Innehållsförteckning för March 2022 / Issue 30 från News Bites

Hello, News Biters! You’re very welcome to another jampacked issue of News Bites. As you will see from this month’s cover, we’re delving into the cryptic world of cryptocurrency! How many of you have heard about Bitcoin but never really understood what it is or how it can work? Well, wonder no more as we try and break down the subject of crypto into bite-sized bits of information you can bank! But that’s not all – check out WWW News on Page 9. Here we bring you the wackiest, the most wonderful and the weirdest stories from around the world. Wait until you read about the camel crackdown and the eye-watering sums of money these ‘ships of the desert’ can earn you. For all you motor-mad fans out there, be…

Camel Crackdown So, you thought one camel hump looks much like another? You are so wrong. Turns out there is an ideal shape for a camel’s hump – and also its head, neck, ears, nose, lips... and every other body part. And a camel with all the right curves can win €58 million at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia. No wonder some owners are turning to ‘camel tampering’ to win! There are camel races, sales and much more at the huge festival, where over 33,000 camel owners took part this year. But at the heart of the festival is the Camel Beauty Contest – and this year there were 147 cases of cheating, with 43 camels disqualified. Some of those poor camels had hormones injected to give…

Disney ENCANTO Available on: Disney+ Rated: PG Starring: Stephanie Beatriz as the voice of Mirabel, Maria Cecilia Botero as the voice of Alma Directed by: Jared Bush & Byron Howard Mirabel is a young Colombian girl who is born into a family where everyone has been graced with their own magical gift. Everyone apart from Mirabel, that is. When Mirabel’s grandmother had to flee her home because of war many years before, she lost her husband but miraculously saved her triplet babies. Her candle, which has continued to burn for 50 years, retains her magical powers, creating a safe casita (house) for her family. Each member of the family uses their magical abilities to serve the villagers. Mirabel’s Uncle Bruno, however, was granted the gift of fortune-telling – a gift…

Maker: Mercedes Model: Maybach Exelero Years: 2005 Fuel: Petrol Transmission: 5G Tronic Automatic Top speed: 351 km/h Horsepower: 691 HP Materials: The Exelero is made mostly from carbon fibre, both inside and out, with chrome used on the front grille BEHIND THE BADGE FACT Maybach’s first production car, the W3, was released 101 years ago, in 1921. The brand existed until 2013, when parent company Daimler announced that the name would no longer be used. Maybach was relaunched as a luxury sub-division of Mercedes under the name Mercedes Maybach in 2015. It has since sold more than 60,000 cars worldwide! Mercedes Maybach Exelero 5 FAST FACTS 1. The Exelero supercar came about . after Fulda, a German tyre company owned by Goodyear, asked Maybach (the luxury-vehicle branch of Mercedes) to…

The Wacky World of Sport Have You Tried … Quidditch Countries played: Worldwide Equipment needed: Volleyball, dodgeballs, broomsticks, hoops as goals … and a not-so-magic snitch! You’re probably thinking of the version of Quidditch from the Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling – students on flying broomsticks scoring points in sky-high hoops as they chase down the flying golden snitch. And you’d be right … in a way. You see, the game of Quidditch has been turned into a game for mere mortals – you just drop the flying part! Teams comprise seven players – one seeker, three chasers, two beaters and a keeper. A slightly deflated volleyball is used in place of the quaffle – the name of the ball used in Harry Potter’s sport. Chasers are the…

Time for Our Planet Every year, at 8:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world turn their lights off to show their support for our planet and to raise awareness of nature loss and climate change – the two biggest threats facing our one home. But Earth Hour is more than just a time to think about the planet or a symbol of support – it’s an action to try and protect our future. It’s a real way of bringing about change at a time when our planet needs it most. History of the Hour Started by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now one of the world’s largest global movements…

Baby Yingliang Recently, scientists came across a very exciting dinosaur discovery – a brilliantly preserved dinosaur embryo from 72-66 million years ago! An embryo is an unborn or unhatched creature. The scientists have called the fossilised embryo Baby Yingliang. Back when it was buried, Baby Yingliang was getting ready to hatch from its shell – just like a chicken. University of Birmingham researcher Fion Waisum Ma said that it is one of the best dinosaur embryos ever found. The fossil is thought to be an oviraptorosaur – a feathered dinosaur. Palaeontologists (scientists who study fossils) believe that if Baby Yingliang had lived to be an adult, it would have been 2-3 metres long and would probably have eaten plants. Wrap Up (Poorly) Every year, millions of dollars are spent on…

G is for … GERMANY Official Name: Federal Republic of Germany Population: 83.2 million Capital: Berlin Official Language: German Area: 357,386 km² (around the same size as Malaysia) Mountains: Bavarian Alps, Black Forest and Harz Major Rivers: Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Oder and Weser Climate: Cool, cloudy, wet winters and mild summers Money: Euro Germany is in the heart of Europe and shares borders with nine different countries. It has coasts on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The land is flat in the north and higher in the centre, rising to the Bavarian Alps mountains in the south. The highest mountain is the Zugspitze, which means ‘windy peak’. It is 2,963 metres high and tourists can take a cable car up to the top to enjoy spectacular views of…

