Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown across the UK on Saturday after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. The new measures will come to effect on Thursday 5 November and will last until 2 December.

There are currently more than 9000 Covid-19 cases within England. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, places of worship and non-essential shops are closed but colleges, schools and universities will remain open.

Frank Letch, who is the mayor of Crediton, stated: "This new lockdown will reduce the amount of deaths and slow down the spread of the virus."

People are being told to avoid non-essential travel and only go out into work if it's not possible to work from home.

Many people have died of the virus including comedian Eddie Large who was best known for his partnership with Syd Little.

People are expected to follow the rules to save lives and protect the NHS, and remember to stay at home, wash their hands and make space.

A global group has called for a one day boycott of Amazon on Black Friday, due to their possible underpayment of tax.

The organisers of the protests state that Amazon do not treat their workers fairly, paying them too little during the pandemic. Also, citizens think that Amazon hurts our environment due to the trucks they send - people claim that Amazon are causing air pollution because of how many deliveries and cars they are driving.

Many people from all over the world use Amazon because of its convenience. Many other people disagree with the protest because people claim Amazon gives some of their workers money for university and spent £500m on bonuses for Christmas staff.

Sara, a local doctor, stated: “I used to think Black Friday was a brilliant idea for buying items from Amazon for cheaper prices, but this has made me question Amazon.”

Guy, a consultant, said: “Black Friday has two sides, one which is good and one which is bad. It is good when people can buy items for a lower price and bad if people go off buying things they don’t need which causes more waste.”

Beatrice, a mother of two, expressed: “I think Amazon is a good business concept but I think it is sad that over the years as it’s expanded it's taken away from small businesses. It’s also really disappointing that such a powerful company is unable to reduce their carbon footprint."

Yanis, an economist, took on a one-day boycott of Amazon with trade unionists, environmental activists, privacy campaigners and tax advocates. The first action took place in Sydney, Australia, with a protest at the Amazon warehouse. Protests also happened in Bangladesh, Brazil, France, India, Italy and many more places.

Mick, a trade union boss, argued that: “Enough is enough. Companies like Amazon should be treating their workers with respect, not treating them like Robots. Amazon responded by saying: “The group’s motivations were misleading and motivated by self-interested groups”.

On Black Friday, a global coalition has called for a one-day boycott of Amazon, due to its treatment of its workers and the environment.

The organisers of the boycott claim that Amazon, "the everything shop", damages the environment, has made a vast amount of money during the pandemic and that they do not treat their workers with enough respect.

The #MakeAmazonPay group gave the company a list of demands that included raising the workers’ pay, putting an end to union-busting and taking climate action.

Many people claim that they do not want Amazon to earn too much money because it’s not good for the environment. They believe Amazon is bad for the world of book selling and the way they run the business means that independent bookshops find it hard to to survive.

Many people across the globe disagree. They think Amazon are convenient in the pandemic era with one-day delivery, and they have spent over £500m on bonuses for Christmas staff and they have a wide range of products. In an interview, Helen Williamson, a mother of four, explained: “We use Amazon all the time. It’s very convenient - all the family use it.”

Emmanuel, a father of three, and an accountant, said: “It’s good that they protest Amazon because they are avoiding their taxes.” Sharon, a grandmother of five, also the founder of Social Care 4 You, said: “I do not think Amazon should be protested because Amazon is a great company with their great deals.”

Amazon will only pay their workers £500m over Christmas, and this is something the protestors are protesting about. This amount is only a small fraction of what they make every day. Trade union boss, Mick, commented: “Enough is enough. Companies like Amazon should be treating their workers with respect not like robots.”

From Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June, pupils and staff of a London primary school will be celebrating Wellbeing Week. They are doing this to encourage positive mental health and wellbeing.

The school began celebrating Wellbeing Week in 2016. Wellbeing Week is a week that is designed to help pupils and staff focus on their mental health and wellbeing.

Mrs B, a member of staff, stated that: “It’s a time to relax and take pressure away from everybody. It’s always good to feel like you’re getting a treat and very good for your mental health.”

During Wellbeing Week, pupils have relaxing lessons out of books to focus on themselves. Some things staff do include going home at 4pm and there is no marking in books to reduce pressure.

A child in year 5 explained that: “I love Wellbeing Week because we don’t have to work in books and there is less pressure.”

It is understood that mental health affects how we think, feel and interact with others. Our mental wellbeing is important because 8% of people living in the UK have anxiety and depression and one in four people have mental health issues.

The school hopes that children will learn that they can have more positive wellbeing.

