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On 1 March, Bola Tinubu was declared Nigeria’s new president. Tinubu received 37% of the vote in elections that took place on 25 and 26 February. However, opposition candidates say the vote was unfair and are now challenging the result. What happened? People celebrated in Nigeria’s south-western states, the home region of Bola Tinubu, as he was declared the winner. Tinubu represents a party called the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is the same party as the previous president, Muhammadu Buhari. The two other main candidates in the election were Atiku Abubakar, who received 29% of the votes, and Peter Obi, who got 25%. However, of the 93 million Nigerians who were allowed to vote, only 27% did so, which was the lowest number since 1999. Who is Bola Tinubu?…

A DOG WITH A LONG TONGUE An English setter based in Arizona, in the US, has become the Guinness World Record holder for the longest tongue on a living dog. Bisbee’s tongue is longer than an ice lolly at 9.49 centimetres. The previous record holder was Mo, who has now died. His tongue was almost twice as long, at 18.58 centimetres. SLEEPING INDOORS Max Woosey, who began camping in his garden during the pandemic in 2020, has brought his incredible fundraising challenge to an end. Woosey, now 13, slept outdoors in a tent nearly every night for three years. He became known as “the boy in the tent”, and has raised more than £700,000 for charity. FINDING A LONG-LOST TREAT While having building work done on her house, a woman…

Tallinn, Estonia Ukraine-backing PM is re-elected Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, was re-elected as the country’s leader on 5 March. Her Reform party won 37 out of 101 seats in parliament and will need to join with another political party to form a government. Estonia shares a border with Russia and Kallas has strongly supported Ukraine in the war between the two countries. Cuba Dogs suffer shampoo shortage Dog lovers who look after a breed called Havanese bichons are struggling to care for them. The popular Cuban dogs have long, silky coats that need special shampoos to keep them healthy. However, there is a shortage of the shampoos, which means the dogs’ fur can become knotted. That puts them at a greater risk of catching fleas. Belo Horizonte, Brazil Favela…

Wheelchair racer Abby Cook is Blue Peter’s newest presenter, and will join Mwaka Mudenda, Joel Mawhinney and Henry the dog in the studio. Cook, who is from Falkirk in Scotland, said she loved watching Blue Peter when she was young and is “so excited to get started”. Her first challenge was abseiling down a bridge to collect her Blue Peter badge, which she found terrifying. Cook is the show’s 42nd presenter, but the first with a disability (she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects joints and movement). She does wheelchair racing training twice a week and also loves wheelchair basketball.…

The common toad is an amphibian (it lives on land and in water) that can be found all over England, Scotland and Wales. They spend most of the year in gardens, hedgerows and woodland and they hibernate over winter, but on the first warm, damp evenings of the year, common toads head to ponds to breed. They are about eight centimetres long, have green-brown bumpy skin, copper-coloured eyes and short back legs. Toads crawl, rather than hop, and lay their spawn around pond plants in long strings with two rows of eggs. Tadpoles hatch after about 10 days and then change into toadlets (baby toads) over two to three months. Look out for toads crossing roads – in some places roads are even closed or special crossings made.…

Royal Observatory Greenwich This was the perfect combination of two of Wren’s passions: astronomy and architecture. The King wanted astronomers to have a place to study the night sky in more detail. The observatory was set on a hill and the builders used second-hand bricks and stone to save money. St Michael’s Church, Cornhill Originally medieval, this church in the City of London was one of the 52 that Wren helped to rebuild after the Great Fire of London. It stands near the spot where, it is said, the first Christian place of worship in London stood, way back in AD179. The Wren Library, Cambridge Wren designed several buildings in Cambridge, including a chapel and a bridge. The Wren Library holds letters and books owned by Sir Isaac Newton, the…

