WHY is Michael Jackson such a legend?

POP star Michael Jackson died suddenly last week, causing websites to crash as people rushed to see if it was true. But who was the “King of Pop” and why is his death making headlines around the world?

The 50-year-old superstar is believed to have died of a cardiac arrest, which means his heart stopped. An examination of his body has taken place, but it may be many weeks before test results are back and it is known what caused his heart to fail.
Michael Jackson spent almost his entire life in the public eye. He started performing at just five years old as part of the Jackson 5 with his older brothers.
As he grew older he started to release records on his own and became a huge star. Throughout his career he sold more than 750 million albums around the world. His dance moves and songs have influenced many of today’s pop stars.
Michael was often in the news for his quirky behaviour and changing appearance. Many people believed he had lots of plastic surgery, but he claimed a rare skin disease changed theway he looked.  
In 2005 he was in court after allegations were made that he had hurt a 14-year-old boy, but he was found not guilty of all charges.
 Michael was just enjoying a new wave of success when he died, with 50 sell-out concerts planned for this year and the start of 2010.

A NEW report says that the UK will have hotter summers and wetter winters in the years to come, because of climate change.

The UK Climate Projections 2009 report was launched by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn this week.
In around 70 years’ time – 2080 – London will be about 4ºC hotter. In Yorkshire, Humberside and the south of England there could be a decrease of about one-fifth of the amount of rain those areas get in the summer. But the north-west of England and Scotland could see one-fifth more rain in winter.
These figures don’t sound like they will make that much difference. However, more rain in some areas means it’s more likely people will experience flooding. Less rain and higher temperatures in other areas could mean it’s harder to grow crops and people need to be more careful how they use water.
The publication of this report means the Government and everyone in the country can plan how to prepare for the changing weather. Other countries are likely to experience bigger changes than the UK. Some countries are already feeling the difference.  
It’s not too late to make changes and now is the time to act. Turn to page 10 for ideas on how small actions can make a big difference.

A BOY was hit by a meteorite flying down from space at 30,000mph – and survived with just a grazed hand.

Gerrit Blank, 14, was walking to school in Germany when he saw a large ball of light and felt a sudden, sharp pain in his hand.
“A split second after that, there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder,” he said.
The pea-sized meteorite, or “shooting star”, was so hot it was white. It bounced off Gerrit’s hand, leaving a scar, and hit the ground so hard it left a 30cm crater in the tarmac.
“When it hit me it knocked me flying and then was still going fast enough to bury itself in the road,” said Gerrit.
Scientists are having a good look at the meteorite. Tests have already shown that it is from outer space. The chances of being struck by a meteorite are around one in 100 million.
The rock would have been much larger to begin with but would have burned up in the atmosphere as it fell to Earth. Most meteorites don’t make it to Earth at all.
The meteorite’s journey, before leaving a smoking crater on Earth, would have taken a billion years.

WHERE have all the penguins gone?

PENGUIN poo, seen from space, is helping scientists work out how climate change is affecting the Antarctic creatures. Six Emperor penguin colonies have already disappeared.

The stain left behind by penguins’ poo has helped scientists find 38 emperor penguin colonies.

Penguins are too little to spot with satellite tracking equipment. But, for several months each year, penguins group together on a patch of ice and their poo, known as guano, builds up and leaves a reddish-brown stain on the ice. This is much easier to see with a satellite.
 Using this information, scientists are able to find and track colonies. The British Antarctic Survey team have found ten new colonies and discovered six have moved quite some distance away. Another six colonies seem to have disappeared completely.
One of the team’s geographers, Peter Fretwell, says: “We know that emperor penguins rely on sea ice to breed – like the polar bears in the Arctic depend on sea ice for their hunting. Although the sea ice at the moment is reasonably stable, we know that in future decades it will decrease rapidly. We need to know where they are, and to assess how many there are, before we can really work out how threatened they are by climate change.”

