Table of contents for 404 in The Week Junior

A military coup in the central African country of Gabon led to General Brice Nguema being named the country’s new leader on 4 September. A coup is an attempt to replace a government by force. The previous president was Ali Bongo, who had been in power for 14 years. Why was there a coup? The coup happened shortly after results were announced in Gabon’s presidential election. On 30 August, the organisation in charge of the election declared that Ali Bongo had won, with around two thirds of the votes. However, the army said the election was unfair because votes had deliberately been counted wrongly. Bongo has ruled the country since 2009. He took over from his father, Omar Bongo, who had been president since 1967. Army officers said their coup…

Burlington, Canada Millions of bees fall off a lorry Local beekeepers volunteered to capture five million bees that fell off a truck in Canada. The straps holding around 20 beehives on the lorry came loose, releasing them onto the road. Police advised people to stay away from the area as the bees gathered on buildings and cars, but the beekeepers returned most to their hives after a few hours. Texas, US Turtle swept to Wales returns home A turtle that washed up on a Welsh beach, 4,000 miles away from her much warmer home, has been flown back to Texas. Tally, a rare Kemp’s ridley turtle, was found in Wales in 2021. Anglesey Sea Zoo nursed her back to health for 20 months. After flying home, Tally was taken to…

At a poetry event in London, 11-year-old Benjamin Andrews performed a poem in front of Queen Camilla that he had written about his sister’s cancer. Cancer is a disease caused by oddly behaving cells growing out of control. Benjamin’s sister Madeleine was diagnosed when she was two. She inspired him to write a poem about her, called Torn Apart. Last year, Benjamin won a competition with this poem. After his performance, both Benjamin and Madeleine, who is now in recovery, met the Queen. “It was your poem that made her better,” Queen Camilla told Benjamin.…

New research has found that comedy doesn’t just make us feel good – it actually has the power to improve heart health. A recent study set out to test whether or not “laughter therapy” could help people who have heart disease. The study involved 26 adults, with an average age of 64. All of them had coronary artery disease, which is when the supply of blood to the heart is blocked or held up by plaque (fatty substances) that grow in the coronary arteries. Coronary arteries are the big tubes that send blood to the heart. Over three months, 13 of the adults were asked to watch two hour-long comedy shows every week. The other 13 were asked to watch two documentaries on serious topics like politics and the Amazon…

Archery, cricket, football, judo and tennis were some of the exciting sports at the recent International Blind Sports Federation World Games. The competition for athletes with visual impairment lasted 14 days in Birmingham, England. Events also took place in Walsall and Coventry. At the World Games, two versions of football were played: blind and partially sighted. In blind football, four blindfolded players play on each team, plus a goalkeeper who can be fully or partially sighted. In the partially sighted game, each team of four, plus a goalkeeper, has players who are visually impaired. This means that each team has players with differing abilities to see. Argentina celebrated winning both the men’s and women’s blind football events. They beat Japan 2-1 in the women’s final, and China in the men’s…

Artists Heather Peak and Ivan Morison have converted a school bus into a travelling observatory (a place for studying the sky, weather and space) called the Moon Palace. It can be found touring around Leeds until 22 December. The Moon Palace is dedicated to the memory of John Smeaton – who is believed to be the first person to describe himself as a civil engineer – who was born in Leeds 300 years ago. Civil engineers build public structures like bridges, roads and harbours. Smeaton is thought of as the UK’s first civil engineer. Smeaton had many interests, from building lighthouses to reading poetry, and was a keen astronomer (someone who studies planets and stars). His daughter recalled her father staring up at the night sky “with awe and wonder”.…

by Atinuke. Illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi (Bloomsbury Children’s) Did you know that the first Britons were black? Or that once, a black emperor ruled over the whole Roman Empire from the city of York? This illustrated non-fiction book shines a light on an important part of British history, and one that is often left out – the story of black people in Britain. Author Atinuke takes us on an enthralling journey, introducing us to a huge range of people, from Tudors and Stuarts, to Georgians, Victorians, wartime heroes and Windrush pioneers – as well as the black people who are helping to make Britain brilliant now. This book tackles complex subjects like slavery, the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution and the Black Lives Matter movement. With lots of maps, timelines…

