India will soon have 29 states. The government has decided to split the state of Andhra Pradesh into two states - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telangana has long asked for statehood as it felt the Andhra Pradesh government ignored its development. The new Telangana state will focus on developing the region. The government must now get parliamentary approval and divide resources between the two states before Telangana can be officially formed, which may take over a year.

1. Space Search
PG 4-5
CFN
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B
India will soon have 29 states
y this time next year,
your school textbooks
will be speaking of
India’s 29 states, not
the 28 we have at present. That’s
because the government has
decided to split (break-up) the
state of Andhra Pradesh into
two states. The coastal region
will continue to be called Andhra
Pradesh, while the other half will
be called Telangana. Both states
will have the same capital city,
Hyderabad.
Why is Andhra being broken
up?
Andhra Pradesh state was
formed in 1956 by joining
Telangana with the Andhra
region. The idea was to create
a state by joining areas where
people spoke the same language
– Telegu. But the people of
Telangana did not welcome
this and have been asking for a
separate state for many years.
That’s because they feel that the
government of Andhra Pradesh
has been ignoring the Telangana
region. They point out that very
little money is being spent to
develop the area and very few
jobs are being created for the
people living in Telangana.
When the new state is formed, it
will have a separate government
that will focus exclusively on
Telangana. Things will get much
better and region will become
prosperous (wealthy), say the
people living there.
When will the new state be
formed?
Now that it has made up its
mind about creating Telangana
state, the Government of
Telangana: The area in red will be taken out of Andhra Pradesh to create a new state of Telangana
India has to complete certain
activities before the new state
can be officially set up. Among
the most important is getting
the Parliament of India to agree
to the division. It also has to
work out how the resources of
the state – money, buildings,
companies – will be divided
between Andhra and Telangana.
There is a lot of work to be done
before text book makers can
start making changes in school
books.
CFN Photo Contest Winner
L
eewana Nanda, a Class 5 student of The Shri Ram School Vasant Vihar, has won
the CFN ‘Catch a Summer Moment’ Photo Contest 2013. Leewana’s picture of
a monitor lizard basking on a lotus leaf in a pool stands out for its excellent
composition and the play of light and shadow. The image of the basking lizard
brings to mind long, hot summer afternoons when you have all the time in the
world to simply gaze at the world around.
Leewana wins a subscription to SAVEUS, the wildlife and photography magazine
as well as an opportunity to participate in a photo workshop conducted by one of
India’s leading wildlife photographers.
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2. 2
Features
Did you Know? Like kittens, snow
leopard cubs are small and helpless
at birth – they do not open their eyes
until they are about 7 days old.
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
CFN
Can a woolen shawl strangle the snow leopard?
T
he highly endangered snow leopard is being
threatened by a Himalayan goat whose
coat is used to make fine cashmere shawls and
clothes that are prized for their warmth. Before
you start imagining a super goat that can
take on a leopard, we’ll quickly clarify that the
mountain goats are not defeating the leopard
in combat (fight). Rather, it’s the huge increase
in the number of goats that is threatening the
leopard.
What’s going wrong?
Why does it affect the snow leopard?
When herds increase like this, it affects the
snow leopard. That’s because the domestic
goats being reared for wool are pushing out
The Snow Leopard is an endangered big cat
the wild herbivores (grass eating animals)
of the region, such the Tibetan antelope
or Chiru and the Himalayan Bharal. These
herbivores are an important source of food
for the leopard. As their food supply dwindles
(reduces), the leopards are forced to prey on
the domestic cashmere goats. Shepherds and
farmers owning the goats are in turn killing
From 900 million miles away
T
he picture you are looking at is a snapshot of Earth taken
from near the planet Saturn. The photo was taken by
the Cassini spacecraft that is orbiting Saturn. When this
photo was taken on July 19, Cassini was at a distance of
1.4 billion kilometers from earth! No wonder then that our planet
is tiny blue speck.
