NASA received a record 18,300 applications to join its 2017 astronaut candidate class. The agency has just announced the 12 lucky people chosen for two years training to potentially become astronauts. And as NASA continues to open more opportunities to women, five of the new recruits are female. The 12 new astronaut candidates will undergo … Continue reading “Lucky Stars: NASA’s New Astronaut Class”
Ever since the surprise result of the June 8 General Election, figures have been flying round traditional and social media claiming that the swing away from the Conservatives to Labour was caused by young voters “taking their revenge” for the Brexit referendum. It’s a good story. But is it true? After the Brexit referendum, there … Continue reading “Did Britain Just Have A Youth Quake?”
The UK General Election that was supposed to consolidate the Conservative majority has a resulted in a hung parliament: no one party has reached the 326 seats needed for an absolute majority. The sitting Conservative government has asked the Queen to form a government with the backing of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party. The … Continue reading “Another UK Electoral Surprise”
The exception seems to be becoming the rule in Britain, where the latest election campaign, just like the last general election and the EU referendum, has not gone the way anyone expected. Britons go to the polls today for the election Theresa May announced on 18 April, and which the Conservatives were expected to win … Continue reading “Britain Goes to the Polls”
Canada is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2017. One of the highlights is a 150-day expedition following Canada’s three coasts from East to West. More than 300 Canadians have been selected to participate in the different legs of the maritime expedition, including 33 Youth Ambassadors representing Canada’s young people. July 1 2017 marks the 150th anniversary … Continue reading “All Around Canada to Celebrate 150 Years”
On Thursday 1 June, from The White House Rose Garden, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. He described the move as a reassertion of American sovereignty and said: “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”. Mr Trump criticized the climate accord as … Continue reading “Yes he can!: why President Macron made his speech in English”
A very special concert will place in Manchester on Sunday 4 June. After the tragic terrorist attack on crowds leaving her concert on 22 May, U.S. singer Ariana Grande is returning to the city to play a benefit concert for the victims and their families. An all-star cast of musicians is joining her. Proceeds of … Continue reading “Music Against Terror”
You might think young British voters would be getting jaded after two general elections and a referendum in two years. But on the contrary, young people are signing up to vote in record numbers. There has been a surge of voters registering to vote since the surprise announcement of the general election. Between Mrs May’s … Continue reading “Young Voters”
Cerys Lock, 14, loves computer coding, and in fact everything about computers. She was recently awarded the European Digital Girl Award and hopes it will help her encourage other teenagers, and particularly girls, to take up coding, and consider a career in computing. Cerys is from Stafford, England, where she is currently studying for her … Continue reading “Digital Girl of the Year”
Give 20,000 schoolchildren £10 each and ask them to start a mini-business. It sounds ambitious, but the Tenner Challenge is a big success with British pupils and teachers. The competition is open to 11-19-year-old secondary-school pupils, alone or in teams, in two age categories. The basic format is simple and hasn’t really changed since the … Continue reading “Money for Nothing?”