not to try to capture or kill a snake if they see their pet with one.
SNIPPETS An 18-year-old and his 15-yearold girlfriend have been arrested for robbing a bank in Rhode Island, US. The couple pretended to have a bomb in a bag.
KIDS’ WORLD Name: Shajiv Age: 8 Lives: Bangladesh SHAJIV and his mother left their village for Dhaka, a city with a population roughly three times that of London, in search of better opportunities to make a living. In Dhaka, Shajiv’s mum worked in people’s houses and had to leave Shajiv at home to be looked after by the neighbours. Eventually, her husband and other children also joined her and Shajiv. But, with more mouths to feed, they were struggling. Through the BBC Blue Peter Meal Deal/Mission Nutrition project, Shajiv’s father, Abdul
Majid, was given some assets with which they started a dry fish trade. It has helped them to feed their family and to send their children to school. Shajiv says: “I am happy that father has a job now. When I have free time, I help him with the dry fish. Now we can eat well and the best part is that we all can go to school. My brother, my
sister and I never went to school before because mother and father did not have money to send us to school. We did not have money to eat also.”
Save the Children’s Household Economic Security programme is helping extremely poor households.
Find out more about Save the Children at www.savethechildren.org.uk
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Stay safe at home
Advertisement feature
ALMOST 1 million children are injured in an accident at home, every year.
Many of these accidents are just minor bumps and scrapes, but some can be much more serious and can scar, disfigure or lead to permanent disability. It sounds like scary stuff but Nationwide Education has developed FREE online Home Safety games and activities, which are used to help children and young people learn about keeping safe in the home. Your home could be an accident waiting to happen, but the question is do you think you could recognise all the hazards?
Some top tips to keep you safe: S Check to make sure food is in date Never leave hot things, (e.g. hair straighteners, candles) unattended Make a family escape plan in case of emergency in your home Know where your first aid kit is ‘Home Safe Home’ is for 7-11 year olds to play with family and friends. Spot all of the dangers and be the first one to reach the top of the stairs. In this game you can also find out about home safety issues throughout history, including the Viking and Victorian eras and during World War II. If your 12-14 years old, try ‘Hazard House’! You can investigate injury scenarios, discover potential risks and solve clues. You will definitely have fun as you meet the wacky, clumsy Hazard family and help keep them sorted. Play both games on your own or challenge a friend. There is so much you can do with Nationwide Education to become a ‘Home Safety’ expert – not just in your own home, but your friends’ houses too and even at your school. You can see for yourself by trying out one of our free and exciting online games!
If you play the games and think a friend might want to play too, pass on the Nationwide Education website through the Pass it On link here: www.NationwideEducation.co.uk. Every www.NationwideEducation.co.uk time you ‘Pass it On’ 20p will be donated to the charity Children in Need.
Visit
www.NationwideEducation.co.uk
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31 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS with Serena Lacey
Focus on film with FILMCLUB is the exciting after-school activity inspiring young people across the UK to discover the power of film. Here each month FILMCLUB and young film fans report on the fascinating world of movies. This month FILMCLUB sent two members, Emily and Shauna, to interview stars Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Carell about their new animated film Despicable Me. Emily: Can you tell us about your new movie and character Margo? Miranda: The movie is about an evil super villain, Gru, and he has this evil plan to steal the moon, so he can be the number one super villain in the world. He adopts three little girls as part of his plan. I’m the oldest of the three and I’m really protective of my two little sisters. Shauna: Steve, you play Gru in the film, what attracted you to the character? Steve: I liked the fact that he is mean but
also nice, and I thought that was pretty cool and pretty funny.” Shauna: What is the difference in doing a voice part instead of live action? Miranda: It’s definitely really different. I thought it would be easier to do a voice over because you just get to go in in your pyjamas, but I think it’s harder because you have to bring so much energy. But it’s also more fun, because I got to go crazy and say some of the lines however I wanted! Emily: Do all the actors do their characters’ voices in the same room? Miranda: I thought everyone was going to be together but when I went in to do it I ended up being alone in this little room, and they showed me pictures of all the characters, which helped a lot. I got to see the Minions, my character and the way the movie was going to look. Just imagining the whole world helped me to get more into it.
TV, Film, Music and Theatre!
It’s judge
Louis!
HE lost another one of his acts this week, but Louis Walsh is still having a great time on this series of The X Factor. We grab a quick chat with the judge and mentor to the over-28s.
One of your acts, John Adeleye, went this week. How was that? Someone has to go home. I mean, he is an amazing guy to work with. He is one of the most genuine and sincere contestants. John is a great singer and I believe he had a lot more to give in the competition. He’s got a talent and I hope someone gives him a record deal. How are you feeling about the seventh series of The X Factor? I am really excited because this show just
Emily: In the film Gru does some weird dancing: do you dance like that in real life? Steve: Yes, it is exactly like my dancing! My kids love it, I have a 6 and a 9-year-old and they love it when I dance like that. FILMCLUB Recommends… …School of Rock. Check out Miranda in her feature film debut about a wacky schoolteacher whose pupils learn how to rock out in class! Films are great to watch with friends. If you’d like to join the 160,000 school children across the country who are already members of FILMCLUB and set up a club in your school, ask your teacher to visit www.filmclub.org/register
Louis and his finalists, John, Mary and Storm at the judges’ houses stage
gets bigger and better every year. It is so unpredictable and you never know what is going to happen, unlike on some other shows! The X Factor is definitely one of the best shows on TV. Who was your favourite guest judge? My favourite was Nicole, who I had never met before. This girl has the X factor in every way. She just got it, was incredibly impressive and ticked every box. Are you pleased with Jedward’s progress since last year’s show ended? I’ve been delighted at the response the twins have had. They haven’t stopped working since they left the show and, in less than a year, they have had two sell out Irish tours, a No1 album in Ireland and top 20 in the UK. They have their own reality show coming up and they have been signed up by a modelling agency. Not bad for two kids who we took a chance on, but it’s worked for them. They are growing up and learning their craft in the public eye and have grown a lot from it. What is the best thing about this job? When someone walks onto the stage and makes you feel excited. Someone that makes
Good owl gone bad! AUSSIE actor Ryan Kwanten lends his voice to the character of Kludd, the misguided young owl in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole. He told us all about playing the bad guy… Tell us a little about your role in the film. Legends is set in the world of owls, which hasn’t really been captured in film at all really. I play the role of Kludd, who’s the older brother in a family of owls and you know, he’s a little misguided, a little misplaced. He sort of takes his angst, really in life, over to the Pure Ones, who are the so called baddies in the film. He is very quickly taken under their wing. Kludd is easily influenced. Have you ever been in a situation where you were easily lead or influenced? That’s interesting. I mean, I don’t really have an abundance of good qualities (laughs), but I would say that would be one of my strongest,
the fact that I don’t give in to peer pressure. Even when I was really young I’ve always had the ability to think for myself, not to follow the crowd. How do you prepare to play an owl? Well the animators had already been working on it for about a year and a half. They had done such an abundance of research and put together all sorts of video links. They had a true love of owls, they were obsessed. So, everything we kind of wanted to know was available at our disposal, but what was also interesting as well was that the characteristics that they gave each and every owl gave audiences the chances to have their favourites,
because it humanised them. Do you know lots of facts about owls now? Yes, I mean the whole turning their heads around instead of moving their eyes, that to me is a really fascinating thing! The film is stunning! What did you think when you first saw it? When I read it I had my own thoughts about how I thought it was going to be and, after having seen it for the first time, it just blew me away even more.
