Technology News
BBC Newsround - 15.08.25
Giant new data centres to open across the UK
Have you ever wondered how the apps on your phone, the online games you play or the streaming services you watch movies on actually work? Well, the answer is data centres - giant warehouses full of powerful computers - and the UK is about to get a lot more of them.
🖥️ Data centres are giant warehouses full of powerful computers that store and send information for games, videos, apps, and websites.
🇬🇧 The UK has almost 500 data centres, and about 100 more will be built in the next five years because of AI.
💧 Computers get very hot, so data centres use lots of water and big fans to keep them cool.
⚡ They run all day and night, using huge amounts of electricity, which can make energy bills higher.
🌱 People worry about the environmental impact, so the government is investing in better water and energy systems.
🛠️ Engineers in China wanted to build underground tunnels and shops but needed to keep old, special buildings safe.
🤖 Tiny robots helped! They were small but super strong, lifting heavy buildings without breaking them.
📐 First, the team made a 3D map of the site to plan exactly how to move the buildings.
🚶♂️ 432 little "walking" robots slowly carried the buildings to a safe spot, moving only a few feet each day.
🏠 After the underground work was done, the robots carefully moved the buildings back, showing how tech can save history!
Fun Fact
The world's largest data centre is the China Telecom Data Centre in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, which spans over 10.7 million square feet—equivalent to about 185 football fields!
Health News
🧠 Keep your brain sharp! Even at 80 or older, many people can think clearly and stay active in their minds.
🏃 Move your body! Walking and staying physically active helps keep your joints and muscles healthy as you grow older.
📚 Stay curious and learn! Reading, puzzles, and learning new things every day keep your brain happy and strong.
🤝 Be around others! Spending time with friends, especially younger people, makes life fun and keeps your mind engaged.
🌱 Take care of your environment and yourself! Clean air, nature, and healthy habits can help you live a longer, happier life.
🥿 Shoes affect your body! Even shoes that feel comfy can make your back, knees, and hips hurt if they don't fit right.
👣 Feet are your body's foundation. If your shoes don't support your feet, it can make walking hard and cause pain in other parts of your body.
🥾 Wrong shoes change how you walk. Flip-flops, high heels, or tight shoes can make your feet, legs, and back work too hard.
📏 Pick shoes that fit your feet. Wide feet need roomy shoes, high arches need extra cushioning, and it's best to try shoes on at the end of the day.
🔄 Replace old shoes. Worn-out shoes can hurt your body, so check them often and get new ones when needed.
Fun Fact
The oldest person ever recorded was Jeanne Calment from France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. She rode a bicycle until age 100 and only quit smoking at 117!
Fun & Sports
⚽ A shiny new ball! The Premier League has a brand new Puma ball this season, replacing the old Nike one. It's called the Puma Orbita Ultimate PL, and players will try to score lots of goals with it!
⏱️ New 8-second rule for keepers! Goalkeepers now have only 8 seconds to hold the ball before passing it. If they take too long, the other team gets a corner kick.
🏟️ Everton has a new stadium! Everton moved from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium, which can hold 50,000 fans and will also host big future games.
🆕 Exciting new players! Many teams have new players joining, making matches even more thrilling.
🎥 VAR drama continues! Referees will still use VAR to check tricky decisions and keep games fair.
🟡 Big Event: The Pokémon World Championships 2025 are happening in Anaheim, California from August 15–17. Fans can watch in person or online!
💰 Huge Prizes: Players can win lots of money! The total prize pool is $2,000,000, with winners of Pokémon TCG, VGC, and Pokémon Go getting prizes from $1,000 up to $50,000.
📅 Exciting Schedule: The tournaments happen over three days; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with different Pokémon games played each day.
🎮 Games Played: Pokémon TCG, VGC, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite are all part of the fun competitions.
📺 Watch Online: Fans can stream all the action on Twitch or watch recorded videos on Pokémon's YouTube channel.
Fun Fact
The Premier League ball has evolved significantly since 1992. The first official Premier League ball was the Mitre Pro Max, while the most iconic might be the Nike Total 90 Aerow, known for its distinctive yellow winter version.
Champions
🟢 Helping Others: Kids from all over the UK are being nominated for the Make a Difference Award because they do amazing things in their communities.
🥚 Jasmine's Kindness: Jasmine, 15, has given over 15,000 Easter eggs to hospitals, hospices, and food banks since she was 6, making sick children very happy.
🌱 Skye's Big Idea: Skye, 14, started a campaign called KAPtat to remove unnecessary plastic from kids' comics, helping the environment.
🏆 Special Awards: The Make a Difference Awards have lots of categories like Young Hero, Green, Animal, Fundraiser, and Volunteer Awards to celebrate kind kids.
📅 Big Event: Winners from each category will be announced live on 26 September 2025!
🌟 Girls Can Change the World: Amazing girls from all over are doing cool things in science, sports, art, and helping others.
🧪 Young Inventors: Some girls, like Kornelia and Rebecca, create smart inventions, like fertilizers and solar powered backpacks, to make life better.
🏎️ Awesome Athletes: Girls like Ivanna and Coco race cars or skateboards, showing that hard work and fun can go together.
🎨 Creative Champions: Zoé and Rutendo use art, music, and writing to inspire others and promote kindness and confidence.
💖 Helping Others: Naomi, Valerie, and Clara make a difference by helping people, animals, and the environment with their ideas and apps.
Fun Fact
The youngest person to ever win a Nobel Prize was Malala Yousafzai, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at just 17 years old for her work advocating for girls' education.
Animal News
🐷 Blue pigs! Some wild pigs in California have bright blue fat inside their bodies like a slushie!
🟦 Why so blue? The pigs ate poison pellets meant for rats. The poison has blue dye called diphacinone.
⚠️ Danger alert! This poison can make animals and even people very sick if eaten, and cooking doesn't remove the risk.
🌿 Big problem for wildlife. Not just pigs, condors, bears, and other animals have also been poisoned by eating animals that ate the bait.
💡 Finding safer solutions. Experts are trying new ways, like fertility control for pests, to protect animals without using dangerous poisons.
🐬 Dolphins and whales can be friends! Scientists watched almost 200 videos and photos of dolphins and whales meeting in the ocean and found many friendly interactions.
🌊 Humpback whales love to hang out. These whales often swim toward dolphins, roll around, and even show their bellies as if saying "hello!"
🏄 Dolphins have fun rides. Sometimes dolphins surf the waves created by whales, like little ocean surfers, and might even touch the whales on purpose.
🤝 Friendship helps social skills. Playing together is important for dolphins and whales it helps them learn, bond, and have fun, just like kids at school.
💙 Understanding them helps us protect them. Watching how whales and dolphins interact can teach people why it's important to keep oceans safe.
Fun Fact
Wild pigs (also called feral hogs) are incredibly intelligent and can remember complex solutions to problems for up to three years, making them one of the smartest animals in the wild!