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The international newspaper for the younger reader
3rd July 2008 British English edition
Issue Number 70

In this issue
Ocean-measuring satellite Laptops banned in parliament Nuclear list handed in Russia and the EU Date of the Trojan War? Studying the chocolate tree Demonstrations in Kashmir Italy gets tough on crime New domain names Philippine ferry disaster Living one-hour statues Handing back Maori lands Americas gun laws
Robert Mugabe after being re-elected as president of Zimbabwe

Preventing allergies Mongolian elections International Whaling Commission meets Bill Gates retires Revolving skyscraper Australian wombat holiday Book review Glossary and Sudoku prize competitions

ONE-SIDED ELECTION GOES AHEAD IN ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe previously called Rhodesia was once a British colony. It was governed by a minority of white people. Several militant groups of black people fought against the Rhodesian government. One was led by Robert Mugabe. After a series of peace talks it was agreed that political parties run by black people would be allowed to contest elections. In 1980 the country became independent and changed its name to Zimbabwe. Mr Mugabe was elected prime minister. At the time Zimbabwe was a wealthy country. Its farms exported large amounts of food to other countries and many tourists visited the country. As head of the ruling ZANU-PF political party, Mr Mugabe became president in 1987. Much of the best farmland in Zimbabwe was owned by white farmers. Mr Mugabe forced many of them to leave the country so he could give the land to black farmers. Unfortunately, many of the people who were given the land had no experience of farming. Soon, instead of selling food to other countries Zimbabwe had to import it. Tourists also stopped visiting the country. Although there were frequent elections, few people dared stand against President Mugabe. He began to rule Zimbabwe as a dictator. Followers of other political parties were attacked by the police and the army, both of which support ZANU-PF. Now the country has many problems. Its economy has collapsed. Over 80% of the people have no job and there are serious food shortages. The currency, the Zimbabwe dollar, has become worthless. It now costs many billions of Zimbabwe dollars to buy one American dollar. Many

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including Zimbabwe. Some SADC leaders visited Zimbabwe for talks with President Mugabe. They were led by Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa. He could not persuade Mr Mugabe to step down. Mr Mugabe insisted he would stand in another election against Mr Tsvangirai. The date for the run-off election was set for 27th June. On 22nd June Mr Tsvangirai said he would refuse to take part in the second election. He complained his supporters are being threatened by ZANU-PF followers. Over 80 have been killed and 10,000 injured. Many more have been forced out of their homes. MDC supporters say the army is trying to force them to vote for Mr Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai has been held by the police five times. Fearing for his life, he moved into the Dutch embassy, in Harare, the capital city. Nearly 300 of his supporters hid in the South African embassy. Government officials said it was too late for Mr Tsvangirai to pull out of the election. His name would still be printed on the voting papers. Mr Tsvangirai advised his supporters to vote for Mr Mugabe for their own safety. As Mr Mugabe was the only candidate, he easily won the second election. The African Union (AU) is an organisation of 53 African countries. It met, in Egypt, for its annual meeting on 30th June and 1st July. President Mugabe attended. Most of the talks were about Zimbabwe. At the end of the meeting AU leaders said they wanted ZANU-PF and the MDC to form a unity government and jointly run Zimbabwe. In the past most African countries have been unwilling to criticise Mr Mugabe. But many are now beginning to do so.
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people have illegally crossed the borders into other countries to escape. In 1999 a new political party was formed. Called the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), it is led by Morgan Tsvangirai. In March this year new presidential and parliamentary elections were held. Many predicted the MDC would win the parliamentary elections and Mr Tsvangirai would beat Mr Mugabe to become the countrys first new president in over 20 years.

NEW OCEAN-MEASURING
A new satellite was launched from an air force base in the USA on 20th June. The satellite, called Jason-2, has been jointly developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the French Space Agency. It has been designed to make very accurate measurements of the worlds oceans. The satellite is now in orbit 1,335 kilometres (830 miles) above the Earths surface. Jason-2 will be able to measure 95% of the worlds ice-free oceans every ten days. It will record the sea level in different areas of the oceans. There can be a difference in height of as much as two metres (6.5 feet) between different sea areas.

Morgan Tsvangirai

After everyone had voted it took a long time to announce the results. This made many people think ZANU-PF was cheating and changing the number of votes. Only a small group from South Africa was allowed to check on the elections. It could not explain why the vote counting was taking so long. The organisation running the elections eventually said ZANU-PF had won the parliamentary election. The group refused to say who had won the election for president. After a long delay it said the result between Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe was very close and another election, or run-off, would have to be held. Many people were surprised, as they thought Mr Tsvangirai had easily won the election. Other African countries have become worried about what is happening in Zimbabwe. The South African Development Community (SADC) is a group of 14 African countries,

An artists impression of Jason-2

The different heights of the ocean can help tell scientists about the waters temperature and how much salt it contains. Most scientists believe global warming is causing oceans to get warmer. Its estimated 80% of the heat from global warming is absorbed by the oceans. The other 20% is absorbed by the atmosphere. Warm water takes up more space than cold water. So sea levels rise if the ocean is warmer. The warmer temperatures also melt sea ice, which adds to the rising sea levels. Jason-2 will be able to measure by exactly how much sea levels are

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in 2005 the king announced Bhutan would become a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament that would govern the country. Bhutans first-ever elections were held in March this year. Two new political parties contested the election. One got 44 of the 47 seats in the parliament. The other party only won three seats. Nima Tshering is the Speaker of the parliament. The Speaker acts as a referee. He decides who can speak in debates and how all the votes are taken. He is also responsible for making sure elected members obey the parliaments rules. On 30th June Mr Tshering announced he had banned the use of laptops in the parliament building. He said he did not mind if the elected members used them to access documents they needed for debates, but he had seen too many members playing computer games during work time. This, he said, was unacceptable. It was impossible for serious debates to take place if members were more interested in playing computer games.

