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The UK and Ireland have had a disagreement over laws affecting asylum seekers. An asylum seeker is a person who has asked another country for protection after fleeing their own because of the threat of war or violence. The Irish government has suggested that a new UK government policy is causing more people to seek asylum in Ireland. Why is there a disagreement? On 25 April, the UK government passed a law that means asylum seekers arriving in the UK can be sent to Rwanda, in Africa, to ask for protection there instead. If their request is successful, they would be allowed to live and work in Rwanda. If not, they may have to seek protection in another country. The aim of this policy is to discourage people from making…

DRAMA STUDENTS The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (known as Central) in London, has stopped charging audition fees to help disadvantaged students. Actor Martin Freeman, who went to Central, said it would, “make attending drama school fairer for all”. A BABY VULTURE An endangered Ruppell’s griffon vulture chick has been reunited with its parents by London Zoo staff. To ensure the chick – named Rupert – had the best start in life, they secretly took the egg from parents Phil and Cuthbert, swapping it for a fake one. The delicate chick was cared for by the zookeepers until five days after hatching. YOUNG CHESS FANS On 21 April, a 17-year-old chess player from India, Gukesh Dommaraju, became the youngest winner of the men’s Candidates Tournament, a competition that…

4 May 1924 The second Paris Olympics begin Paris, France’s capital, is hosting the Olympics this summer just as it did 100 years ago. It was the seventh modern Olympics and the first to officially feature traditions such as the Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (“faster, higher, stronger” in Latin). Although some events began in May, the opening ceremony did not take place until 5 July. There were more than 3,000 participants representing 44 countries – a record at the time.…

Known for its call that sounds like its name, the cuckoo only visits the UK briefly. The birds begin arriving from Africa in April and many have flown back there by the end of June. Cuckoos are 32 to 34 centimetres long. They are grey on top and white below with thin grey stripes, and have a yellow ring around their eyes, yellow feet, and a yellow and black beak. Found all over the UK, they particularly like woodland. Cuckoos are “brood parasites”, meaning they don’t raise their own young. Females lay eggs in the nests of other birds, which then raise the chick thinking it is their own. Cuckoos can even lay eggs that look like other birds’ eggs. When the chick hatches it pushes other eggs or chicks…

Absolutely – there is safety in numbers for fish, because they are preyed upon by other marine animals. If fish stay together and watch out for each other they have a higher chance of survival. Male fish sometimes have a female group for breeding and the male fish makes sure to defend the group. This ensures he can fertilise the females’ eggs, which is how most fish produce their young. Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership…

Voyager 1, which is floating in space billions of miles from Earth, has started to communicate with US space agency NASA once again after months of silence. The spacecraft’s computer software stopped working in November 2023 but engineers on Earth have managed to fix it. Voyager 1 launched into space in 1977, around the same time as another spacecraft called Voyager 2. The pair were designed to study Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1’s discoveries have included finding active volcanoes on the surface of one of Jupiter’s moons, Io. It also observed five new moons around Saturn. Voyager 1 and 2 completed their missions in 1989 but the two craft continue to explore the universe. In 2012, Voyager 1 left the solar system and entered interstellar space, which is…

Uzair Chowdhury, Zakaine Fawzi, Gabriel Langton, Sol Scott & Evan McPhillips The gymnasts won a team gold medal for Great Britain at the European Championship in Italy. England women’s rugby union team England beat France 42-21 to win their sixth Women’s Six Nations Championship in a row. Daryll Neita The British sprinter won the women’s 200-metres race at the Suzhou Diamond League event in China. Crystal Palace Women The London football club won the Women’s Championship, which is the second-highest league in England. It means next season they will play in the Women’s Super League for the first time.…

How do you come up with the ideas for your stories? From adventures in wild places. From trips to the supermarket (I named a character “Babaganoush” after seeing the dip). From reading National Geographic magazine (did you know there’s a moth that feeds on the tears of sleeping birds?!). Who’s your favourite character in the book? Rusty Fizzbang. He’s a vet to magical beasts and he knows all sorts of fun facts about magical creatures, like the way unicorn farts are so loud they sometimes register as minor earthquakes. Tell us about your favourite teacher. She was called Mrs Johnson and whenever she came across a naughty bit in a book she’d giggle and turn bright red. She and Mrs Rickety-Knees would’ve got on. What did you want to be…