A new wildlife series called Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough, will start this March on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The country’s favourite wildlife presenter will be showing us that we can find plenty of natural beauty and fascinating wildlife right here, in Britain and Ireland. The five-episode series was filmed over three years and will investigate how our grassland, woodland, freshwater and ocean habitats support wildlife of all kinds. The programme features 96 unique species, including our islands’ largest and fastest predators – you’ll see huge killer whales track down seals and speedy peregrine falcons seek out their prey. Wild Isles includes animal activities never captured before on film. One of these extraordinary sequences is of white-tailed eagles hunting geese. These eagles are the largest bird of…

The Magician’s Elephant Available on Netflix from 17 March This animated adventure is the story of Peter, who is searching for his long-lost sister. He needs the help of a magical elephant but first he must complete three seemingly impossible tasks. Red Nose Day 17 March, BBC One and BBC Two This annual comedy event raises money for people in need using the power of laughter. Expect live music, comedy sketches and stories from people whose lives have been changed by Comic Relief.…

by Rhian Tracey (Piccadilly Press) Robyn has grown up at Bletchley Park, where her father works as a driver. When the Second World War breaks out, Bletchley is taken over by strangers working for the war effort and Robyn’s days of birdwatching, climbing trees and lake swimming are over. Now there are fences, guards and lots of rules. Robyn is made to sign the Official Secrets Act and forbidden from leaving the grounds. Soon, she’s even given a job helping to look after the carrier pigeons that will deliver messages behind enemy lines. Although Robyn enjoys her work, she and her friends Mary and Ned begin to suspect that there is something sinister going on. This thrilling wartime detective tale is set at the real-life Bletchley Park, which was the…

Very popular in France but also enjoyed around the world, pétanque (pronounced “pet-onk”) is a simple and fun outdoor game played by people of all ages. The idea is to throw small metal balls, called “boules”, as close as possible to a smaller wooden ball, known as a “jack”. Games are usually played on a gravel surface. Pétanque can be played by two people or two teams of two or three. In singles and doubles matches, each player throws three boules. When there are three on each team, a player has two boules to throw. Games begin with a small circle being drawn on the surface. Players stand inside this while throwing. A starting team player throws the jack between six and 10 metres away. The same player then throws…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. Across 1 Jacket and trousers set (4) 3 Baby hens (6) 8 Red and blue, for example (7) 9 Huge Australian bird (3) 10 Dental cleaner found in a tube (10) 13 Large square of fabric used in the dining room (10) 17 Gran (3) 18 Honey-makers’ nest (7) 19 Victoria ___, cake (6) 20 Tiny green vegetables (4) Down 1 Item worn on the foot (4) 2 House built of ice (5) 4 That boy’s (3) 5 Professional cooks (5) 6 Dish under a cup (6) 7 Tortoise-like creature (6) 11 Flower dust (6) 12 Rocks (6) 14 Guitar-like instrument (5) 15 Three-wheeled cycle (5) 16 Human limbs (4) 18 Shopping container (3) Word jumble Rearrange the…

Name: Lukas “In February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in south-east Turkey and northern Syria. Two weeks later more earthquakes in the area caused more injuries and deaths. Watching the news and seeing children living in tents, away from their schools, homes, toys and families, I decided to do something to put a smile on their face and help their mental health. As a proud half-Turkish born student, I would like us to help Turkish and Syrian children who have been affected by this terrible disaster, with my campaign named “My Toys Are Yours“. To help children who have lost a family member, or been affected by the earthquake in any way, I asked children at my school to take part in a fundraiser event. On 10 March, they can…

We love hearing from you! It’s easy – just write a comment when you vote in our online Big Debate poll, or even record a voice note for The Week Junior Show. Last week we asked you if you think books should be rewritten… “I don’t think Dahl books should be rewritten as his characters are clearly fictional and meant to entertain.” “Hurtful words should be changed but not the whole story.” “No way! These books are classics.” “I think books should be left as they are.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

