**The World News Crossword - December 2nd, 2018 A crossword based on the events of last week’s news - excellent for all Middle and High School students. Critical thinking, international mindedness, research skills, group/team skills. It’s less about what happened and a lot more about why - students complete a crossword and in doing so they learn about world events and then they ask why… why polio vaccinations in Yemen when Western countries are supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and Iran to use in Yemen? Why is there still a war in Syria? (It’s lasted longer than World War 2.) Why did hate crimes increase by almost 50% in 2017 in Canada? This resource is a 6-page PDF: (1) The World News Crossword (2) A crossword about France, which was in the news this week for protests against rising fuel prices and for a new law that prohibits parents from smacking their children, (3) A crossword about Kiribati, a Pacific Island nation that is already losing islands due to rising sea levels, and (4) A crossword about Christine Lagarade, the Managing Director of the IMF (taken from the recently released book, ‘Women who changed our World’). This week, Christine Lagarde warned the G20 leaders that trade wars and tariffs will hinder world economic growth. So what happened in last week’s news? Australian school-children were inspired by one Swedish girl - they protested against the Australian government’s inaction on climate change. Russia confiscated Ukrainian naval ships and Ukraine blocked entry to all military-aged Russian men. The G20 gathering started in Argentina. The Ebola virus in Congo is now the 2nd-largest ever. There were major earthquakes in Alaska and Indonesia.

The World News Crossword - November 25th, 2018 - a crossword based on the events of last week’s news from around the world. A crossword based on the events of last week’s world news. A crossword about Germany which has featured in the news over the past few weeks, A crossword about the UK which has also featured in the news - when will Brexit ever end?, and A crossword about women musicians and singers. So, what were some of last week’s news events? The UN called for a truce in Yemen, but everyone ignored that. There was probably another gas attack in Syria. There was a suicide attack in north-west Pakistan, another in Afghanistan, and an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. Protests in France about fuel prices continued. The new Maldives government has no idea how much the country owes to China. A storm in Australia closed airports. And the Italian government ordered a rescue ship to be confiscated because migrant’s clothes may have been infected with tuberculosis, meningitis, and HIV. (No, you don’t catch these diseases from clothes!)

The World News Crossword - May 20th, 2018 is a teaching and learning activity based on the events of last week’s news. There is a crossword on last week’s news events, there are two background/explainer search and cloze puzzles (The Venezuela crisis and Jerusalem), and there is another crossword based on a country mentioned in the news crossword (this week it’s Comoros). What happened in last week’s news? India inaugurated a hydro-electric dam that prompted protests from Pakistan because it affects water flowing into the Indus River. Ebola cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 4000 vaccine doses arrived in Kinshasa. Comoros’ ex-president was arrested on charges relating to selling citizenship. Malaysia’s ex-PM’s residence was raided of bags of cash and jewelry. A mountain lion killed a mountain biker in the US. Hawaii’s volcano erupted, prompting more evacuations. Australia and the US were the only countries to vote against a UN investigation into the Israeli killings of Palestinians in Gaza. The two background/explainer puzzles aim to teach more about ongoing news stories. This week there is an explanation of why Jerusalem is central to the Middle East troubles. There is also an explanation of Venezuela’s economic and human crisis. These puzzles are excellent for driving students’ research skills. When students work in small groups they learn cooperation and team work. They help with concentration and, of course, handwriting. But best of all, these puzzles generate real-world discussions. The students leave the less asking questions like, ‘Why would North Korea even want nuclear weapons and why does the US care?’ ‘Why does China want a military base in the South China Sea?’ ‘Why have some UK supermarkets added a ‘plastic-free’ label on some products?’

The World News Crossword - February 11th, 2018 is a simple pdf document so it's easy to download and easy to print (or save to a USB for later). The World News Crossword is a crossword based on the events in last week's news. (And there are two more BONUS puzzles.) Norway's Winter Olympic team's chefs ordered 13,500 too many eggs. (They could've made a HUGE pavlova cake.) Justin Trudeau got in trouble for suggesting peoplekind instead of mankind. Germany's police investigated a teenager being burnt at a witches' festival. Formula 1 announced it will replace its grid girls, with grid kids, (but is that better or worse?) Paris' Eiffel Tower was closed because of snow. China's police started using sunglasses with cameras and face recognition software, to find criminals. An Indian woman accused her husband and brother in law of stealing her kidney. It wasn't all silly though... last week police in Scotland were called to a farm where a tiger was reportedly on the loose. That was serious. Oh but it was a big fluffy toy tiger on the loose.