3D films are kind of the way forward. How did 3D help this film? Well this film was specifically designed, it was shot on 3D. I think this film lends itself superbly to that medium because it’s a fantasy world, so you’re immediately pulling yourself in to that world. All kinds of things in this film really make you feel like you’re immersed in the world of the owls. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole is in cinemas now. Check out the trailer and an interview with Jim Sturgess who plays Soren in the film, online at www.firstnews.co.uk
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31 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
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The Wanted
you think: “Yes, this person could have a career in music.” And that is the best thing about the job – discovering and unearthing new talent. In your view, what is the X factor? The X factor is when someone walks into a room and sings and they have something unique: the attitude, personality and presentation all rolled into one. You watch them perform and think immediately: “You could sell records.” David Bowie, Elton – people like that have the X factor.
This week… JOHN Adeleye became the latest act voted off X Factor. Speaking on the Xtra Factor, he said: “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I’m kinda left and right about the whole thing, I dunno how to feel. I’m taking it gracefully, I’m still smiling and I’ve enjoyed every moment. I would have liked to have stepped it up and shown some of my moves, but I enjoyed every performance I did.”
The Wanted have celebrated the release of their new album, The Wanted, by throwing a Hallowe’en themed party in London. The boys performed some tracks from their album for lucky fans, who were encouraged to dress up. To get in the spirit the band even posted a video of themselves on YouTube performing a dance to the spooky song The Time Warp. Check it out online at www.firstnews.co.uk
Justin Bieber Teen superstar Justin Bieber wants to appear as a guest judge on the American X Factor next year. Simon Cowell told Extra TV: ”He (Justin Bieber) put himself forward to judge one of the episodes.” Mr Cowell is keeping the identity of the other judges under wraps at the moment. The first series of X Factor will debut in America in September 2011.
JLS JLS picked up two awards at the MOBO Awards in Liverpool this week. They were awarded gongs for Best Album and also Best UK Act. Other winners included Plan B, N-Dubz and Tinie Tempah.
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YOUNG GENIUS! Johny Pitts hosts this brilliant show where kids showcase their amazing ideas! My Genius Idea, BBC1, Tuesday @ 4:00pm.
HALLOWE’EN HAUNTING Roxy Hunter is experiencing her first Hallowe’en in Serenity Falls, and she also discovers her class mate is a vampire! Roxy Hunter and the Horrific Hallowe’en, Nickelodeon, Sunday 31 October @ 8:00pm DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE All things wizard get a special werewolf twist in this Hallowe’en special episode of The Wizards of Waverly Place. Puppy Love, The Disney Channel, Friday 29 October @ 6:30pm and 7.30pm.
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
THE BIG INTERVIEW
The Piers Morgan interview…
Music videos are much easier SHE’S best-known for her role as Lilly Truscott on the hit series Hannah Montana, but actress and singer Emily Osment is about to unleash her rock side with a new single and album. We caught up with Emily to talk about music and the end of Hannah Montana.
Tell us about your new single, Let’s be Friends. Let’s be Friends is the first single off the album Fight or Flight, which comes out digitally in October. I’m really excited about this album because it’s the music that I have wanted to be released for so long. I finally figured out what I want to sound like and who I want to be musically and what I want to say. This album is so important to me. I wrote it quite fast. We were only in the studio for about four weeks and we worked really, really hard to get it exactly where we wanted it. I’m really happy because I feel like it’s really different and hopefully it will stand out in today’s giant music world. What can we expect from the album? In some ways it’s very dance and very electro, but I’m a big believer in having a balance to the record so, like I said, there’s those dance and those electro songs but there’s also funk songs. I guess funk punk is what we were calling it. You made the album in four weeks and you wrote a lot of it yourself. How was that? I’ve always planned on writing this album myself and I’d always planned on being completely involved in the music, the lyrics and everything, like, this is me. I can tell you about every single word in these songs, every single decision that was made. It is a little bit different, but I decided I wanted to be very involved in this. It’s too easy to go out there and shop for a song that’s already been written, but I won’t be able to love it and sing it live unless I feel like I’m attached to it, unless I’ve been in the process of it.