The teachers’ strike in Scotland could soon be over. A strike is when people refuse to work in protest against low wages or bad conditions. Teachers have been offered a 14.6% pay rise and their trade unions (organisations that protect workers’ rights) recommend members accept it. Scotland’s Education Secretary said, “This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education.”…

Punctuation is so important in writing that it is one of the first things you learn in school. It is a universal code with different marks to help with the meaning of what is being written. It can indicate the end of a sentence, a question or – in the exclamation mark’s case – a strong feeling or emotion. Without an exclamation mark in the correct place, a warning road sign might read, “Children please drive slowly” rather than “Children! Please drive slowly”. It matters how punctuation is used. However, some writers would say that exclamation marks are never truly necessary. Others think it’s a misunderstood piece of punctuation, and Dr Hazrat points out that they have stood the test of time over hundreds of years. What do you think?…

Cricketer Issy Wong has already made her mark in cricket, playing for the England team and in The Hundred competition. However, she aims to go further as she takes part in the first Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India. The league started on 4 March and it looks set to become one of the most popular cricket competitions in the world. Wong is playing for the Mumbai Indians, and says her time so far has been full of laughter and fun. The WPL gives Wong hope for the game’s future. “There’s so much potential to inspire young girls and young boys to start playing or to keep playing cricket,” she says. THEY SAID IT! “Sometimes people say my head is too big for my body and then I say, ‘Compared…

What time it is varies depending on which of Earth’s time zones you are in – but what if you aren’t anywhere on Earth? Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA), a group dedicated to exploring the universe, are arguing that the Moon should have its own time zone too. At the moment, missions to or involving the Moon use the time zone of the country that is operating the spacecraft. ESA argues that a specific time zone for the Moon would make it easier for space agencies from around the world to work together. Once missions make it to the Moon, having the same time zone would make it simpler for astronauts to communicate and travel across its surface. Setting up a lunar time zone is not easy. Gravity…

Laura Muir, Keely Hodgkinson and Jazmin Sawyers Muir (1,500 metres), Hodgkinson (800 metres) and Sawyers (long jump) all won gold medals for Great Britain at the European Athletics Indoor Championships. Arsenal Women They beat Chelsea 3-1 to win the League Cup final. It’s their first big trophy in four years. Tom Pidcock and Demi Vollering Pidcock and Vollering won the men’s and women’s titles at the famous Strade Bianche one-day cycling race in Italy. Max Verstappen Red Bull driver Verstappen finished first at the Bahrain Grand Prix. It was the opening Formula One race of 2023.…

The star of this year’s BAFTA Games Awards may well be… a cat! Stray is a PlayStation and PC game about a clever cat who has to solve an ancient mystery and find his way home. It’s nominated for nine awards, including Best Game, at the annual video gaming ceremony. The awards celebrate the best video games for computers, consoles and phones, and are hosted by BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Although its glamorous awards ceremonies for films and TV shows are BAFTA’s most famous events, it has been holding awards for video games since 2004. This year’s event takes place on 30 March in London, when the winners in each of the 18 categories will be announced. The awards include a Family category made up…

What’s your favourite moment in I, Spy? When Robyn is signing the Official Secrets Act in the mansion and she realises what’s at stake if she were to break her oath. It’s such a tense and scary moment and it always makes me think about my Great-Aunt Audrey signing it, when she was just a few years older than Robyn. Which year would you visit if you had a time machine? The early Victorian era, when so many entrepreneurs were inventing new machines and products. It must have been such an innovative and exciting time. What was your last adventure? I was doing an author visit in a school and I found myself locked in a toilet at break. I’d left my phone in my bag in the staff room…

Where can you play? As well as on gravel and light, stony ground, you can play pétanque on sand – but the boules won’t roll very much. Proper, grown-up boules are made of metal and might be too heavy for very young players. Lighter plastic balls are often used by young children as they learn the basics. How do you throw? The best technique is to hold the boule with your palm facing towards the ground. Keep a straight arm when you throw and put your non-throwing arm out to improve your balance. Putting a bit of backspin on the ball helps it stay in the spot where it lands. It takes practise – but you will get it.…

