The World News Crossword - October 1st, 2017 is a one-page crossword based on the events in last week's news. Puerto Ricans seemed to get a telling off from their president, by Twitter of course. China to North Korean businesses operating in China to shut down and get out. Ian Poulter probably thought the same about spectators and their phone cameras. Video of Boris rattling off an offensive colonial-era poem was released and Theresa was asked if he's unsackable. The Catalans tried to vote for independence. The West Papuans also sought independence but the UN didn't want to hear about it. More than 20 Mumbai people were killed in a stampede at a train station and more than 60 Rohingya people were drowned when their boat capsized as they fled the Myanmar Army. Oxford took stern action and put her photo into storage. French soldiers shot and killed a man who stabbed two people in the train station in Marseilles. And a bowl sold for $18 million in Hong Kong. There are THREE bonus puzzles attached to the news crossword - crosswords that focus on Afghanistan, Australia, and Bolivia. Did you know Bolivia and Afghanistan are both landlocked? Elon Musk is building. huge battery in Australia. Bolivia's capital city is Sucre, which is sweet.

The World News Crossword - April 22nd, 2018 is a simple document containing a one page crossword based on last week’s news events. There are three bonus crosswords (Canada, China, and Australia). The World News Crossword - April 22nd, 2018 can be used in Geography, English, SEN (excellent for concentration, logical thinking skills, research skills and handwriting), PSHE/homeroom, Economics, Business… and of course it’s a lot less about what happened and a lot more about the discussions that begin with ‘why…’ Why did China impose a tariff on US sorghum? Why are people protesting in Nicaragua? Why will KitKat lose its trademark protection in the EU? Why are 11,000 Vanuatau residents being evacuated from Ambae Island? The solutions are included.

The World News Crossword - February 18th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news. It’s a simple PDF sop it downloads quickly, is easy to print, and can be stored on a USB drive for use later. (There are 3 bonus crosswords - Egypt, China, and Japan, in the PDF and all of the answers are included too.) Of course, this activity is less about the events around the world and more about why and the discussions and debates that come from asking why. Why have so many orangutans died in the past 10 years? Why would people in Japan pay to go on a virtual-reality trip to Paris? Why are suicide bombers in Nigeria killing people in a fish market? And what’s so important about discovering new antibiotics? What did happen in the world in the last week? Australia’s PM and Deputy PM had a spat. Poland’s PM got a telling off. South Africa’s president resigned. And The Netherlands’ foreign minister resigned too. And so did Ethiopia’s PM. A plane crashed in Iran and a helicopter crashed in Mexico. There was an earthquake in Mexico and one in England and wales too. An Iranian wrestler threw a match so that he’d not have to wrestle against an Israeli. In India a woman pretended to be a man and duped two women into paying to marry him. And an Indian tycoon is on the run having duped a bank out of about $1.8 BILLION!! US scientists discovered a whole new family of antibiotics while Canadian scientists discovered a Picasso painting was a painting on top of another painting.

A simple PDF document that contains a crossword based on last week’s news, and three bonus crosswords (France 1, France 2, and Egypt). The solutions are included. So what happened last week? Russians doping at the Olympics, 6 Brazilian footballers being red-carded, and a protest at the Olympics by South Korean politicians. Suicide bombers in Aden, kidnappers in Nigeria, and bribery in Greece, maybe. 17 people killed when a rubbish pile in Maputo collapsed, a plea to ban palm oil to save forests, an Asian toad invasion in Madagascar, and a whole lot of people volunteer to clean up the beaches and rivers in Bali. And finally, a ceasefire in Syria (perhaps). Crosswords are excellent for prompting discussions about the news events. Why are these events happening? What would you do, if you could? What can we do? Crosswords are good for encouraging research, neat handwriting, and correct spelling.

The World News Crossword document is a one-page crossword based on the events of last week’s news. There are also two one-page ‘Search and Cloze’ puzzles: Facebook users’ personal data and What started the Syrian civil war? These extra puzzles give students the opportunity to learn a little more about two recent news events. The crossword includes questions the EU ban on an insecticide that’s been killing bees for years, Japan’s objection to the mango mousse at the North and South Korea summit, and the really big news about the Tasmanian devils. There was also big news that Australia’s government is spending 500 million dollars to rescue the Great Barrier Reef and a university in Melbourne was evacuated because of a toxic gas leak (which turned out to be stinky rotting fruit in a library cupboard). But it’s less about what happened last week around the world and more about why. That’s the discussion that students will create among themselves as they complete this crossword. Why are India and China having a border dispute? Why did Myanmar’s sort-of leader contact the UN and not just lead her country? Why is a virus killing indigenous Australians? Why is Facebook making so much money? Or how? Why is Saudi Arabia at war with Yemen? What does the rodent population in New Zealand have to do with climate change? The World News Crossword is an excellent homework activity because it encourages students to watch or read the news. It’s an excellent group-activity for home room because it encourages students to use their IT for research. It’s an excellent activity for encouraging problem-solving skills.