The video for Let’s be Friends looks like a massive fun party. Was it fun to make? Absolutely! It’s actually all of my friends in
shooting about half a year ago. It was a quarter of the length of the previous seasons that we had done, so it was kind of a breeze! It was not a big deal at all. We went in there, we did our thing and we got out. This whole season is about change and people growing up in the final episodes of Hannah Montana but, don’t worry, they will re-run for the rest of my life! Did you have a big party to say goodbye? Yes, we had a wrap party so we got to say goodbye. But, you know, Los Angeles, even though there’s seven million of us, it’s quite small. We’ll see everybody again. this video. We shot it in LA by the beach, so I got to call all my friends and be like: “Be in this music video! It’ll be so fun!” I called one friend, the day before the shoot and was like: “Umm, can you be my boyfriend for like 17 hours?” And he was like: “Yes, of course!” It was just great and that’s why it looks like it was so much fun, because it was! I was hanging out with my friends the whole time. Was it hard work? It was great, you’re doing what you love. I mean the only thing that was a downfall for that day was the fact that it was freezing cold at night on the beach. I’ve never been so cold in my life. Once you get up there
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and you’re dancing around and having a good time you can’t really tell, but it was so cold.
You’ve done a lot of filming for TV and music. What’s easier to film, a music video or a TV series? Oh, a music video! It’s much easier. TV shows, even like one episode, can take four or five days and a music video is a lot less than that. It’s more like a performance aspect. A TV show is obviously playing a role. There’s lots of homework that goes in to it, whereas with a music video your only homework is to go out there and be silly and have a good time. A lot of your fans know you from Hannah Montana. Are you sad that it’s ending? I mean, for me it has ended. We stopped
What advice would you give to kids that want to follow in your footsteps in TV or music? I think that’s wonderful! We can never have enough creative people in the industry and in life. I think it’s so great if you want to become a musician or if you want to act and if you feel like you’re passionate that way. You know, I grew up having those feelings and, luckily, lived in LA and had the chance to go out and audition. But I would say, don’t get in to this entire industry just to be famous!
Emily’s album Fight or Flight is available to download now.
THE FIRST NEWS TEAM Editor Nicky Cox Deputy Editor Gabrielle Utton Entertainment Editor Serena Lacey Writer Ian Eddy Editorial Assistant Kirsty Macdonald Intern Ben Pulsford Design Manager Richard Robson Website Editor Nicola Williams Accounts Assistant Kelane Henderson Advertising Nina Chaudhry, Anisha Unzia, Leanne Walker Subscriptions Manager Rachel Henderson Direct Marketing Manager Emma Robson Partnership Marketing Director Lindsaye Fox Publisher, First News Explorer Susan Downey Publisher Kelly Austin Founders Piers Morgan, Nicky Cox, Sarah and Steve Thomson Email: firstname.surname@firstnews.co.uk Tel. 020 3195 2000 www.firstnews.co.uk
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
WIN GAMES! WIN DR WHO GAMES
TICKETS TO THE BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS!
BECOME Doctor Who and his trusty companion Amy Pond with the Doctor Who video games, which are set to thrill all fans from 12 November! Inspired by the Doctor’s adventures across time and space, both games feature the eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, and Karen Gillan, who plays his companion, Amy Pond. Doctor Who: Evacuation vacuation Earth and Doctor Who: Return to Earth will enable the whole family to take on the role of the Doctor and Amy in two brand new story lines. To celebrate the release of the Doctor Who games on Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, one lucky winner will receive a Wii Console and a copy of both Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth on DS and Doctor Who: Return to Earth on Wii! Plus one runner-up will receive both Doctor Who games.
THE Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, 21-28 November, is the final showdown for the world’s top eight tennis players and you could be there to watch all the action!
First News has teamed up with Barclays to offer one lucky reader the chance to win two tickets to watch both the singles and doubles evening session matches on Tuesday 23 November at The O2 London. The prize also includes a backstage tour and exclusive opportunity to meet and interview the Barclays Ball Kids. You’ll also get the chance to write about your experience, which will be printed in a future issue of First News.
a) Flushing Meadows b) The O2London c) The All England Club
Who plays the eleventh Dr Who? To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this question.
ENTER NOW!
www.firstnews.co.uk/competitions or turn to page 14. The closing date is 11 November 2010.
WIN NINTENDO WII & X FACTOR GAMES! BE a pop superstar with The X Factor videogame, which is set to rock video game consoles from 29 October!
The X Factor game offers players an interactive experience that captures all the excitement of being an X Factor contestant on the hit TV show. The game has several levels that will make you feel like you’re on the show, including auditions, boot camp, judges’ houses and live shows, as well as different game modes so that you can play on your own, together with friends or in competition with friends. You can also sing along to 28 incredible tracks by stars like Lady Gaga, U2, Pixie Lott, Taio Cruz and many more! To celebrate the release of The X Factor game, we have a Wii Console and a copy of The X Factor game for one lucky winner plus a copy of the game for one runner-up. To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this question.
Which of these is not a Judge on The X-Factor? Available on PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and Wii™
ENTER NOW!
Have you got what it takes to be a Barclays Ball Kid? We’re searching for thirty Barclays Ball Kids to appear on court during the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Sign up today at www.barclaysballkids.com
a) Matt Brown b) Matt Jones c) Matt Smith
MARK YOUR ENTRY DR WHO
a) Cheryl Cole b) Louis Walsh c) Madonna
MARK YOUR ENTRY X-FACTOR www.firstnews.co.uk/competitions or turn to page 14. The closing date is 11 November 2010.
Where is the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals held?
To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this question.
ENTER NOW!
WIN
MARK YOUR ENTRY TENNIS
www.firstnews.co.uk/competitions or turn to page 14. The closing date is 11 November 2010.
HARRY POTTER BOX SET!
HARRY Potter has been exciting readers for more than 12 years. The series has sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and been translated into 68 languages.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the fastest-selling book in British history to date. Now there are a new set of covers for a whole new generation of readers who haven’t read the series and are keen to claim a set for themselves. The new covers maintain the much-loved sense of intrigue, with both the front and back images giving new, tantalising glimpses of what happens in each story. So, it’s goodbye to second-hand Harrys and hello to your own personal Potters! We have a boxed set containing the complete set of Harry Potter books and the complete audio collection of all seven titles, as read by Stephen Fry, Which character has a pet rat in the for one very lucky winner. Harry Potter books? To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this question.
