Our mission here at News Bites (a monthly children’s newspaper) is to Engage, Inform, and Inspire by bringing news, STEM, sport and entertainment to young people in a language they understand and in a manner they can easily relate to.
Greetings, News Biters! And welcome to another issue of your favourite newspaper! Did you enjoy last month’s offering of hilarious photographs from the wild? We certainly did! In this month’s issue we’ve turned our attention to toys, as millions of children all around the world wait anxiously for Christmas to arrive. This Christian festival involves many traditions, but the giving and receiving of gifts is one that every child looks forward to. For many, the best part of the festive season is receiving new toys to play with on Christmas morning. With that in mind, we’ve brought you a feature packed full of hilarious and amazing facts all about toys. Our gift to you! You can check out these fun and festive facts on pages 12 and 13. Ho, ho,…
Too Little, Too Late? Let’s Hope Not Too little, too late? After the COP26 climate talks, activists seem to feel a mixture of hope, disappointment and relief. Hope because the deal signed keeps the fight against global warming alive. Disappointment because it only just keeps it alive. And relief that at least some victories were achieved. Fossil Fuels Governments agreed to try harder to limit global warming to near 1.5°C (which must be done, scientists say). They agreed to ‘phase down’ the use of coal, the world’s worst polluter. At first, the agreement’s wording said ‘phase out’ but China and India insisted on changing it to ‘phase down’. Other countries were very angry but had to agree. Wealthy Countries Since COP25 in 2019, the wealthy countries had broken their promise…
Take the Train, Ditch the Plane Many scientists and citizens around the globe are working together to stop – or even reverse – climate change. One huge challenge to meet is related to the carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases produced by aeroplanes. In some cases, air travel may be the only reasonable way to reach a destination. But sometimes other good choices do exist, like travelling by train. A plane releases many times more carbon dioxide than a train. Trains release less than any other transport (1%). The environmental group Greenpeace recently conducted a study in Europe. The results found that for about a third of typical short flights, taking a train instead of a plane would make sound sense to help the environment. The study showed that…
A Real Smart Saver Imagine if one of your gadgets saved your life? Well, that’s exactly what happened to a man in Singapore recently. He was on his motorbike when he collided with a van. The driver of the van didn’t stop or check to see if the motorcyclist was alright. The man lost consciousness but woke up to find emergency workers by his side. It turns out that his Apple watch had called an ambulance! It also called his girlfriend and other close contacts. Series 4 Apple Watch models can tell if the wearer falls. Then, if there is no movement after at least a minute, the watch contacts the emergency services and listed ‘important’ contacts. Never Too Late Do you always return your library books on time? Sometimes…
Giant Panda Numbers Rising The giant panda, the national symbol of China, has been an endangered species for many years. In the 1980s, there were only around 1,000 of them left in the entire world. The number of these beautiful black-and-white animals had fallen due to poaching and the destruction of their habitat. In recent times, the Chinese have been trying to save them, and it appears that their efforts are proving successful. There are now almost 1,900 giant pandas in the Giant Panda National Park in Central China. The park will eventually connect 67 nature reserves stretching across Sichuan, Ningxia and Shaanxi provinces. This is good news, not only for the giant pandas and the Chinese, but also for people around the globe who love these adorable bears. Meteorite…
Ford Motor Company Began Using the Moving Assembly Line DEC 1 1913 Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, in Dearborn, Michigan, in the US. His parents were William Ford, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, and Mary Litogot, an American. Henry was the eldest of six children and was raised on the family’s farm near the city of Detroit. When he was young, Henry took a pocket watch apart to see how it worked. He then earned some pocket money by repairing broken watches for local people. He eventually left the farm in 1879, to work repairing machines in Detroit. In 1882, he returned to the family farm. He married Clara Bryant in 1888, and their only child, a boy named Edsel, was born in 1893. The…