The World News Crossword is reviews last week’s news events. It’s simple to complete and can be an individual or a small group activity. It will prompt discussion about the world. This week there were corrupt government officials and NGO workers. There was a deadly typhoon in Vietnam. A new ape discovered in Sumatra and some presidents did some strange things - all of which will stimulate discussions, probably beginning with ‘Why...’ And perhaps students will learn that their smartphones can be used to read the news or research places, people, and events. Last week’s news went from a Yemeni rocket to a German zucchini. Saudi Arabia intercepted a rocket fired from Yemen. They also intercepted some corrupt princes and politicians. Catalonia’s president was sacked, Lebanon’s PM quit, and Iceland’s president asked the Left-Green Movement to form a government. Zimbabwe’s president said he favoured the death penalty and Aung Sun Suu Kyi finally visited the area in her country where genocide has been carried out by her country’s army. The US president’s twitter account was shut down and Michelle Obama advised all children not to tweet everything they think because most of it’s rubbish that no one wants to know about. (I wonder which child she had in mind?) Cockatoos attacked Australia’s already slow broadband, a new species of ape was discovered and immediately declared endangered, and scientists said they now know why 90% of mammoth fossils are from males. Ferrari announced it would report a billion Euro profit, a Hong Kong businessman sold his skyscraper for $US 5 billion, and the Red Cross announced that over $US 2 million was stolen by its staff in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis. In France the language authority said no to gender-neutral language, in Switzerland a 7 year old ran away from her parents, took a train to Geneva airport, and snuck onto a plane, and in Germany a man found a bomb in his garden, but it turned out to be a sinister-looking zucchini.

The World News Crossword (July 29th, 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week's news events. But wait! There's more... three more crosswords. There's one about Australia. There's one about the USA. And there's another on countries and their famous landmarks. In last week's news... China's president announced that everyone in the Chinese army has to support the communist party. Over 20,000 people were evacuated because of a fire at a concert in Spain. There were forest fires along the French coast. There was flooding in China and New Zealand and a suspicious water shortage in the Murray-Darling river basin area that the government is investigating. Pakistan's prime minister was made to resign because of dishonest activity revelled in the Panama Papers. North Korea fired another rocket into the Japan Sea. The US Navy fired some rockets near an Iranian ship. And the Sri Lankan navy rescued an elephant that had been swept out to sea. And a few days later they rescued two more. There's a serious international dispute brewing because Gran Canaria imported sand from Western Sahara - the UN has rules about trading with countries that are occupied (Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco). And the Dumbest News Story Ever Award goes to the people in Rotorua (New Zealand) who have imported mud from South Korea and used $NZ100,000 given by government, i.e. the taxpayer, to do so. It's for a festival. It's mud. $100,000 of taxpayer money??? So... a crossword all about last week's news and a few other very handy resources to have in your pocket. It's all one pdf document so it can be downloaded and stored on a flash drive, ready to print and use in a flash!

The World News Crossword (June 25th, 2017) is a simple crossword based on last week's news events. This week there are THREE BONUS puzzles that can be saved to a USB drive and stuffed into your pocket ready to be used at a moment's notice. Perfect for emergencies. The World News Crossword prompts students to discuss news events around the world. Brexit. Qatar. The White House. Climate change. The Middle East. The Great Barrier Reef. And maybe they'll ask where Sichuan is. Or where exactly is North Korea. Or perhaps they'll ask why - why is it a big deal that a small rural New Zealand newspaper publish the names of drunk drivers? Or that French bus drivers who aren't allowed to wear shorts chose to wear skirts? And then a group of UK school kids did the same - and how did these stories relate to climate change? The News puzzle can be used with young or old students, individually or in small groups, in class or for homework. The three bonus puzzles can be used when substituting for absent colleagues or during rainy lunch times.