The image was released by NASA, the US space agency that owns
Cassini. It is a very rare image as it is only the third time that an
image of earth has been captured from space. In the image you can
also see the rings of Saturn. Images of earth from space are rare as
spacecraft are rarely turn back lest their instruments be blinded by
the sun. But in this case, the sun’s rays are shielded by Saturn and we
have an opportunity to see our ‘Blue Planet’ from outer space.
the snow leopard to protect their property.
The number of such killings has increased
recently.
As the report also points out, any solution
to this problem will have to take care of
the farmer’s needs (protecting the wool
producing herds) without harming the highly
endangered cat.
In a little island in a big ocean,
there lived a hobbit
N
o, we aren’t speaking of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movie
that was filmed in New Zealand. Instead, scientists have
found remains of early humans no taller than three
feet, much like the beloved Hobbits of Tolkien’s books, in
an island belonging to Indonesia.
The discovery of a curiously small skeleton in the Indonesian
island of Flores a few years ago was proof that child sized humans
walked the earth 12,000 years ago. Recent study has shown that
they resembled, not apes as was thought earlier, but early humans.
If you remember your Tolkien, you’d know that his Hobbits too
looked like little humans except for their sturdy, oversize, hairy
feet.
So, is this a case of art (Tolkien’s) books unknowingly imitating
life?
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia
Cashmere wool, which is very fine and soft,
is spun from the hair of certain goat species
found in Central Asia and the Himalayan
regions of India, Nepal and Tibet. With
cashmere wool becoming very popular all
over the world, the rearing of the goat has
become a big business. In Mongolia (a country
in Central Asia) alone, the number of goats has
increased from 5 million in 1990 to 14 million
in 2014, according to a recent study. The study
was conducted by experts belonging to the
‘Snow Leopard Trust’ which works to protect
this big cat.

3. If you can’t look after something in
your care, you have no right to keep
it.
Features
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
— Enid Blyton
CFN
N a t u r a l
S p e a k i n g
3
Can cities become more like forests?
C
an cities become ‘green’ by protecting
the environment instead of polluting
it? Can cities give more back to the
earth, instead of always taking from it? Can
cities become more like the forest?
Experts in the field of bio-mimicry, which
is all about science inspired by nature,
certainly think so. And not surprisingly, they
believe that the answer comes from nature.
Cities can become more like a forest that
provides clean air, fresh water and food to
its inhabitants by imitating what the forest
does. And the good news is that modern
technology already has some of the solutions
to make this possible.
A natural air conditioner
In New York in the United States, a
skyscraper (tall building) has invested in
technology that enables air to leave the
building three times cleaner then when it
entered. By doing so, it is imitating what
trees do – inhaling poisonous carbon dioxide and releasing fresh oxygen.
Half way across the world, in the city of
Harare in Zimbabwe, a country in Africa, a
large commercial complex has been designed
to resemble a termite mound. The building
copies termite mounds in the way they
manage heat inside the mound. By imitating
such mounds, the Harare building has been
able to reduce the amount of air conditioning
(and hence electricity) used inside.
Material Science
We can also look to nature to create a
healthy environment within our cities.
A company in the US is developing ‘antifouling’ materials that imitate the natural
texture (feel) and resilience (strength) of
shark skin. Anti-fouling materials work
against the growth of bacteria and other
germs. Use of such materials in busy places
T H E
B O O K
like stations, hospitals and buses will block
diseases that occur when an ill person
passes on an infection by touching a counter
or staircase rail. The materials will fight the
growth of bacteria and germs and prevent
the disease from spreading.
Clearly, there are many lessons to be learnt
from nature that can help us clean-up our
cities!
N O O K
CFN-Rivo Book Review Contest Winner
‘Brer Rabbit’s Rascal’ by Enid Blyton
‘Brer Rabbit’s Rascal’ by Enid Blyton
reviewed by 8 year old M.Mrithika
I
like the author Enid Blyton the most. She writes many wonderful
stories and poems for all ages. She was born in London in 1897.