On top of a cliff on the island of Bali, Indonesia, is an aeroplane that will never be used for flying again. Instead, it has been turned into a two-bedroom holiday home with a swimming pool that costs more than £5,800 a night to stay in. Converting the Boeing 737 aeroplane into a luxury villa was extremely complicated. The plane had to be taken apart so it could be carried by road to the cliff-top location, which involved two cranes and a police escort.…

The popular video-sharing app TikTok is planning to introduce a 60-minute daily limit for users under the age of 18. After using the platform for one hour, young TikTok users will have to enter a passcode to continue. It is hoped this will stop young people scrolling endlessly through TikTok videos and encourage them to manage their screen time. Users will have the option of turning off the limit but if they spend more than 100 minutes on TikTok in one day, the app will ask them to set their own time limits. Parents will also be able to set their children’s time limit and see how they are using the app. Social media expert Matt Navarra told The Times newspaper, “This is a step in the right direction and…

On 7 March, the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, announced new plans to stop asylum seekers from trying to enter the UK on small boats. The Home Secretary is an important person in the UK Government and is responsible for national security. Who are asylum seekers? Asylum seekers are people who ask another country for safety or protection after fleeing their own country because of war, violence or because they were treated unfairly due to their race, religion or nationality. If the other country grants them protection, they officially become recognised as a refugee. What are the rules at the moment? Asylum seekers in the UK can ask for safety because their basic rights are protected by the United Nations (UN) Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. The…

When Jason Arday was aged three he was diagnosed with autism and global development delay, which can affect the way a person learns and understand things. He couldn’t speak until he was 11, or read and write until he was 18. Now aged 37, Arday is the youngest ever black professor at the University of Cambridge. Arday has always wanted to help people. As a child he remembers thinking, “if I don’t make it as a football player or a professional snooker player, then I want to save the world.” Supported by his college tutor and friend Sandro Sandri, Arday began reading and writing in his late teens. Even though he had a reading age of 13 when he started his degree, he passed and trained as a PE teacher.…

The Government has announced it will create three underwater nature reserves in the sea around the coast of England. The Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are designed to allow the recovery of marine ecosystems, which are the communities of living things and their underwater environment. The reserves will be set up by July 2023. At the moment about 40% of the UK’s waters are part of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, people who fish and do other work at sea are still allowed to carry out activities that can disrupt marine life. This includes trawling (pulling a huge net through the water to catch fish) and dredging (scooping up parts of the sea bed). In the new HPMAs, fishing and activities like putting up wind turbines will be restricted. The…

Along the London skyline, near the Tower of London and the City’s modern office blocks, sits the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Lying just north of the River Thames, it was created by one of Britain’s most gifted architects (building designers), Sir Christopher Wren. This year marks 300 years since Wren’s death but who was he and why was he so successful? Learning his lessons Wren was born in 1632 in East Knoyle, a village in south-west England. He spent part of his childhood in the house of King Charles I after his father was given a job working for the royal family. There, young Christopher studied maths and astronomy (the scientific study of space). He later became a professor of astronomy in London, then at Oxford University. Still his…

No one wants to be a quitter, but what if you don’t enjoy an activity or hobby as much as you used to? Finding the courage to let go can boost your confidence and free up time to spend on something that makes you happy instead. Letting go can be good for you Nothing is fun all of the time. Sticking at something when the going gets tough teaches important skills like perseverance. However, learning to let go when things aren’t right is important too. Maybe your heart isn’t in playing the piano any more, or you only play football because your friends do and you want to try a different sport instead. Making the decision to walk away could free up time and energy to spend on something you…