A lot happened in the world last week. Some of it was important and some of it was just silly. Most of it is worth knowing about. I hope this week's crossword prompts discussions that start with 'Why...' The US president went to Belgium and ate lots of chocolates and the Belgian royal family disapproved of a Burger King advertisement. Diesel cars are still being sold despite emitting 18 times the legal level of pollution. So much for the Paris Agreement on climate change, speaking of which, more than 90 people were killed and over a hundred more are missing in Sri Lanka after huge rainfall caused flooding and landslides. In Sicily the US First Lady wore a coat that retails for more than $50,000. More than 150 children under 5 die every day in Myanmar because of fighting and poverty. Sailing in the America's Cup began and Arsenal won the FA Cup. In Australia a teenager ran across the horse racing track because someone dared him. Also in Australia, a Jetstar plane revved up ready for taxiing while a ground crew member was still attached to the plane's nose, but in London, BA cancelled all flights because their computer system crashed. Construction work began on a huge telescope in Chile and a Brazilian mother who stole an Easter egg for her kids was given a harsher prison sentence than the politicians who stole millions of dollars of public money. This week there are THREE bonus puzzles - Climate change, European countries, US states... It's a pdf document. It's quick and easy to download / save to a flash drive on your keyring. Then you have a simple and very worthwhile lesson activity in your pocket. Brilliant!!

Climate Change Crosswords is a pdf document containing 5 crosswords that focus on the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change - and what we can do about it. There isa bonus puzzle about the Amazon Basin - perhaps the most significant region in terms of climate change. There's another crossword on The Might Mi__i__i__i River. (And then some more on Africa, Asia and Europe - for a rainy day.) Climate change is real, it’s here, and it’s getting worse, but there’s hope. That’s the message of these crosswords. Climate change is happening because of global warming which is happening because humans burn too much fossil fuel, cut down way too many trees, use cars instead of bicycles, throw away too much food, and farm too many animals. The glaciers are retreating. The ocean is warming. The polar ice masses are melting. The sea level is rising. More extreme weather events are occuring. And the worst affected are the poorest people because they tend to live near the edges of rivers and the sea. What can we do about it? Each puzzle includes suggestions. Hopefully these crosswords educate students about what is happening to the earth’s climate and its people. Hopefully they’ll learn why it’s happening and how climate change can be stopped, or mitigated. There’s something a little sneaky and tricky about crosswords. Kids feel compelled to finish them. Try them.

The World News Crossword is a simple PDF that can be downloaded and printed in just a few minutes. It's a simple activity suitable for PSHE, English, Geography, Economics... Crosswords are good for supporting language learning, for research skills, for handwriting, for logic and thinking, for collaboration and team work... And students will learn about what happened around the world last week... Somalia requested an arms embargo be lifted but at the same time about 6 million Somalian people are facing food and water shortages because of a drought. The US is close to finalising a $US100 million arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Rory McIlroy signed a $US100 million equipment deal and Sergio Garcia hit a hole in one in the same tournament that another golfer hit three tee shots into the water for a sextuple-bogey. The DRC announced an Ebola outbreak and Brazil announced the end of its Zika virus crisis. There was a worldwide cyber-attack on hospitals. The Russian Foreign Minister visited the White House and the president sacked the FBI’s director. Russian police arrested 11 people for reading the Russian constitution aloud in Red Square. They also arrested a man for filming himself playing Pokemon Go inside a church. Germany’s economy grew significantly in the last quarter. China announced a $US100 billion infrastructure plan to boost economic growth in Asia. Solar power is at a record low price in India and Dutch officials opened a new wind farm in the North Sea. The US will definitely lose all of its glaciers in the next few decades (not counting Alaska’s glaciers of course). The US secretary of state signed a commitment to protect the Arctic and to support scientific research into climate change. Paris’ Gare du Nord was evacuated and small bomb exploded in Rome. Emmanuel Macron won France’s presidential election. A mathematician and a bullfighter are candidates for his party’s general election. The US Air Force secret unmanned space plane landed after more than 700 days in space. (Shhh, don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret.) Of course, this activity is less about what happened and more about why... Why is China aiming to boost the region's economies? Why did Emmanuel Macron win with such a large majority? Why will the US' glaciers all be gone soon? Let the students chat about the puzzle's clues and see where the discussion goes. As always there are some bonus puzzles for the students who finish early, for students in a lesson that you have to substitute for, or just for fun during a rainy lunchtime... This week the bonus puzzles are about the Pacific countries, Europe, and well-known world landmarks.