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rising. It can do this to an accuracy of three centimetres (1.3 inches). Scientists estimate sea levels have been rising by 0.3 centimetres (0.13 inches) a year since 1993. This is twice as much as they did in the whole of the previous 100 years. The new satellite will also help forecast the weather. Strong tropical storms hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones form over warmer ocean water. Jason-2 will be able to work out when the storms start to form, their strength, and the direction in which they travel. Jason-2 will have other uses as well. It can provide information on ocean currents, which will help shipping companies. They will be able to direct their ships to where the stronger currents are. These ships could then use the stronger currents, which would mean they would need less fuel. Mapping the currents will also give oil and telecommunications companies a better idea of where to drill or lay their undersea cables. The satellite will also be able to track pollution, such as large oil spills or wreckage from ships. It can even predict the movement of whales, by showing where their best feeding areas are. An earlier satellite, Jason-1, was launched in 2001. The two will work together for a time until Jason-2 fully takes over from the older one.

NEWSCAST
MASS
WEDDING Recently 130 couples all got married at the same time on a beach in Taiwan. The event was arranged by local government officials. It wanted to show that Taiwan is a good place for tourists to visit, and get people from other countries to plan their weddings there. Many of the brides and grooms said it was fun to be part of such a big wedding. The Taiwanese government has often encouraged mass weddings in the past. One reason is to try to put people off spending too much money on their own wedding day parties.

allowed into the country nine years ago. Many people now own desktop computers and laptops. Some people say they play computer games because they are bored during the countrys long winters and summer rainy season. Mr Tshering has also banned eating and using other electrical devices in the parliament building. Smoking is banned throughout the whole country.

NORTH KOREA AND NUCLEAR

WEAPONS

PARLIAMENT BANS LAPTOPS

Bhutan is a small Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayan Mountains. The country has a population of 650,000. For many years it was closed to the outside world. Traditionally Bhutan was an absolute monarchy, which means it was ruled by the king. But

Bhutans parliament building

Some members of parliament are unhappy about the ban. They say without their laptops they will be forced to carry lots of paper documents into the parliament building. Recently computer games have become a craze in Bhutan. Television and the internet were only

North Korea is run as a dictatorship by Kim Jong-il. He took over after his father died in 1994.The country spends a lot of its money on its army and weapons. For many years other countries suspected North Korea was planning to develop nuclear weapons. Mr Kim said his country needed the weapons to defend itself from possible attacks by other countries, especially the USA. In 2006 North

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have done. For example, the list said how much plutonium which can be used to make a nuclear bomb North Korea had produced. But it did not say exactly what had been done with the plutonium. The day after North Korea handed over its nuclear plans it blew up the cooling tower of its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. This is where it produced plutonium. Before the tower was destroyed, officials from the five other countries, and newspaper reporters, were invited to come and watch. Many people believe North Korea is now serious about giving up its nuclear weapons. Teams of inspectors will now travel to North Korea to check the details on its nuclear list are correct.

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Korea announced it had tested a nuclear bomb for the first time, in an old mine deep underground. This announcement surprised many countries. They thought it would be many years before North Korea developed the technology to make a nuclear bomb. China shares a border with North Korea. It worried that if North Korea had nuclear weapons, other countries in the region would want to develop them as well. Talks were set up with North Korea to try to persuade it to give up its nuclear plans. North Korea, China, the USA, Russia, South Korea and Japan attended these discussions nicknamed the six party talks. North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear weapons if the other five countries provided aid large supplies of oil, food and fertilizer. Many people believe thousands of North Koreans do not have enough to eat.

RUSSIAN AND EU LEADERS MEET

Russian leaders and senior officials from the European Union held a summit, or series of talks, on 26th and 27th June. Over the past few years the relationship between Russia and the EU has been difficult. This was when Vladimir Putin was president of Russia. Mr Putin stepped down as president last March and has now become prime minister. Dmitry Medvedev, the new president of Russia, took part in the talks. They were held in Khanty-Mansiysk, a town in the Siberian region of Russia. The group of EU officials was led by Jos Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission. Prime Minister Putin did not attend the summit. Russia has huge supplies of oil and gas. Much of it is in the east of the country and has not yet been developed. Many EU member countries buy gas from Russia. The

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il

Some of the aid was delivered soon afterwards. But North Korea kept delaying giving the information it had promised about its nuclear weapons. On 26th June over six months late North Korea handed over an 18,000 page inventory of its nuclear plans to Chinese officials in Beijing, the capital of China. The USA said North Korea did not list all the information it should

gas is used for making electricity, heating and cooking. It is transported to Europe over huge distances by long pipelines. Many people thought the Russian leaders had deliberately chosen the town of Khanty-Mansiysk for the talks. Normally meetings like this would be held in Moscow, the capital city, or St Petersburg. Khanty-Mansiysk is a small town in the east of Russia. It is growing quickly because it is in the area of Russia where much of its oil and gas is being produced. Many of the discussions were about oil and gas. EU member countries want Russia to allow European oil companies to help it develop its oil and gas supplies. These companies have better technology than the oil organisations owned by the Russian government. The EU argued Russias oil fields could be developed much more quickly with outside help. But Russia wants to be able to invest in, or buy, some energy companies in Europe. So far European governments have stopped Russia from doing this. President Medvedev has a lot of experience in the energy business. Before he became president he worked for the Russian company Gazprom. This is the biggest gas company in the world. Some people in Europe worry that the EU is starting to rely on Russia for most of its energy supplies. They say in future the Russians might cause problems by threatening to turn the gas supply off. Both sides agreed that talks on a new long-term agreement between them could now begin. The first discussions will be held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium where the EU has its headquarters on 4th July.

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EXACT DATE FOR THE WOODEN HORSE OF TROY?

