Other News

Arts Kids Lighter

What Is Harry Potter Up To Now?

Or more accurately… what is author J. K. Rowling up to?

The answer is: a mysterious new website called Pottermore.

A few weeks before the launch of the final Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2), Rowling put up an intriguing website at www.pottermore.com.

She also began a Twitter account, twitter.com/pottermore, which has more than 75,000 followers.

It offers no clues as to what the website will be about.

It merely has the words “Pottermore” and “Coming soon…” with J. K. Rowling’s signature.

Breaking News News

Heroes Emerge From Vancouver Riot

After Vancouver’s crushing hockey defeat last week, when Boston took home the Stanley Cup by winning over the Canucks, things took a terrible turn.

Crowds ran into the streets of Vancouver and people began smashing store windows, stealing things from stores and even overturning cars and setting things on fire.

The evening, which had started out with such high hopes for a Canadian Stanley Cup victory, turned into a horrible embarrassment for Vancouver and Canada.

Many people took photos and videos that night.

The police are looking through the footage so they can identify the people who did the rioting, and charge them.

Lighter News

Will And Kate To Tour Canada

Britain’s newest royal couple is coming to Canada this summer.

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – also known as Will and Kate – recently got married in a very high-profile ceremony in England.

Now they are taking their first official royal tour as newlyweds, and they’ve chosen Canada as their destination.

While Will has been here twice before (in 1991 and 1998) it will be Kate’s first time visiting Canada.

News Science

Scientists Discover Water On The Moon

Scientists recently found out there is 100 times more water on the moon than they thought there was.

Scientists discovered the water when they looked at some pieces of moon rock.

They found water in tiny samples of magma, which was trapped in crystal. Magma is a rock made from cooled lava.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield told Teaching Kids the News that the water is a very valuable discovery.

“It’s like finding diamonds or gold in a remote frontier,” Hadfield said.

Sports

The Stanley Cup Drops Out Of Vancouver’s Clutches

It was one game, winner-take-all.

And in the end, Boston took home the Stanley Cup.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The hometown crowd waved “rally towels” as their Vancouver Canucks skated out for their warm-up. The thunderous cheering of the crowd never let up. Canuck Goaltender Roberto Luongo shifted from side to side in front of his net.

The crowd took up the singing of O Canada.

If Vancouver could bring the Cup back home, the game would go down in Canadian history.

But it wasn’t to be.

News

Canada Post, Air Canada On Strike

Two major strikes are affecting services in Canadian cities including Toronto and Montreal.

A “strike” happens when workers, who are banded together in a “union,” decide to stop working until they get something they think is fair, such as raises, health coverage or money for their retirement.

A strike puts pressure on a company to talk to the union and possibly give the workers what they want.

Usually there is a “compromise,” in other words, the workers and the company get some things they want but perhaps not everything.

The company and the union try to find a solution that pleases both sides.

News

Conrad Black: Lording It Over The Other Prisoners?

Conrad Black is a very famous, wealthy and powerful Canadian businessman.

Five years ago, Conrad Black was sent to jail because he broke several laws having to do with the money he made and owed.

He was convicted of obstruction of justice and mail fraud because he lied about how much money he really had, to pay off his debts.

He also tried to hide information from the authorities about the amount of money he made from selling his newspapers and real estate.

The judge sent him to jail for six-and-a-half years.

Late this month, Black is going to ask the judge to let him have some time taken off his prison sentence.

News Politics

Canada’s Troops Coming Home From Afghanistan

Since 2005, Canadian troops have been fighting in Afghanistan against terrorists.

Now, Canadian soldiers are ending their mission in Afghanistan.

Troops will start coming home in July, with some staying on for another three years or so—not to fight, but to train the army and police in Afghanistan so they can take care of their own people.

Canadian soldiers were first sent to Afghanistan in 2001. Their duties were not to fight.

They were to make sure Canada would be safe from terrorists, to show Canadian leadership around the world, and to help Afghanistan rebuild.

Kids Lighter

If You’re Inviting People On Facebook… Click “Private”

When Thessa’s birthday was coming up, she decided to throw a party. After all, it wasn’t every day a girl turned 16!

So, as many kids do these days, Thessa posted an invitation to her party on Facebook. She wanted all of her friends to come.

But she made a big mistake. She forgot to set her Facebook invitation to “Friends Only.”

More and more people saw the invitation and signed up to come to the party.

They sent it to their friends and told more people about it… and before long, more than 15,000 people had confirmed on Facebook that they were coming to the party.

Health

E. Coli Outbreak In Europe; 2,200 People Ill

There has been a serious outbreak of E. coli in Europe.

At least 2,200 people have gotten sick or shown symptoms and 22 people in Germany have died.

E. coli is short for Escherichia coli. It is a type of bacteria normally found in the body.

Most kinds (or “strains”) of E. coli are harmless and even help the body.

The strains included in the outbreak, however, are a harmful kind, causing food poisoning.

Food poisoning from E. coli usually happens when people eat unwashed vegetables or undercooked meat.