Enid Blyton sold her first piece of literature when she was at the age
of 20, a poem called “Have You…..?”.
Now, I am going to tell you about my favourite book “Brer Rabbit’s
a Rascal.” My favourite character is Brer Rabbit because he plays
tricks and practical jokes on his friends. Mainly he tries to outsmart
Brer Wolf who always trys to eat Brer Rabbit for his dinner. But
Brer Rabbit is a clever one and makes
clever plans too….. as it happened
once when Brer Wolf thought of a
good way to get Brer Rabbit for his
dinner. He pretended to be groaning
and helpless but even then he could not
outsmart Brer Rabbit.
I like the book because it is very witty
and I could learn some new words from
it and improve my language. It is meant
for ages 6 and above. It was a nice story
book and I enjoyed reading it.

4. 4
Special Report
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
T
That’s one small step for a man;
one giant leap for mankind.
— Neil A. Armstrong on
stepping foot on the moon
CFN
One small step…
Space
Search
he early days of space exploration were a keenly fought
contest between the United States and Russia on who
would send the first spacecrafts and astronauts into
space. Here is how the record books stack up:
• The Russians launched the first spacecraft into orbit around earth in 1957. That same
year, Laika the dog became the first living creature in space. She was also Russian!
• The first human in space was Yuri Gagarin of Russia who completed an orbit
around the globe in 1961.
• The Americans scored a hit, when in 1969, they managed a moon landing. As you
know, the first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong steps foot on the moon
A
(Photo courtesy: NASA)
lmost exactly 44 years ago,
on the 21st of July, astronaut
Neil Armstrong stepped on
the moon. Since then manned
spaceflight has fascinated human beings.
We dream of going to the different
planets in our solar systems and perhaps
one day, even beyond that. The fascination
for exploration is matched by the other
great reason for space programs – the
quest (search) for life in outer space. In
this edition of the special report, we will
do a quick round up of the history and
future of manned spaceflight as well as
the search for life in outer space.
The story since then..
S
ince those early days of space
exploration, space programs have
made huge progress with regular
space shuttle flights and the setting up
of the International Space Station (ISS).
Let’s learn a little more about this.
(Photo courtesy: NASA)
Many of the space shuttle flights were used to take astronauts to the
International Space Station or ISS. The ISS is a joint project of several
countries including the US and Russia. It is a spacecraft that has
been placed in permanent orbit above earth. Astronauts live aboard
the ISS for months
on end conducting
experiments. These
experiments help us
prepare for longer
voyages to other
planets.
The US space shuttle programme has been shut down, but in
its place, private companies are creating aircrafts that can take
astronauts and supplies to the ISS. Other companies are preparing
to give tourists a ride into space. Perhaps one day, space travel will
become as common as hopping into an aircraft !
(Photo courtesy: NASA)
Until two years ago, US space agency
NASA ran an extremely successful
space shuttle programme that used,
for the first time, re-usable aircraft
that could not only take astronauts
into space but also return intact and
safe. Over 30 years, 135 space missions
were completed. The last space shuttle landed back on earth on
July 21, 2011.
Did you know?
Since it’s the third brightest object in the sky, you can spot the ISS
at night or early in the morning. It looks like a moving aircraft in
the dark sky. To find out when you can spot it, sign up for alerts at
http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/.
A
gencies like NASA and even ISRO, the Indian space
agency, are preparing for flights that will take
humans deeper into space. Here are some of the
spots that are on the itinerary (trip plan):
Moon
The moon is back on
everyone’s sights as its
untouched surface allows
scientists to study how
space objects, including our
very own earth, develop
and age.

5. Special Report
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea,
pretty and blue, was the Earth. I didn’t
feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.