The Odyssey is an ancient poem. It is thought The two scientists looked for astronomical to have been written by the Greek poet Homer clues in the Odyssey. Homer writes about the around 800 BC. It tells the story of a warrior, Od- position of stars and planets in the poem. The ysseus, and his ten-year journey home after the Greeks used the movement of the stars in the end of the Trojan War. Most experts think the sto- night sky as a type of calendar. So they are frery behind the poem was orally passed down from quently mentioned. The poem says on the day Odysseus gets home one generation to the next, long before Homer lived. So he probably didnt make up the story, the sun is blotted out from the sky. This, the scientists claim, must be a description of a total but was the first person to write it down. The legend of the fall of the city of Troy is one eclipse, when the Moon blocks out the light from of the worlds most famous stories. Helen, the the Sun. The poem says six days before Odysseus arrives most beautiful woman in the world, is married to the king of Sparta. She is kidnapped by Paris, a home, Venus was high in the night sky. And 29 Trojan prince, and taken back to Troy. The king days before his arrival the Pleiades and Bootes, of Sparta and his brother, Agamemnon, take their two groups or constellations of stars, could both be seen at sunset. Greek armies across the Homer also writes that 33 sea and surround the city days before Odysseus gets of Troy. The siege lasts for home, Hermes travelled ten years. to the west to deliver a Odysseus comes up message. Hermes was the with the plan for capturGreek name for the planet ing Troy. The Greeks build Mercury. Each year the a huge wooden horse. The planet Mercury seems to horse is left outside the move westwards across gates of Troy as the Greeks Wooden horse of Troy, from the 2003 film Troy the sky before turning get back in their boats and sail away. The Trojans, thinking the Greeks have back. The scientists think this means Mercury given up the fight and left a gift, drag the horse in- was as far west as it travels, 33 days before Odysside the walls of their city. At night Greek soldiers seus returned. The scientists put all these clues into a spehiding inside the wooden horse climb out, attack the Trojans and open the gates. The Greek ships cial computer programme. Eclipses and the difturn around. The Greek army enters the city and ferent positions of the stars and planets repeat over periods of time. The computer programme destroys it. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus has many ad- found a date when they all happened in the same ventures before he eventually arrives home. order as they do in the poem. The date was 16th April 1178 BC. If this is corWhen Odysseus gets there he finds his old friends, thinking he must be dead, are trying to rect, and it took Odysseus ten years to get home, marry and take advantage of his wife. Odysseus it means the wooden horse was used to capture Troy in 1188 BC. kills them all. The two scientists admit this date will only be Now two scientists think they have worked out the exact date Odysseus arrived back home. correct if Homers words the sun is blotted out They say the date can be calculated using clues from the sky really do describe a total eclipse of the Sun. in Homers poem.

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The scientists want to find out which parts of the cacao trees DNA control different things. If they can they might be able to increase the number of pods a cacao tree produces, by making changes to the DNA. The cacao pods contain the beans from which chocolate is made. The scientists especially want to try to make the trees more resistant to diseases. The chocolate company says many cocoa farmers lose some of their crops because of a type of fungus that attacks the trees. This costs the farmers a lot of money because then they have less to sell. Although the chocolate company is paying for the study it says it will give the information to anyone who wants it. The company also wants to study the part of the DNA that is responsible for the flavour of chocolate. The company thinks it might then be possible to make chocolate taste even better. The people of Switzerland are the worlds biggest eaters of chocolate. On average they each eat ten kilograms (22 pounds) of chocolate every year. Over half the chocolate produced in the world each year is eaten in the USA.

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CHOCOLATE STUDY
A chocolate-making company has recently announced that it plans to map the DNA of the chocolate tree. Its study is expected to cost 5 million (US$10 million).

Cacao tree

month of Shravan, between July and August, over 400,000 people visit the shrine. They walk along one of three different steep paths. It usually takes the pilgrims four or five days to reach the caves. Older people travel on horseback. The Amarnath caves are in Kashmir. Since India and Pakistan became independent countries in 1947 there have been many arguments about who owns Kashmir. Currently the area is split. The northern part is controlled by Pakistan and the southern part by India. Many Muslims living in the south want it to become part of Pakistan, or for the whole of Kashmir to be an independent country. The shrine is in the part of Kashmir controlled by India. When India and Pakistan became independent, Pakistan was made up of the areas where the majority of people were Muslim. The mostly Hindu areas became part of India.

All living things are made up of millions and millions of tiny building blocks called cells. Each cell contains an even smaller part called the nucleus. The nucleus carries a set of coded information called the genome. It is made mostly from a chemical called DNA. This controls how living things grow and what they look like. The chocolate company wants to study the DNA of the cacao tree the plant from which chocolate is made. The DNA of a living thing can help scientists understand how it works and survives. Different parts of the DNA control different things. For example, one part of a plants DNA could control how well it survives a drought, or how it resists disease. The first crop ever to have its genome mapped was rice. The project took many years and was completed in 2002.

NEWSCAST
BLACKBIRDS ATTACK People living
in Chicago, in the USA, have been warned to beware of blackbirds. Recently pedestrians and cyclists have been attacked by blackbirds dive-bombing them. Experts say the male red-winged blackbird is very defensive of its territory. It dives on people, pecking their heads and pulling their hair out. Although it is small, the blackbird is very fierce and has been known to attack much larger birds such as hawks. Some conservationists have suggested people should bark like a dog if they are attacked, which should scare the blackbirds away.

PROTESTS OVER LAND OWNERSHIP IN KASHMIR

The Amarnath caves contain a famous Hindu shrine thought to be 5,000 years old. The shrine is dedicated to the god Shiva. Inside the main cave there are some ice formations. One, which gets bigger and then smaller during the year, is believed by many to be a Shiva Linga a mark, or sign, of the Hindu god. The caves are high up in the mountains. During the Hindu holy

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Kashmir was different. There the majority is Muslim but a large area of Kashmir became part of India. The border between the two parts of Kashmir is high in the mountains. It is guarded by both Indian and Pakistani soldiers. In the past, fighting has broken out between them.