This is a simple crossword activity aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in our world. Download and then print this easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative home room period or even a substitution lesson when the absent colleague hasn't left enough work. You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events. (You might even give them colleagues to keep them happy during staff meetings - but don't let the bosses catch you!) In this week's puzzle... Obamacare survived. Somali pirates released a Sri Lankan ship and crew. An avalanche in Japan and a cyclone in Queensland. New Zealanders submitted a petition to protest against water being sold to China, India, and the Middle East. Britain was attacked by a lone terrorist. And Vladimir told Marine that Russia won't meddle in France's presidential election. Of course the real value of this crossword is the discussion it'll generate... Why did these things happen? Why, of all the things that happened in the world, were these the events reported in the news? The wording of these news events is interesting too; is there any bias in the wording? The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. There are two BONUS puzzles that focus on the United Kingdom's history and geography. Good for KS3 as well as older classes.

This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what happened in their world last week. Download and then print this simple and easy to use PDF and save time preparing for the next English, Economics, Geography, Business, or PSHE lesson. The puzzles are excellent for a lively and informative homeroom period or even a substitution lesson when the absent colleague hasn't left enough work. You save your precious time and the students get to learn about last week's news events. The puzzles seem to work best when students work in pairs or groups of three, so they discuss the clues and therefore the events of their world. They work even better if the teacher does the puzzle with the students. It's less bout the puzzle's clues and answers and more about the questions and discussion that result from them. For example... What is match-fixing? Why would people protest against China building a port in Sri Lanka. Where is Ghana? Why kill the ducks in France? Why would Israel withhold money from its annual United Nations dues? Where is Fort Lauderdale? Where are Chad and Libya? What is the Turner Prize awarded for? Where is Cueta? Why is there a civil war in Syria? Where is Abuja? Why would parents allow their children to work in a brick kiln? What are bison? Could a palace in Sweden be haunted by a ghost? Really? Why replace workers with an AI system? What’s AI? Where is Guantánamo Bay? What does Germany have to do with Namibia? As a bonus, there are three more puzzles... European capitals, Asian capitals, and African capitals. Because it might be good if they know where these countries and their capital cities are. It's a bit of fun, and educational of course, but watch closely and you'll see how crosswords can help students improve their handwriting. There's a new puzzle created every week, so don't forget to come back every Monday morning for another simple and easy and very useful learning activity.

This resource contains three crosswords... 1. World Economics News A crossword based on Economics events in the news over the last 2-3 weeks. Egypt floated its currency in preparation for an IMF loan. The UK Pound fell, but then rose again. Venezuela's economic chaos is causing a mini-boom for Brazil's border towns. Economists have warned of stagflation for Britain. Google made a huge profit in Ireland but didn't pay much tax. Vietnam's government is aiming to stimulate consumer spending... and more. This crossword is not intended to be difficult. It will hopefully stimulate discussion about the Economics that's happening in the world right now. 2. Supply, demand, equilibrium, and elasticities Just as it says on the label... a crossword to reinforce the students' learning of supply, demand, equilibrium, and elasticities. Suitable for GCSE, A Level, IB Diploma, and AP Economics. 3. What happened in the world last week? November 7th, 2016 This puzzle is published every week and is pasted into this resource as a "freebie" sample. A simple crossword based last week's news... politics, elections, sports, business, weather, geography... it's all in there and it's all good discussion material. Excellent for when you have to substitute for an absent colleague. Yes, all the answers are included.

What happened in our world? November 7th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting). See which department's teachers are the smartest. In this week's puzzle… The Peruvians released baby turtles into the Amazon region and two Australians stood on a turtle and posted their selfie on the internet. Elsewhere in Australia a Danish tourist slipped, few, and landed on the back of a crocodile. And it bit him. Vladimir Putin unveiled a statue of... St Vladimir. The government closed schools in Delhi because of air pollution, cigarettes were declared the number one cause of non-contagious disease deaths and drug-resistant tuberculosis is far more widespread in Nigeria than previously thought. Egypt floated its currency and increased the price of energy. Canada's spy agency kept data on non-threatening citizens, their military investigated a mysterious pinging sound in the Arctic, and a diver found an old bomb. See, there was more in the news than Donald You-Know-Who. This is a simple crossword aiming to encourage students to ask about what's happening in their world. How did tuberculosis become drug-resistant? Why aren't cigarettes illegal if they're so bad? Why did Britain's pound lose value and then regain it at the end of the week? As a bonus, there are TWO more crosswords. One asks students to identify the country of origin of some unique things - such as the rouble, the Urdu language, the RCMP, and kangaroos. The other puzzle is for the Economics teacher (or for when you have to supervise an Economics class).