— Neil Armstrong
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
CFN
E
The Hunt for Goldilocks
5
ven as astronauts and space
agencies gear up to travel to
destinations like the Moon
and Mars, others are planning To support
far ahead on where man might life, a planet
has to be
want to go in the distant future. at the right
A lot of people are searching for distance
‘exoplanets.’ These are planets that from a star
are situated at just the right distance from a star (like our sun), so that
they get just the right amount of heat – it’s not too hot or not too cold
(see the Goldilocks connection?) on their surface. Much like Earth, you
may say. Such planets are most likely to support life – not only might we
find other life forms there, but, these exoplanets could also be potential
(in the future) new homes for humans.
I
All about SETI
f you were fascinated by the movie ET, you’d understand why
some people make it their life’s mission (project) to look for other
creatures in space. This is called the Search for Extra Terrestrial
Intelligence (SETI). Scientists running SETI projects have set up
telescopes (machines) that scan radio signals in space, looking for
communication that indicates that there are intelligent beings living
on other planets. So far, there is no sign of life outside earth. But the
search continues……………….
Photo Courtesy: NASA
Neil Armstrong steps foot on the moon
Where will we go next?
Near Earth Asteroids
These could be valuable sources of information on the early
life of the solar system. Plus some asteroids contain a huge
volume of water
– and learning
how to tap this
water could help
us travel better
in space, as this
water could be
both a source of
rocket fuel as well
as drinking water
for humans.
Mars
NASA’s ‘Curiosity’ rover
is currently exploring
Mars, the planet that
has fascinated humans
for many years. Mars
may contain water –
this makes the planet a
possible second home for
humans. Plus, studying
Mars may also help us
understand how the
earth will develop in the
future.
These giant telescopes
are monitoring space for
signals from other life
forms in the universe

6. 6
E
News
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
The Internet is becoming the town
square for the global village of tomorrow.
— Bill Gates
CFN
India’s Internet Among
slowest in the world
ver had the experience
of waiting and waiting
(and waiting….) for your
internet browser to load
the information you were looking for? It’s not surprising then to
find out that India has one of the
slowest Internet speeds in the
world.
The average internet speed in India during the last three months
was 1.3 MBPS. MBPS stands for
T
Mega Bytes Per Second. Traffic on
the internet and communication
networks is measured in bytes,
just as distance is measured in kilometres.
At 1.3 MBPS, the internet speed in
India is slower than that in countries like Vietnam, Taiwan and
Thailand. With an average speed
of 14.2 MBPS, the internet in South
Korea is one of the fastest in the
world.
I
india
High Jump
hey are no super heroes. Instead what you are looking at is a pair of divers competing at
the World Swimming Championships held at Barcelona, Spain, this past week. The dive
board is set against the backdrop of Barcelona city, making this dramatic photo possible.
Royal
baby
t was perhaps one of the
most anticipated babies
in the world. On the 22nd
of July, a baby boy was born
to Prince William and Kate
Middleton. Named George Alexander Louis or simply Price
George, the baby is already
third in line to the British
throne, behind his father and
grand father.
World
Sports
Kate Middleton holds Prince George
D
World Tiger Day
World
1913
2013
Number of Tigers
( Photo courtesy: NC Dhingra )
id you know that July ans, we have a big responsibili29 is World Tiger Day? ty to protect this magnificent
The day is celebrated cat.
as a reminder of how precious
this big cat is and how close
to extinction tigers are. From
over 100,000 tigers 100 years
ago, we are down to just over
3000 tigers. A large number
(1700+) live in India. So, as Indi-

7. Badminton is like ballet dancing. It requires a lot of control, strength, mind
play and measured movement
— Indian movie star Aamir Khan,
News
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
CFN
who plays badminton.
No Formula 1 race
in 2014
A
S PORT S
7
Zimbabwe series in
the bag for India
fter just three races, India’s first Formula 1 (F1) racing
track at NOIDA is getting knocked off the F1 calendar in
2014.
F1 races are held through the year at locations around
the world including Germany, Japan, Malaysia and Italy. At the end
of the year, the team and the driver with the maximum points
from all races are awarded the championship prizes. There are 19
races right now, and with two more locations to be added next
year, India is getting left out.