Pilgrims queuing to enter the Amarnath caves

In June the local government announced the forest land near the Amarnath caves 0.4 square kilometres (0.15 square miles) would now be owned by the people who organise the visits of the Hindu pilgrims. It said this was necessary so shelters and toilets could be built for the thousands of pilgrims who visit the shrine every year. After the announcement, hundreds of protesters demonstrated in Shrinagar, the largest city in Kashmir. The demonstrations spread to many other towns. Shops and offices had to close. Police fired shots into the crowd of protesters. Some were killed. The Muslims who were protesting said the plan would bring more Hindus to Kashmir. The protesters thought it was part of a secret plan to get Hindus from other parts of India to move to Kashmir. On 29th June, after nearly a week of protests, the local government cancelled its decision. The forest area around the shrine will not be handed over. The government said it would be responsible for building

and looking after the shelters and the dumps are now full. Some say toilets the visitors to the shrine this is because the gangs have accepted money to bring rubbish from need. other areas of Italy to Naples illegally. Soldiers might now be used to STRICTER LAWS IN ITALY help solve the problem. Many court cases involving Silvio Berlusconi is the prime min- criminal gangs have been delayed ister of Italy. He was re-elected because of thousands of other not last April. Mr Berlusconi has been so serious cases. These less serious prime minister twice before. He said cases can now be put off for one if he were elected this time he would year so the courts can deal with orwork to fix Italys problems. These, ganised crime and murder cases. he says, include rising crime levels, Mr Berlusconi claims growing a growing number of illegal immi- numbers of illegal immigrants cause grants, and a lack of money. most of the street crime. Many have On 24th June the Italian parlia- come from African countries. They ment agreed to change some law can now be put in prison for four and order powers. Soldiers can now years. Anyone who rents houses or be ordered into some cities to help flats to them will have their property the police. Also, illegal immigrants confiscated. Over 160,000 Roma people, or who many blame for the increase in crime can be jailed for four Gypsies, live in Italy. Half of them years. Some minor court cases can are Italian and have a right to live be delayed for a year while more se- in the country. Of the 160,000 about 80,000 are children. Many Italians rious ones are dealt with. believe some Roma children are sent out by their parents to beg or steal. On 26th June one of Mr Berlusconis ministers announced that all Roma people will be fingerprinted. Then parents of any children caught begging or stealing can be found and punished. Many people think it is unfair to separate out a particular group of people in this way. They say it Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi suggests Roma people are criminals As well as street crime, Italy has just because of who they are. several criminal gangs. These are As well as being prime minister, large well-run groups that often own Mr Berlusconi is Italys richest man. legal companies. But many of their He owns television and newspaper activities and business methods are companies. In the past Mr Berlusillegal. Many people blame organ- coni has been accused of dishonesty ised criminal gangs for a rubbish in his business dealings. He has had problem in Naples, one of the larg- to appear in court. On 27th June the est cities in Italy. Much of the citys Italian parliament passed another rubbish has not been collected for new law. It says senior government months. Thousands of rubbish bags officials cannot be tried in court durhave piled up on the streets. Most of ing the time they are elected.

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to register a domain name. People who disagree with ICANNs decision say large companies will just register hundreds of domain names that could be connected with their business. This will stop anyone else from using them. Even if the company doesnt use the domain names, it will still own all the names it registers. Companies argue they will have to do this to stop people pretending to be part of that company when they are not. At the moment domain names cost around US$15 (7.50) per year. In the past some people have registered possible popular domain names. They didnt want to use them but hoped to sell them to companies that want to use the names. For example, an American who owned Pizza.com, which he registered in the 1980s, recently sold it for US$2.6 million (1.3 million). Registering names like this and trying to sell them has been nicknamed cyber-squatting. To stop cyber-squatting ICANN might make the new domain names much more expensive to register. Some experts think they could cost as much as US$50,000 (25,000). One country will be unhappy about ICANNs plans. Tuvalu is a small Pacific island. Its country domain name is .tv. In the past it has made money from leasing its .tv domain name to many television companies. These companies may no longer wish to do this.

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Some Italians are unhappy about the new laws. However, Mr Berlusconi insists they are necessary if the countrys problems are to be solved.

INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES

An internet domain name is the group of letters that come before and after the dot in a websites address. The letters after the dot are called the top-level domain name. The most common is .com. This stands for commercial. Over 80% of all websites have the domain name .com which was first used in 1985. Over the last 20 years other top-level domain names have been intr introduced. At the mom there are 21 topment lev internet domain level names that companies, organisations, governments and schools can use for their websites such as .org, .edu, .gov or .biz. There are also domain names that show which country the website comes from, for example .uk, (UK), .fr (France), .au (Australia) and .cn (China). All domain names are controlled by an organisation called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). On 26th June members of ICANN met in Paris, the capital of France. They voted to increase the number of possible domain names. Starting from the end of next year companies and people will be able to register whatever they want after the dot in their web site address. Cities, companies and even individuals could have their own toplevel domain name for example .paris, .supermarket or .janesmith. Companies, organisations and individuals will still have to pay

and small boats to travel between its 7,100 islands. The country is often hit by typhoons. These are strong tropical storms that bring high-speed winds and heavy rain. Six typhoons have already struck different parts of the Philippines this year.

Manila PHILIPPINES
South China Sea

Sibuyan
Path of typh oon Feng shen

Cebu

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINE FERRY DISASTER

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelago, or large group of islands. It has a population of 90 million. Many people use ferries

Each typhoon is officially given a name. The seventh one named Typhoon Fengshen hit parts of the country on 21st June. The day before, a large ferry called Princess of the Stars left Manila, the capital city, for the island of Cebu. Over 860 people were on board. Halfway through the 20-hour journey, near the island of Sibuyan, the ferry was sunk by huge waves caused by the typhoon. The ferry turned over, although part of the bottom of the ship remained above water. Because of the bad weather it took rescue boats twenty four hours to reach the upsidedown ship. Only 56 people of the 860 on board managed to swim ashore or were picked up by local boats. All the others drowned. Philippine rescue teams were helped by divers from American Navy ships that were close to the area. Officials hoped that some people may still have been alive in the space where air had been trapped in the upside-down boat. But divers swam

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into the wreckage and confirmed there were no more survivors. Many people, especially the relatives of those who died, are asking why the ship was allowed to leave when a typhoon was approaching. The company that owns the ferry insisted coastguard officials had given it permission to sail. Some think permission was given because the storm was predicted to affect a different part of the country. It then unexpectedly changed direction. Gloria Arroyo is the president of the Philippines. She has ordered an investigation to find out why permission was given to the ferrys captain to leave. The ferry company announced it will pay Pesos 200,000 (2,250) to the relatives of each passenger who drowned, as compensation. Company officials also said money would be given to survivors of the accident. The typhoon also badly damaged many of the islands. Over 320 people were killed by flooding and mudslides. 200 more were reported missing.