ENTER NOW!
a) Hermione Granger b) Ron Weasley c) Draco Malfoy
MARK YOUR ENTRY HARRY www.firstnews.co.uk/competitions or turn to page 14. The closing date is 11 November 2010.
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
GREEN NEWS
We are climate cops
with Gabrielle Utton
Repor
ter
TWO pupils joined in the Climate Cops Buzz Day at London Zoo with TV presenter Konnie Huq. Here’s how it went‌
A UNIQUE COMPETITION FOR 11-19 YEAR-OLDS We’re looking for innovative yet practical ideas on diversity and inclusion. How could your community become a better place for all the people who live, work and go to school in it? How could you communicate this with an inspirational film?
Sara: “On 14 October, ten children went to the npower Climate Cops SOS buzz day at London Zoo. It was a really fun day and it was really enjoyable. We got to meet Konnie Huq and she said that we had to help stop pollution, climate change and food waste. “My favourite bit of the day was doing Sara (left) and Donya (right) with Konnie Huq
( ! !! " $ " ! % " " " " ( ! # ! # " " ! $ ( " ! " !
"# ! " ' !
You provide the ideas... We provide the support and funding to help make a brilliant short film.
Resources available $ Deadline for proposals
& Films produced #"# Films shown #
www.bt.com/bigvoice
by Sara Kazi and Donya Mortazami and from the Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls the quiz because we had to look for answers and we had a lot of fun. Meeting Konnie was also the highlight of my day. “I can’t wait to use all of the skills I learned at the Buzz Day in our npower Climate Cops project and hopefully we will win! I am so proud to be part of npower’s Climate Cops SOS and think our project is going to be successful in helping our community.� Donya: “Our project is about compost heaps and food waste. We decided to do food waste because we thought that in our country, in restaurants, they waste too much food and, in other places, such as Africa, they don’t have food. “We are going to primary schools around our area and encouraging them to stop wasting food and be eco-friendly. We are also going to get compost heap bins to help plants grow and insects, such as worms, to live in.�
Newcastle is UK’s greenest city THE north east city has been crowned the greenest city in the UK by the Sustainable Cities Index, for the second year running. The Index looks at the UK’s 20 biggest cities and grades them on their ecofriendliness, the quality of life people have there and what they’re doing to be greener in the future. Newcastle scored the highest. The city has started installing 580 electric vehicle charging points in the region, as part of efforts to become the UK’s electric car capital. Leicester came in second from 14th place only four years ago. The city was praised for producing the least household waste and doing best at looking after its wildlife. Brighton was third, Bristol was fourth and the country’s capital, London, came fifth. In 2002 Newcastle announced it wanted to become a carbon neutral city. Newcastle’s
geographical neighbour, Sunderland dropped from 13th last year to 16th place. Hull has come bottom of the list for the third year in a row. Do you think you live in a green place? Tell us write to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What do you do to help fight climate change? How do you get your friends, family and school to do their bit too? Tell us and First News readers, write to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk or the address on page 14.
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SCHOOL NEWS
Fund raising Baa baa... WE felt that the people of Pakistan needed a lot of help to enable them to rebuild their lives and an article in First News (issue no. 221) inspired us all.
WE have been very busy over the last few weeks creating a model, life-sized sheep.
Both classes put their heads together and, after narrowing down our ideas, we came up with a week of events beginning on 13 September. Some of the activities we participated in were things such as coming to school in the Pakistan colours, girls dressing up as boys and vice versa – which was very funny, especially some of the teachers – orienteering and holding an auction. All of these events were very successful and
We got the idea from our head teacher after she visited the Botanic Gardens in St Andrews. She saw two sheep on display and thought that we could copy the idea and build an exhibit of our own. We asked a parent to help us with this exciting ecoproject. The janitor was also involved in cutting down twigs from the trees in the grounds. These were sorted out for the different parts of the structure. The legs were made first, then the body was fixed into place by wrapping wire around them. A flexible piece of hose pipe was then made into a semi-realistic set of horns. When the last piece of fleece was pushed into place, we lifted the sheep into our ‘Quiet Garden’, where
Katie Reid, 11, Cameron Lyall, 11, and Alex French, 11, Timmergreens Primary School
raised a lot of money. We made cakes and biscuits with help from our school cook, Fiona. This was our most successful event – Tuck Shop Treats. We were made ‘Rights Heroes and Global Citizens’ by UNICEF representative Mr. Wilkinson. All of the money that has been given to Mr. Wilkinson will go towards children’s rights in Pakistan, which includes water, medication, food and shelter. Eighteen million people have been affected by the floods and will still need care as, although we have raised a lot of money, it is still not enough to save all those flood victims. At the end of the week our teachers announced the total of the money raised. We raised a total of £1,233.43! We are very proud that Timmergreens Primary School is helping save lives.
The composite class, Balnain School, Inverness-shire
it will graze. Lots of interested parents have come to school to see our project. We are very proud of it! The woolly structure has been named ‘Shaun MacSheep’.
Your school in First News We want to hear what your school is up to ARE you doing something sponsored for charity? Starting your own school newspaper? Or putting on a show?
Send your report (including pictures) to the address on page 14 or email newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk. If we print your story we’ll send you a copy of the paper and an exclusive First News certificate to be presented to you in assembly! Don’t forget to include your name, age, and your school’s name and address. (Please note: by writing to First News you give consent to First News printing details and photographs of those involved in the report.)
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29 OCT – 4 NOV 2010
CRAZY BUT TRUE
Vinegar drinkers!
Enormous enchilada
A CITY in China has held a vinegar drinking competition to try to attract tourists!