The World News Crossword - April 15th, 2018 is a simple crossword based on the events in last week’s news from around the world. We create a new puzzle every week so it can be built into a weekly PSHE, Geography, Economics, English, or Social Studies lesson. These crosswords have been used with significant success in with both GATE and SEN students. The puzzles can be used at all levels of high school and middle school, as homework activities or as in-class, small-group activities. Each week there are three bonus puzzles. This week’s download includes two puzzles on climate change and a puzzle on the Amazon Basin. And of course, all the solutions are included. What happened last week? The CEO of the world’s largest advertising agency resigned suddenly. An Australian company advertised for ‘Anglo-Saxon’ staff. A forest fire resulted in evacuations around Sydney. Two Indian athletes were sent home from the Commonwealth Games because needles were found in their accommodation. Indian police rescued 70 children who were working in a jewelry factory. A Russian-built military plane crashed in Algeria killing all passengers and crew. And the US, UK, and France attacked military installations in Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government. It’s less about what happened around the world and more about why. Why did the prime minister of Hungary get re-elected for a third term? Why did the US, UK and France attack Syria because of chemical weapons, but not because of ‘ordinary’ bombs? Why were 11 lions killed in a national park? Why did the New Zealand government announce that it will not issue any new permits to oil exploration companies? Why did the UK government deny entry to an Austrian and a Hungarian?

A one-page crossword based on events in last week’s news. An excellent resource for encouraging students to read last week’s news. Better than that is the discussion that follows. Why did these events happen? Did Facebook contribute to hate crimes?Why is there trouble brewing (again) in the Gaza Strip? Why did an Australian kayak over a 20 metre waterfall? Did a Fox News presenter taunt one of the victims of the Florida school shooting? There are THREE more one-page crosswords included in the resource - focused on UK, Egypt, and Austria - very handy for substitute lessons. Yes, the solutions are included for all the crosswords.

The World News Crossword - April 8th, 2018, is a crossword based on events in last week’s news. (And there are 3 more crosswords that can be used any time to support students’ knowledge of the world around them.) A huge cargo ship smashed into a house on its way from Russia to Saudi Arabia. Government forces in Syria appear to have used chemical weapons again. More Palestinians were killed by Israeli gun fire. Monkeys fought off would-be thieves in Wellington’s zoo in New Zealand. A Japanese man was arrested for licking his violent son in a cage for more than 20 years. A football club suspended most of its players for an argument they were having on… Facebook. I have the students work on the News Crossword in small groups and they compete to be first finished. But they usually get side tracked discussing the events in the news, mostly asking, ‘why?’ Why was China’s space-lab left to crash into the Earth? Why is there so much plastic pollution in the sea near UK? Why are the US and China imposing tariffs on each other’s exports? Why was Prince Charles made an honory chief in Vanuatu? (And why is it ‘honorary’ and not ‘honourary’?) And at what stage do we tell Facebook that our personal information belongs to us and not them?

The World News Crossword - October 7th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document: (1) The World News Crossword, (2) a crossword about Myanmar, (3) a crossword about Yemen, and (4) a crossword about Marie Curie (from our new-release, ‘Women who changed the world’). What happened last week? The New South Wales government insisted the Sydney Opera House be used as a giant billboard to advertise horse-racing. Tokyo’s Fish market was closed to be moved to make room for the Olympic Games. San Marino followed Argentina’s example and approached the IMF for a huge loan. A French criminal who escaped from jail using a helicopter was recaptured after 3 months on the run. A 5.9 earthquake shook Haiti. And. Pakistani ice-cream seller who lives in a slum discovered he had about 14 million UK pounds in his bank account.