NEWSCAST
WORLDS
UGLIEST DOG The 20th annual Worlds Ugliest Dog competition has been held in California, in the USA. The competition was won by a Chinese Crested dog named Gus. The Chinese Crested is a breed of dog that has no hair. Gus has three legs and one eye. He lost his eye in a fight with a cat. Gus has won US$500 (250) in prize money for being so ugly. His owners brought him to California from Florida to take part in the competition.

invasion force across the English Channel the narrow sea between England and France. Lord Nelson commanded the British ships. The British won but Nelson died, from a bullet wound, during the battle. He became a hero in Britain. Most people believed, by winning the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson had saved the country from invasion.

HUMAN STATUES
Trafalgar Square is in the centre of London, the capital of the UK. The square is a large open space with fountains. It is often used for outdoor meetings and demonstrations. Trafalgar Square is also popular with tourists. In the middle of the square is a tall column. On top is a statue of Lord Nelson. Trafalgar Square is named after a famous 1805 sea battle between the British Navy and the combined French and Spanish fleets. This was at the time of the Napoleonic wars in Europe. Napoleon, then Emperor of France, had plans for sending an

it was never made. Later there were disagreements about whose statue should go on the plinth. It remained empty for 158 years. In 1999 the Mayor of London agreed that different artists could produce sculptures to go on the empty plinth. Each one would be there for a set amount of time, and then a different artist would be chosen. The next two works of art to go on the empty plinth have just been announced. Both are unusual. The first an idea by Anthony Gormley, a British sculptor who has won many awards is to use real people. Each person will stand on the plinth for an hour, and can do whatever he or she likes. The plinth will be occupied 24 hours a day for 100 days. Mr Gormley says he hopes it will make people think about what it means to be a human being, and how different every person is. People will be invited to apply to be one of the many living one-hour statues. After the living statues the next work of art to be placed on the plinth will be a big model of Victory, Lord Nelsons ship at the battle of Trafalgar. The ship will be enclosed in a large glass bottle. The ship in a bottle has been created by the artist Yinka Shonibare. He was born in London but grew up in Nigeria.

Trafalgar Square

Nelsons column was built between 1840 and 1843. At the bottom of the column are four large lions made out of bronze. These were added in 1867. There are also four large stone plinths in the square. On two are statues of generals, and another has a statue of King George the Fourth on his horse. The fourth was supposed to have a statue of King William the Fourth on horseback. But

MAORI LAND RETURNED

On 25th June the government of New Zealand also called Aotearoa returned land worth NZ$420 million (160 million) to a group of seven Maori tribes. The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. During the early 1800s, Europeans began arriving in New Zealand to settle and live. Britain wanted

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government is studying Maori claims that they are owed money for the lands that have been taken from them since the Treaty was signed. Maori groups have been discussing these land claims with the government for nearly 20 years. In 1992 almost half of New Zealands fishing areas were given back to Maori iwi. Ownership of Aoraki Mount Cook, the countrys highest mountain, has also been returned. The return of land made on 25th June was the biggest so far. Most of the 4,300 square kilometres (1,660 square miles) that has been returned is pine forest. A number of companies work in the forest cutting down the trees and selling the wood. The ownership of these companies will now be given to an organisation that will work for the seven iwi who originally owned the land.

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to make New Zealand part of the British Empire. There were many arrangements made between European settlers and Maori people for their land. It was difficult to keep a record of what was being sold and whether or not Maori people really wanted to sell their land. British officials decided to make a formal arrangement, or treaty, with the Maori. The treaty said that the Maori agreed to give sovereignty of New Zealand to Britain. If they wanted to sell any of their land, Britain would be given the first chance to buy it. In return, the Maoris rights to own their lands, forests, fisheries and possessions would be protected by the British government.

several mass shootings even in schools and colleges. On 25th June a man took a handgun to the place where he worked. He shot five people there before killing himself.

The Supreme Court building in the USA

GUN LAW IN THE USA

A painting of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi

The arrangement was named the Treaty of Waitangi after the place in which it was signed in 1840. A number of Maori chiefs and officials from the British government signed the treaty. It was then taken around New Zealand for other Maori chiefs to sign. Some tribes chose not to sign, or did not get the chance to. Soon afterwards the British government said the Treaty applied to all Maori tribes whether they had agreed to it or not. After the Treaty of Waitangi was signed some government officials continued to take land and water areas from Maori tribes called iwi without permission or paying the right amount for them. This went against the promises made in the 1840 treaty. Now the New Zealand

Many Americans own guns. It is estimated that over 40 million American homes have at least one gun, and that there are 90 guns for every 100 people in the country. In many parts of the USA, people can legally own guns unless they have been found guilty of a serious crime or have a mental illness. Guns cannot be carried in places such as schools and government buildings. They can only be used for hunting or defending a persons home. This is different from many other countries, where it is illegal to own or carry guns. The gun laws have caused a lot of arguments. Some Americans think all guns should be banned and made illegal. They claim having so many guns in the country increases violent crime. There have also been

Many Americans believe they have a right to own guns. Most, though, say the laws about who can own them should be stricter. Those who want to own guns say their right is part of the USAs constitution the rules that govern the country. The constitution was written in 1791. Part of it says people have the right to keep and carry guns. The argument has also become political. The two main political groups in the USA are the Democratic and Republican Parties. Most supporters of the Democratic Party oppose people owning guns. Most Republicans believe people have a right to own them. Over the years officials in some American cities have banned people from owning guns. Washington DC, the capital of America, made it illegal to own handguns in 1976. Officials insist the ban has helped reduce crime in the city. Recently a security guard who works in Washington DC took the city to court. He legally carried a handgun at work but could not take it home with him. He applied for permission but it was turned down. The case was eventually decided by the American Supreme Court.

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body from these antigens and keep it healthy. Sometimes the immune system over-reacts to a type of antigen. This is called an allergic reaction. This over-reaction can cause breathing difficulties and swelling. For example, asthma is often caused by an allergic reaction. If someones lungs are very sensitive to an antigen, such as pollen or mould, the breathing tubes in the lungs can swell and make it hard for the person to breathe. At the moment, people can take a drug called an antihistamine to help with allergies. Now scientists in the UK are using chickens to study allergies. Scientists hope to be able to work out how to treat allergic reactions before they happen. The scientists are studying a molecule in chickens that is similar to one found in the human immune system. The chicken and human

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The Supreme Court of the USA is made up of nine of the countrys most senior judges. On 26th June it ruled that all Americans have a right to keep guns in their homes for selfdefence. This is the first time the court has ruled that a citys gun control law is illegal. Its possible that other local gun laws, in cities such as Chicago and San Francisco, will now also have to be removed.

molecule, they say, used to be the same. But over thousands of years the human molecule has changed, or evolved. The scientists wanted to test if the chicken molecule did the same thing as the human one.