MEXICO City is celebrating after being awarded a Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest enchilada. The giant dish can feed 230 people and weighs 1,426kg. It took around 600 people two and a half hours to make the dish, which is 70m long and filled with white onions, green tomatoes, serrano chillis, chicken, cheese, salsa and lots of other ingredients, all
prepared from scratch. A special machine was created to roll out the giant tortilla. A spokesperson for Guinness World Records said: “This is the first time
RECORD OF THE WEEK MOST TRANSFORMATIONS OF A VEHICLE
For info on this record and hundreds more, go to www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Hallowe’en
CHUCKLES Email us your jokes to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk
Check out a video of the giant meal online at www.firstnews.co.uk
We think drinking vinegar sounds disgusting! What do you think? Vote online at ww.firstnews.co.uk
4,410kg choc bar A CHOCOLATE bar weighing a massive 4,410kg has been made in Armenia.
The record for the most transformations of a vehicle is three and was completed when an Ellert was transformed into a hotrod, a rocket powered hydrofoil and a plane, on TV show NERD, Denmark, on 8 September 2006
Written and illustrated by Paul Palmer
someone has established this record. People have tried this before in Mexico and in the United States but they couldn’t fulfil the rules needed to have the record.”
by Serena Lacey
The contest in Zhengjiang, in the Jiangsu Province, requires people to drink three 375ml bottles of local vinegar one after the other. As well as attracting tourists, the competition was used to promote local vinegar and the benefits of it for your health.
HA HA
The super-sized sweet was made by Grand Candy to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It took 48 hours to mix the chocolate, five of which were spent roasting and grinding cocoa beans. The huge bar is 5.6m long and 7.75m wide, and is offi ciallythe Guinness World Records’ largest bar of chocolate. Experts think it would take 107 years for one person to eat the entire thing. Instead, it will be broken into pieces and shared among the public in Yerevan.
Q: Where does a ghost go on a Saturday night? A: Anywhere he can BOO-gie
Q: What do ghosts have on their ice cream sundae? A: Whipped scream
AAARRGH!
HA HA
Q: Why did Dracula take medicine? A: To stop his coffi n
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THE NEWS CREW
Film premiere... Spooky Scarefest WE went to the film premiere of Alpha and Omega, a new animation that is just out in the cinemas. by Lottie and Alice Hills
WE were lucky enough to be invited along to Scarefest at The Alton Towers Resort last week. by Lauren and Callum Byrne
The film is about two wolves called Kate and Humphrey, who fall in love. Kate is the Alpha and Humphrey is the Omega. The part of Kate is played by Hayden Panetierre who stars as Claire in the TV series Heroes and whose first ever role was Dot in Bug’s Life. Because it was the premiere, Hayden was there and, as we were reporting for First News, we got to interview her before the film. She said that her favourite part of the film is when the goose and the duck are playing golf. Hayden really cares about animals, and someone brought some pet wolves to the cinema. She was having her picture taken with them, but one of the wolves didn’t like the camera flashes and she told them to stop. We then went to see the film. It was very funny and exciting. Our favourite bit was when the wolves were using a tree trunk as a toboggan and sliding down the hill. We really recommend that you go to see it.
We headed off really early, as we wanted to make the most of our weekend. When we arrived at the park it was full of pumpkins, scarecrows and scary music. There were witches wandering around casting spells and giving out treats from behind their Trick or Treat doors. After we had been on all the rides we made our way back to The Alton Towers Hotel and to our room. After a quick change of clothes it was time for dinner and to watch Pirate Bill and The Witches in their Hallowe’en show. We went along to the Boiler House and the Carnival of Screams, which were right by our hotel. The Carnival of Screams was full of evil killer clowns and, to escape them, you have to make your way through the maze. We finally made it out but only after we had jumped and screamed our way through. The next morning we went back to the
park again to go on our favourite rides. The best part of the weekend for us was the rollercoaster ride TH13TEEN. It is scary enough during the day, but it’s absolutely terrifying at night. Are you brave enough to give it a go next time you’re at The Alton Towers Resort? Check out www.altontowers.com for information on tickets and hotel packages.
Advertisement feature
Fly like a Hawk GUS King is one of the hottest skateboarding talents around, and has been wowing crowds for years. The outrageously talented British skater has hit the ramps with the sport’s biggest star, Tony Hawk, and looks set to take the skating world by storm. As top new skating game Tony Hawk: SHRED hits the shops, we spoke to Gus about his toughest trick and hanging with the Hawk. Has competing against older riders ever bothered you? No, never. There is a real supportive bunch of skaters who skate together and they always encourage you to do better. Obviously, when you compete it’s not always like that, but on the whole we all want each other to do well. Do they ever underestimate you because of your age? Every time, but it’s water off a duck’s back. I enjoy the look of surprise on their faces when I pull off a tough trick. Which trick that you’ve learned has been most satisfying? The 360 flip, by far. It’s a tough trick to learn and took several
Gus tries out his skills with the cool board controller for Tony Hawk: Shred
attempts, nights after school and weekends to get right. Even now there are times when I still don’t catch it right, but I’ll just practice and try again until I do. Do you feel fear when you try something new? Nervous more than fear, I’d say. If I ever attempt a big air jump, then that might change. I find that nerves help me, though, and make me concentrate more on what I need to do. What was skating with Tony Hawk like? Really overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that I was skating with Tony; he’s a legend of the sport. He’s a cool guy and gave me
lots of advice and encouragement, telling me to keep practising and to always enjoy what I was doing. What are your ambitions for the future? I hope to be skateboarding for a long time yet. My ambition is to turn pro, but also concentrate on school. If I do well at both, then opportunities like becoming an ambassador for Tony Hawk: SHRED will come more often.
Tony Hawk: SHRED is out now for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii
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SEND your finished puzzles to Puzzles 231, First News, Shand House, 14 - 20 Shand Street, London, SE1 2ES. The closing date for puzzle entries is Friday 5 November 2010.
FUN STUFF
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OUR L O C : A L O Y A R C E! M O D W O L G N EXPLOSIO
THIS week we have the usual 3x3 grid and you need to fill in the numbers one to nine. Send in your answers and you could win one of two Crayola: Colour Explosion Glow Domes. Draw, glow, spin! Create your images on the glow panel and dome. Press the light and spin action buttons to make your amazing dual-layered scenes come to life! Includes six glow markers and two starter scenes.