The World News Crossword - June 3rd, 2018 This resource pack will help your students review some of last week’s news stories. If you have students work in small groups they’ll get excited about being the first to finish, but more importantly, they’ll discuss the news stories and ask why these events happened. They will also learn that their smartphone can be used for something other than Facebook. In last week’s news… Prince William announced he will visit Israel, Palestine and Jordan in the summer. Israeli tanks shelled the Gaza Strip. And a volunteer paramedic was shot and killed as she ran (with her hands in the air) to help a wounded protester. The EU announced a plan to reduce the amount of plastic food and drink containers in use. In Thailand, a whale died after consuming more than 80 plastic bags. Rare, tropical Australian fish were found around New Zealand after an unusually hot summer warmed the Tasman Sea. Residents in Shimla, in India, asked tourists to stay away because of water shortages being caused by a heatwave in Punjab, which also caused more than 60 deaths in Pakistani Punjab. Just a little further north, a 21 year old Kashmiri was killed when he was run down by an Indian army vehicle. Further south in India, 14 people died because of the Nipah virus. 8 more cases of Ebola virus were reported in Democratic Republic of Congo, in Africa. Immigrants from Africa have found an easier and cheaper route to Europe - from Morocco to Spain. A Malian immigrant rescued a small child who was hanging dangerously from an apartment balcony in Paris. More than a million French smokers quit cigarettes last year. And so we’ve included a bonus crossword about France in this week’s resource pack. As well as The World News Crossword, there are 2 Search & Cloze puzzles that will give a little more information about stories that have persisted for several weeks or months. This week these backgrounder puzzles are on Trade Wars and Immigration.

The World News Crossword - May 27th, 2018 is a simple pdf made up of a crossword based on the events in last week’s news a search & cloze activity that explains Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a search & cloze activity that gives background information about North Korea a crossword all and only about the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And the solutions are included, of course. Excellent for Geography, Economics, English, SEN, PSHE… In the news crossword… The leaders of North and South Korea met, but not with he who shall not be named. North Korea blew up some of its research facility. Ebola cases were confirmed in DRC and 4000 trial vaccines were distributed. Switzerland’s trains were declared the world’s best. A Polish author won the Man Booker International Prize and a Swedish Court said no to a new Nobel Centre. Real Madrid won the Champions League (what a goal). A German bank announced 7000 job cuts and German police can now stop parents at airports with children during school time. Lava continued to flow on Hawaii and a hurricane swept into Oman. A UK man had to be cut out of a children’s swing, but we didn’t put that into the crossword because like him, it wouldn’t fit.

The World News Crossword - September 2nd, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document: The World News Crossword, a crossword on Germany, a crossword on India, and a crossword on Japan. So, what happened last week? Coca-Cola bought Costa Coffee and South Korea banned the sale of coffee in schools. The US banned a railway between South and North Korea and India will help Nepal build a railway. NAFTA talks failed and Brexit talks are still failing. Lana Del Ray cancelled her Israel concert and U2 cancelled their Berlin concert. An oil-refinery explosion in Germany and in Chemnitz, there was an explosion of protests against immigrants. Amsterdam’s city council asked civil servants and Syrian immigrants with teaching experience to help resolve the teacher shortage. And a New Zealand town announced a ban on domestic cats.

The World News Crossword - July 22nd, 2018 is a 6-page PDF document made up of 4 puzzles based on the events of last week’s news. This resource, used on a weekly basis, is an excellent way to ensure your students’ are** internationally minded** - a fundamental requirement of any of the IB’s 4 programmes. What’s in this week’s document? (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A crossword all about Japan (which signed a free trade agreement with the EU and also experienced a devastating heatwave), (3) A crossword all about Libya (which closed its border with Tunisia and also did not approve the EU proposals to set up a refugee/migrant processing centre - did you know Libya has no permanent rivers?) and (3) A crossword all about Mother Teresa, whose orphanages in India were being inspected by authorities after accusations that staff had sold babies for adoption. (This puzzle is taken from our soon-to-be-released book, ‘Women who changed the world’.) **What happened in last week’s news? ** The EU fined Google for being very naughty and also signed a free trade agreement with Japan making trade easier. Libya closed its border with Tunisia, making trade impossible. Tourists were hurt by falling lava in Hawaii. Others drowned when their tour boat capsized in Missouri. China’s President went to Africa and the first commercial flight between Eritrea and Ethiopia occurred. Two Dutch men were arrested when they were caught on a boat with 2 tonnes of cocaine in the English Channel and French man was released from an Indonesian prison after 18 years for drug-smuggling. It turns out that Omega-3 won’t keep us safe from strokes and heart attacks, Cristiano Ronaldo is moving to Italy, and New Zealand beat France in the women’s rugby sevens world cup final.