CHICKENS AND ALLERGIES

The human body contains special cells, organs and tissues that make up the immune system. These can act together when the body is attacked by bacteria or viruses that cause diseases. The things that attack the bodys immune system are called antigens. The bodys immune system is supposed to protect the

Chickens

The scientists knew the human molecule could cause strong allergic reactions. When an antigen enters the body, the molecule attaches itself to cells in the blood to fight the attack. This can be the cause of a strong allergic reaction. The scientists tested the chicken molecule

RUSSIA CANADA U. K.

MONGOLIA U. S. A. ITALY GREECE PAKISTAN U. A. E. BHUTAN INDIA

NORTH KOREA

TAIWAN PHILIPPINES

EGYPT

ZIMBABWE

AUSTRALIA CHILE

NEW ZEALAND

This map shows countries to which news stories refer in this issue. Visit www.newsademic.com for more detailed world maps.

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MPRP had won 46 seats and the DP 26. An independent party won one seat and the results of the others are not yet known. The General Election Commission must announce the final result by 10th July.

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to see if it did the same thing. They discovered it did not attach itself to the blood cells as strongly as the human one did. This meant any allergic reactions were not as strong. The scientists will now try to find out why the human and chicken molecules do different things. If successful, its possible the scientists could find a way to treat very bad human allergic reactions before they even happen.

IWC MEETING
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is an organisation that was formed to control the hunting of whales. Between 23rd and 28th June the IWC held its 60th annual meeting in Santiago, the capital of Chile. There are only a few countries, such as Japan, Iceland, Norway and Russia, that continue to hunt whales. Whale hunting also takes place in Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark. In some places, such as northern Russia and Greenland, small groups of people have hunted whales for hundreds of years. They rely on whale meat for food, and whale fat, which is used for cooking and heating. The IWC allows these small traditional whale hunting groups to catch a set number of whales each year for their own use. They are not allowed to sell the meat from any whales they kill. The IWC rules help to conserve the number of whales and make sure the hunters do not kill too many.

ELECTION IN MONGOLIA
For many years Mongolia was a communist country that held no democratic elections. It worked closely with the old communist Russianled Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Mongolia became a democratic country. Since 1992 it has held elections every four years. The latest elections took place on 29th June. There are two main political parties in Mongolia the Mongolian Peoples Revolutionary Party (MPRP) and the Democratic Party (DP). The election was for the 76 seats in parliament, called the State Great Khural or State Great Assembly. Mongolia is a large country with a small population of 2.9 million people. Nearly 40% live in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. Many of those who live outside the city are nomadic. They have no permanent homes and travel around the country living in large tents called yurts. In the past Mongolia was thought to be a poor country. But recent discoveries of valuable minerals such as copper, gold and coal, mean it could become wealthy in the future. The election was run by an organisation called the General Election Commission. On 1st July it said the

State Great Khural, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The MPRP won enough seats to outvote the DP in the parliament. After the initial results were announced, a crowd of 6,000 DP supporters demonstrated outside the MPRPs headquarters building in Ulaanbaatar. The building was set on fire. The police used water jets and fired rubber bullets to try to control the demonstrators. Some reports said five people were killed. DP supporters claimed the MPRP had fixed the election and the vote count was wrong. Nambaryn Enkhbayar is the president of Mongolia. On 2nd July he confirmed that he had ordered a fourday state of emergency. All alcohol sales are banned. Anyone found on the streets at night will be arrested. The two main parties have different ideas about what to do with the newly-discovered minerals. Both agree Mongolia needs help from companies in other countries that have the right technology. The MPRP says at least 51% of any new mineral companies set up must be owned by the Mongolian government. The remaining 49% can be owned by foreign companies. The DP believes Mongolian businesses should be given the chance to own some of the 51%, as well as the government.

NEWSCAST
was driving between two farms when it tipped over. It was transporting 330 crates full of bees. The bees had been taken to one farm to pollinate its blueberry plants. The bees were being returned when the accident happened. 12 million bees began escaping from the truck. Bee experts were called to try to get the bees back into the crates. The police said it was a good thing it was raining at the time, because that helped keep the bees close to the truck. Nobody was badly hurt, but a news reporter, who got too close, was stung several times.

BEE ACCIDENT In Canada, a truck

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talking about whether or not countries should be allowed to carry on hunting whales. That would have to be voted on at a future meeting. In the meantime Japan will be allowed to continue to catch 2,000 whales a year.

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For a number of years Japan has been allowed to catch 2,000 whales every year. Japanese officials say they need to do this for scientific research. Many people do not think it is necessary to kill whales for scientific reasons. They suspect the whales are being killed for whale meat, which is sold to Japanese restaurants. The Japanese government understands that certain types of whales should not be caught, to protect their numbers. However, it says, other types are more plentiful and Japan should be allowed to catch higher numbers of these. This was the main problem discussed at the meeting. Some countries, especially Australia and New Zealand, want the IWC to help stop whale hunting altogether. But Japan and a few other countries will not agree.

MICROSOFT BOSS RETIRES

The Microsoft company was started in 1975 by two school friends, Bill Gates and Paul Allen. On 27th June, after running Microsoft for 33 years, Mr Gates spent his last day at the company. As the boss of the worlds biggest software company he has become very rich. Now aged 52, he has decided to step down so he can spend more time finding ways to help the worlds many poor people. Mr Gates wrote his first computer program when he was only 13 years old. Later, he studied law at Harvard University, in the USA. But after two years he left his studies to set up Microsoft with Mr Allen. As a young man Mr Gates imagined a future world where there would be a personal computer on every desk in every home. At the time computers were very expensive, big, and slow. They also had little memory. So most people thought Mr Gates prediction that everyone would own a computer was crazy. In 1980 Microsoft was asked by IBM the worlds biggest computer maker at the time to write a computer operating system. This programme would be used on IBM computers. Mr Gates and Mr Allen produced an operating system that became known as MS-DOS. Importantly, the contract with IBM said Microsoft could also sell the MS-DOS operating system to other computer makers.