The Wigtown Book Festival, which takes place in Scotland, from 22 September to 1 October, celebrates its 25th birthday this year. Lee Randall is the guest programmer, whose job involves delivering a programme of events, including activities, readings and talks. It’s all about “tapping into ideas that are whirling around,” she tells The Week Junior. Randall has been involved with more than half of the festivals that have helped transform the small town’s fortunes. In the 1990s, Wigtown fell on hard times, she says. The creamery, which made dairy products, and the distillery, which made alcohol, were two of the big employers to close down. Many people lost their jobs. The first festival, in 1998, was part of a plan to revive the town, and in the same year, Wigtown…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 3 Letters Bar Mat 4 Letters Beam Flip Jump Rope 5 Letters Chalk Split 6 Letters Launch Splits 7 Letters Gymnast Landing 9 Letters Acrobatic Cartwheel 10 Letters Handspring Somersault Spot the difference These two pictures appear to be the same, but take a closer look. There are actually five differences. Can you spot them? Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BACON BONFIRE CANDLE CHEESE COFFEE FLOWERS GARLIC LAVENDER LEMON MINT ONION ORANGE PERFUME PETROL POPCORN ROSE SHAMPOO SOAP VANILLA VINEGAR Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the…

Air Ambulances UK (AAUK) AAUK is the national charity supporting the lifesaving work of the UK’s air ambulance charities. Air ambulance crews bring the emergency department to patients who have suffered a life threatening or life changing trauma or medical emergency; providing care to save lives. Air ambulance charities are dispatched on more than 100 lifesaving missions each day; each mission is funded by the generosity of local communities. Learn more at airambulancesuk.org…

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 only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior to print them in the magazine and digital editions. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, accuracy and suitability. Ensure you have your parent/guardian’s permission before sending anything to us.…

1 Which leader in Gabon has just been driven out of power? ◻ a) General Brice Nguema ◻ b) Ali Bongo ◻ c) Robert Mugabe 2 True or false? An 11-metre-high totem pole in Scotland is being returned to Mexico. ◻ True ◻ False 3 Tharman Shanmugaratnam has become president of which country? _______________________ 4 What was the name of the first ever cereal, invented in 1863? ◻ a) Cornflakes ◻ b) Granula ◻ c) Shreddies 5 True or false? Benjamin Andrews wrote a story for his sister. ◻ True ◻ False 6 How long does it take an African wild ass to rehydrate after three days without water? _______________________ 7 Who invented the test that is used to decide whether a computer is intelligent or not? ◻ a) Albert…

Gabon is slightly larger in area than the UK and lies on the west coast of Africa. It has lots of natural resources, including gold, oil and manganese, which is used in drinks cans. • CAPITAL CITY: Libreville• POPULATION: 2.4 million• LANGUAGES: French is the official language but around 40 local languages are also used. Fang is the most common.• CURRENCY: The Central African Franc (CFA). One thousand CFAs are worth £1.31.• RELIGIONS: Around 80% Christian and 12% Muslim…

SWIMMERS IN BATH On 10 September, the UK’s oldest outdoor swimming pool is due to reopen after nearly 20 years. Volunteers and the council have restored Cleveland Pools in Bath, England, which was built in 1815. The pool was once fed by a river but now uses piped water. SPOTTING RARE TROPICAL BIRDS Two tropical bird species that have never been seen together in the UK have been spotted near the Isles of Scilly in England. A red-footed booby was sitting on top of the Bishop Rock Lighthouse, and a brown booby was on the lighthouse steps. Lucy McRobert, from a wildlife charity, said it was an “unbelievable sighting”. LEARNING WELSH A boy who fled the war in Ukraine to Wales has just achieved a B in his Welsh GCSE…

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is preparing to send an 11-metre-high pole 4,200 miles. The pole belongs to the Nisga’a Nation, an indigenous community in Canada, whose craftsmen carved it from cedar wood in 1855. Indigenous communities are descendants of people who lived in a place before other groups arrived and took over. In 1920, the pole was sold to the museum after being stolen when its owners were away hunting.…

Breakfast is important because it refuels the body and brain after sleep and sets you up for the day ahead. At the weekend you can relax and prepare something like pancakes or eggy bread but during the week, time is usually short. The ultimate quick and easy breakfast foods are toast or cereal. Do you drool as cold butter melts into hot toast, ready to be slathered with whatever you like to follow – maybe honey, jam or Marmite? Or perhaps you prefer the crunch and slurp of milk as you enjoy a mouthful of cereal. Some people believe that breakfast cereals are more interesting than toast but there are hundreds of things you can pile onto a slice. This week’s big debate is a very important question. What do…

These strange round growths appear on the leaves of oak trees in autumn. There are lots of different types of gall but they are all made up of plant tissue. They are formed by other living things such as bacteria, fungi or insects, using the tree for their own benefit. Most galls don’t harm plants. Each silk button gall is caused by a gall wasp, and you’ll find the growths on the underside of oak leaves. They are up to three millimetres across, golden brown and look a bit like a tiny hairy doughnut. Each one is like a nursery for a gall wasp larva (young, undeveloped insect). The larva stays inside the gall after the leaves drop around October and remain there over winter, before emerging fully grown between…