Plans have been revealed for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which will be hosted in Liverpool on 13 May. Eurovision is an international singing competition between countries all over Europe and beyond. Ukraine won last year, which means it would normally host this year’s event but it can’t because the war has made Ukraine too dangerous. Liverpool is holding a two-week event called EuroFest, from 1 to 14 May, to showcase British and Ukrainian culture. In Liverpool Cathedral, Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska will recreate a train carriage used to escape the war. There will also be a Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade, inspired by both the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the famous song Yellow Submarine by the Liverpool band The Beatles. A music and dance event called Rave…

Brain Detective by Tim James. Illustrated by Aaron Cushley (Wren & Rook) Our brains are amazing – they make us move, feel, sleep, remember, forget, imagine and dream. They are also one of the most mysterious parts of the human body. Become a detective and discover the mind-blowing secrets of our brilliant brains. Engineers Making a Difference by Dr Shini Somara (What On Earth Books) Meet lots of incredible inventors, technicians and scientists in the pages of this book. They’ll tell you in their own words about their work – whether it’s designing prosthetic (artificial) limbs or creating environmentally friendly fashion. Learn how engineers are changing the world and how you might be able to join them. Can You Get Rainbows in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani Illustrated by Liz…

Name: Millie Swimming Against the Storm By Jess Butterworth “Awesome, adventure, twists. The story of a girl, her sister and their friends, and their mission to save a community from flooding.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Tell us what you liked about the book and why you’d recommend it to others, and don’t forget to include your name and address.*…

What you need • Plain paper or a newspaper or magazine• A ruler• A pencil• Scissors• A thin wooden stick or skewer• Glue• A cocktail stick• Thin elastic Create a colourful necklace or bracelet for Mother’s Day, a birthday or as a friendship gift, by rolling paper into beads. It takes a bit of patience but once you get going you won’t be able to stop. You can change the colour, pattern, shape and size of your beads, so get ready to experiment. 1 To make simple beads with straight sides, measure out and cut some long paper strips 20–30 centimetres long and 1–2 centimetres wide. You can use plain or patterned paper, newspaper, wrapping paper or magazine pages – or decorate plain paper yourself. 2 Curl the end of…

We are so excited about the news on our cover (and page 20) that Sir David Attenborough will be back on our TV screens, talking about a subject very close to my heart: the animals and plants of Britain and Ireland. Of course, documentaries about lions and gorillas and strange fish busying themselves on coral reefs are fascinating, but I know deep down that I’ll never see them in real life. This new series, though, will show the beauty and mystery of these islands that are home – and probably make me love them even more. I hope it will inspire us all to take yet greater care of our wonderful planet. It was fantastic to read about what’s being done in the UK (page 10) and across the world…

Humanimal Trust, the charity founded by Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, has launched its first ever Creative Awards. Inspired by the theme of British Science Week 2023, “Connections”, the awards encourage young people to create a piece of visual or written work to celebrate the connections between all species. Entries will be judged by a panel including Professor Fitzpatrick, author Christopher Lloyd and the publisher of What on Earth Books, Nancy Feresten. The winners will receive books, vouchers and more. Find out how you can get involved ahead of the 31 March deadline at tinyurl.com/TWJ-Awards GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk 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…

1 Who was elected as president of Nigeria? ☐ a) Peter Obi ☐ b) Muhammad Buhari ☐ c) Bola Tinubu 2 True or false? More than 45,000 people arrived in the UK in small boats in 2022. ☐ True ☐ False 3 In which country did a favela “shack” win a top architectural award? 4 When were exclamation marks introduced into written language? ☐ a) 60 years ago ☐ b) 600 years ago ☐ c) 1,000 years ago 5 True or false? The Blue Peter dog is called Harry. ☐ True ☐ False 6 In the sea around the UK, what does HPMAs stand for? 7 Which famous landmark in London did Sir Christopher Wren design? ☐ a) Big Ben ☐ b) Buckingham Palace ☐ c) St Paul’s Cathedral 8…