At the time most people thought each computer company would design its own operating systems. Mr Gates was one of the first people to realise it would be possible to build a company that just made software. This could be used on any other companys computers or hardware.

Bill Gates

Bowhead whale

During the meeting the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) gave a report to the IWC. It says IFAW members in Japan are sure Japanese whale hunters are not properly reporting exactly how many whales they killed. This, it says, makes it difficult for the Japanese government to check on any illegal whaling. At the meeting in Santiago most of the time was spent discussing new ways for votes to be taken in the future. The IWC says its important to come up with a better method of making decisions, or no progress will ever be made. It wanted its members to work on those problems instead of

In 1983 Mr Allen became seriously ill and, although he recovered, never returned to work for the company. By 1986 Microsoft had become the worlds biggest software company. Mr Gates, at only 31 years of age, became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. Microsoft now has 89,000 employees and its software is estimated to be used on 95% of the worlds computers. In 2000 Mr Gates and his wife, Melinda, set up the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It gives large amounts of money to organisations that help poorer people. It also provides money to find cures for diseases, such as malaria, that affect poorer countries. Rich people who spend their money on others are called philanthropists. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has become the worlds biggest philanthropic organisation. Steve Balmer will become the new boss of Microsoft. He and Mr Gates met while at university. Mr Balmer has worked for Microsoft since 1980.

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REVOLVING SKYSCRAPER
David Fisher is a well-known architect. On 24th June he announced his plans for building the first revolving skyscraper in the world. The skyscraper, which will be called the Da Vinci Tower, will be built in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tower will have a central part that goes all the way down the middle of the building and does not move. There will be 80 different floors. Each will turn around the central part. So the people living in the tower will have different views as the floors slowly go round. The building is expected to be over 395 metres (1,300 feet) tall. Mr Fisher says he expects the tower to be completed by 2010. The building will contain a luxury hotel, offices and flats. It will also have lifts for cars, so people who live on the top floors can park their cars near their homes. The smallest flat in the building is expected to cost 2 million (US$4 million), and the biggest over 19 million (US$38 million).

NEWSCAST
WRONGLY SIZED FRUIT A shop owner in Bristol, in the UK, has been told he is not allowed to sell his kiwifruit. The fruit was inspected by officials from the European Union (EU). The EU has strict laws on fruit and vegetable standards such as their size and weight. If the food does not match the right standards it cannot be sold. The shop owner was told his kiwifruit, which came from South America, were slightly too small. This meant he was not allowed to sell them. He has also been told he will have to pay a fine if he gives the kiwifruit away. Now the shop owner will have to throw them all away.
his new idea will change the way in which many tall buildings are designed in the future. Now the tower has been designed, engineers have to work out how to make the building work. For example, they have to find a way of connecting the water pipes to parts of the building that are constantly turning. Some people think the moving parts could easily break down, so there may have to be a lot of repairs after the building is finished. Mr Fisher says he has designed all the pipes and wires to be easy to reach. This means it will not be expensive to fix them if they do break down. The energy required to power the building will be generated by wind turbines. Dubai is a very wealthy city. Most of its money comes from oil. It already has the largest shopping centre in the world. Many other buildings are being constructed, including what will be the worlds tallest building. Called the Burj, it will be finished in

2009. Its final height is a secret, but it is expected to be over 850 metres (2,790 feet) tall.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WOMBAT

HOLIDAY

Artists impression of Da Vinci Tower

Mr Fisher also has plans to build another revolving skyscraper in Moscow, the capital of Russia. He has never designed a skyscraper before. But Mr Fisher says he is sure

The Department of the Treasury is part of the Australian government. It looks after the countrys money. The Treasury makes all the decisions on how to spend the money people pay in taxes. It also has to study whats happening in finance around the world, both in other countries and different types of businesses. Ken Henry is the Secretary to the Treasury. Together with the Treasurer, he is in charge of the department. This means he has to make very important decisions about ways in which the countrys money is spent. Mr Henry is a conservationist. Recently, he announced he and his wife were going to go on holiday to a remote forest. They will spend five weeks working as volunteers with an organisation that tries to save endangered species. The Northern hairy-nosed wombat lives in the forest that Mr Henry and his wife will be visiting. This wombat is an endangered species. Around 115 of them live in the forest. It is thought to be the only group of this type of wombat left in the world. Wombats are native only to Australia. They are marsupials. This means the mother animal has a pouch in which she carries her young after they are born. Wombats live in underground burrows that can be 30 metres (100 feet) long. Their main predator is the dingo, a wild dog. Because hairy-nosed wombats live in a very dry climate, they need very little water less than almost any other mammal to survive.

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Mr Rudd also says its good for people to take a proper holiday away from work.

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People working at the Department of the Treasury will not be able to contact Mr Henry by phone or email during his holiday in the remote forest. Some newspapers and television news programmes say Mr Henry should not go on holiday to a place where he cannot be contacted. Its possible, they say, that very important financial decisions will have to be made during the five weeks he is away. Mr Henry says he has delegated all decisions that have to be made to different members of the Treasury. Kevin Rudd is the prime minister of Australia. He insists Mr Henry should be allowed to go on holiday wherever and whenever he wants to.

Newsademic.com
Editor: Amber Thody Acknowledgements:
News story photographs by gettyimages Graphic for book review courtesy of Simon and Schuster For further details about Newsademic and subscription prices visit www.newsademic.com

Northern hairy-nosed wombat

Many conservationists are pleased that Mr Henrys holiday plans have caused so many arguments. They say it has helped to make more people aware of the endangered wombat species.

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Newsademic 2008

B
HAVE YOU READ ?