More than 50 years ago, a famous British band called the Beatles split up. They haven’t recorded any music together since then, but artificial intelligence (AI) has helped to create one last Beatles song. This is just one of the ways that AI is changing the world and how we live – with smart voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, self-driving vehicles and software that can write essays and songs. As technology improves, the use of AI is spreading. What is AI? “Artificial intelligence” is a computer system that can do things that usually require human intelligence. These include solving problems, making decisions and learning. AI can be taught skills using a process called machine learning. Humans give the system information, such as books, photos or videos, to train…

Olav Kooij In the eight-day Tour of Britain cycle race, Dutch rider Kooij won stage one, from Altrincham to Manchester in England. Evan Ferguson The 18-year-old footballer scored a hat-trick (three goals) as Brighton & Hove Albion beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the Premier League. Laura Muir The British athlete won the 800 metres race at the Diamond League event in Zurich, Switzerland. Walton Heath Golf Club team They picked up the English Women’s Champion Club Trophy. Charlotte Adamson, Nicola Taylor, Emily Peaford and Annabel Peaford were in the team.…

Most interesting people you learned about while writing this book? Dr Cecil Clarke, who kept his surgery open during the Second World War – even when next door was bombed. Queen Charlotte, who ruled Britain despite the court’s racist views. What’s your favourite song? My all-time favourite is Sweet Mother by Prince Nico Mbarga. My current favourite is Give It to the Water on Stormzy’s new album. If you could get around on any mode of transport, what would you choose? I would choose an electric bike for quiet roads. A tram for city streets and trains and ships for long distance. I love slow travel so that I can watch the world as I travel by.…

Do not be tempted to try this! A thirsty tourist has been filmed climbing onto the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy’s capital, to fill up her water bottle. People who enter or climb on the fountain can be fined hundreds of euros, and its water isn’t safe to drink anyway. In the video, the woman is confronted and led away by a security guard, although it is not known what happened afterwards. The elaborate fountain was built between 1732 and 1762. People throw coins into it because this is said to guarantee that they will return to Rome. The fountain collects around £855,000 every year from hopeful tourists.…

Officials in New Delhi, India, have been trying to scare off the local population of macaque monkeys, in preparation for a G20 summit (meeting) on 9 and 10 September. The G20, which stands for “The Group of 20”, brings together leaders from the world’s richest and most powerful countries to discuss global issues. Macaques are famous for causing a nuisance in New Delhi. They steal food from locals and tourists, run across busy roads and even walk into people’s homes. To keep them out of the way while world leaders are visiting the city, officials have set up lots of cardboard cut-outs of other, larger monkeys. They have also hired more than 30 voice actors to stand behind the cut-outs and make scary noises to try to scare the macaques…

More than 100 schools in England and two in Wales have had to close all or some of their buildings after it was found that they contain a type of concrete that might not be safe. Why have the buildings shut? The Government says they need to be checked. A report in June revealed that buildings in 572 schools in England might have been built with a material called RAAC, which could be unsafe because it’s not very strong. On 31 August, the Government announced that school buildings with RAAC “should no longer be open” without safety measures in place. Pupils at these schools will either use temporary classrooms or do their lessons from home during safety checks and repairs. As The Week Junior went to press the Government had…

Mitra Hejazipour is a Grandmaster in chess, meaning she is one of the best chess players in the world. Hejazipour earned this title over years competing for Iran, where she was born and raised, and now in France, where she has just won the French women’s championship. She celebrated her win by praising “all women who fight for their freedom”. Chess has been Hejazipour’s way of fighting for freedom. Iran is run by a very strict government that controls how women behave and tells them what they should wear. Dress codes are enforced by the police and there are severe punishments for breaking the law. In 2019, when she was 26, Hejazipour refused to wear a head covering at a competition in Moscow, Russia. Iran’s law states that all women…

This August, 18 rare takahe birds were released into New Zealand’s Lake Whakatipu Waimaori valley, where they will live for the first time in more than 100 years. The area is also home to a Maori tribe called Ngai Tahu, who have spent years campaigning for the birds to return to their lands. The Maori are New Zealand’s indigenous people (the original inhabitants of a place before other people moved there and took over) and they consider the takahe bird to be taonga, which means a treasure. Takahes are large, round, flightless birds with red legs, and they lived in New Zealand long before humans arrived there. They were declared extinct in 1898, but in 1948 a small number of them were discovered living in a remote part of the…

To help monitor mammal populations in the UK, a wildlife charity called the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is asking volunteers to record any animals they see that have been killed by traffic on the road. Using an app called Mammals on Roads, people in England, Scotland, and Wales can record any animals they spot on their travels. While seeing animals harmed on roads is always sad, noting down the locations of accidents can help the charity protect badgers, foxes and hedgehogs in different areas. David Wembridge from PTES said that noting where animals have been in accidents “can be a useful indication of where mammals are living, and where they aren’t.” The information sent in will show which species are most at risk and therefore need more help.…