What happened in our world? September 18th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events (and there are THREE MORE very useful puzzles attached). The answers are included. This resource is a pdf document so it's quick to download and quick to print. (Note... when the resource is uploaded on Sunday it's priced at £2:00, but from Monday, it's discounted to £1:50. This is because of the site's minimum price and sale/discount feature. So wait until Monday morning before buying it.) In this week's puzzle… The Global Fund raised almost 13 million dollars to eradicate AIDS, malaria and Tb while Pakistan began fortifying basic foods to combat malnutrition and Florida expanded its 'Zika zone'. David Cameron announced his resignation from politics, riots erupted in the DRC - protesting for early presidential elections, Nigeria's president admitted copying some of Barack Obama's speeches, and he also announced that his government would swap Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls. And... a man in Indiana posted dead skunks and raccoons to another man (it was something to do with basketball or football). This crossword is fairly simple because it's not about solving the puzzle - it's about getting students to think about and discuss the news events and the people affected by these events. Students could use their smartphones to look at the news and so they'll learn that phones are more than just social media gadgets. They'll hopefully ask about the news too, like why is Norway planning to cull 2 million wolves? Why did Indian Kashmir police shoot and kill a twelve year old boy. And why were there violent protests in Bengaluru? This week there are THREE bonus puzzles about countries, cities, and famous people. All of these puzzles can be used with a wide range of students, from middle to secondary school, and in a wide range of subjects. They're good for PSHE and homeroom situations, for Social Studies or English classes, for students with ADHD or handwriting issues, for students in a time-out situation, for homework... and for use with classes that substitute / supply teachers are supervising. Print them and have them ready for the emergency situations.

What happened in our world? July 10th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. (Please note... when the resource is uploaded on Sunday it's priced at £2:00, but from Monday, it's priced at £1:50. This is because of the site's minimum price and sale/discount feature. So wait until Monday morning before buying it.) It's a pdf document. It's quick to download and quick to print. These puzzles work best for me when I print enough for students to work in groups of three. In this week's puzzle… President Obama had to leave from the back of Air Force One when he arrived in China for the G20 Summit (awkward). China and the US ratified the French Climate deal (very good). John McEnroe gave Nick Kyrgios some good advice (sage and timely). More clowns were seen in South Carolina (creepy). Scotland welcomed its 1000th Syrian refugee (very good). The world's longest glass bridge closed for maintenance (window cleaning?). Anti-bacterial soap was banned in the US (why?). Samsung recalled the Galaxy 7 Note (curious). An Austrian politician said that multi-nationals pay less tax than sausage stands (what's a sausage stand?). A 7.1 earthquake shook New Zealand's North Cape (crikey). This crossword is fairly simple because it's not about solving the puzzle - it's about getting students to think about and discuss the news events and the people affected by these events. Students could use their smartphones to look at the news and so they'll learn that iPhones are more than just social media gadgets. They'll hopefully ask about the news too, like why would so many people want to go from Syria to Scotland and what's the France deal that China and US signed? And what's so wrong or right about a burkini? This week there are TWO bonus puzzles. The first is about natural hazards such as earthquakes and avalanches and pandemics. Geography and Social Studies teachers will love this puzzle, as will other teachers who have to supervise a Geography or Social Studies teacher for a sick colleague. The second bonus puzzle asks students to name countries and the clues are capital cities, or mountain, or rivers and it's tricky, so it'll keep even the gifted and talented students gainfully and positively busy. The puzzles can be used with a wide range of students, from middle to secondary school, and in a wide range of subjects. They're good for PSHE and homeroom situations, for Social Studies or English classes, for students with ADHD or handwriting issues, for students in a time out situation, for homework... and for use with classes that substitute / supply teachers are supervising.