O O K

E V I E W

Theo and Rachel live in different parts of London. They do not know each other and, at first, we wonder what connects them as they take it in turns to describe their homes, families and worries. But not for long. Rachel gets a text she doesnt understand from her father. And Theo, whose single mother insists he be looked after day and night by a bodyguard, makes up his mind to find out the truth about his absent father. His enquiries lead him to Rachel. Both, like the young child Daniel whom they meet later, share a similar background. None is the child of one man and one woman in this very up-to-date story in which science has gone just one tiny step further than it has in real life. The action later moves to Scotland and then to Washington DC, in the USA. There the world-famous genetic engineering expert Elijah Lazio runs a research station. It

is hidden away and unofficial, although in the story the American government is secretly funding it. No wonder RAGE (the Righteous Army against Genetic Engineering) is determined to destroy everything Elijah has done once they find out where his base is. Worse, they plan to kill the humans Elijah has created. This book is about a lot of different things. First theres the difficulty Rachel has with herself because her mother has always criticised her for being fat and ugly. But later she becomes strong, and we see the beginning of love between her and Theo who has to learn to be more open. Second, there are the rights and wrongs of Elijahs work to think about. Then theres the complicated character of Elijah. Does he really have real feelings for other human beings or is he totally ruthless? Blood Ties is a thriller an exciting read that rattles along quickly because you really want to know what happens to these people. There is a very dramatic climax in which you hope against hope that the people you have come to care about survive including Elijahs assistant Lewis and his friendly girlfriend Mel who is so good to Theo, Rachel and Daniel. Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie, Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-1-84738-275-7.
Reviewed by Susan Elkin

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GLOSSARY PRIZE COMPETITION

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INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Complete the crossword. The answers are highlighted in orange in the news stories. There are 25 words highlighted and you need 20 of them to complete the crossword. 2 Once you have solved the crossword find the 20 words in the word search on the next page

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8 11 12 13

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ACROSS
1 Adjective Connected with the study of the planets and stars and their movements (12) 6 Noun A detailed list of all the items in a place (9) 11 Noun (Plural) Square blocks, usually made of stone, on which a column or a statue stands (7) 13 Adjective Describes a ruler who has unlimited power (8) 14 Noun (Plural) People who make a journey to a place for religious reasons (8) 15 Verb Gave a particular job to someone else to do for you (9) 16 Verb Renting, usually for a specified number of years (7) 18 Noun (Plural) People who are concerned for other human beings, and carry out kind and generous acts to benefit others (15) 19 Noun (Plural) People who now mostly live in Europe, but originally came from northern India and travel from place to place (7) 20 Adjective To do with business or commerce (10)

DOWN
2 Noun The surrounding of a place by a military force to defeat those who are defending it (5) 3 Noun Person who looks after the natural environment and wildlife (15) 4 Noun A metallic element used in the production of nuclear power and nuclear weapons (9) 5 Noun Small group of people that is different from others in some way, for example because of race, religion, or beliefs (8) 7 Adverb By spoken means, rather than by writing (6) 8 Noun (Plural) Machines with blades through which a liquid, gas or wind flows to produce power (8) 9 Adjective Able to withstand something and not be harmed or affected (9) 10 Noun Group of two or more atoms linked together (8) 12 Noun The power and authority to run a country (11) 17 Adjective Something that comes at the beginning; the first thing (7)

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GLOSSARY PRIZE COMPETITION CONTINUED

L A C I M O N O R T S A K J D W D D T E P N K K C O M M E R C I A L X F H E C O N S E R V A T I O N I S T I S Y E I N N K E T U L O S B A J N Q T U L O M Y R Z E G Z Y H P C V L H S R P L N T T E N L H M L C E R P M I Y L N A Q X I S L U I M N H S C D P T U B N R S I F I N C T G E Q D J O N T R N A O L N T S O E I F P W N R G O K E M C D H I R T S L L P M N H I N L L K J S R Y T P A H O M T T T E I E G E I S H Y Y I F N T M N U N R U Q H L C J K G G T A K T Z Q R A E M D N L T G C T Z P B L J N M B L V A R Q B Z T V P I L G R I M S I I O Y T I R O N I M N T X N J C T N H S N T D D D E T A G E L E D N X E P O U G X L Z M D Q K X N F N M P S

INSTRUCTIONS: 3 Find the crossword answers in the word search. Words can go vertically, horizontally, diagonally and back to front. 4 After solving the word search write down the unused letters, starting at the top left and reading from left to right, top to bottom to find the solution. Hint - The numbers of letters and words in the solution are shown under the word search.

COMPETITION PRIZES
Glossary Prize Winner Paperback copy of Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie Glossary Prize Runner up 10 free issues of Newsademic Sudoku Prize Winner 10 free issues of Newsademic

ISSUE NUMBER 69 PRIZE WINNERS

Glossary Competition Simone Ayer, France Martin Jones, UK Sudoku Competition Elizabeth Osmond, UK

Competition solution (three words with a total of 16 letters)

COMPETITION RULES:
1 Competition prizes are awarded on a per issue and not a per edition basis. 2 Only one entry per person per competition will be accepted. 3 You must obtain permission from your parent/guardian before entering if you are under 16 years of age. 4 Deadline for receiving entries is at 10 pm (GMT) on 17th July 2008. 5 The winners will be randomly selected from all correct entries received. 6 The winners will be contacted by E-mail. Newsademics decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 7 Prizes must be taken as offered. There are no cash alternatives. 8 Newsademic does not accept any responsibility for lost or late entries due to the internet. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. 9 Prizes won by those who have used a school subscription to enter will be awarded to the individual entrant and not to the school. 10 Competitions are not open to employees or contractors of Newsademic. 11 Newsademic reserves the right to cancel competitions at any stage, if in their opinion it is deemed necessary or if circumstances arise beyond their control. 12 These rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales. 13 When entering competitions entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them.

SUDOKU COMPETITION
INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Fill the boxes on
each horizontal row with a number between 1 and 9. 2 Fill the boxes on each vertical row with a number between 1 and 9. 3 Make sure that each number between 1 and 9 also appears in each highlighted 3 x 3 square box. 4 After solving the Sudoku puzzle write down the numbers from the tinted vertical column from top to bottom in the boxes below. Competition Solution

9 4 2 5 9 4 7 6 9 5 8 6 1 9 2 9 7 8 3 7 4

Go to www.newsademic.com log in and submit your solution by clicking on the Enter competition link within the Subscribers tools menu. Deadline for receiving your entry is 10 pm on 17th July 2008 (GMT/UTC).

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