... to save the planet

THE world’s roofs should be painted white, to help save the planet, says a leading scientist.

Professor Steven Chu has won a Nobel prize and is President’s Obama’s Energy Secretary. He thinks that by lightening the colour of roofs, roads and pavements it would be possible to cut carbon emissions by the same amount as taking all the cars in the world off the road for 11 years. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere and warm up the planet. That’s why they’re called greenhouse gases.
Lightening the colour will reflect more sunlight back into space rather than absorb it. Dark roof tiles and tarmac roads and pavements absorb sunlight, heating them up. A light-coloured building doesn’t get as hot and so uses less energy on air conditioning to cool it down.
As white roads and pavements would be too dazzling, these could be made a pale colour that isn’t too bright.
Another scientist, Dr Art Rosenfeld, has worked out that changing the surface colours in 100 of the world’s biggest cities could save the same as 44 billion tonnes of CO2. This is the amount that CO2 emissions are expected to rise by over the next ten years.
Speaking at the St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium, Professor Chu said: “If you take all the buildings and make their roofs white and if you make the pavement more of a concrete type of colour rather than a black type of colour, it’s the equivalent of reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars on the road for 11 years.”
This suggestion comes as people across the world are doing their bit for World Environment Day (Friday). UNEP, who organises this Day, want to plant a tree for every person on the planet by the end of this year. Turn to page 16 for ideas on how you can help fight climate change.
As the news is announced that global warming increases the number of heatwaves, floods, storms and forest fires killing 300,000 people a year, perhaps painting the world’s roofs white isn’t such a silly idea?

We want to know what you think.
Write to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk

To read more pick up your latest copy of First News now!

KIDS judge Britain’s Smelliest Cheese Championships

CHILDREN became the judges in the first ever Smelliest Cheese Championships, because they have the best sense of smell.

The Championships, held at the Bath & West Show, saw stinky cheeses like Oxford Isis and Stinking Bishop go up against Revolution and Little Stinky.
Children aged seven to 11 years old judged 16 different cheeses, smelling each one and rating its stinkiness.
Mr Sim, consultant ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon at Dorset County Hospital, explains why young noses are so good. He says: “Children’s sense of smell is at its best by the age of 11. But girls are better at smelling and identifying different smells than boys.”
As First News went to press the winner had not been announced. However, children from Wells Cathedral School gave us their opinions on some fragrant cheeses.
Ben, 11, describes Stinking Bishop’s odour as: “Very strong sick and cow pat.” For James, 9, Revolution smells like: “Cold smell of manure just lighter.” Harry, 11, describes Oxford Isis as: “My armpits after a rugby match.”
A cheese’s smell comes from the rind. Bacteria and enzymes mature in the rind over several weeks and that’s what makes the pong.
The reason behind the first Smelliest Cheese Championships is to show that the UK can produce all kinds of interesting and stinky cheeses, not just the Cheddar it’s famous for.

THIS is a first for First News, we’ve gone to the top of the world – the Arctic!

As First News has been reporting in previous issues, a team of three people have been on a climate change expedition in the Arctic. But Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley weren’t alone, they had the First News bears to keep them company!
The team spent ten weeks in below freezing temperatures to find out more about climate change. The observations and measurements they took will be analysed by scientists to learn more about the effects climate change is having on the Earth. They saw polar bear tracks, swam in icy water, escaped falling down an ice crack, nearly ran out of food, and amazingly, still kept First News readers updated with how they were getting on.
First News caught up with Pen on his return to the UK: “The time Ann, Martin and I spent in the Arctic was very tough but we gathered a lot of information which should really help scientists to find out more about climate change. We know how concerned First News readers are about the environment and it’s today’s children and young people who are helping change things for the better.
“I’m glad to have finally had a bath – we stank so much we were made to sit at the back of our pick-up plane! It was an experience of a lifetime and hopefully the First News bears enjoyed it too!”