Scientists studying Neptune, the furthest planet from the Sun in our solar system, have seen a dark spot on the surface. It’s the first time an Earth-based telescope has spied one of these patches on Neptune. It is believed that the spots are swirling storms in the planet’s atmosphere. However, scientists would like to learn more about how these huge storms are formed. In 1989, one of NASA’s space probes, Voyager 2, spotted a shadowy area on Neptune while flying past. This became known as the “Great Dark Spot”. The Hubble Space Telescope has made similar observations too, revealing that the spots are quite common and tend to disappear within a few years. A team of researchers used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to observe Neptune, after a new…

Part of growing up is learning how to work things out for yourself. However, when you’re feeling frustrated, confused or lost you don’t have to struggle alone. When you might need help There are lots of reasons why you could need help, for example, with schoolwork; resolving a disagreement; learning a new skill; or when you feel sad, anxious or angry. Feeling frustrated because you’re finding something difficult, or it’s taking a long time to make progress, can also make you feel like you can’t do it. These are all signs that you need help. When you’re struggling with something but you tell yourself you should be able to do it on your own, asking for help will move you forward more quickly than trying on your own. What stops…

In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Hodder Children’s) Ysolda has grown up in the forest with her sister Hari. When a mysterious earthquake destroys their home and her sister is kidnapped, Ysolda sets out to save her. Soon, she must strike a dangerous bargain with the Wolf Queen. The first instalment of the Geomancer trilogy, this fantasy is one of the autumn’s most exciting new books. Dragon Force: Infinity’s Secret by Katie and Kevin Tsang (Simon & Schuster Children’s) The next generation of humans and dragons join up to protect the world in the first book of this new series, set five years after the end of the Dragon Realm books. Billy Chan returns to watch his sister and her friends as they learn the…

Name: Kimi Our Castle by the Sea Lucy Strange “Wartime, family, danger. This story shows that small children can be just as brave and helpful as soldiers when a war breaks out.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it’s printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. 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…

Need something to brighten up your desk? Try making these fabric pen holders. Not only will they help keep your workspace neat and organised, but they are a brilliant way to recycle fabric. From holey socks and outgrown T-shirts, to worn-down tea towels or cleaning cloths, unwanted fabric can be cut up and repurposed into something new. You can even use thick string. You don’t have to use your pots for pens, either – store whatever you like in them. What you need • Scissors • Fabric scraps or string • Clean glass jar • with a lid • Petroleum jelly • Glue brush • PVA glue TOP TIP End the fabric before the jar narrows – it makes it easier to pull off. If it feels too bendy, paste…

Over the last few weeks we have been preparing, like our readers, for the great back-to-school adventure. On page 4, we report on the news that some schools around the UK have had to close buildings because they need to be checked for safety. Science is leading the way on page 12, with our look at artificial intelligence and how it is changing our world. I am excited to see the research that AI can do and the discoveries it can make, thanks to its ability to read huge amounts of information. It can draw conclusions that might take years for humans to spot. It’s also fantastic to hear that having a good laugh is genuinely good for your health (page 14). On page 10, we are celebrating the extremely…

Win Go Ape and other goodies We have teamed up with Go Ape, the adventure company, and Forestry England, an organisation that cares for more than 1,500 forests, to bring you and your family this epic competition. Enter and you could win Go Ape gift cards, a 12-month subscription to The Week Junior and The Week (for your parents or guardians), plus Forestry England national membership and more. Visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-Adventures with a grown-up to enter now.…

“Reading The Week Junior in the Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum Dino Snores sleepover. We slept under the skeleton of the gigantic blue whale.”Leila and Rhea “We went to the Royal Mint and saw how this coin was made! I brought one home and the next day I saw it in The Week Junior.”Pippa “My brother and I went to Turkey and really enjoyed reading The Week Junior in the pool.”Shayan and Savan…

Teacher’s name: Miss Buzzeo School: St Mary’s primary school, Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear “Miss Buzzeo is super funny and kind and on Fridays she lets us sit with our friends if we’ve been good. Also, if we do a good turn we get a raffle ticket, and every Friday she draws three or four winners for a special prize! She’s really helpful and makes learning fun. I’m sad to leave her class.” Eva 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…

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 we should wash our clothes less… “No, having clean clothes makes you feel more confident in yourself.” “Yes, some people wash their clothes way too often.” “No, newly washed clothes make you look and feel fresh.” “Some clothes don’t need to be washed after one wear, others do.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…