What you need ●Bucket●Water●Sponge or brush●Car shampoo●Microfibre towel If you fancy earning a bit of extra pocket money or just want to help out a family member or neighbour, why not wash their car? It’s simple to do, will only take you an hour or so and we’ll show you how. Washing a car can help keep people safe – the driver will be able to see out of all the windows properly and in the mirrors, plus it will keep the lights and number plates visible. Keeping a car clean can also make it last longer. The first thing you need to do when you’re planning on washing a car is check out the weather. It’s actually best to wash a car when it’s cloudy but dry. If it’s…

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest issue. Our cover this week features Voyager 1, which has travelled unimaginably far across space and yet is still sending data (now the engineers have fixed the problem). You can read the full report on page 14. If you’d like to know more about how we decided on the cover (and my honestly brilliant other idea that art director Dave turned down), have a listen to our podcast The Week Junior Show. We’ve also got a bit of a sea theme this week. On page 24, read about lovely games, websites and webcams that take you deep under the waves. The big story on page 10 is about marvellous mud and how the strange wigglers that live in it could turn out to…

Do you enjoy taking photos of weird and wonderful weather? If so, grab a camera and get snapping. You could enter your photos into the Standard Chartered Young Weather Photographer of the Year competition for a top prize of £750. The contest is run by the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) and is open to anyone under 18. Our sister magazine The Week Junior Science+Nature is supporting the competition, and the winner will also get a year’s subscription to the magazine and a photo feature. The deadline for entries is 18 June. Find out more at tinyurl.com/SN-RMS-comp 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.…

1 There are how many canals in Venice? ☐ a) 15 ☐ b) 50 ☐ c) 150 2 True or false? The Scottish Parliament meets in Edinburgh. ☐ True ☐ False 3 Which capital city is building more public toilets after a campaign? ________________________________ 4 When did Greta Thunberg hold her first Fridays for Future school strike? ☐ a) 2023 ☐ b) 2020 ☐ c) 2018 5 True or false? Actor Kaylee Hottle is 20 years old. ☐ True ☐ False 6 Which item containing plastic is being banned in the UK? ________________________________ 7 The Channel Tunnel celebrates which anniversary this year? ☐ a) 20th ☐ b) 30th ☐ c) 50th 8 True or false? Asthma affects 5.4 million people in the UK. ☐ True ☐ False 9 How far…

The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is the only land border between the UK and the European Union (EU). Ireland is a member of the EU, but the UK left it in 2020 (a move known as Brexit). Before Brexit, the border was open, meaning that people and goods moved freely over it without being checked. Now, some goods are checked before they cross the border but people still move freely. This is because the UK and Ireland have a special agreement, which was decided after Brexit, that gives people the basic right to travel between the two countries.…

In 2018, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg held her first school strike urging politicians to take action to tackle climate change. Known as “Fridays for Future”, the strikes soon grew and hundreds of thousands of young people around the world started taking part. Research has shown that the school strikes have made a difference. A study in Switzerland found that 30% of people have changed their habits to be more environmentally friendly as a result of young people protesting. Many people argue that it’s important for young people to protest for what they believe in – even if it means they miss school. Others say that skipping school means losing out on valuable learning time. What do you think? Should pupils take time off school to join protests? Yes –…

After six years of building work, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, finally opened in May 1994. It runs for 31.5 miles between Folkestone, England, and Calais, France, and 23.5 miles of this route is beneath the English Channel. Today, about 21 million passengers a year use its trains to travel from Britain to mainland Europe. A brave idea The Channel Tunnel dream began more than 200 years ago, in 1802, with an idea for horse-drawn carriages to run along an under-the-sea tunnel lit by oil lamps. An early attempt to dig beneath the sea was made in Kent, England, in 1880, using hand-held tools and a tunnel-boring (digging) machine. However, the project was too difficult and was eventually abandoned. Plans for the Channel Tunnel that exists today were finally agreed…