BRITISH scientists have developed a 125mph Formula 3 racing car that is partly powered by chocolate and has a steering wheel that’s made out of carrots.

The University of Warwick project is meant to show how environmentally-friendly cars can be. The developers say that it meets all of the current Formula 3 standards, apart from its fuel. This is a mix of waste chocolate and vegetable oil, and such biofuels are not allowed in the sport yet. The fuel has to be mixed 50/50 with standard diesel to prevent parts of the car gumming up.
The fibres from carrots and other root vegetables were used to make the steering wheel, and potato starch was used to make the wing mirrors.
The bodywork contains a mix of natural materials like flax and hemp, as well as recycled carbon fibre.
As this is just the beginning of the project, the developers have not worked out yet the impact of the car. In the future they will be looking at its carbon footprint and exhaust emissions compared to a standard Formula 3 car.

SWINE FLU is scaring a lot of people around the world. But should it be?

SWINE FLU is scaring a lot of people around the world. But should it be?
There are reports of deaths, images of people wearing masks, schools being closed, TV adverts about the illness and advice leaflets being sent to everyone’s houses. Should we all be worried?
First News spoke to the Government’s Department of Health and they told us: “We don’t need to be scared of this new type of flu. In the UK it’s mild and just like normal flu. We’re doing everything we can to stop it spreading. Everyone can play their part. Use a tissue when coughing or sneezing, bin it straightaway and wash your hands properly afterwards.”
So, if it’s no big deal, why is everyone making such a fuss? First News investigates.

What is flu?

Flu is an illness caused by an infection of the influenza virus. The flu virus changes all the time and there are many different types of it.
Swine influenza is a disease in pigs. The virus everyone is talking about at the moment is being called swine flu, although experts are still looking into exactly where it started. There is no sign of this strain of the disease in pigs in the UK.
There are regular outbreaks of swine flu in pigs. They become ill but rarely die from the virus. Swine flu does not normally infect humans although this can happen sometimes when people have had close contact with pigs.

To read more pick up the latest copy of First News now!

£10 million to look into disappearance of bees

National Honey Week 4-10 May

EXPERTS are very worried about a huge drop in the number of bees.

With the arrival of Spring, there should be more bees flying around but, over recent years, millions have
been dying.
No-one really knows why this is happening although the weather and chemical pestcide sprays have been blamed.
Now £10 million is being spent to try to find out exactly what is happening to bees. Three species of bees have become extinct in the UK already and now there are only six more common species left.
Bees are very important and, without them, a lot of our food would disappear. This is because when bees buzz between flowers looking for nectar, they spread pollen which helps the plants to grow.
If the bees aren’t around to pollinate, we simply wouldn’t be able to grow all the food that we need. It’s not just honey we would miss out on.
Scientist Dr Robert Paxton said: “One in four mouthfuls of food is dependent on bee pollination.”
In First News next week, we will be looking at ways we can all help to save bees. Don’t miss it.

RACE takes place in the freezing Arctic.

THE hair on this man’s head has frozen because he’s taking part in a running race – at the North Pole.

Brit Ted Jackson joined 37 other brave runners in the Arctic to run the coldest marathon on Earth.

To read more pick up the latest copy of First News now and turn to page 23.

PEOPLE all over the globe showed their support for tackling climate change by turning out their lights for one hour on Saturday.

In 88 countries, 3,943 cities and towns took part in Earth Hour. At 8.30pm for one hour lights were turned off in people’s homes and businesses as well as at famous landmarks like Buckingham Palace in London, the Millenniun Stadium in Cardiff, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in China.
Big Ben and Brighton Pier, pictured here, were both plunged into darkness for 60 minutes as well as more than 200 other landmarks around the UK.
Earth Hour, which is in its third year is organised by WWF. They want one billion people to sign up. It is hoped that the demonstration by hundreds of millions of people will convince governments across the world to make some big decisions when they meet at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December.