The World News Crossword - July 22nd, 2018 is a 6-page PDF document made up of 4 puzzles based on the events of last week’s news. What’s in this week’s document? (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A crossword all about Japan (which signed a free trade agreement with the EU and also experienced a devastating heatwave), (3) A crossword all about Libya (which closed its border with Tunisia and also did not approve the EU proposals to set up a refugee/migrant processing centre - did you know Libya has no permanent rivers?) and (3) A crossword all about Mother Teresa, whose orphanages in India were being inspected by authorities after accusations that staff had sold babies for adoption. (This puzzle is taken from our soon-to-be-released book, ‘Women who changed the world’.) **What happened in last week’s news? ** The EU fined Google for being very naughty and also signed a free trade agreement with Japan making trade easier. Libya closed its border with Tunisia, making trade impossible. Tourists were hurt by falling lava in Hawaii. Others drowned when their tour boat capsized in Missouri. China’s President went to Africa and the first commercial flight between Eritrea and Ethiopia occurred. Two Dutch men were arrested when they were caught on a boat with 2 tonnes of cocaine in the English Channel and French man was released from an Indonesian prison after 18 years for drug-smuggling. It turns out that Omega-3 won’t keep us safe from strokes and heart attacks, Cristiano Ronaldo is moving to Italy, and New Zealand beat France in the women’s rugby sevens world cup final.

The World News Crossword - October 21st, 2018 A 6-page PDF document that includes: A crossword based the events of last week’s news, A crossword about China, A crossword about Brazil, and A crossword about Marie Curie (from our recently published Women who changed the World book). So, what happened in the news last week? A journalist was killed in the Saudi Arabia embassy in Istanbul and no one believes the explanation. Trains crashed in India and Taiwan. Lionel Messi broke his arm and Christiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 400 goals. Croatians protested against their government’s proposal to raise the retirement age to 67. The FYROM’s government changed the country’s name to North Macedonia. Brazilians voted in a presidential election, Afghans voted in a parliamentary election, Australians voted in a by-election, and 700,000 British people marched in London demanding a vote on the details of the Brexit deal. Moscow’s government did not approve the annual memorial day for victims of Stalin’s brutal regime and sent officials for a meeting with Syria’s president.

The World News Crossword - September 30th, 2018 is a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. There are 4 puzzles in this downloadable PDF document: (1) The World News Crossword, (2) a crossword about Ghana which is in a news article about preventing cocoa smuggling, (3) a crossword about Denmark, which is in a news article about closing bridges to Germany and Sweden during a hunt for 3 kidnappers, and (4) a crossword about Leaders in Sport (from our new-release, ‘Women who changed the world’). Natural disasters in Indonesia are in the news again. A major earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami which may have killed thousands of people. A teenager was swept out to sea on his fishing raft/hut and was rescued 49 days later by a passing ship. Air force planes crashed in Nigeria and the USA. A passenger jet overshot a runway in New Guinea and ended up in a lagoon. And a light plane became tangled in a zip-line at a tourist resort in South Africa. Bananas are in the news too - boxes of them donated to a Texas prison (with cocaine stashed in the boxes too) and Saudi Arabia telling Canada not to treat it like a banana republic. Argentina is in the news too. Their rugby team lost to New Zealand’s rugby team. The government received a massive IMF loan (more than $50 billion!) and a nationwide search has begun to find an 11-year-old boy’s mobile phone which he lost while with his grandmother at the bank because the phone has photos and videos of his mother who recently died of cancer.

**The World News Crossword - August 26th, 2018 **is a 6-page PDF document containing: (1) a crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) a search & cloze puzzle that explains the background of Venezuela’s current economic and human crisis, (3) a crossword all about Venezuela, and (4) a bonus puzzle from our book, ‘Nonsense Rhymes Crosswords’ (because it’s fun to do). All for just £2. **What happened in last week’s news? ** Australia appointed its 6th Prime Minister in 8 years and it rained in drought-stricken New South Wales and Queensland. Sweden’s Sami reindeer herders demanded government assistance to offset problems associated with this summer’s drought and Berliners were told to close their doors and windows to keep out smoke from forest fires. Venezuelans continued to cross the border to Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. Unvaccinated Venezuelans caused a measles epidemic in Brazil where measles had been eradicated. And speaking of measles, Johns Hopkins University researchers have said Russian bots and trolls have been spreading mis-information about measles vaccinations to cause trouble in USA. (FYI, measles vaccinations do not cause autism. Measles, on the other hand, can kill children and this is why most governments provide free vaccinations.) Procter & Gamble submitted applications to trademark text-speak such as FYI, LOL, and WTF. WTF! Meanwhile, back in Venezuela, the inflation rate has reached 18,000%, the government replaced the old bolivar with a new one (with 5 less zeros next to the numbers), hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans are emigrating, and there was a 7.3 earthquake off the north-west Venezuelan coast. This week, we’ve added 2 bonus puzzles to explain the reasons for Venezuelans’ troubles. All for just £2.

