The Week Junior UK - Issue 551 - 4 July 2026

Aug 7, 2026

A children’s weekly current affairs magazine for 4 July 2026 covering world events, surprising history, and engaging explanations. Features include the long-ago Wimbledon milestone of Arthur Ashe, the “word of the week” on language origins, and a debate about sports days in schools. Main news focuses on powerful earthquakes in Venezuela on 24 June, detailing how tectonic plates cause quakes and describing international rescue and aid efforts for people affected by damage, disruption, and displacement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time1 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

The big picture

Welcome

This week in history

The Week Junior Awesome World Puzzles

The big debate

Word of the week

Editor’s note

This week’s big news

A history of powerful earthquakes

The big picture On 28 June, giant panda Qi San Mei celebrated her second birthday with a special fruit and vegetable cake at Chongqing Zoo in China. 2 The Week Junior • 4 July 2026 ON THE COVER: ADOBE STOCK · GETTY IMAGES · ALAMY · REX SHUTTERSTOCK . THE BIG PICTURE : GETTY IMAGES . ON THIS PAGE : ALAMY · ADOBE STOCK Welcome Lost for words? Try starting a conversation with one of these questions, inspired by stories in this magazine. In the US, special new passports will feature a picture of Donald Trump. Who do you think should be featured on UK passports and why? Find out more about Trump’s latest idea on page 8. In Ohio, US, there’s a building that looks like a giant picnic basket. If you could design your own unusual building, what would it look like? Read about why someone created the eye-catching design on page 29. THIS WEEK IN HISTORY 5 July 1975 Arthur Ashe is the first black man to win Wimbledon Arthur Ashe with his trophy. US tennis player Arthur Ashe made history on 5 July 1975 when he became the ﬁrst black man to win the Wimbledon singles title. He beat the previous champion, Jimmy Connors. Although Ashe was already the ﬁrst black man to win the US Open in 1968 and had earned several other titles, people expected Connors to win. At 31 years old, Ashe was considered past his peak. However, Ashe had a plan, mixing strong serves with softer shots to throw Connors off his game.“I always thought I would win,” Ashe said later. The Week Junior Awesome World Puzzles takes readers on a journey around the globe. Which countries would you like to visit? Have a look at our Book of the Week on page 24. The big debate Should schools have sports days? Page 10. WORDOFTHEWEEK GRUMPY Grumpy (page 7), used to describe a person feeling bad-tempered, is more than 300 years old. It is based on grump, an older word for someone in a bad mood. Both words are onomatopoeic, meaning that they sound like the things or quality they describe. In this case they may be a version of grunt, with an added noise of displeasure at the end. To utter this noise was also known as grumphing. 4 July 2026 • The Week Junior Editor’s note Some of the team went to the London Children’s Literature Festival in Barnes, London, on 27 and 28 June. We had a fantastic time and met some of our readers. In our Make a Magazine session we had our young audience thinking up ideas for the cover, and one person said she’d like a panda. We couldn’t ﬁnd a story important enough for a panda cover this week, but the image you can see on the opposite page was the nearest we could get – and I love it! Thank you to everyone who came along to the festival and said hello. On this week’s Book Club, on page 25, we are featuring the shortlist for Hobbies and Interests, the category that I am judging in The Week Junior Book Awards. It’s going to be hard to pick a winner from that selection but I’m looking forward to discussing it with my fellow judges. Have you had a chance to vote for Children’s Choice and Cover of the Year? We want to hear from you – you’ll ﬁnd details of how to vote on page 25. Editor Don’t just read The Week Junior... Listen to it! This week Bex, Eve and Joe remember their favourite event at their school sports days. Scan this code to take youtherset!raight 3 This week’s big news A history of powerful earthquakes Caracas Rescuers from Turkey and the US search through rubble. Venezuela has had severe earthquakes in the past but the second of the two quakes that struck on 24 June was the most powerful to hit the country since 1900. The country is vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on the boundary of the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are the large pieces that make up the Earth’s crust. The plates are constantly moving – but extremely slowly. Sometimes, the plates get stuck and pressure builds. When the pressure becomes too much and the plates

FAQs

What happened in Venezuela on 24 June 2026, according to the magazine?

Two powerful earthquakes struck on 24 June, with the second quake occurring 38 seconds after the first. They caused building collapses, road damage, and disrupted electricity, gas, and water supplies in several areas.

Why are earthquakes common in Venezuela?

Venezuela is vulnerable because it sits on the boundary between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates. When pressure builds as plates get stuck and then suddenly moves, it releases energy that shakes the ground.

What kinds of help did other countries offer after the earthquakes?

Countries promised assistance, sending rescue workers and medical supplies. The UK committed £2 million, the European Union pledged £4.3 million, and the US promised around £113 million, with plans to deliver items such as shelter-building materials and clean-water equipment.

Aug 7, 2026

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