Scientists at the University of Bristol have created a new feature for robots, inspired by the suckers on octopus arms. The robotic suction cup can hold on to rough, curved and heavy stones. The researchers studied the structure of octopus suckers to understand how they work. They used their findings to create their robotic sucker, which mimics the same behaviour. The suction cup is soft, like octopus arm muscles. It comes with artificial fluid which behaves like the natural mucus (sticky liquid) that octopuses produce, which helps them hold onto things. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Pets aren’t just a fun member of the family, they also bring plenty of benefits for your general wellbeing too. Helping physical health People with pets are more likely to be active than people without a furry friend. Taking the dog for daily walks, playing with a cat or guinea pig or chasing a rabbit or tortoise around the garden gets you moving your body and out in the fresh air too. Supporting wellbeing Spending time with your pet improves your mood by releasing “happy” hormones (chemicals) in your brain. Stroking your dog or hearing your cat purr helps you to relax. Talking to your pet, particularly if you speak about your worries or something you’re finding difficult, can be comforting and helps you to feel better. When you’re with…

Hercules: The Diary of a (Sort of) Hero by Tom Vaughan. Illustrated by David O’Connell (Scholastic) On starting at a new secondary school, Hercules decides he needs to live up to his name. He’s on a mission to become strong, tanned and popular, like the Greek hero he’s named after, but his plans soon go very badly (and hilariously) wrong. Fans of Loki and the Tom Gates series will enjoy this diary-style story. The Untameables by Clare Pollard. Illustrated by Reena Makwana (The Emma Press) In this retelling of the legend of King Arthur, the knights of the round table are cruel – they wage wars and hunt magic creatures. Young dog keeper Roan and his friend Elva must race the knights to find the Holy Grail. Will they succeed…

Name: Freddie Way of the Wolf Bear Grylls “Suspenseful, dramatic, fascinating. It includes a lot of survival tips. I think many children would enjoy it but I’d suggest a minimum age of eight as it’s quite dramatic.” YOUR TURN Please email your book review to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it is printed in the magazine you will receive a Roving Reporter badge. Please describe the book in three words, what you liked about it and why you’d recommend it to others. Don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

The Heart of England Forest Imagine a forest bigger than 17,000 football pitches, where animals, plants and people can live happily together. That’s what this charity is trying to create. So far it has planted more than two million trees, but the forest, mainly located in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, is more than trees. There are also wide-open grasslands and wetlands where creatures splash around, making it a perfect home for all kinds of wildlife and plants. Find out more at heartofenglandforest.org…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Norcott School: Jordanhill School, Glasgow “Mrs Norcott is kind and funny and she makes us all be creative and active. She always gives us lovely comments each day and when we make something for her. This is why she is the best teacher ever in the whole wide world.” Sophie If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of The Week Junior. Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

When Nomin was given the advice “Don’t be afraid of being a world champion,” she didn’t know how useful it would be. At the time, Nomin, from Tuv Province in Mongolia, was preparing for a world championship in flying model aeroplanes. She went on to win a silver medal and became the first female competitor from her country to take part. Since then, Nomin has become a different kind of world champion. The 17-year-old was recently invited to COP28, a meeting held by the United Nations (a group of most of the world’s countries working together to tackle global issues) to discuss the impact that climate change has on children in Asia. Nomin grew up in the Mongolian countryside. Lots of people there find it hard to afford food, healthcare…

Brown, gloopy mud is found on coastlines around the UK. It might not look very exciting but in fact it supports wildlife that does a very important job. Scientists in Scotland have just begun a study of coastal mud. They are sifting through it to find the creatures living there, which could provide a natural solution to climate change. Ragworms, brittlestars, sea potatoes and cactus worms are just some of the mud-burrowing creatures that feed on tiny organisms, like algae and plankton. These organisms absorb carbon (a chemical substance found in all animals and plants). If algae and plankton are left in the sea they eventually die, rot and release carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. Instead, many are dragged down into the sea bed…