Mr G, a deputy head, stated: “I think that wellbeing is really important because it’s about who we are, and in the last year and a half particularly, it’s been so difficult.”

Hillbrook are thinking about making a theme for the next Wellbeing Week and will continue to have Wellbeing Week three times a year.

Pupils and teachers at a London primary school will be celebrating Wellbeing Week from Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June. It will be a chance for them to focus and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Wellbeing Week is a fundraising initiative for schools, established by the Mental Health Foundation. Throughout the week, everyone will learn about the wellbeing of themselves and their peers. Wellbeing week was initiated 21 years ago in America. The school has been using Wellbeing since 2016 and has since been a joy to students and teachers alike.

The Indigo Times spoke to a year 5 pupil who claimed: “Wellbeing Week is a treat and I always love the out of book lessons.”

On the topic of lessons, the hardworking teachers have designed enjoyable lessons and activities. We spoke to a dozen teachers about what they’re doing and one common theme was spending well deserved family time. This unique week helps you become charitable and positive and also helps curtail mental health risks.

“It’s a time to relax and take pressure away from everybody,” said the deputy head of the school, “it helps us connect and become more knowledgeable.”

According to research, mental health affects how we think, feel and act. The data shows that one in four British citizens will have mental health issues. Your wellbeing is an essential thing since it’s the state of comfort and happiness. On a sad note, 8% of people in the UK will have a combination of anxiety and depression.

Pupils and teachers at the school are looking forward to obtaining more opportunities to celebrate Wellbeing Week. Also it has been revealed that they’re considering a theme inspired by mental health week and their theme system.

Year 6 from a London school went on a residential trip to Kench Hill in May for a week of fun outdoor activities.

Due to Covid, last year’s trip was cancelled, but when restrictions were lifted in March 2021, year 6 were able to visit for a week. They were the first to visit since the lockdown restrictions were relaxed.

To ensure everyone’s safety, only one school was allowed at the centre and the adults had to have regular tests during the visit.

The Kench Hill site and grounds are very historical and there has always been a house or farm there for around 250 years. It was once an emergency maternity hospital in the second world war. Since 1975 the centre has been hosting children for residential trips with their schools.

During their visit the children took part in various entertaining and educational activities such as: raft building and sailing, bread making, feeding chickens as well as a stream walk and many other activities.

Muratali, a student from the school, said: "I enjoyed orienteering and playing table tennis”.

Aniyah, who also went on the trip, stated: “I’d rate it a 10/10 as it was a super fun experience for young children and my favourite thing to do was the archery as it made me feel like I was in the Hunger Games!”

Jenni, a parent of a year 6 pupil, revealed how she felt when her daughter was away: “It felt like something was missing around the house - like a loss of excitement and activity.”

Barney, who works at Kench Hill said: “During lockdown the centre was unable to open up for residential visits however we diversified and supported local schools, providing outdoor educational programmes for key workers and vulnerable children. We also opened up a new holiday club for local children to visit during the school holidays.”

Hopefully, if restrictions remain lifted, schools will continue to visit Kench Hill.

On 23 March 2020, schools in England were closed due to the pandemic and students had to learn online. Since 8 March 2021, schools have reopened and many have questioned whether schools should stay open or return to online learning.

Cases in England remain low, so it is unlikely that children will return to online learning. Although some children struggled with online learning, many thrived. Elsa, a year 6 pupil, commented: “Online lessons were hard, but they allowed the teachers and students to get to know each other better.”

The positive aspects of online learning are: student independence, pupils learn how to organise their time and it gives children the chance to go at a slower pace.

Although there are positive sides to online school, there are still many negative aspects in the system of online learning. Samuel, aged 11, said: "Online school was fun, but very complicated as sometimes the internet didn’t work.”

If online education continues, there would be less social interaction and some children will continue to struggle with using their time wisely and be distracted.

Coronavirus cases are currently lower which means that pupils will most likely stay in school. It has been reported that students who spend more time in the classroom have lower rates of stress and worry than their online classmates.

As coronavirus cases are decreasing, it appears very unlikely that students will return to online learning, but blended learning could be part of future learning.

The UK Government is looking into the possibility of longer school days to help address the huge loss of vital time in the classroom over the last two years.

They are considering doing this so that the current generation will not miss out on the education that previous years have benefited from.

Mrs Young, Rhosddu Primary School headteacher, told us: "It should help pupils catch up, but I wonder if it will require too much concentration in a day. If it was here, I would like to do something different such as den building, drama, archaeology, bird boxes and bike riding.”