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COMPLETE OMPLETE our prize crossword using the clues below. Send in your answers and you could win one of three sets of Pamasuco books, which include The Early Life of Erasmus O’Rourke, Hocus Pocus and the Pentacle Pendant and The Celestial Seven and the Dragon Heist. A fantastic series when an international group of youngsters learn to be magicians with magical results. Enter a world of witches and dragons where the reader can join their adventures. ACROSS 1 Premiership football club sold recently (9) 6 Possessed (5) 7 Ledge for books (5) 9 Opposite of inward (7) 12 Approaches a place (7) 16 Older person (5) 17 Less common (5) 18 Ex-Blue Peter presenter on Strictly (4,5)
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Q5 In which country was the world’s largest
Q2 Which Scottish island has been voted
Q6 What is the price of a ticket on Virgin
one of Europe’s top Island holiday hot spots?
Q3 How many pandas are left in the wild? Q4 How many MOBO Awards did JLS win last week?
bar of chocolate made?
Galactic’s first flight into space?
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Warminster looking for volunteers to do?
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LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: FIRST NEWS CHALLENGE 1) £28.5 million 2) they let a group of children give instructions to the pilots 3) twice 4) Marine Conservation Society 5) Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 6) Jelly Babies 7) 69 days 8) Durrell’s vontsira 9) Andy Murray 10) Colwyn Bay SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Box is larger, head is facing the other way, disc is missing on the screen, pole is shorter, light in background is missing WHAT ON EARTH Bowl, spoon, whisk, eggs, tin WORD WHEEEL Paintings M C D O W E L L H H E
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CAN you spot the five changes to this picture from Scooby-Doo Camp Scare? Send in your answers and you could win one of three Scooby-Doo Camp Scare DVDs. Back-to-nature chills and thrills with Scooby-Doo’s all-new original movie! Welcome to Camp Little Moose – where the activities are endless and the urban legends are intense. In fact, every time someone tells a ghost story, the creepy creature comes to life! But the Mystery Inc. gang doesn’t spook that easily. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Freddy, Daphne and Velma fish for clues to solve the mysteries of The Woodsman, The Fishman and The Banshee of Black Canyon.
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GAME ZONE with Lauren (11) and Julien (16) Game Testers
Stephen Hawking struggled to read
More moves
FIRST NEWS is running a campaign called My Way! It’s about recognising that for some people school is easy but, for others, it might be harder – but that the way you learn has nothing to do with how smart you are. Around six children in each class have learning challenges which means that their brains work in a different way. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be fantastically successful in whatever they choose to do. You will probably have heard of Stephen Hawking, who is considered to be one of the world’s most brilliant scientists. And, guess what? He found school really hard and couldn’t read at all until he was eight.
Just Dance 2 (WII)
THE first game was a huge hit for Ubisoft, so they’re back with a sequel with more tunes and dance routines. artists range from Ke$ha, Rihanna, Outkast and Vampire Weekend to older acts like James Brown, Cher and The Rolling Stones. Lauren says: “This is brilliant! Even better than the first one, and there are loads of songs to choose from. The duet dancing mode is fab and loads of fun. Some of the dance moves are more tricky and take a little bit of practice. There are some cool dance styles, including rock, street and tribal. The download content is a bonus, although at the moment there are RATED! only a few songs to download. It really is a great, fun game.�
9/10
A way with words
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is an English scientist specialising in physics and cosmology. His scientific career spans more than 40 years. He is known, particularly, for his theories about quantum gravity, especially in relation to black holes. When he was around 20-years-old he developed a disease called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) which has left him almost completely paralysed and unable to talk. But he has still found his
Want to share your story? Find out how online at www.firstnews.co.uk
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Julien says: “Fun for all ages. It allows you to use your creativity to solve a host of puzzles and levels. The gameplay is simple but fun and you’ll be playing for a long time because it allows you to create anything you can think of just by typing it in – be it a lion, a sock puppet, RATED! a helicopter, a slightly confused rake or a purple flying bear!�
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alien, you can make an angry, ugly alien appear instead, for instance. A welcome addition is the fact that you can now control Maxwell with the D pad, which eases some of the frustration and inaccuracy of the first game.
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To fill you in, the aim of the game is to use your imagination and the game’s huge dictionary to get Maxwell past each level. That could be something as simple as typing in ‘engine’ to make a broken car go, but the puzzles get steadily more complicated and really test your brain. The adjectives mean that instead of an
own way to communicate. A Cambridge scientist built a device that means he can write onto a computer with small movements of his body, and then have a voice synthesiser speak what he has typed. This week he spoke of much earlier struggles – trying to keep up with his classmates at school and not being able to read until he was eight. “My classwork was very untidy,� he said, “and my handwriting was the despair of my teachers.� And look how brilliant he turned out to be!
RIO CO., LTD.
The main criticism of the first game was that it wasn’t really accurate enough, but that didn’t seem to stop millions of people having fun with it. This time around, there’s a bit more polish to the presentation and a slightly bigger track list. There are still a few tracks that aren’t the originals, but the
US President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, the highest civilian honour in America.
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THE BOOK PAGE
BOOK REVIEWS
www.redhouse.co.uk
BILLIONAIRE BOY DAVID WALLIAMS reviewed by Amit Pandya, 7
Billionaire Boy is a book about a boy called Joe. He is so spoilt and had everything a kid dreams of having, except any friends. All the teenagers were mean and jealous because his father made money out of loo rolls. So off went Joe in his quest, or rather a race, for friendship. I really enjoyed Billionaire Boy because the adventure Joe goes on is exciting and full of humour. At the beginning Joe is really miserable because he has no friends and is feeling the pressure of keeping his secret about being a billionaire from anyone. Joe is forced to experience loneliness, by his dad, so the story is set for a real journey. My favourite part in the book is when Bob is dumped into a green rubbish bin and Joe’s king-size Twix is snatched by the mean and nasty ‘Grubbs’. To their shock, Joe and Bob are rescued by Lauren, who karate-kicks the bullies in a comic way. I give it 10/10!