When Toby Roberts was eight, he became interested in sport climbing after trying it at an after-school club. Now 19, he is one of the world’s best and is preparing to compete for Great Britain at this summer’s Olympic Games. “When I first started climbing it wasn’t even an Olympic sport,” he tells The Week Junior. “I’m incredibly happy to have qualified and really excited to compete. I believe if I give my everything I have a great chance.” There are two sport climbing events for men and women at the Olympic Games, which begins on 26 July. One event involves versions of the sport called bouldering and lead; the other event is called speed. In bouldering, athletes climb a 4.5-metre wall without ropes in a short time and in…

Home to more than 2,300 paintings, the National Gallery in London turns 200 this year. To celebrate, the National Gallery has organised a year of events, beginning in May. These include sharing paintings from its collection with galleries around the UK. The Week Junior spoke to Daniel Sobrino Ralston, who looks after the National Gallery’s Spanish paintings. The collection of Spanish paintings features around 60 artworks including portraits of people such as Philip IV (the king of Spain in the 17th century), landscapes and still-life paintings (everyday things). Ralston has worked on the National Treasures programme, which is taking 12 famous paintings to 12 museums and galleries around the UK. Ralston says that he’s excited that paintings “owned by the public, can be seen across the four nations of the…

by Abi Elphinstone. Illustrated by Kristina Kister (Simon & Schuster) Ten-year-old Ember Spark longs to be like her favourite comic-book heroine, Gutsy Wonder, but in the Scottish seaside village of Yawn, where she lives, there isn’t much adventure to be found. At least, not until she rescues an unusual hamster from the beach and is plunged into a world of incredible creatures. Employed as an apprentice by Rusty Fizzbang, a vet for magical beasts, Ember must work with her timid classmate Arno to help a baby dragon whose parents have gone missing. Caring for magical creatures and keeping them secret isn’t easy – especially with the villainous Jasper Hornswoggle on their trail. This fantasy features everything from a meringue-eating unicorn to a flying bathtub. The first in a new series…

Going diving can be an expensive hobby. You need all the right equipment, for a start, and if you want to visit the world’s most beautiful underwater ecosystems, that’ll mean paying for travel and somewhere to stay, too. A new game called Endless Ocean Luminous gives you a much more affordable taste of diving. Released for Nintendo’s Switch console, it gives you a diving mask and flippers to explore a beautiful underwater world filled with sea life. The game isn’t set in a real-world ocean like the Pacific or Atlantic; instead, you’re exploring The Veiled Sea, a fictional (made-up) environment. That means it can include the features of many different oceans, such as coral reefs and deep-sea habitats. It also means it can have hundreds of different types of fish…

No place like a gnome’s home A rock lying just off the coast of Inchcolm Island in Scotland is home to not only sea birds but a group of gnomes. According to legend, the gnomes escaped from a garden centre nearby to live on the rock. Another story suggests that the gnomes appeared there after they were shipwrecked. Locals report that the gnomes have been there since 2010, and mysteriously their population grows every winter. The rock is now known as “Inchgnome Island”. People leave the strangest things The taxi service Uber has released a list of random items left in its cars in the US. These forgotten belongings include a fart sensor, a cardboard cut-out panda, a Harry Potter wand engraved with the name Alexander, a tray of meat…

Name: Gabriel “As part of our school project on sustainability we have been learning about habitat destruction and how it affects animals. I was really surprised to see that the hedgehog is listed next to animals such as the red panda, orangutan, sea turtle and rhino as threatened or vulnerable to extinction. I started to think about what I can do to help. Now it is springtime, hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation. I have been working to make sure that my garden is hedgehog-friendly for when they wake up. I have made sure there are gaps under the garden fence so they can pass through, built log piles, made sure all rubbish is picked up and have left out cat food for them to enjoy. I also plan to…

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 our readers whether libraries should scrap fines… “No, fines encourage people to return books and to remember their value.” “Yes, if people want to read, fines put them off.” “No, libraries need the money to buy new books.” “Yes, we should allow people to take their time to read the books.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…