Readable, teachable news.
Thursday, December 26, 2024
The U.S. government was partially shut down on Monday.
More than 800,000 government workers were forced to stop working.
They won’t get paid during the shutdown.
More than 400 public sites that are run by the federal government were closed.
They include national parks, monuments such as the Statue of Liberty in New York, historic sites, lakeshores and walking trails.
About 97 per cent of NASA employees will be sent home during the shutdown, according to The Washington Post newspaper.
The new pope has been chosen; he will be known as Pope Francis.
The pope was selected by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy last Wednesday.
In a special meeting known as a “conclave,” the cardinals voted to elect Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina to be the new pope.
The pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its more than a billion followers around the world. It is the first time a pope from Latin America has been chosen.
The new pope was chosen after the last pope, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned. It was the first time in 600 years a pope had resigned.