F1 races came to India for the first time in 2011. But the high
amounts required to be paid by the organizers to the Indian government may be making India a less attractive place to hold the
race. The organizers who conduct the race at the Budh International Circuit near Delhi however said that instead of 2014, the India race may be held in 2015.
Virat Kohli led from the front and his batting helped India win the series.
W
ith three wins in a row, the Indian team has already
won the 5 match One Day International (ODI) series against Zimbabwe. Despite some on field tantrums, ViratKohli, who is standing in for M S Dhoni
as captain, steered the side to victory with some good batting.
This is India’s third series win in a row after the Champions Trophy and the tri series win against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
T
It’s time for badminton, IPL style
he success of the Indian Premier League
(IPL) cricket tournament is inspiring other sports. A few months ago,
the Indian Hockey League was
launched (started), now it’s the
turn of the Indian Badminton
League (IBL).
IBL is similar (like) to the IPL in
many ways. Teams or clubs are
assigned to different cities and
the club owners have to ‘bid’ for
players in an auction. This is
how it works – a pool of players
is available to play in the IBL.
Clubs offer different amounts
of money for a player, and the
one that offers the highest bid
gets the player.
IBL will be played between August 14 and 31 between six clubs
(see box for details). At the auction that was held on July 22,
Malaysian player and World No
1 Lee Chong Wei was snapped
up by Mumbai for Rs.80 lakh
while India’s Saina Nehwal was
won by the Hyderabad team
for about Rs.70 lakh.
Teams of 12 players will play
each other once in their home
city and once away, which is
again similar to the IPL format.
Teams with the highest points
will make it to the semi-final
and final stages.
IBL teams
• Hyderabad
Hotshots
• Delhi Smashers
• Mumbai Masters
• Pune Pistons
• Lucknow
Warriors
• Banga Beats
You will see Men’s World No 1 Lee Chong Wei and India’s Saina Nehwal in action at the tournament.

8. 8
OWLIE’S FUN PAGE
CHILD FRIENDLY NEWS
August 01, 2013
www.childfriendlynews.com
CFN
Find the hidden objects
Seek the Stars
Can you spot the hidden objects listed at the bottom of the picture
You would have
heard of the zodiac
signs and the star
constellations named
after them. Here
are images of the
constellations seen
in the night sky. The
symbol of the zodiac
sign is also printed
over the stars as a
clue. Can you identify
the zodiac signs
represented by these
constellations?
1
2
3
4
Answers
1.Scorpio 2.Aries 3. Taurus 4. Leo
Unscramble the words
Re-arrange the
alphabets to
find the word
1. KRECOT
Clue: All clues are
linked to space
and space travel
2. ESACP UIST
3. TASR
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
4. TOANSRATU
Top Reads for Kids and Young Adults
Rocket
Spacesuit
Star
Astronaut
SUDOKU TIME
4
3
1
5
6
2
3
2
6
1
4
5
5
2
3
4
6
4
1
3
3
4
6
1
5
2
2
2
5
6
4
5
6
1
2
6
1
1
2
5
1
2
5
6
Try your hand at this Sudoku.
Remember that numbers
1 to 6 can appear only once
in each of the six rectangles.
They can also appear only
once in each row and column
of the overall square.
3
3
4
6
Answer
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Child Friendly News or CFN is an age appropriate newspaper for children in the age group 7-13. The
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understand on their own interspersed with pictures and imagery. Quick explanations of difficult words
and terms and boxed elements that explain concepts accompany every article — this is to help build
1. Beastly Tales from Here and there by Vikram Seth
2. Tigers for Dinner: Tall Tales by Jim Corbett’s
Khansama by Ruskin Bond
3. Bodyguard: Hostage by Chris Bradford
4. The Usborne Book of Greek Myths by Anna
Milbourne / Louie Stowell
5. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
6. The Eyes of the Eagle by Ruskin Bond
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
8. Mouse in Space by Geronimo Stilton
9. Light by Michael Grant
10. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
To know more about these books and to buy them, check out
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