What happened in our world? August 29th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. It's a low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and Donald Trump-free learning resource. Three crosswords in one easy to download and print pdf document. a. What happened in the world? b. Name the countries. c. The Olympics. In this week's news crossword puzzle… a Czech lost in the New Zealand wilderness for a month, the earthquake in Italy, Stephen Harper announced his retirement from politics, A Japanese airline grounded its Dreamliner fleet, the All Blacks beat the Wallabies and many more... These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? There are TWO bonus crosswords. One asks students to identify the countries in which cities, mountains or other features are located. (Do you think they know where Mauritius is? Perhaps they'll ask to see it on a map. Perhaps they'll ask to go there in the next holiday.) And another crosswords on The Olympics. Who won the men's 1500m bronze medal (and how old was he)? What is the motto for the Olympics? Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (during a staff meeting if you dare). And don't forget to come back next Sunday evening for more crosswords.

What happened in our world? May 15th, 2016 is a delicious and nutritious crossword based on last week's news events. It's low-calorie, high-fibre, high-interest, and nothing at all to do with SATs. In this week's puzzle… New Zealand's Mt Ruapehu is grumbling and may erupt soon. Japan now has more electric car recharging places than petrol stations. Shell set up a new division all about renewable power. Ukraine won Eurovision, much to Russia's annoyance. A prehistoric whale washed up on an Australian beach. The OED added 500 new words, and removed just one (gullible). Hong Kong glued pavement bricks down so they can't be thrown by protesters. Andy beat Novak, Barca beat Granada, and Man U's game was cancelled. (And still nothing about Donald Trump because I'm hoping that if I ignore him, he'll go away). These are simple crosswords aiming to encourage our students to ask about what's happening in their world - what happened in the world? Why did it happen and where? And most importantly, who are the people affected? As a bonus, there's a crossword asking students to squish fruit and vegetables into a crossword. I wrote squish there because squash would've seemed a bit punny. Who knows, one child somewhere in the world may be inspired to eat a carrot or an orange. Why weren't oranges called greens? And tomatoes are a funny thing, aren't they? Some people hate them. Some people just hate the skin. Their pronunciation is controversial. Their spelling is iffy. And are they a fruit or veg.? Meanwhile the potato just does its humble potatoey thing. And how's thins for a clue… Orange, but not an orange. Or this one… Straw. Rasp. Black and blue. See - healthy, nutritious, non-controversial and very very cherry berry educational. Use the crosswords in your home-room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). This week you can even use them in the garden or orchard. Keep the comments coming in - we love to hear how the crosswords are being eaten by you and your students.

What happened in our world? February 28th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… Japan's population fell. The Cambodian's spent $40,000 building a toilet for a visiting princess. It wasn't used. Most rural Cambodian homes don't have any toilets. Croatia and Slovenia set limits on the number of refugees being admitted. While a drought scorched Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe ate cake. The Nigerian government found more than 20,000 people on it's payroll - oh wait, names only. The people don't exist. The Indian government's budget aimed to boost farm incomes and alleviate rural poverty. Members of the New Zealand public did a crowd-funding thing and bought a pristine beach for about 2 million dollars and then gifted it to the government so it can be added into a national park. A naughty little Australian boy had his hand stuck in a vending machine for about 5 hours. And finally, a ceasefire (perhaps better described as a reduction in fighting) was declared in Syria. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. As a bonus, there's a crossword identifying some good books and their authors. Use the crosswords in your home room class, in subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom (or even in a staff meeting if you dare). I'm sorry for not uploading a crossword on February 14th. No I wasn't 'otherwise engaged' on Valentine's Day. It was a small matter of malaria and hospital. Hopefully, we're back on schedule...

What happened in our world? February 7th, 2016 is a crossword based on last week's news events. In this week's puzzle… An earthquake in Taiwan. A photo bombing horse. Lassa and Zika virus. Why did Liverpool F.C. fans walk out at the 77th minute mark? Romania cancelled a law that allowed a lower sentence for prisoners who wrote a book. France banned supermarkets from throwing away excess food. Apple responded to criticism about Error 53. These are simple crosswords aiming to make our students talk about what's happening in their world, why it's happening, where, and to whom. As a bonus, there's a crossword on geographical features… In which country is Lake Baikal? Where is Mont Blanc? Mt Etna? Lake Taupo? Prince Edward Island? K2? (If these are so easy to find, can someone please tell me where my stapler is?) Use them in in your home room class, in for subject lessons, in substitution lessons, in lunchtime or after school clubs, in the time-out room, or even in the staffroom.