MORE BLOODY HOROWITZ ANTHONY HOROWITZ reviewed by Dominic Dennis, 11
Anthony Horowitz has brought out a book containing ten spine-chilling horror stories. From robo-nannies to killer massage chairs, this book has everything to scare the pants off you. It has ghosts, cobras, evil Sat Navs and much more... You may want to sleep with the light on after you read this! This is a bloody and horrifying book, which is sure to scare even the bravest people!
READING CHAMPIONS
INTERVIEW
5 minutes with
FOLLOWING the success of The Boy in the Dress and Mr Stink, David Walliams has written a new brilliant book for kids – Billionaire Boy. First News reader Amit Pandya put a few questions to the author… Would you like to see any of your books made into films? It would be amazing. I think my books would be more suited to live action than animation as they’re about people and their feelings. It would be easier to portray with actors. A film is being made of The Boy in the Dress and it’s looking likely that I might be in it but it’s not certain yet. If you were as rich as Joe and his dad what would you do with your money? I would want to do something for other people like build a school in Africa because the feeling that would give you would be greater than anything you could ever buy. Why do you like writing books for kids rather than adults? When I first had the idea for The Boy in the Dress I thought it would make a good book for children and I really enjoyed doing it
Do you think you would make a good Reading Champion? Ask your school to sign up today. www.readingchampions.org.uk
What is your favourite children’s book? Alice in Wonderland is one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Alice in Wonderland is the children’s book that intrigues me the most. I can read it over and over again. It’s such an amazing world of imagination.
Billionaire Boy is in bookshops now
SCRABBLE TRICKSTER BOARD GAME WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK £17.99
CHECK out this new Scrabble game that’s fun for everyone, whether you’re a word whiz or not! It’s a lively new way to play Scrabble that incorporates trickster spaces and cards that allow players to break the traditional rules.
Name: Penny Dolan
Favourite reads: “As a child, I searched the public library for all sorts of ancient myths and legends. I also loved books about children who lived in other places or times, such as The Little House on the Prairie, The Jungle Books or The Children of Green Knowe. I also enjoyed reading about misunderstood orphans like Mary from The Secret Garden, or Jo, the would-be writer in Little Women or the wonderfully theatrical heroines in Ballet Shoes. My mother taught me to love reading but, at junior school, I met Mr Stevenson. He was an imposingly stern teacher with a white beard and gold watch-chain. Each week he read aloud from stories by Dickens or Poe: stunning performances that showed me the wonderful power of the English language. I’ve heard people say that we live in such a “visual” environment that reading doesn’t matter. That’s not true! Writing and reading are behind everything we see on screen, from Peppa Pig’s cartoon scripts through to the speeches of President Obama. Reading and writing are really important!”
and it was successful. I write for an adult audience with my television programmes and, if I had a great idea for a book for an adult audience, I’d write it. It’s more led by the idea than anything else. The next book I’ll write will be for children.
WHAT’S IN THE SHOPS?
EVERYONE knows a Reading Champion – they’re people who inspire others to get reading. Each week one of our champions tells you a bit about their favourite reads and what they think makes reading so appealing.
Penny is a children’s writer, storyteller and author of A Boy Called M.O.U.S.E, which was published in October.
D I V A D WALLIAMS
LEGO GAMES: HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS WWW.WOOLWORTHS.CO.UK £25.00
BETWEEN the moving staircases and secret passages at Hogwarts, it can be tricky to find your way around. Be the first to navigate successfully through the magical castle. This Lego game features a buildable LEGO die, microfigures and additional characters, along with 332 LEGO pieces and a rule book.
MONO MONOPOLY REVOLUTION WWW.PLAY.COM £22.47 WWW
THIS is Monopoly as you have never seen it before! The circular board with all new graphics is introduced to celebrate Monopoly’s 75th Anniversary. Travel around the Revolutionary board buying, selling and dealing in properties. The electronic unit and banking cards replaces cash in the game. This is a whole new Monopoly experience for you to love!
TWILIGHT ECLIPSE BOARD GAME WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM £19.95
TWILIGHT fans will love this game. Answer questions about the movie, complete Eclipse challenges and travel the board covered in movie images. Once you move into the inner ring of the board you will need to defeat Newborns and Victoria in order to collect Scenes one-eight to win.
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ASK ESTHER
With thanks to
I’M Esther Rantzen, President of ChildLine, which helps 2,500 children every week. If there’s something worrying you, please write to me at the address below.
Mean friends
HI Esther. My friends have broken up from me. I don’t know what to do. It all started when they sat next to someone else on the dinner table. I didn’t want to sit next to the people that they were sitting with, so I sat on another table. When I had finished I said to them are you coming, and they rudely shouted at me to go. At playtime they kept on running away from me. I don’t know what to do. Please help, Maira. It sounds like you are really upset by what has happened with your friends. It also sounds like your friends are being quite cruel. I am wondering how you would feel about talking to your friends to tell them how their behaviour is making you feel. Perhaps that would be really diffi cult for you. I wonder if you feel like calling us. If you do, we could look at more ways that you might be able to find a solution to this problem. Call us on on 08001111 or chat to us at www.childline.org.uk. Take care of yourself.
Drama dreams... MORE than anything I want to go for a drama scholarship at my school, but my parents say that I have to take an academic course and nothing else. I would feel that I have let myself down so much if I didn’t try for drama. I’ve talked to my parents and they won’t budge on the subject. Please help! Anonymous, 13.
It sounds like your heart is really in following a career in drama but you feel under pressure due to what your parents want for you. I wonder if you have tried writing down your feelings about this in a letter. It may not make them change their mind about this, but I am wondering if it is worth a try. If you feel like calling us on 0800 1111 we can talk a bit more about this, or if you prefer, you can contact us online at www.childline.org.uk.
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Cool dude?