Mrs Jebb, a teacher, said: “I do think that an extended school day is an excellent idea - but I thought this long before Covid. I think that after-school sessions for specific children who have fallen behind would be a lot better... you can target these children and teach them what they are missing.”

University of Cambridge researchers do not believe longer schools days will make up for the Covid disruption .

The government in England is considering a national tutoring program offering small group and one-to-one tuition. As part of the recovery package this year, summer schools will be introduced for pupils in England who need it the most.

A tornado ripped through several streets in East London on the evening of Friday 25th June, damaging homes, destroying brick walls and smashing car windows.

A tornado is rapidly spinning air that stretches from a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. Tornadoes form in changing weather conditions as part of bad thunderstorms.

When you think of tornadoes you probably think of the USA, but the UK gets an average of 30 - 50 tornadoes a year. There have already been around seven tornadoes in the UK this year. In 2015, scientists looked at tornadoes in the UK and found that the area from Berkshire to London was likely to be hit by a tornado once every 17 years.

Tornadoes are measured using the ‘F’ scale, which goes from F0 to F5. 95% of British tornadoes are classed as F0 – F1, meaning that they only cause “moderate” damage.

The earliest F5-strength tornado on record struck London in 1901 and had wind speeds of up to 240 mph. The deadliest tornado in the UK, which caused five deaths, happened on 27th October 1913, in south Wales.

Shackleton’s lost ship, the Endurance, has been found after 107 years. It was found on March 5 2022 in the Antarctic, just 4 miles from where it sank in 1915.

It sank on 21 November 1915 and was found by a ship called SA Agulhas II. This was their second attempt after the first attempt in 2019 which failed.

Mensun Bound, marine biologist, reported: “Footage showed the 144 ft shop to be intact. We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.” Bound continued: “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation.”

Shackleton and his crew left Plymouth to attempt the first land crossing of the Antarctic, but the Endurance became trapped in a pack of ice, forcing the crew to abandon the ship. When the ship set sail in 1915, they took food, bibles, books, clothing, tools and three open life boats. The boats also carried 1 cat, 69 dogs and 28 men.

The $10m expedition set off from Cape Town a month ago, with a 46 person crew and a 64 person expedition team. The Endurance22 expedition had “reached its goal,” said Dr John Shears, a veteran geographer who led the expedition.

The discovery has delighted people from around the world, including here in London. Roz, a teacher from Holloway, stated: “This story has really inspired the imagination of children in my class.”

10 year old Edie, who lives in London, said: “It will inspire people who want to learn archaeological history.”

Shears said: “I hope people become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together."

The site of the Endurance was declared a historic monument under the terms of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, and will be left preserved under the sea.

The lost ship of famous Antarctic explorer Sir Shackleton has been found after a long search, in sea ice.

The “world’s most challenging shipwreck search” succeeded after locating the wreck 3008 metres below the surface of what Shackleton described as “the worst portion of the worst sea in the world”. The Endurance has been lost for 107 years. It was discovered on Saturday 5 March 2022, on the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s funeral.

The Endurance was found at a depth of 3km and approximately 4 miles south of the position originally recorded. The ship Endurance sank in 1915, forcing Shackleton and his men to make an immediate escape on foot and in small boats. Although the ship had been sitting 3km down in the water for over a century, it was in remarkable condition.

According to Mensun Bound, the expedition’s director of exploration, footage showed the 144ft ship to be intact. “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance,” he said. “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact and in a brilliant state of preservation. This is a milestone in polar history.”

The discovery has excited children and adults from around the world. Luana, a school child from London, said: “I’m really interested to find out more about the boat and what they will do to it.”

Nilay, aged 10, stated: “I feel shocked that it has been discovered and it has been in the ocean for 107 years when the ship sank in 1915.”

Dr John Shears, a veteran geographer who led the expedition, said: “I hope people become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together."

Benzema scored a superb hat-trick at Real Madrid stadium, to send PSG out of the Champions League, putting his team through to the quarter finals.

Benzema broke the record of being the oldest professional to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League ever.

From being 1-0 down, thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s goal, Real Madrid went three goals up to advance to the next stage of the championship.

The match was not without controversy. Kylian Mbappé had two goals disallowed due to the offside rule.

Sunita, a 45-year-old Arsenal fan, said: “It’s really good he was the oldest player to score a hat trick for his team and is still a vital member of Real Madrid.”

Now that PSG have been knocked out, Real Madrid will ascend to the quarter finals of the Champions League.