The World News Crossword - September 9th, 2018 is a 6-page downloadable PDF made up of 4 puzzles. (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A search & close puzzle that gives more background to one of last week’s news stories - the Mauritius government’s case against Great Britain in the International Court of Justice regarding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, (3) A crossword about China, and (4) A crossword about Rosalind Franklin. This resource is quick and easy to download and store on a flash drive, ready to print and use in any middle or high school Social Studies or English lesson. It works best when the students work in small groups, soothed discuss the clues, share answers, and then discuss the stories in more depth, asking questions like, ‘What did Japan’s fishermen kill 50 minke whales? Why are elephants still being killed for their ivory? and Why is there still not peace in Syria and Yemen?’ A new World News Crossword is published every week so it can become a weekly lesson.

The World News Crossword - June 17th, 2018 is a 6 page PDF containing: A crossword based on last week’s news events, A Search and Cloze puzzle that helps explain the Kashmir conflict, Another Search and Cloze puzzle that helps explain the Yemen War, and A crossword all about Yemen. (Did you know there are just 70 Arabian leopards alive in the wild? And they’re all in Yemen.) So what happened last week? Raphael Nadal won the French Open for the 11th time. Boris Becker claimed diplomatic immunity in Central African Republic to avoid bankruptcy proceedings. About 700 immigrants were turned away from Italy but were allowed to land in Spain. An immigrant in New York was captured as he delivered pizza to a military base. FIFA announced the world cup will be hosted by USA, Canada, and Mexico (assuming they’re all still friends then). Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the world cup opening match. Saudi Arabia’s military led a coalition of Arab countries in support of Yemen’s government, attacking the Yemen port city. And an 18th century Chinese vase found in someone’s attic sold for 16 million Euros.

The World News Crossword - July 29th, 2018 is a 6-page PDF document made up of 4 puzzles based on the events of last week’s news. It’s a quick and simple process to buy and download the resource and it can be stored on a flash drive ready for printing. All for just £2. What’s in this week’s document? (1) A crossword based on the events of last week’s news, (2) A search & cloze puzzle giving a little more detailed explanation of wildfires such as the ones occurring in California and some parts of Europe, (3) A crossword all about Cambodia, in the news this week for the flooding caused by a collapsed hydro-dam, and an election that is unlikely to have any effect because opposition and criticism have been prevented by the incumbent prime minister of 30+ years, and (3) A crossword all about climate change which was in the news again - a heatwave in Europe, wild fires in Greece and USA, flooding in Japan, and extreme monsoon rain in Myanmar. The puzzle usually takes a class about 30-45 minutes to complete, leaving some time for discussion on some of the more interesting news stories. The puzzle seems to work best when done in pairs or small groups, to generate discussion. The goal of course is to have students learning more about the world around them, and to prompt them to ask questions, especially ‘why…?’ What happened in last week’s news? Social media was in the news again. Facebook’s shares crashed. Belgium’s tourist board wrote to Mark Z complaining about the censorship policy was blocking famous paintings. A Kuwaiti make up artist used social media to whine that her maid was now entitled to…, wait for it…, one day’s leave per week. And the employer now isn’t allowed to retain the employee’s passport. The make up artist promptly lost sponsors Max Factor Arabia and Shiseido. And a US swimmer posted a photo of himself receiving an illegal ‘infusion’ and was then banned from competition for 14 months. Wildfires caused extensive property damage and killed many people in Greece and California. Flooding occurred in Japan, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. A Penn State Professor said this is the face of climate change. Elections were or will be held in Cambodia, Pakistan, and Mali. This resource, used on a weekly basis, is an excellent way to ensure your students’ are ‘internationally minded’ (a fundamental requirement of any of the IB’s 4 programmes).