I USED to be called a nerd at my old school but, now I’m in high school, I don’t want to any more. My friends do bad stuff and think it’s cool. I want to be cool, but not bad. Anonymous, 12
You sound a bit confused. I wonder if I am right in thinking that? It’s not easy to be your own person – but it sounds like you are starting to think like this. It can be very diffi cult not to follow what your friends are doing. How would you feel about calling us to talk through some of your problems?
DEALING WITH ANNOYING SIBLINGS IT’S often the way that one moment you’re best friends with your brother or sister, the next moment, you’re at each other’s throats and you can’t stand the sight of each other. This is a common occurrence in most families across the country. Having a brother or sister can be great. It means you have someone to talk to about school and homework, someone to swap clothes and CDs with, someone you can talk to and share your concerns with when you’re at home. Unfortunately, sometimes they can drive you absolutely mad! Or it feels like they are constantly trying to get you in trouble with your parents. If things start to get heated with your brother or sister and you’re starting to get really angry with each
other, the best thing to do is give each other a bit of space to calm down and think things through. In most cases, even though you may argue and fight with your brothers and sisters, as you grow up, you will develop a close bond with them. However, sometimes you may feel isolated at home because you’re constantly arguing with your siblings and it seems like your parents are always taking their side. If you’re feeling down about the situation, try talking to a friend about it. You can always talk to ChildLine on 0800 1111.
WRITE TO ME: Ask Esther, First News House, 95 The Street, West Horsley, Surrey, KT24 6DD. EMAIL ME: newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk and put ‘Ask Esther’ in the subject box. I’m sorry I can’t reply to every letter. If you have a problem you want to talk about please call ChildLine on 0800 1111. If you are worried by anything you read in First News, please visit www.childline.org.uk/Helpandadvice.asp
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Latest Fantastic Magical Series
Join Julian Chapman and the Celestial Seven on their exciting Adventures READ THE BOOKS BUY ON-LINE With Google Book Search you can You can buy any of the read from the books and see if books on-line at the you like them. You just enter the following sites: book title and read extracts. Waterstones.com Discover the magical world WHSmith.co.uk The First e of young Magicians; Follow Amazon.co.uk l ia st r ‘The Cele e Adventu the the adventures of the th Amazon.co.uk/ d n a n Seve ocus and n Heist’ ‘Hocus P Pendant’ o Celestial Seven as they Kindle g ra D Pentacle 8-07 read the Enchantments in Download onto 9 N -0 B 8 IS ISBN 97 -9 9889-4-3 -2 5 the ‘Book of Consultations’ . iPod or iPad 9 5 8 9 8 9 955 Publisher – Pamasuco Paperbacks
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SPORT with Ian Eddy 24
CRAZY BUT TRUE
GREEN
Enormous enchilada
Newcastle is UK’s greenest city
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It’s not always about you Kevin Pietersen gives Christine Ohuruogu a few table tennis tips
Marvellous Manassero
Getty
ITALIAN golfer Matteo Manassero has broken the record for the youngest ever player to win a tournament on the European Tour.
Manassero on the green during his final round
The young star was just 17 years and 188 days old when he won the Castello Masters in Spain. The previous holder of the record was Danny Lee, who was 18 years and 213 days old when he won the Johnnie Walker Classic two years ago “My results this year are well above my expectations,” said Manassero. “I never dreamt of winning on Tour so soon.” Apart from giving him the record, the win also means that Manassero will take home nearly £300,000 in prize money. “I am too young to have a drink and I am too young to drive, so I will not be buying a car,” he said, “and I have not got a girlfriend who would like a present!” Manassero has broken several records already and has been praised by fellow players. “He has a passion for the game,” said US legend Tom Watson. “Technique can be added if necessary, but if they don’t have that passion then I am concerned. Matteo has it.”
THIS week, we witnessed the rather bizarre sight of England cricketer Kevin Pietersen playing table tennis with a cricket bat. KP and Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu were at the West London Academy in Northolt to give selected students a surprise assembly and to talk about adiStars, the new adidas scheme to get more 13 to 19-year-olds involved in sport before the 2012 Olympics. After a table tennis lesson, we spoke to Christine. How good do you think you were at table tennis? I don’t think I was good at all! Sometimes it’s nice to just do something that you’re not so good at, so that people can see you’re human. Do you think adiStars will get kids up off the sofa? Yes. I think the first thing for kids is that it has to be attractive, to grab their attention, and I definitely think it’s that. You’ve got loads of well-known sports stars who can really try and help get the ball rolling, and get kids at least to look on the website. When you come to things like this, do a lot of kids ask your advice about stuff? Yes, I was talking to a few of them. There’s one guy who runs, and he asked me what I thought about when I run. He does the 100m so, for him, 400m is a really long way! What advice would you give to kids if they wanted to take up a new sport? I think just to enjoy it. Today’s been about fun, and these kids are having fun while they’re learning. It’s about being relaxed
about what you do. I enjoy what I do – I know it’s horrible and it’s hard and it hurts, but you can’t quite beat that feeling of running around a track. You said in the assembly that it’s a lonely sport. Do you ever wish that you sometimes still played a team sport? Netball gave me so many of the elements that you need as an individual person. It gave me a lot of discipline. I kind of do miss it. It’s nice having people that you win with and lose with. When I run and I don’t win, it’s just me, and no-one understands what it’s like. When we last spoke to you, you said that you would take the day’s problems to bed with you. Have you got any better at putting your worries aside? I think that, hopefully, I’m getting a bit better at dealing with my issues! It’s nice to come to events like this when you see things in a differentlight. It’s not always about you, it’s about what you can do for others. People in the media always say that sports stars are role models. Do you feel
like you are one? People in the public eye don’t like being seen as a role model, because that suggests that you have to be perfect. You maybe shouldn’t see yourself as a role model, but just that you have something valuable to offerback to these young people who look up to you. If these kids are paying to watch you, or they’ve got posters of you on their wall, we owe them to be able to give something back. To see some footage from the day, including KP playing table tennis with a cricket bat and a brief video interview with Christine, head to www.firstnews.co.uk! To find out more about adiStars, go to www.adistars.com