Famous Feats of Engineering #30 The Gherkin The Gherkin is one of the most recognisable buildings in London. The Gherkin is not the real name of the skyscraper, of course. It is a nickname given because the building looks like a gherkin (a pickled cucumber). Can you see the resemblance? The official name for the building is 30 St Mary Axe – its actual address. The Gherkin is made from steel and glass. Over 35 kilometres of steel, weighing around 10,000 tonnes, and 7,249 panes of glass were used in the building’s construction. Even though it has a rocket-like shape, only one pane of glass – which is at the very top – is curved. The Gherkin has 41 floors and is 180 metres tall. At its widest point, its…

In the 19th century, even more powerful telescopes were built. John Frederick Herschel (1792–1871) continued the work of his father William, who had previously built the largest telescope in the world at the time. John spent a lot of time observing Messier 51 (M51), which had been discovered in 1773 by Charles Messier, a French astronomer who made a list of 110 nebulae and faint star clusters. M51 is now known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. Of course, neither Charles nor John knew it was a separate galaxy but John pointed out that if someone were inside it, it would appear to them very much as our galaxy, the Milky Way, appears to us. He even said: ‘Perhaps this is our Brother System.’ This was a clever observation as most astronomers…

Match of the Month Manchester City v Manchester United March 6 Manchester City are the runaway leaders in the English Premier League and look set to win a fourth title in five years. Can their city rivals halt their momentum? United have been below their best this season but are capable of producing big performances in key games. The Red Devils were 2-0 winners away to City last season and Ralf Rangnick’s side need a similar result this time round to keep alive their top-four hopes. It will require a special performance to defeat City, who have played some dazzling football this season, scoring outstanding team goals while also being miserly in defence. Man Utd Target Pochettino Manchester United reportedly want Mauricio Pochettino to become their new manager. Ralf Rangnick…

Big Cats in Danger Hydropower is a renewable and clean source of energy fuelled by water. But the news isn’t all good. Recent building of more hydroelectric dams around the world is having a negative effect on some animals, like jaguars and tigers. When these dams are built to harness the hydroelectric power, large areas of the habitats for these animals are flooded to create the water reservoirs. Over 1,000 dams now cut through areas that tigers and jaguars used to call home, and hundreds more are in the planning stages. Even the roads that are constructed while a dam and reservoir are being built often interrupt the normal living patterns of the local wildlife. Today, tigers are considered endangered, with just 3,500 left in the world. In some areas…

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Oil was first discovered in Prudhoe Bay in Alaska in 1968. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) was designed and constructed to move the oil to Valdez, Alaska, the most northerly ice-free port in America. The pipeline is 1,300 km long and crosses three mountain ranges – Brooks Range, Alaska Range and Chugach Range. The first tanker carrying crude oil left Valdez on August 1, 1977. The Ship The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker owned by the American oil company Exxon. The tanker was 301 m long, 51 m wide and 26 m deep. It was built in San Diego, California, and was delivered to its owners in December 1986. Most modern tankers have a double hull, but this ship had only a single hull,…

Crossword Time Across 1 The name of the technology that supports Bitcoin transactions (10) 4 The Gherkin is one of the most recognisable buildings in _____________(6) 5 Winners of the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup (7) 7 Maker of the Xbox (9) 11 The first footprints on the moon were put there by American astronaut Neil in 1969 (9) 14 ‘What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always _____________.’ (5) 16 A major river in Germany (5) 17 A German tyre company owned by Goodyear (5) 18 Alexander Graham ______________ invented the world’s first telephone (4) 19 Sydney Harbour Bridge is nicknamed this because of its arched design (10) 20 Onomatopoeia is when a word imitates the __________ it makes (5) 21 Launched in…

People Working in our Community A Speech Therapist A speech therapist works with people who have trouble speaking, drinking, eating and swallowing properly. When someone isn’t able to make the correct sounds for speech, a therapist can help them with this. The speech therapist can also help people with other speech problems such as stammering. Speech therapists sometimes help people with language disorders as well. It may be that someone has difficulty understanding others, or finds it hard to share thoughts, ideas and feelings. Where a speech therapist works Speech therapists work in hospitals and clinics all over the world. They also work in schools and in the community. Some therapists work for the government, helping people who are in the armed services, such as the air force, army and…

Born: November 22, 1943 Sport: Tennis Medals: 39 Grand Slam titles, 129 singles titles It is 35 years since King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame but she remains a prominent figure in tennis. King was brilliant both on and off the court. As well as racking up Grand Slam wins in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, she also fought for the rights of women players and helped to form a separate women’s tour. King was born in Long Beach, California to athletic parents – her dad played basketball to a high level and her mum was a renowned swimmer. She played softball at an early age before being encouraged to take up tennis, and it proved to be an inspired move. King made her breakthrough at…